Letter: Why many opt for the Crown Courts

Sir: I can offer another reason for the large proportion of guilty pleas at Crown Courts. It was given to me by a jury bailiff after I had complained at the waste of time and money caused by standing down every morning a large number of would-be jurors (including myself).

He said it was due to barristers accepting more work than they could properly handle: having read the papers on possibly complex cases only the previous evening, they often found it easier to advise their clients to plead guilty than to muster the arguments to mount a decent defence.

His sympathy was for the accused, who had been committed for trial months previously, had built themselves up for a harrowing experience and then been let down at the last minute.

Yours faithfully,

BRYAN RAYNER

Aldwick, West Sussex

22 April