Trials by jury could be dropped in attempt to tackle courts backlog

STAFFORDSHIRE'S crime chief is asking for the area to be considered a 'special case' by the Ministry of Justice to tackle a backlog in court cases.

- Kerry Ashdown

Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Ben Adams said Staffordshire was facing one of the worst backlogs in the country for crown and magistrates cases, meaning victims are facing a lengthy wait for justice.

Former judge Sir Brian Leveson has made several recommendations to address the national backlog.

The first part of his independent review of criminal courts was published last month.

Mr Adams, right, speaking at the latest Police, Fire and Crime Panel meeting, said: “There are some proposals - maybe even dropping jury trials in some cases.

“I'm not comfortable, I think if that wasn’t necessary we wouldn't even be going there. But it may be necessary on the basis that two or three-year waits for serious court cases to be heard is not in anybody's interest.”