Issue 157  29th August 2020

Newcastle Crown Court is scheduled to resume them on Tuesday 1 September 2020. This will bring the total number of courts hearing jury trials to 67, out of a total of 77 courts open.

Since May, when jury trials resumed, more than 690 jury trials have been listed and disposed of. From this week, jury trials will be taking place in 66 Crown Court buildings and two Nightingale Courts (Prospero House and Swansea Civic Centre); 93 courtrooms are available for jury trials and we expect this to increase to 100 usable jury trial rooms by the end of August...

So far, we’ve identified almost 200 courtrooms and 59 retiring rooms which would benefit from screens. Those for juries have already been installed in one courtroom in Leeds and three in Liverpool and an ambitious rolling programme of works is underway. By the end of October, we expect to have rapidly increased capacity, thanks to installation of the screens in around 250 court and retiring rooms...

The approach being tested in the Crown court, starting at Liverpool Crown Court last week, involves a minimum of two court rooms operating jury trials in the same court centre. In one courtroom, two lists will operate: one in the morning and a second list in the afternoon, Monday to Friday. Alongside this, a ‘standard hours’ court will operate. This will ensure that if, for any reason, a case is unsuitable for the earlier or later session court, it can still be listed in the usual way...

Teenage killers aged 15 or over will be handed longer jail terms under changes to the sentencing regime for youth offenders being considered by the Justice Secretary, The Telegraph can reveal. Robert Buckland is likely to propose increasing the starting point for determining sentences for 15-17 year olds who commit murder from a minimum of 12 years under plans expected to be unveiled next month. The new changes are likely to be referred to as “Ellie’s law” after teenage victim Ellie Gould, whose family have pushed for tougher sentences for older adolescents after she was murdered in 2019 by her then 17-year-old boyfriend...

At present the starting point for murderers aged under 18 who are convicted or who plead guilty to murder is 12 years, as opposed to 15 years for adults. However, ministers are looking to introduce a “more graded approach”, which would see the starting point for murder sentences for over 15s moved closer to the adult sentencing regime...

The Ministry of Justice is also due to put forward changes to ensure child murderers face life imprisonment without parole, as set out in the Conservative Party’s 2019 manifesto.

Police in England will be able to fine organisers of illegal gatherings of more than 30 people such as raves up to £10,000 from Friday, ministers say. Those who attend gatherings and those who do not wear face coverings where it is mandatory can be given a £100 fine, doubling on each offence up to £3,200...

The government first unveiled plans for tougher penalties for those breaking coronavirus rules earlier this month. Details of the stricter rules come after extra restrictions to stem the spread of Covid-19 were introduced in north-west England.

HM Courts & Tribunals Service chief executive Susan Acland-Hood could remain at the Department for Education for longer than expected. The government today announced that Jonathan Slater, permanent secretary at the DfE, will stand down on 1 September. Acland-Hood, who was appointed interim second permanent secretary last Friday, will take over as acting permanent secretary

Acland-Hood's sojourn to education was meant to be for only six weeks. She was brought in to support the DfE's response to exam results. HMCTS deputy chief executive Kevin Sadler is currently leading the courts and tribunals team. The Gazette asked the Ministry of Justice whether Acland-Hood will remain at the DfE longer than expected in light of her new role and was told that it is still six weeks at the moment.