LawSoc hails Lords blow to no-jury fraud trials

The Law Society has welcomed the decision by the House of Lords to postpone controversial Government plans to abolish juries in complex fraud trials. Peers last night (20 March) voted by 216 votes to 143 to delay the Fraud (Trials without a Jury) Bill until the next parliamentary session following a motion tabled by Lord Kingsland.

March 21, 2007 at 08:38 AM

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The Law Society has welcomed the decision by the House of Lords to postpone controversial Government plans to abolish juries in complex fraud trials.

Peers last night (20 March) voted by 216 votes to 143 to delay the Fraud (Trials without a Jury) Bill until the next parliamentary session following a motion tabled by Lord Kingsland.

The Bill – which represents the Government's third attempt to remove juries in serious fraud cases – has faced vocal opposition from a number of professional bodies, including the Law Society and the Bar Council.

Commenting on the news, Law Society president Fiona Woolf said: "We are pleased that the House of Lords has upheld this fundamental principle. The solution to the problem of over-lengthy trials lies in better case management and in the new protocols for complex cases."

Peter Thornton QC, a criminal law specialist at Doughty Street Chambers, added: "People trust juries [and] they are a central part of our justice system. All the evidence shows that juries do understand the issues in complex fraud trials. It is simply patronising to suggest they don't."