The MA's press office can offer: 

• Expert spokesmen 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: 

Bea Crayford, Media and Communications Officer

• email: media@magistrates-association.org.uk
• tel: 020 7387 2353

Out-of-hours contact:

Jon Collins, Chief Executive

• mobile: 07968 493 098

MA’s recent media appearances

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 Times on the use of remote hearings

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

February 2020

• John Bache JP had a letter published in The Times abourt court closures
• John Bache JP spoke to the Today Programme and the BBC News Channel, and was quoted in The Huffington Post about the TV licence evasion consultation
• John Bache JP was quoted on delays in the youth court in The Daily Telegraph, Bournemouth Echo, Bracknell News, Falmouth Packet, Swindon Advertiser and Wigan Today
• John Bache JP was quoted on sentencing cases where emergency workers have been assaulted in the Border Telegraph, Express & Star and Guernsey Press
• John Bache JP had an article published in The Times on the tensions between justice and efficiency
• John Bache JP had a letter published in the Evening Standard on court funding and delays

January 2020

• John Bache JP had a letter published in The Guardian about the importance of having a diverse magsitracy
• John Bache JP spoke to BBC Radio Kent about driving bans and the use of 'exceptional hardship'
• John Bache JP had a letter published in the Daily Telegraph about the importance of scrutiny panels in relation to out-of-court disposals

December 2019

• MA Trustee Jacqui MacDonald-Davis JP and former magistrate Katharine McMahon took part in a roundtable on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour celebrating the centenary of The Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act

November 2019

• Jon Collins was interviewed on court reform on LBC News
• John Bache JP spoke to Law in Action about the magistracy
• John Bache JP was quoted in The Guardian in their series on youth justice

October 2019

• John Bache JP was quoted in The Guardian on court closures
• John Bache JP was quoted in The Law Society Gazette on magistrates’ sentencing powers
• The MA’s concern about court closures was represented in The Law Society Gazette
• The MA’s views on recruitment to the magistracy were quoted in The Times
• John Bache JP had a letter published in The Times on the issue of salaried magistrates and training
• In a special article in The Guardian, the MA expressed concerns over consistency with regards to the use of section 45 of the Modern Slavery Act in relation to county lines activity

September 2019

• Magistrates in the Community who re-enacted Victorian-era trials received coverage in the South Wales Argus
• Bev Higgs JP was interviewed on BBC Radio Essex about interpreters in court
• The MA’s response to the new sentencing guidelines for assaults on emergency workers was mentioned in Police Oracle
• John Bache JP was quoted on court reform in The Guardian
• The MA’s response to the Joint Committee on Human Rights’ report on children whose mothers are in prison was reported in the Law Society Gazette and the Solicitors Journal
• John Bache JP was quoted on the Single Justice Procedure on Rights Info

 

Previous media appearances can be accessed by request.