Latest news with #Magistrates
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Defendants should be allowed to ask for jury-free trials to reduce court backlogs, top judge says
Defendants should be allowed to ask for a jury-free trial to reduce court backlogs, a top judge has said. Sir Brian Leveson, who is heading up a review set up by the government, is to propose a 'once in a generation' reform to tackle record court backlogs that would see the UK follow the likes of Canada, Australia and New Zealand. He is to make the recommendation to tackle delays in the legal system, which has a current backlog of 75,000 cases, forcing victims to wait four to five years for justice in many cases. Sir Brian told a conference: 'I can see the advantage in lots of cases. You will get a reasoned judgment [from a judge]. In front of a jury, you don't get a judgment at all, you get guilty or not guilty. 'The case will be undeniably speedier because the judge doesn't have to explain to the jury all the basic premises of the criminal law.' Other reforms could include sparing the public from sitting as jurors in any case scheduled to last more than 12 months due to the disruption to their lives and careers, the Telegraph reports. This could also apply to factually or legally complex cases, where jurors may struggle to understand the full details. The right to a jury trial could also be restricted for lower level offences including assaulting a police officer while resisting arrest, dangerous driving and possession of drugs. Instead, these crimes could be tried by a court comprising of a judge and two magistrates or by extending magistrates' powers to sentence offenders to up to two years in prison, double their current limit. This would mean more cases could be dealt with at a magistrates' court, freeing up more space in the crown courts for more serious offences. Speaking at the conference, Sir Brian warned that the backlog of cases could reach 100,000 if no radical action is taken. He added he believes judges should have the right to overrule a defendant's request for a judge only trial if it is in the public interest. 'There are some cases, which I would not consider appropriate for a judge to try alone, and I would give the judge a discretion,' Sir Brian said. 'So a defendant may say, 'I would like to be tried by a judge alone', and the judge would be perfectly entitled to say, 'I think not'.' Sir Brian is due to deliver his report next week to Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood, with publication expected next month.
Malay Mail
3 days ago
- Malay Mail
Injuring eight Kuching dorm-mates with hot iron sees 14-year-old sent to reform school
KUCHING, June 11 — A 14-year-old boy who injured eight of his dorm-mates with a hot iron last month was today sentenced to a total of nine years in Henry Gurney School. The Form 2 student pleaded guilty to three charges each before Magistrates Ling Hui Chuan and Syarifah Fatimah Azura Wan Ali, and another two charges before Magistrate Mason Jaro Lenya Barayan. Each of the three magistrates sentenced him to three years at the reform school under Section 91(1)(f) of the Child Act 2001, after reviewing the Welfare Department's probation report. In addition to the said provision, the courts also ordered for the boy's parents or guardians to visit him regularly in accordance with Section 93(1)(d) of the same Act. Under Section 70 of the Child Act 2001, the courts also ordered that the boy be placed under the supervision of a probation officer for one year after completing his sentence. According to the charges, the boy intentionally injured eight male victims, aged 13 to 15, between 12.30am and 2am at a secondary school hostel here on May 2. All eight charges were framed under Section 324 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years' imprisonment, or a fine, or caning, or any two such punishments upon conviction. Based on the facts of the case, a teacher informed the school's head warden at 9.22am on the same day that a student had reported burns on his left arm, which at the time were believed to have been caused by hot water, and asked to go home for treatment. Later, around 11.45am and 2.15pm, several more students came forward reporting injuries consistent with burns on various parts of their bodies, including their arms, calves, ankles, and necks. This raised suspicions, as the injuries seemed to result from deliberate contact with a hot object. A preliminary investigation by the school later pointed to the boy as the perpetrator. When questioned by school authorities, the boy admitted to have deliberately used a hot iron on eight of his dorm-mates. Police reports were subsequently lodged by the teacher, parents, and victims, leading to the boy's arrest on the same day. The police investigation found that the boy had used the hot iron on the victims while they slept. The injuries were recorded and verified by a specialist from Sarawak General Hospital and several eyewitnesses, including the victims, saw the boy committing the acts. The incident is believed to have stemmed from the boy's desire to bully his schoolmates without understanding the consequences of his actions. ASP Arman Ibrahim and Insp Nur Shafiqa Nyaie Ilin appeared separately for the prosecution. The boy was represented by National Legal Aid Foundation lawyers Russell Lim and Brendan Ting. — The Borneo Post
BBC News
29-04-2025
- BBC News
Third man sentenced over abuse after Panorama probe
A third man has been prosecuted in connection with assaults on pupils at a school in Merseyside. Oliver Nugent, 27, from Irby, pleaded guilty to assault by beating after a Panorama investigation revealed bullying and assaults on pupils at the LIFE School in New Brighton, Wirral .Nugent was sentenced to 12 weeks' imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, at Sefton Magistrates's Court men have previously been prosecuted in connection with the investigation. Nugent was also ordered to carry out 25 days of rehabilitation activity, along with 200 hours of unpaid work and was ordered to pay £200 undercover Panorama reporter, Sasha Hinde was employed as a staff member at the school for around seven weeks, from March to May covertly recorded several incidents at the school which resulted in the programme, Panorama: Cruelty in the Classroom, which was aired on 17 June documentary triggered a police investigation and three people were arrested and Millar, 22, from Liscard, Wallasey, pleaded guilty to five charges, including two charges of common assault, two charges of assault by beating and a charge of using threatening words, likely to cause alarm or distress, at Sefton Magistrates' Court on 18 November 2024. He was jailed for 12 judge at the hearing described Millar's treatment of some of the pupils at the school as "cruel bullying", "gratuitous degradation" and an abuse of McNulty-Doyle, 22, from Little Neston, Cheshire, was employed as a wellbeing coach at the school and had worked there since October was found guilty after a trial at Sefton Magistrates' Court on 27 March 2024 of using threatening, abusive behaviour, likely to cause harassment, alarm or was convicted after a full trial on 27 March 2025. This offence is punishable by a fine only and he was fined £250, with £50 compensation to the defendants all claimed to have had a lack of training for their roles and claimed much of the alleged threatening behaviour as "banter". 'Exploited vulnerabilities' Victims' personal statements to the court highlighted the impact of the offending on the pupils and their Crown Prosecutor Matthew Dixon, of CPS Mersey Cheshire said: "Life School was offering educational provision for students with additional needs."That should have ensured high levels of care and support but instead, these three men, betrayed that trust. "They exploited the vulnerabilities of the pupils for their own entertainment."He said there was no doubt that, if this behaviour had not been caught on camera by the undercover reporter, this treatment of the pupils by these men would have continued."Thankfully, the footage captured by the reporter and the evidence gathered by Merseyside Police during the investigation helped us to bring all three men to justice," he said. Mr Dixon said the CPS wanted to thank the victims and their families for supporting the prosecution. Additional reporting by Kelly Foran Panorama - Undercover School : Cruelty In The ClassroomWatch the full investigation on BBC iPlayer. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
