In this third episode dealing with the Leveson Review, Daniel Oscroft, a specialist criminal barrister with over 20 years’ experience who practices from No5 Chambers, discusses the existing inefficiencies in the criminal courts system with Simon Spence KC and Kate Bex KC.
The Leveson Review was commissioned by the Government and published on 9 July 2025. In his report, Sir Brian Leveson made a series of recommendations including limiting the right to jury trial, resolving more cases before they reach the courts, and the creation of a new Crown Court Bench Division which would see judges sit alongside two magistrates to deal with some cases without any jury present.
Following a wide-ranging consultation with interested parties, and a survey of all practicing criminal Barristers,the CBA’s position on Part 1 of the Leveson Review has been settled and can be found here:
The full CBA response sent to the Leveson Review on 3 February 2025, can be found here.
Sir Brian Leveson is due to publish a second part to his review which is expected to look at how to improve efficiency within the Criminal Courts in the Autumn.
Criminal Justice Matters is produced on behalf of the Criminal Bar Association by Adam Batstone Media &Communications
For any further information on issues raised in this series contact: James Rossiter, CBA director of Communications