Campaigners fighting plans to cut back on jury trials demonstrated outside York Crown Court today (Monday).
Under Government proposals, cases with a likely sentence of three years or less would be heard by a single crown court judge rather than go before a jury.
The Courts and Tribunals Bill, which includes this reform, cleared its first Commons hurdle in March despite dissent on Labour’s backbenches.
Today’s protest was organised by the Jury Alliance. It argues that juries “protect us from unfair prosecutions, biased judges, political interference and state overreach”.
York resident Ginne Shaw was among the protesters outside court in the Eye of York today.
She told YorkMix: “It’s a very long established right for us to have trial by jury. It, goes back to the Magna Carta.
“It’s a lot of people who are going to be affected and not have that right to be heard by their peers.
“It’s an inalienable right for us in this country, to be to be tried in that way by 12 people and we just think it is an important principle to stand by.”
Ginnie said there were more chances for injustice if the bill becomes law.
“There are cases where judges have ruled evidence out of court, which most ordinary people would regard as important – such as climate change and fuel poverty.
“It’s going to increase the likelihood that people will be sent to prison for so-called crimes that the majority of the British public wouldn’t regard as crimes.”
She said they were getting “a mostly positive response” from today’s demonstration.
And given that the bill was progressing through Parliament, “it’s very likely that we’ll be back”.
