The MA's press office can offer: 

• Expert spokespeople from the MA
• Relevant and up-to-date information regarding the magistracy
• Out-of-hours media enquiries 
• The use of MA logos, research materials and images

Contact: 

Tom Franklin, Chief Executive

email: media@magistrates-association.org.uk

tel: 020 7255 9003

MA’s recent media appearances

August 2021

• Bev Higgs JP had an article published in the Law Society Gazette about young people who turn 18 before their case comes to court

July 2021

• Tom Franklin was interviewed by inews about the 'pingdemic' and its impact on justice

June 2021

• Bev Higgs JP was quoted in The Independent, MSN News and The Derbyshire Times on the single justice procedure
• The MA's concerns on driving distances to court and the shortage of magistrates was mentioned in The Times
• MA Trustee Dan Longman JP spoke to the Judicial Office about Pride Month and diversity

April 2021

• Bev Higgs JP had an article published in The Law Society Gazette about delays in family court
• Bev Higgs JP was also quoted in The Law Society Gazette about the single justice procedure

March 2021

• Bev Higgs JP had a letter published in The Guardian about 12 month sentencing

February 2021

• Jon Collins was quoted in The Times on extending court operating hours
• Bev Higgs JP was quoted in The Times on the single justice procedure
• The launch of the MA's LGBT+ Special Interest Group was featured in an article by the Law Society Gazette

January 2021

• Bev Higgs JP was quoted in The Times about extending the jurisdiction of magistrates' courts and the need for defendants who turn 18 before their case comes to court to have their case heard in the youth court
• Bev Higgs JP had a letter published in the Daily Telegraph about the MA's concerns about serious violence reduction orders
• Jon Collins was quoted in the Daily Telegraph and Scottish Legal News on raising the retirement age for magistrates
• Bev Higgs JP had a letter published in the Sunday Times on extending the jurisdiction of magistrates' courts

November 2020

• Bev Higgs JP spoke to BBC Wales about recruitment and diversity
• Bev Higgs JP commented on community sentences being undertaken from home during the Covid-19 pandemic in The Times and on Yahoo Finance

October 2020

• John Bache JP was interviewed by BBC North West on recruitment and diversity
• The MA was mentioned on the BBC Asian Network on recruitment and diversity
• Jon Collins was quoted in The Daily Mail on driving bans and exceptional hardship
• Bev Higgs JP was quoted in The Evening Standard on young defendants turning 18 before appearing in court

September 2020

• The MA's response to the government's sentencing white paper was reported in The Independent and The Law Society Gazette
• John Bache JP was quoted on the issues of recruitment and diversity in iNews

August 2020

• John Bache JP and Jacqui MacDonald-Davis JP were interviewed about diveristy in the magistracy. The interview appeared in the Daily Telegraph as well as Aberdeen Evening Express, The Daily Mirror, Helensburgh Advertiser, The Herald, Jersey Post, Plymouth Herald, Shropshire Star, Wales Online, Whitchurch Herald and York Press
• Jacqui MacDonald-Davis JP was interviewed about the diversity of the magistracy by Channel 5 News
• John Bache JP was interviewed about the diversity of the magistracy by Bloomberg Radio

July 2020

• John Bache JP was interviewed by The Times on retirement age, the court backlog and advocacy in the youth court
• Jon Collins was quoted in the Daily Telegraph on reducing the court backlog
• John Bache JP spoke about the court backlog and the possibility of extending court hours in the Law Society Gazette
• Val Castell JP appeared on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour to talk about the issue of remand 
• Jon Collins was quoted in The Sunday Times on the use of remote hearings
• John Bache JP's reaction to the Justice Select Committee's report on the impact of coronavirus on the courts was quoted in The Independent
• Bev Higgs JP was interviewed by Times Radio about the court backlog

June 2020

• John Bache JP had a letter published in the Daily Telegraph on the urgent need to address the backlog of cases in court
• John Bache JP was quoted in The Times on delays in the justice system
• John Bache JP had a letter published in the Daily Telegraph on delays in the youth justice system
• The Magistrate Association's 2019 report on disproportionality in the justice system was referred to by Lawyer Monthly

May 2020

• John Bache JP's oral evidence to the Justice Select Committee on the impact of coronavirus was quoted in The Guardian and The Financial Times
• John Bache JP was quoted in The Independent on the use of remote hearings
• John Bache JP had an article published in The Times calling for the sentencing powers of magistrates to be increased
• Jon Collins was quoted in the Daily Telegraph on the possibility of increasing the sentencing powers of magistrates
• John Bache JP was quoted on Sky News on increasing the retirement age for magistrates
• John Bache JP was quoted on localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk on the impact of coronavirus on the courts and the backlog of cases

April 2020

• John Bache JP had a letter published in The Times about the impact of coronavirus on the courts
• John Bache JP was quoted on failure to appear warrants in Bradford Telegraph and Argus, Express and Star, Hereford Times, Largs and Millport Weekly News, Shropshire Star and Wigan Today
• Paul Brearley JP, Chair of the MA's LGBT+ Special Interest Group, was interviewed by BBC Radio Manchester on diveristy and recruitment
• John Bache JP was quoted in The Guardian on sentencing coronavirus-related offences
• John Bache JP was interviewed by the Today Programme on the challenges faced by the justice system in responding to coronavirus

March 2020

• Linda Logan JP, Chair of the MA's Youth Court Committee, was quoted on knife crime prevention orders in the Law Society Gazette​
• John Bache JP was quoted on the use of 'exceptional hardship' in relation to driving bans in the Daily Express, Daily Mail, The Sun and Yahoo News
• The MA's position on local justice areas was referred to in The Law Society Gazette

Previous media appearances can be accessed by request.