A host of Carlisle Crown Court cases — including three trials — were postponed today as barristers began a second week of strike action in protest over pay and conditions.
Criminal defence lawyers across England and Wales are staging industrial action on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday which will escalate by a day a week in future weeks.
The Criminal Bar Association, which represents the views and interests of around 2,400 barristers, says they have suffered a real earning decrease of almost 30 per cent since 2006.
Junior barristers in their first three years are said to earn a median income of £12,200 — below minimum wage. The CBA say 40 per cent of juniors left the profession in a single year, with one barrister claiming low pay rates will “choke off the supply of the next generation of advocates”.
The CBA is also asking for a larger rise in pay for legal aid work — which allows them to represent people who could not otherwise afford lawyers — than the Government is offering.
Amid a backlog of cases which the CBA says is caused by long-term legal aid cuts, more hearings at Carlisle have been put back many weeks.
One defendant accused of sexual assault was due to stand trial today. But with his barrister not attending because of the strike action — and with rules in force which prevent defendants cross-examining complainants in sex cases in any event — his trial was put off for 11 weeks.
Another man due to stand trial had his case postponed for 17 weeks, while a third man whose case was due to be heard in front of a jury for the next eight days is also facing a lengthy delay, along with witnesses.
A West Cumbria man due to enter a plea to the alleged breach of a restraining order had contacted the court to say he could not attend as he had tested positive for Covid. “Were he here, he would be unrepresented and we would,not make a good deal more progress than we have already,” said Judge Nicholas Barker, who adjourned that hearing for four weeks.
A defendant from Carlisle accused of flouting a harassment order was present but had not met the absent barrister who was due to represent him in advance. “He informed me before court yesterday he was on strike,” said the man from the dock before his case was postponed by Recorder Samantha Presland.
One case which could have gone ahead — with both prosecution and defence lawyers in attendance — was adjourned because the defendant himself had failed to attend court without a stated good reason. A warrant was issued for his arrest by a judge.
Jurors due to sit on trials had also attended the court building today.
