Sebastian Walker was recently part of the working group of criminal barristers who produced The Bar Council of England and Wales response to the Leveson review of the criminal justice system. The Bar Council’s response warned against removing the right to a jury trial and the introduction of intermediate courts, instead favouring alternative approaches to increasing efficiency such as:
- The removal of caps on sitting days (as well as a removal on the caps on sitting days for retired judges);
- Increased credit for guilty plea in the short term;
- Increases to the sentencing powers of District Judges or Deputy District Judges;
- Allowing judges to enter verdicts of not guilty by reason of insanity;
- Greater use of cautions and conditional cautions.
The full press release and response can be found here.
Further information
For more information from the crime team, contact clerks@36crime.co.uk
Involving Sebastian Walker
