Guilt lies with Treasury as cuts leave CPS and police struggling
AS a result of the swingeing cuts that are continuously imposed by the Treasury, the system is not just creaking, it is about to croak.
I used to be so proud I was part of the finest criminal justice system in the world.
But in the past seven months I have prosecuted two trials where serious miscarriages of justice were averted at the 59th minute of the 11th hour.
Had experienced lawyers not intervened, two young men would have been given substantial custodial sentences, their lives trashed and their reputations in tatters, with little hope of a successful appeal. I told the judge that this was the most appalling failure of disclosure that I have ever encountered.
The CPS is under terrible pressure, as are the police. Both work hard but are badly under-resourced.
Crown court trials only work because of the co-operation and goodwill of advocates and the bench – but time pressures are making this increasingly difficult.