Judge orders Janner into court
LORD Janner, the former Labour grandee, appeared in court yesterday charged with 22 child sex offences after a judge finally lost patience with his legal team’s efforts to excuse him the ordeal.
The 87-year-old, who is suffering from severe dementia, spent just 59 seconds in front of Deputy Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot before the matter was sent to Crown Court for trial.
Appearing confused and frail, the former Leicester West MP was helped into Westminster Magistrates’ Court by his daughter Marion and upon seeing the packed courtroom laughed and said: “Ooh, this is wonderful.”
Wearing a casual blue zip-up jacket, green cardigan, blue t-shirt and trousers he placed his baseball cap on the table in front of him as he peered around Court One.
Asked if he was Lord Janner he answered “Yes” in a loud clear voice before Judge Arbuthnot informed him that the case was being committed to Southwark Crown Court for trial and the next hearing would be on September 1.
As he was helped from the court, his daughter could be heard explaining “Come on, Dad, we will go and have a nice ice cream” before he was driven back to his home in Muswell Hill, north London.
While his brief appearance in court marked only the start of the criminal process, it brings to an end a week of protracted legal arguments over whether the peer should have been forced to attend court in person given his medical condition.
Lawyers for the retired barrister had tried three times to persuade the courts that he should be excused having to appear in person to face a string of historic child sex charges.
On Thursday an attempt to persuade the High Court that such actions would amount to torture or inhumane treatment under the European Convention on Human Rights was dismissed. Lord Janner’s lawyers were warned that if he did not present himself before Westminster magistrates court a warrant for his arrest would be issued.
But yesterday morning Paul Ozin QC once again tried to argue that there might be another option available.
He suggested a live videolink be set up between the court and Lord Janner’s home.
But after rejecting the suggestion, Judge Arbuthnot finally lost patience and warned Mr Ozin to stop wasting time, telling him: “Even if I have to have him arrested, I am going to resolve this matter today.” The case will now pass to Southwark Crown Court where a judge will have to decide if Lord Janner is fit to stand trial.
If after assessing medical evidence it is decided his condition means he cannot reasonably instruct his defence team, a trial of fact could be held in which a jury would decide if he was responsible for the offences with which he was charged. The 22 offences date back to the 1960s and involve nine separate complainants.
Earlier this year Alison Saunders, the Director of Public Prosecutions, announced that despite having enough evidence to charge him it would not be in the public interest to do so because of his dementia.
Six of Lord Janner’s alleged victims appealed against that decision and an independent review ruled that he should be charged.