Scot Lib Dems respond to government ditching pilot of juryless trials

Responding to the news that the Scottish Government is ditching its plans for a pilot of juryless trials, Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP said:

“It has been clear for a long time that operating a pilot for juryless trials would face considerable challenges, not least because of the difficulties in obtaining the agreement of those affected and the lack of clarity around what a ‘successful’ pilot looks like.

"The Justice Secretary's decision to pare back this bill to areas where there is a consensus is the right one. This was a bill seeking to do too much all at once and risking causing more problems for a system that is already struggling to cope with years of SNP government cuts to justice budgets”.