Petty crime 'fast-track' defended

Reforms are aimed at cutting the number of magistrate court cases

Plans to punish some petty criminals without putting them before a court have been defended by the government's senior law officer.

Under the plan prosecutors, with police, could decide punishments for offences such as shoplifting or vandalism instead of magistrates.

Critics said offenders should not be denied the protection of the courts.

But Attorney General Lord Goldsmith said the scheme would save money and speed up the system.

'Upfront'

Lord Goldsmith stressed that offenders would still have the option of insisting on their day in court and that the fast-track system would not be used in cases of serious crime.

"It's not just about cost-cutting, although that is important because the money saved can be spent on other things which the public needs," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

In cases where offenders admit to petty crimes, "it's much better, isn't it, to deal with it quickly and upfront and get rid of the delay", he said.

People accused of motoring offences could already pay a fine without going to court, he said.

'Not convinced'

He said there was "no question" of prosecutors determining guilt or innocence or sending people to prison.

But Cindy Barnett, chairman of the Magistrates' Association, told Today: "It is never a good reason to do things purely for the sake of speed or cost. It has got to be that it is right.

"When you are talking about a criminal charge and a criminal penalty, then I think that is something that as a matter of principle ought to be considered before the court."

And Stephen Hockman, chairman of the Bar Council, said: "These proposals are plainly not going to do anything to address the causes of crime and I'm not convinced they will be very tough on crime itself."

The Conservatives said the point of a magistrates' court hearing was to set appropriate sentences.

"The whole point of having a hearing is so that the magistrate can impose a sentence that is appropriate," shadow attorney general Dominic Grieve told the Daily Telegraph.

"There is also a danger of sending a signal that some crimes are not so serious and can be dealt with in some administrative way."