Criminal Justice Matters

In this latest episode of the Criminal Justice Matters podcast from the Criminal Bar Association of England & Wales,former Chair of the CBA Mary Prior KC discusses with the Chair of the Bar Council, Barbara Mills KC the privilege, responsibility and pressures of their offices, and their efforts to help barristers of all backgrounds become the best they can be. Mary and Barbara share their insights into what it takes as women to have risen to the very highest positions of leadership during a time of ongoing generational shift towards greater inclusiveness, kindness and respect in the profession.  They shine a light into the world of negotiations with justice stakeholders, and highlight the power of unity shared through mutual trust  between Chairs.  Mary Prior KC, was CBA Chair for a year until 31 August 2025 before which she served one year as Vice Chair. Barbara Mills KC continues her term as Bar Council Chair until 31 December 2025. Riel Karmy-Jones KC succeeded Mary as CBA Chair on 1 September 2025 andcontinues to positively engage with criminal justice matters at the highest political and judicial levels, and fosters the strong, united, working Chair relationship with the  Bar Council leadership.Criminal Justice Matters is produced on behalf of theCriminal Bar Association by ⁠AdamBatstone Media &Communications⁠For any further information on issues raised in this seriescontact: James Rossiter, CBA director of Communications ⁠07985 117887

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 &CommunicationsFor any further information on issues raised in this series contact: James Rossiter, CBA director of Communications07985117887 

Sir Brian Leveson has published his recommendations into how changes could be made to the criminal jusitce system aimed at addressing the backlog of cases awaiting trial and taking pressure off the criminal courts.His recommendations include 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.In this episode of the Criminal Justice Matters podccast, from the Criminal Bar Association of England and Wales, Simon Spence KC, Kate Bex KC and Francis FitzGibbon KC give their response , reaction and opinions to the recommendations included in the Leveson Review.CBA members can make their views known by taking part in the CBA member survey. More details are available via the CBA website.Criminal Justice Matters is produced on behalf of the CBA by Adam Batstone Media & Communications

Kate Bex KC and Simon Spence KC are joined in this episode by Claire Waxman OBE who was appointed London’s first Independent Victims’ Commissioner in 2017.Together they discuss the vexed issue of whether or not offenders should be forced to attend their sentencing hearing. Is it a necessary part of the process? Should physical force be used to produce them at Court or threaten them with the loss of privileges in prison?  Would forcing them to attend present an opportunity for grandstanding, disruption and the further degradation of their victims? Listen in to hear Kate, Simon and Claire discuss offenders, victims and the sentencing of those convicted of the most serious crimes.Criminal Justice Matters is produced on behalf of the Criminal Bar Association by Adam Batstone Media & Communications

In this latest episode of Criminal Justice Matters, Kate Bex KC and Simon Spence KC are joined by former Criminal Bar Association Chair Francis FitzGibbon KC to discuss the up-coming Review of the Criminal Justice System by Sir Brian Leveson.In late 2024, Sir Brian was appointed to consider the futureof criminal justice in England and Wales. The terms of reference suggested that radical changes were being considered. Francis Fitzgibbon KC and Jeremy Dein KCled a committee of barristers who together compiled the CBA’s comprehensive submission to the Review. Listen to this latest episode to hear Simon, Kate and Francis discuss what lies ahead for criminal justice.’Criminal Justice Matters is produced and edited on behalf of The Criminal Bar Association by Adam Batstone Media & Communications

In this latest episode of the Criminal Justice Matters podcast, Simon Spence KC and Kate Bex KC discuss the implications of the growing backlog of Crown Court cases on the criminal justice system. The podcast includes an extract from evidence given by the Lady Chief Justice Baroness Sue Carr in Parliament last year in which she set out how the reduction in sitting days was having a wide impact on the entire process and causing a great deal of stress to everyone involved from court staff, judges and the criminal barristers prosecuting cases in courts throughout England and Wales. Simon and Kate are both experienced criminal silks and members of Red Lion Court Chambers in London. They have both sat as Recorders and prosecuted and defended in some of the most high profile criminal trials of recent years. If you have issues that you would like Kate and Simon to discuss in future episodes of Criminal Justice Matters or if you would lime to be a guest on the podcast please do get in touch via the CBA website www.criminalbar.com or by contacting us on Twitter/X @TheCriminalBar. Criminal Justice Matters is edited and produced by Adam Batstone Media and Communications

