Why reviving more Nightingale courts distracts Government to divert public money from a tried and tested way of reducing record backlogs - using that money to pay for more criminal barristers to prosecute and defend criminal cases.
John Cooper of 25 Bedford Row explains to

It’s really this simple 🤷😔👇

Yet to master the ability to thread properly, but to repeat a post hiding somewhere in my thread is this: Judiciary says it's central to rule of law that decisions on deployment remain for the independent judiciary. 'These matters should not be drawn into the political arena.'

And this is relatively swift justice - if that “not before 2025” trial date is kept - for a rape cases with a reported allegation from 2021

Many Spring 2026 trial dates for rape been handed down since November 2023 for reported allegations of rape dating to 2019 or 2020
7 years

The CBA The Times and The Sunday Times They can sit wherever they want. There still won’t be enough barristers to conduct the trials. Judges and courtrooms are only two parts of the jigsaw - the rest of it is also broken.

Spring Conference
This Saturday. 5 days to go.

Updates on law and practice around rape and serious sexual offences

Key note speech
The Rt Honourable Sir Andre Edis
Senior Presiding Judge of
England and Wales

CBA Training Programme & Rasso Fees
Tana Adkin KC & Mary Prior KC

“The average time taken for a rape trial with a bailed defendant to conclude after charge is currently about 18 months.” The Times and The Sunday Times
“A growing number of barristers are walking away from criminal practice because of low crown prosecution fees and cuts to legal aid. Last year a

“On Monday a murder trial was postponed because there was no judge.”
The Times and The Sunday Times
“Courts ‘should sit in pubs and libraries’ to bring justice to the people
A former High Court judge tells the Times Crime and Justice Commission that pop-up courts could cut the case backlog and ‘line

It is worth reading this from UK Prime Minister and the response from Judicial Office via Monidipa Fouzder Law Society Gazette

and the reality in our criminal courts today and every other week now for years

Today 1 in 6 available Crown Courts
shut
we don’t have enough judges
Human

'The decision to do so will be taken by the senior president of tribunals when the provisions in the act commence, taking into account the interests of justice and the need for all matters before the tribunals to be handled quickly and efficiently.' /3

Judicial spox: 'Deployment of judges is matter for judiciary. In line with new provisions in Illegal Migration Act, judiciary have id'd number of first tier tribunal judges who may be asked to sit in upper tribunal to deal with any increase in appeals that arise from the act /2

This morning Rishi Sunak said judiciary has made available 25 courtrooms and identified 150 judges who could provide over 5000 sitting days to deal with legal cases arising from #RwandaBill quickly and decisively. I asked the judiciary for a statement. /1

Today 1 in 6 available Crown Courts
shut
we don’t have enough judges
Human cost:
Only last Friday a large regional Crown Court told all parties a “fixture will be broken” due today
Not just any last minute hearing postponement
It’s a trial for
“long-ago-fixed 3-handed murder”

Neutral Citation Number: [2024] EWHC 918 (KB)
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE KING'S BENCH DIVISION
Before :
THE HONOURABLE MR JUSTICE SAINI
---------------------
Between :
HM SOLICITOR GENERAL
- and -
TRUDI ANN WARNER
--------------------- ---------------------
Case No:

HM Solicitor General v Trudi Warner [2024] EWHC 918 (KB)

crimeline.co.uk/hm-solicitor-g…

How much does HM Treasury & Ministry of Justice ‘save’ by having insufficient criminal barristers to prosecute+defend ready-to-go trials?
In 2021/2 and 2022/3 with “an unlimited cap on sitting days”
A 40% annual ‘save’ each year for the past 2 years on the annual spend a decade ago for

Today 1 in 6 available Crown Courts
shut
we don’t have enough judges
Human cost:
Only last Friday a large regional Crown Court told all parties a “fixture will be broken” due today
Not just any last minute hearing postponement
It’s a trial for
“long-ago-fixed 3-handed murder”

At the current monthly rate of Crown Court case backlog reduction it will be the year 2149 before the backlog today falls back below where it was just 5 years ago.
Bear a mind-numbing thought for those waiting for justice, their children, grandchildren and those who die waiting.

To join the visit to The Hague (including a visit to and presentation from the International Criminal Court) please email the Circuit Administrator.