Antigua and Barbuda has welcomed a proposal for the introduction of judge-alone trials in the UK to deal with the mounting backlog of cases similar to what was done here four years ago.
Attorney General Sir Steadroy Benjamin said this move only serves to validate the decision of the government to go the route of judge-alone trials back in 2021 to deal with the issue of backlogs as well as all the other issues that arose as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We did this (judge alone trails) years ago. It shows that we are well ahead of most nations and even England when it comes to being original and trend-setting in our judicial system,” Sir Steadroy told Point Express newspaper.
According to Sir Steadroy this development confirms the fact that Antigua and Barbuda is a leader and will always be so. “We continually punch above our weight class. As some have said, ‘we likle but we tallawah’.
Media report out of the UK said thousands of cases that would normally be heard in front of a jury should be decided by judges alone, according to recommendations made by a former senior judge.
Sir Brian Leveson was asked by the Lord Chancellor to come up with a series of proposals to reduce the backlog of cases in the criminal courts.
There are almost 77,000 cases waiting for trial in the Crown Court in England and Wales – meaning some defendants and victims are waiting years for justice.
After reviewing the state of the criminal courts, Sir Brian suggested “fundamental” reforms to “reduce the risk of total system collapse”. But some barristers argue juries are essential for fair justice – and scrapping them is wrong.
To fix what he calls a broken system, Sir Brian has suggested having judge-only trials for certain cases such as fraud and bribery.
Antigua and Barbuda’s move towards judge-alone trials has brought widespread support especially among members of the legal service.
