Philip Morgan KC: Barrister on the Government's proposal to increase the threshold for the right to a jury trial
Early Edition with Ryan Bridge - A podcast by Newstalk ZB
A barrister has doubts about increasing the threshold for the right to a jury trial. Currently a defendant can choose between a jury or a judge-alone trial in cases where the maximum penalty is two or more years in jail. The Government's seeking feedback on increasing this to three, five, or seven years, in a bid to address court delays. Philip Morgan KC told Ryan Bridge he questions the number of jury trials that will drop because of the threshold change. He says that's because he thinks the number of jury trials where the maximum penalty of the offence is two or three years in jail, is very small. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.