Jess Phillips Push for Court Reforms: Speeding Justice for Women

0:00On March 10th, Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister, strongly supports a new courts bill to cut jury trials in some cases. She revealed that a man accused of breaching a restraining order against her won't face trial until 2028 due to massive backlogs. This personal experience drives her push for change. Phillips says the delays let offenders control victims, especially in cases of violence against women. She notes her case should have stayed and magistrates court, but it got bumped to Crown Court, worsening the wait. Victims suffer the most from these delays. The Crown Court backlog hits 80,000 cases, meaning some trials for charges filed today could drag to 2030. This keeps dangerous people out longer, risking more harm to others. The government faces pushback from some labor MPs and lawyers who called the plans untested, but dozens of female labor MPs back the reforms, saying waits until 2030 for abuse cases are unacceptable. Justice Secretary David Lamy plans to press on with judge-only trials for certain crimes.

1:04These changes could speed up justice for survivors, tackling a system that's failing women and girls right now.