Non-jury trials for terrorism suspects in Northern Ireland are expected to be abolished by next summer, the British government revealed today.
The Northern Ireland Office announced plans to scrap judge-only courts next July for those facing murder or explosives charges connected to paramilitaries.
Non-jury Diplock courts have been operating since 1973.
Under the plan, which goes out to consultation today, only the most serious cases will be heard without a jury.
The consultation paper marks another step in the security normalisation process announced after the IRA announced an end to its armed campaign in July 2005.
The Public Prosecution Service will not try cases without a jury unless there's a real risk of intimidation of jurors. There will, however, be added protection for jurors in sensitive cases.
The criteria for ordering a non-jury trial has yet to be set but will be based on the circumstances of the crime and connections of the accused.
Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain said: "Government has always been clear that we want to return to jury trial for all cases as soon as possible. These proposals will be a significant step towards that goal.
"However, whilst the security situation has changed dramatically, not least in the last year, the Government believes that some special arrangements remain necessary for a small number of cases in which jury intimidation may continue to be a factor."
The Diplock system was established after a report by Lord Diplock in 1972 that highlighted the dangers of perverse acquittals because of partisan or intimidated jurors.
Only the Attorney General can decide to "de-schedule" a case, ordering a jury trial.
Among the infamous cases dealt with by Diplock courts were the convictions of loyalist paramilitary gang the Shankill Butchers, who were sentenced to life imprisonment in the 1970s for abducting and murdering innocent Catholics in north and west Belfast.
IRA bomber Sean Kelly was also convicted under the system of murdering nine people in the October 1993 Shankill fish shop bomb.
In recent years the use of Diplock courts has declined substantially with the improving security situation. The number of cases sent for Diplock trial each year is around 60 compared to 329 two decades ago.
PA