Tristan Kirk nominated by The Standard for award for secret judicial investigation

The Standard’s court correspondent Tristan Kirk has been nominated for one of the most important journalism awards for his investigation into the deficiencies of the single-judge procedure.

Secret trials allow judges to hand down convictions for minor crimes behind closed doors, without the usual scrutiny that comes with public trials.

Kirk has spent several years investigating the injustices of a system that prioritizes speed and efficiency over fairness to defendants of minor offenses.

His coverage of the trial – described as “assembly line justice” – was included by Private Eye in the long list of nominees for this year’s Paul Foot Award for campaigning and investigative journalism.

The standard has the Practice of criminalizing dementia patients and nursing home residents for unpaid car billsand secret summary trials in which vulnerable and mentally ill people are accused of not paying their television license fees.

Kirk’s reporting also uncovered wrongful convictions of children that were later overturned.

Justices of the Peace themselves admit that the system is dysfunctional and needs reform, and Lord Chancellor Alex Chalk has promised changes.

The winner will be announced at a ceremony on June 11.