Trial by Jury: Proposed Restrictions Debate
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Warinder Juss
Main Page: Warinder Juss (Labour - Wolverhampton West)Department Debates - View all Warinder Juss's debates with the Ministry of Justice
Trial by Jury: Proposed Restrictions
Warinder Juss Excerpts(2 days, 16 hours ago)
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Warinder Juss (Wolverhampton West) (Lab)
Does my hon. and learned Friend agree that trial by jury is, and will always remain, a fundamental concept of our British justice system, but we also need to ensure that we restore victims’ faith in the system, and do what we can to ensure justice is not denied by justice being delayed?
Sarah Sackman
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The shadow Secretary of State for Justice quotes Magna Carta, but the state’s obligation is to ensure a fair trial, and essential to a fair trial is timely justice. In circumstances where some victims of crime are waiting two or three years for their day in court, that is not fair. In fact, that is resulting in many victims pulling out of trials, rendering court time wasted and retraumatising those victims. What the shadow Secretary of State for Justice has not read is the entirety of Magna Carta. I quote:
“To no one will we…delay right or justice.”
The right to a timely trial is embedded in Magna Carta, and we need to get back to delivering it.