In this third episode of Criminal Justice Matters, the podcast series from the Criminal Bar Association of England and Wales, Mary Prior KC, Chair of the CBA together with James Gray, CBA Treasurer, draw on their and other justice professionals’ first hand experience to illustrate the personal toll on criminal barristers as they struggle to maintain the excellence expected in every case prosecuted and defended in the face of ongoing funding constraints and colleagues leaving criminal practice in droves.   We hear more from Paul, who as we learned in Episode 2, is a man who spent four years on bail awaiting trial, and how he relied on his defence counsel to hold both his case and his emotional stability together during the years when his life was put on hold.  The traumatic experiences of a rape complainant coming to court for a long delayed trial, only to cross paths with her assailant in the court car park before both were due to give evidence is recounted by Paula. We bear witness to her raw reality experienced from a chaotic justice system reeling from years of court estate cuts, despite the best efforts of judges and criminal barristers to keep witnesses calm so they can give evidence safely and fairly.   The impossibility of many barristers to remain practising in criminal law is explained in detail by former Resident Judge at Leeds Crown Court, Peter Collier KC. He makes the link between Government decisions pre-pandemic to cut Crown Court funding which forced available court rooms to close, thus causing the throughput of trials to slow and cases to pile up.   The current backlog of criminal cases stands at over 70,000, more than double the backlog of just 33,000 at the start of 2019. The precise extent of the backlog as of the date of this publication is still unknown as Government has yet to publish its latest accurate data for over six months. Those of us who prosecute and defend these cases at the Criminal Bar, however, are receiving listings for trials into late 2026 and early 2027, which if they do commence on time, will be by then two years or more since offences were charged and taking total wait for justice since the reporting of any alleged offences to six, seven or more years.  As our Chair Mary Prior KC concludes “Anyone can be accused of a crime and anyone can be the victim of a crime. If you find yourself in that position or you find one of your loved ones is in that position, you want a system that works, that gets your case dealt with within a reasonable time, in a reasonably fitted court building, and by the best barristers that there are.”  Join us as we continue a real-life journey through criminal justice – because #CriminalJusticeMatters.  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 07985117887

In this second episode of Criminal Justice Matters, the podcast series from the Criminal Bar Association of England and Wales, Mary Prior KC, Vice Chair of the CBA explains how serious delays in the courts are jeopardising the entire justice system.  We hear from Paul, a man who spent four years on bail awaiting trial. He talks about the impact on his life, from his family and friends putting him on suicide watch to the loss of his job and being ostracized by many in his community.  The former Resident Judge at Leeds Crown Court, Peter Collier KC, describes how his final years on the bench were characterized by a squeeze on funding from the Ministry of Justice and what that meant for the number of sitting days, the government measure for how much our Crown Courts were open and holding hearings including trials each year. Crown Court rooms were open for 109,000 sitting days in 2011 but by April 2019 they had been cut to around 82,300 for the financial year which would end in March 2020 which is effectively a 25% reduction. Delays to trials mounted and the backlog rose 25% in just one year before Covid even began.   Jonathan Dunne, a criminal barrister with over 30 years’ experience prosecuting and defending cases involving serious sexual and violent offences, explains why he set up the @CourtsIdle Twitter account to monitor the rapid decline in Crown Court sitting time in England and Wales. A decline which has seen the backlog of criminal cases double regardless of the impact of Covid or the barristers’ strike action.  The current backlog of criminal cases stands at approximately 70,000, more than double the backlog of just 33,000 at the start of 2019. These figures are not mere numbers; they represent tens of thousands of people like Paul whose lives are on hold. The consequence of years of underfunding is that our criminal justice system is teetering on the brink of collapse.  We, the criminal barristers tasked with prosecuting and defending criminal cases, are working back-to-back on cases to try and maintain fair trials amid mounting delays.   As Mary Prior KC concludes “The human cost of delay is monumental.”   Join us as we continue a real-life journey through criminal justice – because Criminal Justice Matters.     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 07985117887

