Academic @CityStGeorges. Fellow @RoyalAnthro and @LinneanSociety. Barrister (NP) @middletemple. Always tweeting independently, sometimes existentially.
In the hills or on the water
Joined September 2012
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Delighted to share that White-Collar Defendants and the Legal Process, has published today. A pleasure to collaborate with Prof. Petter Gottschalk @HandelshoyskBI on this project, with sincere thanks to our editor Colin Perrin (@glasshousebooks) and his team @routledgebooks
Dr Christopher Hamerton retweeted
16 regions represented by 129 clubs and nearly 2,000 athletes head to the Junior Inter-Regional Regatta this Saturday 🙌
Read the preview and let us know who you're supporting👇
britishrowing.org/2026/04/re…
📸 @allmarkone
Dr Christopher Hamerton retweeted
Will you join me in making this pledge?
They cannot scrap juries unless we as a profession are complicit.
We have the right to say no.
Barristers, solicitors, paralegals and caseworkers up and down the land.
Without us they have no Lammy Diplock Courts.
Make your voice heard.
Dr Christopher Hamerton retweeted
Hello, there 👋
Have you heard David Lammy MP and Sarah Sackman MP talking about people stealing bottles of whisky and swiping mobile telephones as examples of people who should not get jury trials?
Well. I’d like to tell you a story.
🪡 🧵
Dr Christopher Hamerton retweeted
3 years isn’t long in jail is it, Luke? And what if you hadn’t done it? Like the 900 plus sub-postmasters that under these ludicrous proposals wouldn’t get a jury trial. Remember what the Labour Party exists for? It would serve us all good to think about that. Wrong, Luke. Wrong
Dr Christopher Hamerton retweeted
Morning again, David Lammy!
I do wonder how long you & I must do this merry little dance. But here we go again.
75 courtrooms. Today. Sitting empty.
Will you let us hold 75 rape trials in them?
Instead of restricting jury trials for thousands of people?
And if not, why not?
📈Today, 7 January 2026, 75 out of the 516 Crown courtrooms in England & Wales will not be sitting.
That's 15% of them.
#courtstats #CS07012026 courtstats.co.uk
ALT This image shows Crown Court Usage for England & Wales for 7 January 2026. In England and Wales, out of 516 total, 367 have Judges, 74 have recorders, and 75 courtrooms are not sitting. In London, out of 145 total, 97 have Judges, 19 have recorders, and 29 courtrooms are not sitting. In the Midlands, out of 76 total, 59 have Judges, 9 have recorders, and 8 courtrooms are not sitting. In the North East, out of 62 total, 49 have Judges, 9 have recorders, and 4 courtrooms are not sitting. In the North West, out of 69 total, 56 have Judges, 6 have recorders, and 7 courtrooms are not sitting. In the South East, out of 90 total, 64 have Judges, 16 have recorders, and 10 courtrooms are not sitting. In Wales, out of 23 total, 14 have Judges, 4 have recorders, and 5 courtrooms are not sitting. In Western England, out of 51 total, 28 have Judges, 11 have recorders, and 12 courtrooms are not sitting.
Dr Christopher Hamerton retweeted
Thursday 25 December 1662
(Christmas Day). Up pretty early, leaving my wife not well in bed, and with my boy walked, it being a most brave cold and dry frosty morning, and had a pleasant walk to White Hall, where I intended to have received the Communion with the family, but I came a little too late.
By and by down to the chappell again where Bishopp Morley preached upon the song of the Angels, “Glory to God on high, on earth peace, and good will towards men.” Methought he made but a poor sermon …
The sermon done, a good anthem followed, with vialls, and then the King came down to receive the Sacrament...
I walked home again with great pleasure, and there dined by my wife’s bed-side with great content, having a mess of brave plum-porridge and a roasted pullet for dinner, and I sent for a mince-pie abroad, my wife not being well to make any herself yet…
so to my office, practising arithmetique alone and making an end of last night’s book with great content till eleven at night, and so home to supper and to bed.
Merry Christmas
Dr Christopher Hamerton retweeted
Calamity Lammy’ in new gaffes
DAVID Lammy faces fresh ridicule after making a string of errors in his latest attempt to defend curtailing jury trials. Writes @DailMail
“The blunder by Mr Lammy, who was called to the bar before becoming an MP, was spotted by criminal defence barrister @Joanna__Hardy. She also noted contradictory figures as Mr Lammy tried to explain his reforms.”
The Lord Chancellor, dubbed ‘Calamity Lammy’ over his handling of mistaken prisoner releases, wrongly wrote to the Justice Select Committee: ‘We do not have minimum sentences in law.’
In fact, many offences have statutory minimum sentences including murder, terrorism, possession of a gun and threatening with a knife, while burglars and drug-dealers face minimum terms for repeat offences.”
