British Justice Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy today announced to the Commons that he is to scrap jury trials for defendants facing sentences of three years or less.
Offences that magistrates send to Crown Courts below this threshold will be heard by a single judge, rather than a jury.
But Lammy says he is still committed to jury trials, and these will "continue to be the cornerstone of the system for the most serious offences".
The Deputy PM said: "We're all proud of our legal system rooted in the Magna Carta."
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