Bermuda was not wrong to abolish special juries says Attorney General Larry Mussenden ? even though Britain appears to be going in the other direction.

Last week the UK unveiled plans to allow judges to sit without a jury in serious and complex fraud cases to reduce the risk of expensive and long trials collapsing because they were too complicated.

A fraud case which cost some $110 million and lasted 21 months collapsed at London?s Old Bailey in March after jurors and members of the defence repeatedly needed time off.

However British civil rights groups fear the move was the beginning of the end for fair trials.

Yesterday Sen. Mussenden said Bermuda was not wrong to drop special juries last year.

?There were several reports in Bermuda over many years that all recommended dropping special juries because of the way in which they were being used in Bermuda.?

He said Bermuda?s Constitution allows for trials on indictment to be before a jury.

?Therefore, we cannot have a jury trial by a judge alone. We would have to change the Constitution.?

Last week Sen. Mussenden announced plans to allow juries to sit with just ten jurors rather than the usual 12 if two had to be discharged for an acceptable reason.

He said: ?In the UK, a trial can continue with a minimum of nine jurors.?