Dr Christopher Hamerton retweeted
“We don’t need dramatic gestures that pose as solutions. We don’t need short cuts. Or gimmicks. Or judge-only trials. We need court rooms that function, with ordinary people serving on juries, fulfilling their civic duty, and delivering justice by deciding fairly whether to acquit or convict.” Chair Riel Karmy-Jones KC
“It has taken years for successive governments to break our justice system through chronic underfunding and neglect. It will take time, patience, and the cooperation of all involved to fix it. It can be done. But it starts with investment.”
express.co.uk/news/politics/…
Labour rebels plot more chaos for Keir Starmer as shocking new court figures revealed
“Labour rebels believe they can defeat Keir Starmer’s plan to abolish jury trials as ministers were told to stop “weaponising” sex attack victims.”
express.co.uk/news/politics/…
Dr Christopher Hamerton retweeted
HHJ Christopher Kinch KC's new opinion piece argues that the Lord Chancellor must rethink plans to limit the right to jury trial.
The resident judge at a London court for 11 years writes: "For me, the government argument falls short both on evidence and analysis. It also deliberately and cynically ignores practical answers that would do much more to 'restore trust' and 'prevent collapse'.
"Public trust lies at the heart of the government’s argument, yet juries remain one of the most trusted elements of the criminal justice system at a time when confidence in public institutions is in short supply."
Read more⤵️
bit.ly/3YBdS7u
Dr Christopher Hamerton retweeted
anyone who thinks the answer to the backlog is restricting jury trials - just read this!
Years of underinvestment cause all of this - the answer is simple - restore investment levels to a system that would and always has worked well - don’t butcher it… thetimes.com/uk/law/article/…
This assault on jury trial must be resisted as a genuine threat a core historical right – open judgement by fellow citizens, not a potentially cynical bench. Cutting this instead of funding justice isn’t criminal process reform, is craven endangment to a fundamental freedom.
Dr Christopher Hamerton retweeted
📢 📆Mini Pupillage at 42BR Barristers – Applications Now Open!
We are delighted to share that we are now welcoming applications for mini pupillage at 42BR Barristers, taking place between November 2025 and January 2026.
For more information ⬇️
42br.com/join-us/mini-pupill…
Dr Christopher Hamerton retweeted
There are still some places available for UG degrees in Sociology, Criminology, Sociology with Psychology, Criminology/Sociology at @CitySociology at @CityStGeorges . See the following page for details of the degrees we offer and below for clearing link. citystgeorges.ac.uk/about/sc…
Dr Christopher Hamerton retweeted
The Criminal Bar Association’s survey of Criminal Barristers’ views of the Leveson Review of the Criminal Courts, a Government commissioned review.
“In the seven days that the Survey was open 2029 criminal barristers responded. We are grateful to all of you who responded.” Mary Prior KC, Chair of the Criminal Bar Association, says and adds:
“Professor Hohl indicated that “This snap survey received a phenomenal number of responses in absolute terms and in relative terms (response rate) compared to the size of the criminal Bar, and given the survey was only open for one week. This may be an indication of the strength of feeling at the criminal Bar and desire to have their voices heard and listened to as the Government considers the Leveson proposals.”
To ensure that the survey was not, consciously or sub-consciously, designed to produce opposition, we instructed an independent expert who also undertakes work for the @MoJGovUK.”
% Opposition to the Leveson Proposals:
(Crown Court Bench Division “CCBD”)
CCBD cases to include sexual offences against children
91.9%
CCBD cases to include sexual offences against adults
90.8%
Creation of a CCBD to deal with either way offences with the starting point for sentence would be three years’ custody or less
88.5%
After election to the Crown Court, the Judge makes the decision on a CCBD or jury election.
87.8%
CCBD cases to include violence against women and girls including stalking and voyeurism
86.1%
Note:
2029 criminal barristers responded in 7 days to the CBA Survey of the Leveson Review
The survey was open 16 to 23 July 2025
We are hiring at City St George’s, University of London, with an exciting new vacancy for a Lecturer in Criminology and Digital Crime. Come and join our brilliant team at a superb location in central London! Closing date 24 July 2025. jobs.ac.uk/job/DNQ765/lectur…
Dr Christopher Hamerton retweeted
We value and applaud the excellence of the work that you do in presenting serious criminal offences to juries, enabling witnesses to be heard, testing and probing evidence to ensure that everyone receives a fair trial. You make a difference every day and without you the criminal justice system would collapse.
Chair Mary Prior KC
Dr Christopher Hamerton retweeted
Bar objects to government plan to abolish some jury trials
thetimes.com/article/06275f4…
Brian Wilson said that to him ‘music was love’ - and so it was. RIP maestro - youtu.be/CWPo5SC3zik?si=q5Nt… via @YouTube