Diplock court ‘essential’ for NI
Non-jury trials are still an essential option to ensure fair trials in Northern Ireland the Security Minister Paul Goggins has said.
However the MP admitted they are being used less frequently.
Non jury trials or Diplock Courts are used for paramilitary related cases.
They were introduced back in the 1970’s in an attempt to overcome widespread jury intimidation
In 2005, the Northern Ireland Office announced Diplock courts were to be phased out, they were abolished in 2007, only to be used in exceptional circumstances.
Mr Goggins reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to review the current legislation before July 2011.
“Since the law changed in 2007, the presumption now is that all indictable cases are tried before a jury, but in a small number of cases the judgement is taken that the administration of justice might be impaired if there was a jury trial”
“That is why the legislation which allows for non-jury trials is still in place. The number of non- jury trials has fallen but we still consider that they are sometimes necessary for the delivery of a fair justice system”
“There will be a comprehensive review of the non-jury trial system, including a full public consultation, before it next falls to be renewed in July 2011. I look forward to the day when Government can return to jury trials in all cases”
The Director of Public Prosecutions issued 13 certificates for non-jury trials between August 2008 and July 2009 that is down from 29 on the previous year.
