'Too much' being asked of criminal barristers says Shropshire judge as courts fight backlogs
A Shropshire judge insists that too much is being asked of criminal barristers as courts fight to clear huge backlogs.
Shrewsbury Crown Court judge Peter Barrie made the statement as he adjourned a trial, which was supposed to take place this week but could not go ahead because no defence advocate was available.
The case, involving a man accused of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and engaging in coercive and controlling behaviour in an intimate relationship, was put back to January 29 next year, yet another trial which is facing a long adjournment. Many cases are not being listed for trial until summer 2025.
The judge said: "We are demanding too much from the criminal bar, especially at this time of year when people who have been working so hard need their holidays.
"We won't have a trial without you being legally represented," he told the defendant.
The courts have faced a particularly challenging time with lengthy backlogs, contributed to mainly by the coronavirus pandemic but also by barristers' strikes in 2022.
