A protest has been held outside Carlisle Crown Court over plans to scrap trials by jury for certain crimes.
The Government announced in December that jury trials in England and Wales for crimes that carry a likely sentence of less than three years would be scrapped under its plan to tackle unprecedented major delays in the legal system.
Protests have taken place outside courts across the country in a nationwide day of action by The Jury Alliance, a new public campaigning group.
Campaigners argue that trial by jury was a fundamental safeguard in the justice system and should not be removed or heavily restricted.
Protestor Catherine Rennie-Nash, 75, of Kendal, said: “After 800 years of trial by jury, the Government is trying to dismantle this cornerstone of the British justice system – trial by 12 of our peers.
“Cutting trials by jury, and replacing them with a single judge, will not cut the backlog of trials, but it will undermine true justice. The reason for the backlog is largely due to underfunding and an inefficient, ill-thought out system.”
