Juryless trials and the Fraud Bill

A single offence of fraud is surely to the good but removal of the right to trial by jury in serious and complex fraud cases is not, submits Amy Mannion , barrister, 3 Raymond Buildings.

Amy Mannion can be contacted on tel: +44 (0) 20 7400 6400; website: www.3raymondbuildings.com

On 21 June 2005 the Attorney General announced the Government’s decision that section 43 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 , providing for certain serious fraud trials to take place without a jury, should be implemented in January 2006, and that the matter would be placed before both houses in the autumn. A draft commencement order has been drawn up, although at the time of writing the resolutions still remain to be passed, and the section looks to face tough opposition, particularly in the House of Lords. If the section is brought into force in line with the draft order, it will affect cases sent [1] to the Crown Court after 1 January 2006.