Backlog in crown court continues to grow

Nearly 77,000 cases are currently waiting to be heard

- By DAVID DUBAS-FISHER

THOUSANDS of defendants could lose their right to a trial by jury under plans designed to save the justice system from "total system collapse".

The recommendation by Sir Brian Leveson - of phone-hacking inquiry fame - comes following a request from the Lord Chancellor to find ways of clearing the Crown Court backlog.

There were 76,957 open Crown Court cases in England and Wales at the end of March this year, according to the latest data from the Ministry of Justice.

That's the largest backlog on record and is up from 69,021 cases at the same time last year.

The size of the backlog has more than doubled since the start of the pandemic.