Ten cases a day - how 'blitz courts' could tackle the Crown Court backlog

Ten cases a day - how 'blitz courts' could tackle the Crown Court backlog6 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleAdina CampbellUK correspondentBBCBuilding repairs at Nottingham Crown Court have also contributed to delaysA man wearing a blank expression was the first in the dock. He had sent intimate pictures of his genitals to a 13-year-old girl and was found in possession of almost 200 indecent images of children.Calling him a "depraved individual", the judge at Nottingham Crown Court handed him a two-year suspended prison sentence. He was also ordered to do 118 hours of unpaid community service and was placed on the sex offenders' register for the next 10 years. A woman listened as he was sentenced, trying to conceal tears. The hearing took 45 minutes. Next, the judge heard a case of a man who had sent a 14-year-old girl intimate pictures and asked her for sex.The defendant, who was 27 at the time, was caught by a paedophile-hunter group after arranging to meet the girl outside an Asda supermarket.He was given a sentence similar to the previous offender's.Ten cases back to backTypically I come to court to cover one case. But today was different. These were the first of many cases Judge Michael Auty KC would hear over the next five hours.Nottingham is one of a small number of crown courts running "blitz" hearings, where dozens of cases are pushed through in a day, with the aim of tackling massive court backlogs.Other areas with similar initiatives are being run in London, the North East and the North West of England.The scheme will now be rolled out to more courts in England and Wales, including London's Old Bailey.The idea is to put cases on a "fast track".Blitz courts are primarily used for trials but also cover sentencing hearings and appeals.It's unusual for a judge to oversee so many cases in one day, but the government is hoping to use this system more to address the huge build-up of cases in...