
The hearings are private (stock photo)
(Picture: PA Archive)Magistrates are handing out criminal convictions in private court hearings lasting as little as 90 seconds, in a system where the majority of prosecutions will never be looked at by a qualified lawyer, the Evening Standard has learned.
The Single Justice Procedure (SJP) was established to allow courts to sit behind-closed-doors, issuing fines and convictions in a system that was designed for speedy justice.