... 12 randomly chosen citizens of London refused to convict the Quaker of "leading a dissident form of worship", despite being directed to by the judge and subjected to imprisonment and starvation in a bid to force their hand. The latest government proposals are seen by some as a direct attack on the traditions established in the Magna Carta and confirmed in the Penn trial. The government wants some defendants to lose the right to choose trial by jury over magistrates' hearing. Supporters say reform is practical for an overburdened modern legal system. The proposed changes affect an Act of 1855 allowing some crimes to be tried by magistrates instead of a higher court if the defendant agreed. The act was designed - like the new proposals - to speed up the legal process. The offences covered included theft, burglary, actual bodily harm and criminal damage. Minor offences, such as drunkenness, ...

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