Bill objections

Two key provisions of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill should be opposed, the Bar Council and JUSTICE have urged the House of Lords this week as the Bill goes through its committee stages. They object to cl 42, which would amend the test applied by the Court of Appeal when considering an appeal against conviction, and to cl 105, which would see more non-legal prosecution staff conducting serious trials in magistrates’ courts. They claim cl 42 would change the role of the Court of Appeal from being a court of review to becoming a tribunal of fact.