UK cancels right to jury trial - First time in 400 years

[Speeders & Drunk Drivers Kill Kids]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/mar/31/jury-less-trial-guilty-heathrow-
robbery

Four jailed for £1.75m Heathrow robbery

First English criminal trial for 400 years without jury convicts John
Twomey, Peter Blake, Glenn Cameron and Barry Hibberd

Four men were jailed for between 15 years and life after being found
guilty today of carrying out a £1.75m robbery in the first English
criminal trial to be heard without a jury in 400 years.

The four were tried, convicted and sentenced by Mr Justice Treacy after
the previous three armed robbery trials collapsed, the last two amid
allegations that the jurors had been "compromised" or tampered with.

The total cost to the taxpayer of the aborted trials is estimated to be
at least £25m – more than 14 times the amount stolen.

The "hallowed principle" of trial by jury was set aside by the court of
appeal in June last year, in the first case using powers under the
Criminal Justice Act 2003, but campaigners called the decision a
dangerous precedent.

Evidence seen by appeal judges of alleged jury tampering was kept from
the public and defence lawyers because of what senior prosecutors
described as the "sensitivity" of the information.

This evidence has never been shown to the defendants – who deny all
suggestions they attempted to influence a jury – or their lawyers.

Crown Prosecution Service lawyers have refused to reveal the information
relating to jury tampering, saying "risks" still exist from the past.

(snip)

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All govts hate jury trials.