'I hope it can change minds'

Anne Robinson's new series lets you be the judge in four historic criminal cases

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When a protester gets a longer jail sentence than a man who punched a stranger to death, it’s no surprise that most Brits are infuriated and baffled by the punishments judges hand down.

Now Anne Robinson is exploring how those decisions are made and giving viewers the chance to consider their own judgements alongside victims’ families, former members of the judiciary, retired police officers and ex-cons themselves.

New series You Be The Judge: Crime & Punishment reconstructs four real-life hearings, which are a key part of the trial system that juries are absent from.

After listening to the mitigating and aggravating factors, viewers can use the same information to decide how much time they believe a criminal offender should serve.

They will also see the thoughts of the retired policemen, retired judges, victims’ families and ex-cons.

Then the show will reveal what sentence the judge actually passed.

"We've singled out four historic cases, and we explain the background to them, talking to the relatives of the victims," explains Anne.

"We reconstruct the sentencing hearing. As well as reconstructing how the cases played out, we hear the real judge's summing up of the case, so you watch the judge going through the mitigating circumstances and aggravating factors.