Criminal Court Charges - again !

The following tweet requires little by way of explanation. The relevant legislation may be seen via my earlier blogpost - Criminal Court Charges.  The impact of this on the rate of guilty-pleas remains to be seen but it seems likely that some will opt to plead guilty rather than face this particular charge.  Of course, if they do that,  they will then often find themselves hit by a fine, costs and so-called "victim" surcharge.  All of this is ample illustration of the parlous state of justice in this country today.  The fact that the court has to impose the charge irrespective of means is disgraceful.

Thousands of defendants will pay a surcharge of up to £1,200 from this week just for standing trial — with the biggest penalties for those who plead not guilty but are then convicted. The measures, slipped through in the last days of parliament, mean that guilty defendants will pay a court fee ranging from £150 to £1,200 on top of any fines imposed.

From today Twitter it will cost you up to £1200 to plead Not Guilty in a Magistrates Court. A completely new regardless of your means tax.
— Darin Millar (@defencelawyer) April 14, 2015