The UK government is set to announce plans to restrict the ancient right to a jury trial in England and Wales, in an attempt to clear a record backlog of cases.
It is thought that the plan would see the end of jury trials other than for the most serious cases including murder, and the proposals will be laid out in Parliament later on Tuesday.
David Lammy, the deputy prime minister and justice secretary, insisted that juries would remain a "fundamental part of the criminal justice system".
There are currently 78,000 cases waiting to be completed in Crown Courts. In practice, this means that some suspects being charged with serious crimes today may not have a trial until late 2029 or early 2030.
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