Magistrates sentencing powers to be doubled to tackle backlog of court cases

Magistrates sentencing powers to be doubled to tackle backlog of court cases

The Covid pandemic has led to a backlog of cases which could persist for ‘many years’ (Picture: Getty)
Magistrates will be given powers to impose tougher sentences to help tackle a backlog of criminal cases created by the pandemic.
They will be able to hand jail terms of up to a year — double the current six months — and hear more serious cases such as fraud, theft and assault.
Crimes warranting…

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