First hearing from a police cell: £17.4 million and four force areas
What happened
On 12 October 2026, the Ministry of Justice published the government's response to Lord Leveson's review of the criminal courts. The review made 180 recommendations. The government says it accepts, or accepts in principle, the large majority of them. Several of the headline changes are about technology rather than law. The biggest is Virtual Remand Hearings. Courts will trial these in at least four police force areas, backed by £17.4 million. Under the scheme, a defendant attends their first hearing by secure video link from a police custody suite, instead of being driven from police cells to court and then on to prison. Up to £5 million will pay for specialist case coordinators in every Crown Court in England and Wales. Their job is to work with judges, prosecutors and defence teams to spot and settle problems in a case early – missing evidence, unavailable witnesses, paperwork that has not arrived – rather than discovering them on the morning of a trial. Judges can now hear cases a long way from where they are sitting, and cases can be transferred digitally to a judge elsewhere. The point is to use spare judicial capacity in one place to clear a backlog in another. Legislation has also been laid to expand court broadcasting. For the first time, proceedings in the Administrative Court and sentencing remarks by the Chief Magistrate could be broadcast. And there is a notable reversal. The Courts and Tribunals Bill returned to Parliament on 13 October 2026, and the government said it would amend the Bill to drop proposals that would have limited jury trials. Almost all Crown Court cases will stay with juries.
Why this matters
Court delay is not a lawyers' problem. It is a victims' problem. While a case waits, a complainant waits. Memories fade, lives stay on hold, and some people withdraw rather than carry on. Every month of delay makes a conviction less likely and the experience worse. That is the argument behind both the money announced here. The remand hearing scheme is designed to remove wasted journeys and the hours they consume. The case coordinators are designed to stop trials collapsing on the day for reasons someone could have fixed weeks earlier. There is a second reason to pay attention: this is one of the clearest tests yet of whether moving a public service onto video actually improves it. The NHS went through its own version of this argument with remote appointments. Some things worked well. Some things needed to be in the room. The jury trial reversal matters too, and it is worth stating plainly rather than burying. A proposal to reduce the number of cases heard by juries was dropped. That is a significant change of direction, and it happened because the plan was contested.
What the evidence actually says
The money and the scale are specific: £17.4 million, at least four police force areas, up to £5 million, every Crown Court in England and Wales, 180 recommendations. What is not specific is timing or results. The government's release does not give start dates for the pilots, nor a date by which they will be evaluated. These are trials, which means the honest position is that nobody yet knows how well they will work in England and Wales. It is also worth being clear what a remand hearing is. It is the first, short appearance after someone is charged, where a court decides whether they are kept in custody or released on bail. It is not a trial, and no guilt is decided. That matters, because the case for doing it by video is strongest for exactly these short, procedural hearings and weakest for trials. The government's position reflects that. Lord Leveson recommended keeping the presumption that trials happen in person, while moving other kinds of hearing to remote attendance. There is genuine disagreement about the technology, and it should be reported. Practitioners writing in the legal press have argued that current video systems are not good enough – that neither the professionals nor the parties and their families can take part as fully as they can in a live hearing. That is a first-hand criticism from people who use the equipment, and it is a reasonable thing to test the pilots against. On quotes, the response names two ministers. The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Alex Norris, said he was "grateful to Lord Leveson for his landmark review", that the government is "already acting", and that the changes will "deliver the swifter justice that victims deserve". Sarah Sackman KC MP, Minister for Courts and Legal Services, said: "Our response sets out a clear plan for modernising our criminal courts", and that the government is "getting on with delivering it". Those are claims about intent. The measurable test is whether the time from charge to trial actually falls.
Practical advice
If you are a victim or witness in a criminal case, a few things are worth knowing. Ask your Witness Care Unit or the police officer in your case what format each hearing will take. You are entitled to know whether you need to attend in person, and when. You can ask about special measures. These include giving evidence from behind a screen, by video link, or with a pre-recorded interview. They are not automatic – someone has to request them – so say early if you would find court frightening. Keep a written note of dates, names and what you were told. Cases change hands, and your own record is often the fastest way to sort out confusion. Victim Support offers free, independent help whether or not you have reported to the police, and whether or not a case goes ahead. You do not have to wait until you are struggling. If a hearing is adjourned, ask for the reason and the new date in writing. The case coordinators announced here exist precisely because those reasons were often avoidable.
What to know
The government has responded to all 180 recommendations in Lord Leveson's review of the criminal courts, accepting or accepting in principle the large majority. The response was published on 12 October 2026. Virtual Remand Hearings will be trialled in at least four police force areas with £17.4 million. Defendants would attend their first hearing by secure video from a police custody suite instead of being transported to court. Up to £5 million will fund case coordinators in every Crown Court in England and Wales, to resolve problems in cases early. Judges can now hear cases remotely from other areas, and court broadcasting is being expanded to the Administrative Court and the Chief Magistrate's sentencing remarks. The government has dropped proposals to limit jury trials. Almost all Crown Court cases will keep juries. No start dates or evaluation dates have been published, and some practitioners argue current video technology is not good enough for full participation. These are pilots, and the result is not yet known. Sources: Ministry of Justice, "Technology to bolster justice for victims as government responds to Leveson", GOV.UK, 12 October 2026, https://www.gov.uk/government/news/technology-to-bolster-justice-for-victims-as-government-responds-to-leveson; Ministry of Justice, "Remote hearings to unlock capacity and speed up justice for victims", GOV.UK, 12 October 2026, https://www.gov.uk/government/news/remote-hearings-to-unlock-capacity-and-speed-up-justice-for-victims; Ministry of Justice, "Trials across the country accelerated for fast and fair justice", GOV.UK, 12 October 2026, https://www.gov.uk/government/news/trials-across-the-country-accelerated-for-fast-and-fair-justice. This article is for general information and does not replace advice from a doctor, pharmacist or other qualified healthcare professional.
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