The response confirms that jury trials will remain the cornerstone of Crown Court proceedings, while judge-alone trials are expected to proceed only for certain complex fraud and financial crime cases. It also signals continued investment in court modernisation, including AI-assisted tools, digital case management and expanded remote hearing capabilities.

For practitioners, the reforms raise important questions about the future conduct of serious fraud trials, the implementation of new technologies across the justice system, and the practical impact of measures designed to reduce the Crown Court backlog.

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