Latest news with #AnthonyRogers
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Criminal justice in ‘state of national emergency', Lord Hermer told
The criminal justice system is in a 'state of national emergency' and needs urgent action to clear backlogs, Lord Hermer has been told. Anthony Rogers, the chief inspector of the prosecution service, wrote to the Attorney General saying that far-reaching proposals to scrap jury trials for thousands of defendants would take time to introduce, and radical solutions were needed right away. 'The criminal justice system is in a state of national emergency and delays are unsustainable,' said Mr Rogers, who is the watchdog for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and reports to Lord Hermer. He backed the proposals made in the independent review by Sir Brian Leveson, the former appeal court judge, to scale back jury trials. But Mr Rogers warned: 'They will take time to implement and will not address the immediate issue as backlogs continue to increase daily as more cases are received than finalised.' Crown court backlogs have hit a record 76,000 cases, with some current victims told they will have to wait until 2029 before their perpetrator is brought to trial. The Telegraph understands that Mr Rogers is proposing that senior judges should give priority to the most serious cases when listing them for trial in crown courts. This is likely to entail new fast-track lists, running in parallel to cases that are taking as long as four years to come to trial. Mr Rogers warned those in the legal profession opposed to the removal of jury trials risked extending the crisis in the courts. 'Calls from the legal profession to maintain the status quo and throw more money at the problem are unhelpful. It does nothing to solve the serious issues at hand,' he said. 'Everyone needs to recognise that if we don't move to act now all will be lost. Holding on to long established principles and resisting change and innovation will further diminish the system that so many rely on. 'The world is a far different place post austerity and Covid, and all actors in the criminal justice system – from Government and judiciary to the Bar – need to implement radical solutions today, or our great legal system will no longer be the envy of the world.' Defendants to lose right to jury trial In his report, Sir Brian proposed that suspected sex offenders and drug dealers should be among thousands of defendants stripped of the right to a jury trial. Under plans for a 'once in a generation' reform of the courts, his review recommended that defendants accused of 220 offences should no longer have an automatic right to be tried by a jury of their peers. Sir Brian said restricting the historical right to a jury trial – which has its origins in the 1215 Magna Carta – was necessary because criminal justice was 'too broken' and a 'radical and essential package of measures to prevent total collapse of the system' was required. He said ditching juries would mean simpler, speedier and cheaper justice, saving the equivalent of 9,000 court sitting days a year. His report comes as the backlog of Crown Court cases has risen to a record 77,000, with trials delayed as far ahead as 2029. In his annual report, the chief inspector said inspections of the CPS had revealed a 'concerning level' of geographical variation. Further work was being done in the hope of finding why the quality of decision-making was significantly worse in some parts of England and Wales than in others. However, Mr Rogers welcomed Lord Hermer securing £39m to help the Serious Fraud Office recruit staff to deal effectively with the prosecutor's disclosure obligations.
The Independent
14-07-2025
- The Independent
Early handling of rape cases by Crown Prosecution Service ‘not good enough'
The handling of rape cases at an early stage by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is 'not good enough' and risks a poor service to victims, a watchdog has warned. An inspection of the prosecuting body found while the number of rape cases being charged is increasing, urgent improvements are needed to improve the chances of convictions once they get to court. Inspectors looking at cases before a suspect had been charged found prosecutors' analysis was often weak and failed to focus on the suspect's behaviour and actions before and after an alleged attack. His Majesty's Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) said this hindered prosecutors being able to strengthen cases and over-focused on a victim's credibility. The report said the most concerning findings were that prosecutors were not proactively addressing areas to support victims at the early stages of a case, such as poor consideration of bail, sexual harm prevention orders or requesting victim personal statements. It found fewer than three in 10 cases fully met the standard for considering such matters to support victims. HMCPSI chief inspector Anthony Rogers said: 'Rape is an abhorrent and devastating crime, causing victims to suffer long-term emotional and physical trauma that impacts every aspect of their lives. 