Charlotte Godber, along with three other barristers, independently reviewed 50 cases for the purposes of an investigation by ITV News into the micro miscarriages of justice under Single Justice Procedure.

Charlotte commented “Of the millions of people who pass through the Single Justice Service, there are a significant number of people who tick the guilty box when they clearly have good reasons for ticking  ‘not guilty’ or submitting ‘not guilty due to exceptional circumstances’. It is unsurprising that a tick box exercise for something as serious as a criminal offence, however minor the offence may seem, can and does result in unfair and unjust outcomes.

It is clear from the cases that I have reviewed that some people have ticked the guilty box through a lack of understanding of their rights and how their mitigating circumstances may be relevant to their guilt.

With crumbling court rooms, a lack of judges available and an enormous backlog of criminal cases to contend with – the Single Justice Service provides an easy way to secure quick wins for the Ministry of Justice. A chronic lack of investment in the criminal courts must never be allowed to serve as an excuse for unjust outcomes in our criminal justice system.”

In May 2024 the national audit office estimated the backlog to be around 67,573 cases. See here.

The CBA sets out the lack of investment and the issues facing the Criminal Justice System, here.

You can access ITV’s report here.