Norris scraps Crown Court Bench Division after outcry over judge-alone trials
The UK government said on October 4, 2026, that Justice Secretary Alex Norris will drop the planned Crown Court Bench Division, under which judges would have tried cases likely to draw sentences of up to three years without a jury. The Courts and Tribunals Bill, due back in the Commons on October 13, still ends defendants' right to elect jury trial for either-way offenses, keeps judge-alone trials for complex fraud and expands magistrates' sentencing powers.
Text (Law Gazette) → · GOV.UK, The Guardian, The Independent +1
Key points
- Norris will scrap the planned Crown Court Bench Division for judge-alone trials.Law GazetteGOV.UKThe Guardian
- Judge-alone trials will remain available for complex, lengthy fraud and financial cases.GOV.UKThe GuardianBBC News
- Defendants will lose the right to elect jury trial for either-way offenses.Law GazetteThe GuardianThe Independent
- Magistrates' sentencing powers will be expanded so they can hand down longer sentences.GOV.UKThe GuardianBBC News
- The Courts and Tribunals Bill returns to the Commons on October 13, 2026.Law GazetteGOV.UK
- Crown Court backlog stands near 81,000 cases, about a third waiting a year or more.GOV.UKThe GuardianBBC News
Sources5 articles across 5 outlets
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