'We know that the volume of rape charges has increased at both a national and local level, and CPS staff are working hard to drive improvement in the quality of complex and distressing rape casework. 'However, our latest inspection shows that the CPS urgently needs to improve. Their handling of rape cases at the pre-charge stage is not good enough – creating problems for cases as they proceed and risking a poor service to victims.' Professor Katrin Hohl, independent adviser to the government on criminal justice responses to rape and sexual violence, said she was 'deeply troubled' by the findings of weak victim support. She said: 'The inspection also found that the quality of pre-charge advice, case analysis and strategy was inadequate in two-thirds of cases. 'While this does not appear to negatively impact rape charging decisions, poor case quality causes trial delays and reduces the chances of conviction. 'This is letting victims down and contributes to the courts crisis.' Inspectors called for the CPS to carry out eight recommendations including to develop a system that assesses and improves casework quality for rape cases and to offer meetings in every case before a decision is made about charging a suspect. Director of public prosecutions Stephen Parkinson said the CPS fully accepts the conclusions and recommendations of inspectors, and said improving how the body prosecutes rape is his priority. He said: 'We are implementing immediately an action plan to address these points, prioritising the safety of victims, making sure our focus is on the actions of the suspect and providing increased oversight, training and support for prosecutors. ' Reporting rape or sexual abuse takes tremendous courage, it is our responsibility to prosecute these cases with skill and care, prioritising the safety of victims and making sure they receive consistent support.' The prosecuting chief added: 'I am pleased the inspectorate found at least one charge of rape or attempted rape was brought in every case they examined. 'Importantly, they also found appropriate charges were selected in the majority of the cases to reflect the seriousness and extent of the offending. 'CPS prosecutors care deeply about their work and, thanks to improved relationships with police, we have made strong progress in increasing both referrals and charges. 'This has also led to a significant increase in convictions, making sure more victims get the justice they deserve.' Solicitor General Lucy Rigby KC said she has asked for HMCPSI to issue an update in 12 months' time over the progress of the CPS in implementing the recommendations. She added: 'This Government is treating violence against women and girls as the national emergency that it is, and we are committed both to cracking down on these vile crimes and ensuring that our criminal justice system delivers for victims.'
BBC News
29-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
UK's oldest velodrome in Brighton recovers after closure
It might be a wonky shape, outdoors and made of tarmac but a velodrome in East Sussex is the oldest in the UK, according to British Park Velodrome in Brighton was dug out by hand by the British Army and opened for competition in competitive racing stopped in 2014 after the track was declared unsafe, resuming two years later after safety Rogers, cyclist and author, said the track was "both unusual and unique". The velodrome in Brighton is one of just a few to not be oval-shaped, instead comprising of the rather unusual four straights and two slightly banked corners. Mr Rogers said: "Unlike velodromes we see in the Olympics, this one has almost no banking. "It is flat all the way around."As tracks go it is pretty rough. It is tarmac and outdoors."Most tracks are now built indoors with 250m of Siberian pine." As well as being the oldest track in the country, Preston Park claims to also be the longest, at 579m (1900 ft).Mr Rogers said: "It is the only track in the country where you go uphill along the back straight and then downhill. "People who come here to compete from other parts of the country are quite taken aback and can't believe it's still here in this form." Between 3,000 and 5,000 spectators were a regular occurrence up until the Rogers said: "In its heyday there would probably be big crowds here, probably bigger than to watch nearby Brighton & Hove Albion."The velodrome boasts a cricket pitch on the grass in its centre. It is tucked away beneath Victorian flint walls. Mr Rogers said: "One of the beauties of it is that it is hidden. "It's a pleasant place to picnic, to relax and to ride."
