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The Latest Breaking News from Crown Court

Ex-London’s Burning star John Alford guilty of sexually assaulting two teenage girls

The 53-year-old actor was convicted at St Albans Crown Court of assaulting the two girls at a friend’s home

Evening Standard · Sep 5, 2025

NHS surgeon jailed for fraud over amputation of his own legs

Neil Hopper, of St Erme, Truro, Cornwall, entered guilty pleas to the five charges against him at Truro Crown Court.

Evening Standard · Sep 4, 2025

'Too Drunk to Consent?' Former Grange Hill Star John Alford Trial Takes Shocking Turn

Former TV star John Alford faces trial accused of sexually abusing two teenage girls during a 2022 party, with charges heard at St Albans Crown Court.

International Business Times UK · Aug 27, 2025

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Could England and Wales introduce jury-free trials? Here’s how they work in other countries

The right to trial by jury is a fundamental part of the criminal justice system in England and Wales. But under new proposals to address a record backlog of almost 77,000 Crown Court cases, some cases could now be heard by judge alone.

The Conversation · Jul 9, 2025

Proposals would see ‘most sweeping transformation of criminal courts in a generation’

IN FULL

The Independent UK · Jul 9, 2025

Scrap jury trials for fraud and sex assault cases to stop ‘total collapse’ of system, report suggests

The government is considering sweeping court reforms proposed in a review by Sir Brian Leveson

The Independent UK · Jul 8, 2025

Crown courts at ‘breaking point’ as backlog reaches new record high

Almost 77,000 crown court cases were waiting to be heard in March, figures show

The Independent UK · Jun 26, 2025

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Britain’s Got Talent finalist says he has ‘lost everything’ after rape trial

Andrew Johnston, 30, who competed as a singer on the television programme, was cleared of raping two women after a trial at Southwark Crown Court.

Evening Standard · May 8, 2025

Girl, 14, detained for 15 years for attempted murder of two teachers and pupil

The 14-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was sentenced at Swansea Crown Court on Monday.

Evening Standard · Apr 28, 2025

Women accused of stalking Madeleine McCann's family appear in court

Polish national Julia Wandel was refused bail at Leicester Crown Court shortly before Karen Spragg, from Cardiff, was bailed by magistrates

Evening Standard · Mar 28, 2025

McCann family stalking suspect denied bail by Crown Court judge

Polish national Julia Wandel, 23, will be kept in prison custody until a futher hearing next month.

Evening Standard · Mar 28, 2025

OPINION - The real cost of our courts crisis: has there ever been a better time to be a criminal in Britain?

Shoplifting has soared to such “epidemic” levels with reports of 17,000 incidents-a-day while attacks on shopkeepers are up by 50 per cent. Reports of violence against women and girls have surged so alarmingly in the last few years that the police declared it a “national emergency”.

Evening Standard · Mar 27, 2025

Triple murderer who was plotting school massacre to be sentenced

Nicholas Prosper will appear at Luton Crown Court on Wednesday for the second day of his sentencing hearing.

Evening Standard · Mar 19, 2025

Nicholas Prosper sentencing: Teenager who murdered family 'planned on killing at least 30 schoolchildren'

Nicholas Prosper, 19, wanted to become UK’s worst mass school killer with shooting attack on his former primary, court told

Evening Standard · Mar 18, 2025

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Evening Standard · Mar 5, 2025

Justice chiefs accused by MPs of failing to act quickly to tackle spiralling courts crisis

The Crown Court backlog has spiralled to more than 73,000 cases with the system mired in chronic delays and some trials being listed as far away as 2028

The Independent UK · Feb 27, 2025

Drug gang used flights from France to drop £4m worth of cocaine in English countryside

Police say organised crime group would fly planes from Cherbourg, France, to southern England

Evening Standard · Feb 24, 2025

Teenager who murdered his mother and siblings was plotting to attack school

Nicholas Prosper pleaded guilty to the murders of Juliana Falcon, 48, Giselle Prosper, 13, and Kyle Prosper, 16, in Luton on Monday

Evening Standard · Feb 24, 2025

Man, 19, pleads guilty to murdering his mother and siblings

Nicholas Prosper, of Leabank, appeared in the dock at Luton Crown Court on Monday and spoke to confirm his identity and to make his pleas.

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The Independent UK · Jan 29, 2025

Chinese PhD student accused of drugging and raping 10 women

Zhenhao Zou, 27, is standing trial at Inner London Crown Court and denies all charges.

Evening Standard · Jan 13, 2025

OPINION - Jack Straw is trying to smuggle a dangerous idea back into Britain's justice system

The British public are about to be presented with a series of “big ideas” to fix the criminal justice system which is currently utterly broken.

The Independent UK · Dec 12, 2024

Government urged to grant more court sitting days to tackle prison population

Tory Kieran Mullan said: ‘If the judiciary had come to us and asked for more sitting days, we would have responded to that, not told them no.’

The Independent UK · Dec 12, 2024

Right to jury trial under threat as Leveson asked to carry out ‘once in generation’ review of courts

Retired high court judge told that ‘nothing is off the table’ to reform the courts service and end the massive backlog of cases

The Independent UK · Dec 11, 2024

Starmer set to greenlight major reform of courts after murder trial backlog quadrupled under Tories

Exclusive: Figures reveal that rape victims have to wait almost a year for a trial to begin

The Independent UK · Nov 30, 2024

Grandmother lost business and savings after being wrongly charged with fraud as CPS admits she was ‘let down’

Exclusive: Krista Brown was cleared in October last year and has had her complaint upheld by the CPS, who have admitted her case did not meet the standards to be charged and prosecuted

Evening Standard · Nov 27, 2024

'A most distressing time': Top judge slams Labour's 'drastic' court funding decision

Baroness Carr said the decision to limit court sitting days has had “drastic” results

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