PJ. Duncan. That is all.
Got stuck with chasing quotes to insure my canoe club’s kit and boats after our insurer asked for two and a half times more than they wanted last year.
First quote back from new firm is less than we paid last year!
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Just went to BC and asked who they recommend.
Receiving an email to say my Netflix subscription is increasing by £2. I swear it’s like a bi-annual thing for Netflix to increase its price.
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the current state of the CJS.
Bristol Crown was closed this afternoon, as my trial was mid-way through the defendant’s evidence, because someone attended the building with COVID/COVID Symptoms, so the whole building needs a ‘deep clean’.
Meanwhile, a four week theft trial due to start this morning (4,000 pages of evidence) had to be paused, as one of the barristers tested positive over the weekend, and surprisingly, noone is willing to take on a massive theft case at 24 hours notice. (Theft is really badly paid)
Taunton Crown Court descended into chaos, when the judge, asking the defendant if she would like to remove her mask in the dock, replied that she had better not, because she was waiting on the results of her COVID Test.
The Scots have meanwhile suspended all jury trials.
It’s a very difficult one, I’m not sure I would be happy with remote Jury Trials and you can’t push more stuff down to the Magistrates as they are already overwhelmed (and that’s before all the Covid FPN appeals have to be heard).
I have a PC who has been given a Trial date at the end of 2023 for Crown.
Ah, you see, that can’t be true. The Justice Secretary assured the media just this week that nothing is being listed that far ahead, and he’s a minister, so he must be right…
Remote jury trials are not gonna happen, it’s just too much room for technological foul ups.
I’ve heard some very scary things about how Wild West the mags has become of late…
They need to reopen loads of the courts they closed (maybe not in the same venues, as much as I love it we really don’t need all the grandeur) but now importantly they need to sort out judicial recruitment to staff those courts and help reduce the backlog. Loads of great lawyers don’t want to do it because they can earn significantly more in private practice. But also, the whole process takes far too long and puts some people off (e.g. for a part time role in the Tribunals with 150 vacancies from application to selection decision will be 15 months. Then there is the training before they can be deployed so realistically 18 months from application to the first fee paid judge from that competition sitting. With processes like that why is it suprising that suspects and victims are having to wait three+ years in limbo to get a trial.
Indeed. It’s hard not to feel equally sorry for the defendants here too.
Many of whom cant clear their name until their day in court.
Absolute omnishambles.
The backlog is not due to a lack of crown court judges. It was due to the government refusing to pay for the court sitting days (ushers, clerks, part-time judges where needed.)
Even full time judges were surplus to requirements because they weren’t opening court rooms for them to work in.
They also need to repeal the ridiculous changes to the bail act brought in under Theresa May which have done nothing but endanger victims and leave suspects in limbo. (Which is exactly what everyone said would happen, but all the Journos who spent time on bail over phone hacking twisted her ear).
Oh yeah, I agree they need to do reform of the whole estate be that judiciary, admin, buildings etc.
Remote trials are happening - one of my friends was on a jury recently, and the trial was live streamed to a local cinema that had been repurposed - each screen for a different trial.
Apparently, it worked pretty well. Unlike in a normal trial, where if the judge wants to discuss a point of law with the barristers the jury get sent to their room (well, that happened to me when I last did jury service), in this case the judge just switched the camera off 
Good old Scotland. Having been a witness, advocate and juror in England I’d hate that. You can’t get a proper trial that way.
That’s not entirely remote however. The jury still have to travel to the cinema, and from there it’s only one live link. What some are suggesting is the jury signing in to cloud video platform from home. Requiring 12 individual connections. It would be chaotic.
That cinema idea is pretty clever mind. Was it Scotland? Sounds too clever for England.