Custody time limits to be extended

PEOPLE AWAITING trial for serious crimes can now be held in prison for longer under measures announced by the Government as part of the recovery from the pandemic.

Temporary legislation was announced this weekend that will extend the Custody Time Limit ( CTL) for people awaiting a trial for serious crimes from 182 days to 238 days.

The new measures will apply to anyone arrested and held in custody for an alleged offence that is serious enough to be heard at the Crown Court.

A statutory instrument will be introduced in Parliament today to extend the time limits for all either way or indictable only offences awaiting trial after that date.

Indictable- only offences include the most serious crimes such as murder and rape, and either way offences such as theft and assault can be heard at the

Magistrates’ Court or Crown Court, depending on the circumstances. The extended limits will last for nine months before reverting to the current limits.

The Ministry of Justice ( MoJ) said the move will address delays to jury trials caused by the pandemic.

Courts in England and Wales face a backlog of more than half a million criminal cases, according to official estimates from the MoJ published in June. In March, almost half of all courts were shut and trials involving juries were suspended amid the coronavirus lockdown while some virtual hearing continued.

The Covid- 19 pandemic exacerbated an existing backlog of cases, with 37,550 cases outstanding in Crown Courts last year, according to MoJ figures.

In July, the Government set up several temporary Nightingale courts to hear non- custodial cases and help tackle the backlog.