Mass resignations amid judicial revolt against ‘extremely unfair’ fees – Independent

Last Updated: September 9, 2015By

More than 50 magistrates are understood to have resigned from the bench in recent weeks amid an extraordinary judicial revolt against new court charges which critics claim encourage innocent people to plead guilty.

Pressure to reform the criminal courts charge, which was introduced earlier this year, has increased as more cases emerge of impoverished people being forced to pay hundreds of pounds for minor offences – in addition to any fines.

A Crown Court judge and Britain’s most senior criminal barrister have now joined those voicing opposition to the charge, which they say is “extremely unfair” and could “trigger more crime” when applied to the poorest in society by forcing them to steal to cover the cost of the penalty.

The Independent can reveal that defendants recently required to pay the charge include a man from Sunderland who threw himself in front of an off-duty policeman’s car in a suicide attempt.

Source: Criminal courts charge: Mass resignations amid judicial revolt against ‘extremely unfair’ fees – Home News – UK – The Independent

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17 Comments

  1. bumblebee.zzz September 9, 2015 at 11:18 am - Reply

    Hi can anyone point me to a video of IDS The Labour MP Kate Green said: “Iain Duncan Smith’s remarks about disabled people in parliament are offensive, hurtful and ignorant. It’s completely unacceptable for a government minister to single out disabled people as not ‘normal’. The work and … saying this ??

  2. Neilth September 9, 2015 at 11:19 am - Reply

    They’re guilty of being poor. So what’s the problem?

  3. Jeffery Davies September 9, 2015 at 11:38 am - Reply

    Even the sheffis couldnt stomack their norman law

    • Mike Sivier September 9, 2015 at 12:32 pm - Reply

      The sheffis?

  4. leonc1963 September 9, 2015 at 11:39 am - Reply

    Wonder if DWP Staff would do the same, chance would be a fine thing!

  5. mohandeer September 9, 2015 at 11:55 am - Reply

    Whilst the governments assault on the poorest for offences often related to thieving for food will not be stopped it’s good to know that at least 50 magistrates are willing to take a noble stand against what is another injustice. Good for them, the flip side being that these are the very magistrates we would want in our courts for their integrity and bold adherence to justice. Why must we lose the best every time this government applies it’s discriminatory and wholly unnecessary policies, hospital staff, teachers, police, fire fighters and now magistrates in what will no doubt be a mass exodus of the excellent talent this country has.

  6. Mr.Angry September 9, 2015 at 12:25 pm - Reply

    This is an outrage and extremely dangerous, what is behind the draconian absurd tory policies. They have to be voted out now on a vote of no confidence whilst there is something left to salvage, we are going back to the 1800’s, they have to be stopped.

    What is left for future generations is daunting, they are totally corrupt.

  7. Rupert Mitchell (@rupert_rrl) September 9, 2015 at 12:49 pm - Reply

    I re-iterate the remarks of Mr. Angry.

  8. tavascarow September 9, 2015 at 12:57 pm - Reply

    An admirable gesture, but it does mean we now have fifty fewer good magistrates who’s places will no doubt be filled by men & women who wont be sympathetic.

  9. loobitzh September 9, 2015 at 3:59 pm - Reply

    The prisons are being privatised, there has in the past of new ‘mega’ prisons being constructed in much the same style as in the US. In many states over there, the poor, mentally ill are being taken to court over minor misdemeanours, which include traffic violations and petty theft, the imprisonment comes predominantly from not being able to pay the fines inflicted on them. They are then imprisoned.

    The oucome, the large corporations running the prisons make huge profits as they are payed by the numbers of prisoners entering them. Then there is the side line of ‘Workfare’ in Prisons, where companies get their workforce for free. Prisons are legally allowed to force inmates to work. This has the knock on effect of diminishing the employment opportunities for people outside the prison walls. Its a Flucking Racket.

    A Despicable Crime which is going unchallenged in the main media or on any side of the parliamentary chamber.

    This is not only happening here in the UK and USA, similar paths are being cut in Holland, Canada, etc. This is part of a much larger agenda, and its gathering alarming pace.

    Some folk talk about Tory policy as if it were naive and written on the back of a fag packet, but I think thats also naive or not so niave propaganda, as it detracts from the importance of their destructive agenda. this is well thought out and planned to the minutest detail. Psychological Warfare on the proletariat.

    The Tories are possibly a bunch of brainwashed puppets who are having their strings pulled by the Supra Government who is orchestrating this globally.

    Now we have Boot Camps being set up for our young when they leave school. Work Camps, or one might say, Indoctrination Camps. Does anyone els have flashbacks at this point to films about the Hitler Youth Brigades…?

    • Chris September 11, 2015 at 12:28 am - Reply

      Boot camps wont work, indoctrination will make more people hate the torys more because it does not work

  10. thelovelywibblywobblyoldlady September 9, 2015 at 4:05 pm - Reply

    Turns out HMRC and the MOJ are in discussion regarding charging people £100 to bring an appeal against an HMRC decision. There will be some form of fee remission available for those on low incomes. I completely disagree with this; there should be no denial of access to justice for anyone but this will put off appealing to the First – tier Tribunal (Tax Chamber) even if the HMRC decision is wrong (and many of them are)
    The TUC state that there has been a 79% reduction in employment tribunals following fee charging. This is yet another attempt by the tories to reduce public sector staff. A drop in appeals will mean a corresponding decrease for HMRC staff to present the appeal, tribunal clerks, tribunal judges and lay members.The tories couldn’t care less that ordinary taxpayers will be priced out of access to justice.

    Unison even tried to bring a case against the government regarding the imposition of fee charing at employment tribunals on the grounds that it was a breach of EU and British Law to make it impossible or difficult to bring a case to tribunal and breach the directives within the Human Rights Act and Equality Rights.

    You can read more about it here

    http://www.employmentcasesupdate.co.uk/site.aspx?i=ed21669

  11. Joyce Roll September 10, 2015 at 7:16 am - Reply

    More evidence to support the fact that the Tories are reducing the number of Civil Servants just to save cash

  12. mrmarcpc September 10, 2015 at 5:53 pm - Reply

    The tories have managed to p*** everybody off, why there hasn’t been a mass walkout by everyone, a nationwide strike/protest just baffles me, what more do they have to do to get everybody off their arses and demand their resignations!

  13. Phil Lee September 11, 2015 at 9:37 pm - Reply

    Instead of walking out, why didn’t they just find all the cases “not guilty”?
    Or, if that is not legally possible, impose an absolute discharge.

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