First Trial Without Jury to Be Conducted in UK

The Court of Appeal - a committee of three judges lead by the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge, Lord Justice Goldring and Mr. Justice McCombe - have approved of a move to have a trial without a jury in the Crown Court. The case that has been put forward is an armed robbery of a warehouse at Heathrow Airport that occurred in 2004. Lord Judge said in a written statement that considering the “very serious criminal activity” of the four arrested and that since £1.8 million of the initial £10 million had not been recovered, there was a danger of jury bias.

Lord Judge stated that “jury tampering” was a “significant danger”. This danger would have made the amount of protection from threats or bribes to an unattainable level. Also, the psychological effects of such stringent security measures: such as a constant police escort was also taken into consideration. The possibility of threats and menaces to be integrated into the juror’s families was a risk. These “burdens” would be “totally unfair” towards the individual jurors.

Lord Judge then continued to defend the possible accusations of the system to be more biased than if a jury was in place:

"In this country trial by jury is a hallowed principle of the administration of criminal justice. It is properly identified as a right, available to be exercised by a defendant unless and until the right is amended or circumscribed by express legislation."

The four men arrested have not been identified.