Justice reforms to be rolled out faster as Justice Secretary sets out changes to Courts Bill
The UK Ministry of Justice will scrap plans for some criminal trials to be heard by a judge alone, keeping jury trials for more serious cases, while fast-tracking Courts and Tribunals Bill reforms to cut a Crown Court backlog of nearly 81,000 cases. Changes include longer sentencing powers for magistrates, judge-alone hearings for complex fraud, and courts deciding case venue. Justice Secretary Alex Norris said the shift lets government focus earlier on clearing delays for victims.