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
UK's oldest velodrome recovers after closure
It might be a wonky shape, outdoors and made of tarmac but a velodrome in East Sussex is the oldest in the UK, according to British Cycling. Preston Park Velodrome in Brighton was dug out by hand by the British Army and opened for competition in 1877. But competitive racing stopped in 2014 after the track was declared unsafe, resuming two years later after safety improvements. Anthony Rogers, cyclist and author, said the track was "both unusual and unique". The velodrome in Brighton is one of just a few to not be oval-shaped, instead comprising of the rather unusual four straights and two slightly banked corners. Mr Rogers said: "Unlike velodromes we see in the Olympics, this one has almost no banking. "It is flat all the way around. "As tracks go it is pretty rough. It is tarmac and outdoors. "Most tracks are now built indoors with 250m of Siberian pine." As well as being the oldest track in the country, Preston Park claims to also be the longest, at 579m (1900 ft). Mr Rogers said: "It is the only track in the country where you go uphill along the back straight and then downhill. "People who come here to compete from other parts of the country are quite taken aback and can't believe it's still here in this form." Between 3,000 and 5,000 spectators were a regular occurrence up until the mid-1950s. Mr Rogers said: "In its heyday there would probably be big crowds here, probably bigger than to watch nearby Brighton & Hove Albion." The velodrome boasts a cricket pitch on the grass in its centre. It is tucked away beneath Victorian flint walls. Mr Rogers said: "One of the beauties of it is that it is hidden. "It's a pleasant place to picnic, to relax and to ride." Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. Velodrome reopens for competitions Preston Park Velodrome British Cycling
The Independent
27-02-2025
- The Independent
‘Tick box exercise' over CPS casework quality must ‘fundamentally change'
The Crown Prosecution Service must 'fundamentally change' the way it improves the quality of casework which has often been reduced to a 'tick box exercise', inspectors have warned. An internal system that checks the work of the body responsible for prosecuting criminal cases in England and Wales remained 'unchanged' in the seven years since the last inspection, where watchdog chiefs raised concerns over its consistency. The Individual Quality Assessment (IQA) system assesses the quality of CPS casework relating to a single prosecutor, which includes making legal decisions about who to prosecute, for what offences and how the prosecution will prove the case. A report published on Thursday found that many legal managers made assessments that were 'too lenient', where failings may have affected the case, and that key issues were minimised or missed altogether. This included where a manager marked a service to victims and witnesses 'positively' when the prosecutor had failed to send a victim communication letter. The chief inspector of the HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI), the watchdog which monitors the performance of the CPS, Anthony Rogers, recognised the 'immense pressure' to get cases through the system amid the backlog and increased workloads. But the inspection discovered a culture where legal managers were 'reluctant' to give prosecutors feedback on areas to improve for 'fear of overwhelming them'. It comes as the Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Parkinson said in December last year that the delays in the criminal justice system are 'probably worse than I've ever known them to be', as he vowed better support for victims. Mr Rogers said: 'We appreciate the CPS operates in extremely challenging circumstances. The case backlog continues to rise, workloads have increased, and the courts are under immense pressure to get cases through the system. 'The CPS's self-assessment system has the potential to drive standards, deliver high-quality casework and ultimately, benefit the criminal justice system. 'However, our inspections clearly show that in many instances Individual Quality Assessments have been reduced to a tick box exercise rather than a vital tool that improves the quality of casework and delivers real improvements.' In the report, Mr Rogers said there appears to be an appetite for 'radical change' from senior leaders in the CPS, as he urged the body to consider a new approach about how it assesses its performance. He added: 'Because only through a functioning, standardised self-assessment regime will casework quality improve – and public trust increase.' The report concluded: 'We found that, when done well, IQAs can lead to improvement on an individual basis. 'However, the inconsistencies in application of the guidance, generally and in answering the specific questions, are profound, and as such it is hard to see how they can be effectively addressed.' Inspectors also said it was disappointing to see their findings from 2018 'largely replicated' in the latest review, despite the CPS having re-launched its process and revised guidance to address the issue in the interim period. In changing the system the report's suggestions included ensuring there are digital tools to help the process and to create a 'coaching approach' to supervision for the assessments. It recommended for the CPS to have designed a new approach by July 31 2025 and implemented it by March 31 2026. The CPS watchdog will return for a follow-up inspection in 2026-2027, it added. Responding to the report, a CPS spokesperson said that since the last inspection several changes have been made to the assessment guidance and training has been rolled out for legal managers. 'The CPS is determined to continuously improve the quality of its casework and the ongoing professional development of its prosecutors,' the spokesperson added. 'We will closely examine the report's findings to work further to improve our systems for assessing the quality of our casework.'
