Fraud bill providing wrong solution to exaggerated problem

12.00.00am GMT Thu 16th Nov 2006

Responding to the publication to the Fraud (Trials without a Jury) Bill, Liberal Democrat Shadow Constitutional Affairs Secretary, Simon Hughes MP said:

"The Government really should have got the message. This is the wrong solution to an exaggerated problem.

"Parliament has not been persuaded that the best way of dealing with complicated fraud trials is to take away the role of the jury.

"Over recent years new procedures have been introduced to save court time and make life easier for jurors.

"There may be arguments for smaller juries or for different practice juries. However, experience from this country and abroad does not make the argument for letting judges alone decide issues of honesty and dishonesty.

"A jury decision gives a much more conclusive outcome to a case and commands much greater public confidence. We cannot have a two-tier justice system where some serious charges have a jury trial and others do not."