Hundreds of thousands of defendants will be able to plead guilty to minor offences online under plans that have raised fears about secret justice.
Those charged with fare-dodging, some traffic offences and fishing without a licence will be dealt with through a new internet-based administrative system. Defendants would be able to log on to a website, view the penalty, accept the conviction and pay.
The reforms, to be proposed in the Prisons and Court Reform Bill, could keep 900,000 minor offenders a year out of the courts system. In future, offences including TV licence evasion and fly-tipping could also be processed online. The change is intended to free courts to focus on more important cases, but has prompted fears from magistrates and lawyers about justice