Jury-free trials recommended to save courts from 'collapse'

Former senior judge Sir Brian Leveson is recommending judge-only trials for certain cases to alleviate the backlog of 77,000 cases in England and Wales' criminal courts. His proposals suggest significant changes, including introducing judge-alone trials for fraud and bribery, increasing out-of-court resolutions, and setting up a new court division for less serious offenses. While some legal professionals contest these changes, others, like the Magistrates' Association and Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, support them as essential for expediting justice.