First Trial Without Jury Begins

The unprecedented trial of four alleged armed robbers without a jury has begun. The Court of Appeal ruled last year that the case should be heard by a judge alone because of the danger of jury tampering. It is the first major criminal trial in England and Wales to be held without a jury, and is taking place at the Royal Courts of Justice

John Twomey, Peter Blake, Barry Hibberd and Glen Cameron are accused of taking part in a £1.75 million hold-up at a Heathrow warehouse in February 2004.
John Aspinall QC represents John Twomey

To read the BBC report follow the link below
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8454102.stm

To read the Times online report follow the link below
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article6984904.ece

To read The Guardian report follow the link below
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/jan/12/court-legal-history-juryless-trial

To read John Aspinall QC's Note re the History of Part 7 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 concerning an order that a criminal trial on indictment be conducted or continued without a jury follow the link below
Note re the History of Part 7 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 Concerning an Order that a Criminal Trial on Indictment be Conducted or Continued Without A Jury [Adobe PDF]

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