LONDON, (Reuters) – The Court of Appeal gave the go-ahead yesterday for first ever criminal trial to be heard in front of a judge without a jury in England and Wales.
Three judges in London, headed by the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge, gave the green light because of a “very significant” danger of jury-nobbling in an armed robbery case.
Lord Judge said the case concerned “very serious criminal activity” arising out of a robbery at a warehouse at Heathrow Airport in 2004, the Press Association reported.
It will be the fourth trial of the defendants.
Allowing a prosecution appeal to have a trial without a jury, Lord Judge said: “the danger of jury-tampering and the subversion of the process of trial by jury is very significant”.
Reporting restrictions ban the identification of the four defendants in the case. Their trial “will take place without a jury in due course,” he said.
