The court reversed three decisions where a particular judge had said that the CPS should not have begun prosecutions, saying ‘We recognise these [ever increasing financial] pressures only too well and recognise also the need for every court to be vigilant so as to ensure that court resources are used as efficiently, as expeditiously and as effectively as possible. It is not, however, for judges to short circuit or ignore well established principles of law in the name of efficiency or to seek to prevent prosecutions properly brought to the Crown Court whether by election for trial or otherwise, from being pursued. Whether steps should be taken to limit the extent to which any particular type of case should be tried by jury is for Parliament.’
Citations:
[2010] EWCA Crim 1857
Links:
Jurisdiction:
England and Wales
Cited by:
Cited – Regina v SH CACD 3-Aug-2010
The prosecutor had appealed immediately against the judge’s withdrawal of a charge of racially aggravated use of insulting words or behaviour. The judge then ignored his obligation to continue the trial without mentioning the issue to the jury. He . .
Lists of cited by and citing cases may be incomplete.
Criminal Practice
Updated: 21 August 2022; Ref: scu.421080