This is Criminal Justice Matters – the podcast series from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) of England and Wales.  Cases concerning rape and serious sexual offences (RASSO) take up a significant amount of time in the criminal courts and have a huge impact on people's lives. This latest series is presented by Mary Prior KC, one of the country's most experienced criminal barristers in this field and Vice Chair of the CBA. She takes a closer look at RASSO cases through the experience of victims, defendants, lawyers, judges and other experts familiar with the justice system. She looks at how criminal justice works when it’s properly funded and the serious consequences when it isn’t.  In Episode 1, we hear from a victim of rape and the harrowing ordeal she suffered as a complainant waiting for her case to be brought to trial. We also hear from ⁠Wendy Showell Nicholas⁠, a psychotherapist with a lifetime of experience in the field of trauma on how the system, in its current state, compounds rather than heals the psychological impact of sexual violence.   The underfunding of the system has led to a huge backlog of around 68,000 cases in the Crown Court and 380,000 in the Magistrates’ Court. The human cost of this is devastating but little is done to remedy the problem and it gets worse by the day. During the few weeks over which we recorded Episode 1, another 3000 cases joined the Crown Court backlog, and 20,000 more joined the Magistrates’ Court backlog. A greater proportion than ever concern sexual offences which now account for over 1 in 7 of cases in the Crown Court backlog; this is up from 1 in 11 just 5 years ago when the backlog was under half its current size. We, the criminal barristers tasked with prosecuting and defending criminal cases, are working tirelessly in our courts to maintain fair trials and ensure that justice is done. Join us as we take a real-life journey through criminal justice - because Criminal Justice Matters.    Warning: This podcast includes detailed accounts of sexual violence   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 tel 07985117887          

In this sixth episode of Criminal Justice Matters, the authoritative podcast from the Criminal Bar Association of England & Wales, the former chair of the CBA Kirsty Brimelow KC talks to the stars and trailblazers of the Criminal Bar. In this episode she talks to Courtenay Griffiths KC This episode contains racist language which some listeners may find offensive. Criminal Justice Matters is produced and edited by ⁠Adam Batstone Media & Communications⁠

In this fifth episode of Criminal Justice Matters, the authoritative podcast from the Criminal Bar Association of England & Wales, the former chair of the CBA Kirsty Brimelow KC talks to stars and trailblazers at the Criminal Bar. In this episode she talks to Laurie-Anne Power KC and Jaime Hamilton KC. Criminal Justice Matters is produced and edited by ⁠Adam Batstone Media & Communications⁠

In this fourth episode of Criminal Justice Matters, the authoritative podcast from the Criminal Bar Association of England & Wales, the former chair of the CBA Kirsty Brimelow KC talks to some of the stars and trailblazers of the Criminal Bar. Here she speaks to Jeremy Dein KC and Nina Graham KC. Criminal Justice Matters is produced and edited by ⁠Adam Batstone Media & Communications⁠

In this third episode of Criminal Justice Matters, the authoritative podcast from the Criminal Bar Association of England & Wales, the former chair of the CBA Kirsty Brimelow KC talks to Mary Prior KC about the issues surrounding the criminal justice system relating to rape and serious sexual assault cases. Criminal Justice Matters is produced and edited by ⁠Adam Batstone Media & Communications⁠

In this episode of the first series of Criminal Justice Matters - the authoritative podcast series from the Criminal Bar Association of England & Wales - the former chair of the CBA, Kirsty Brimelow KC, talks to Laurie-Anne Power KC about their lives and choice to pursue a career at the criminal bar. The Criminal Justice Matters podcast is produced and edited by Adam Batstone Media & Communications

In this second episode of Criminal Justice Matters, the authoritative podcast from the Criminal Bar Association of England & Wales, the former chair of the CBA Kirsty Brimelow KC talks to young junior barristers Zayd Ahmed and Jennifer Devans-Tamakloe about their decision to join the criminal bar. Criminal Justice Matters is produced and edited by ⁠Adam Batstone Media & Communications⁠