By autumn 2025 the Crown Court backlog had reached nearly 80,000 outstanding cases.
- Senior Lecturer in Criminology & Criminal Justice, Brunel University of London
The right to jury trial is a symbolic cornerstone of justice in England and Wales.
The prison population is projected to increase to up to 105,000 by 2029 unless changes are made.
The decision means trans men can be exluded from men’s single-sex spaces – but may also be excluded from women’s spaces.
The wider use of pre-sentence reports could help reduce existing racial disparities in sentencing.
The panel’s findings put the case in uncharted territory given Letby’s very recent convictions and the continuing public inquiry into the case.
