Crown Court Bench Division
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Crown Court Bench Division (CCBD) is a proposed tier of the Judiciary of England and Wales. It would stand above magistrates' courts but below Crown Court.[1]
The creation of the tier was proposed by Brian Leveson in July 2025 as part of his proposals to reduce the backlog of cases facing the Crown Court. In November 2025 it formed part of plans circulated in an internal government briefing for government departments.[1]
The tier would see defendants tried before judges without a jury in cases in which a sentence below five years is expected.[1][2][3]
