The Standard’s courts correspondent Tristan Kirk has been named journalist of the year for his investigation into a secretive court process dubbed “conveyor belt justice”.
Kirk was handed the honour at the London Press Club Awards for his reporting on the flaws of the Single Justice Procedure.
The behind-closed-doors process allows magistrates to hand out convictions for low-level crimes behind closed doors, while freed from the usual scrutiny that comes with open court proceedings.
Kirk’s reporting has exposed the practice of dementia patients and care home residents being criminalised over unpaid car bills, as well as secretive fast-track hearings where vulnerable and mentally ill people are accused of not paying their TV licence.
A panel of lawyers recently looked at a collection of questionable prosecutions, and found nearly three quarters should never have been brought to court.
At a ceremony at Stationers’ Hall near St Paul’s Cathedral today, the judges hailed Kirk as “a journalist who made a difference” and noted: “Children, parents and businesses had their convictions overturned as a result of his work and 75,000 prosecutions brought by rail companies are set to be quashed.”
Kirk was also commended by the prestigious Cudlipp Award for campaigning and investigative journalism for his “powerful work shining a light on the notorious Single Justice Procedure system.”
The Standard’s “Show Respect” campaign was also nominated for the same award for its reportage exploring the misogynistic attitudes of teenage boys, which, it is claimed, are contributing to an epidemic of violence against women.The award is named after the late Lord Hugh Cudlipp, a former editorial director of the Daily Mirror and one of the pioneers of 20th Century popular tabloid journalism.The Evening Standard was shortlisted for national newspaper of the year at the awards, while junior fashion editor Joe Bromley was highly commended in the young journalist of the year section.
The judges noted that the Evening Standard has played “a critical role in shaping London’s narrative, with a special focus on urban life, culture, campaigns and politics.”
They added: “Its reviews and features on the arts, restaurants, and entertainment are particularly influential. Its campaigns have not only raised awareness but have also influenced policy, making The Evening Standard a powerful voice. Its Show Respect campaign in particular was seen as outstanding.”
The judges said Bromley “has brought a fresh, original voice to writing about the fashion industry. His interviews, investigations and first person comment pieces have given voices to the downtrodden, and exposed injustices.”Earlier this year Kirk won this year’s Paul Foot Award for Campaigning and Investigative Journalism for his work and was presented with the award by Private Eye editor Ian Hislop.
The last Conservative government failed to deliver reforms to the Single Justice Procedure in spite of a growing bank of evidence that vulnerable people across England and Wales are being harshly treated and in some cases wrongly convicted in the secretive courts process.
The new Labour government says the system is currently “under review”, but has refused to share details of possible reforms.
This week Kirk revealed how a pensioner battling fading eyesight and declining mental health received a criminal conviction over £20 of unpaid car tax while he was struggling to cope with the loss of his wife to cancer.
It is the latest case of harsh justice to emerge from the secretive justice procedure thanks to the long-running Standard investigation.
