It’s a sign of the times, says judge as inmate is too drunk for court
AN ALLEGED burglar was too drunk or drugged to face a judge yesterday despite being on remand in jail.
A judge said it was “a sign of the times” that David Dodd, 48, was unable to appear from jail via video link because he was under the influence.
Dodd’s failure to appear came on the day that Rory Stewart, the prisons minister, said that he would resign in 12 months’ time if he fails to reverse a surge in drugs and violence at 10 of the country’s worst jails.
Dodd had been due to appear before Gloucester Crown Court via video link to plead to a charge of burglary.
But when the court clerk asked a prison officer to bring Dodd to the video suite there was a long delay.
Eventually the officer at HMP Oakwood, a privately run prison in Wolverhampton, returned and told the clerk that the defendant was “under the influence”.
She asked if the court wanted him in front of the camera despite his condition but the clerk said there would be no point – especially as Dodd was representing himself.
Judge Michael Harington was then told about Dodd’s condition and said: “Yes, a sign of the times.” He adjourned the case for a week, ordering that the defendant attend court in person.
Mr Stewart’s “succeed or resign” pledge came after the Government announced £10million extra funding for the most challenging prisons.
He said extra money was being spent to tackle the “acute problems” associated with prisons, most notably the significant increase in assaults on prison officers and other prisoners over the past decade.
Each of the 10 prisons will be provided with new airport-style scanners capable of spotting drugs packages inside bodies, and sniffer dogs trained to detect new psychoactive substances. New and inexperienced officers will be given additional training and support.
There is growing concern that violence and drug use in Britain’s prisons is spiralling out of control, with figures last month showing that assaults are now at record levels.
Mr Stewart said: “I will quit if I haven’t succeeded in 12 months in reducing the level of drugs and violence in those prisons. I want to make a measurable difference, that is what this investment is about.
“I believe in the prison service, I believe in our prison officers, I believe this can be turned around and I want you to judge me on those results. I’ll resign if I don’t succeed.”
Mr Stewart said drug use and the rise of new psychoactive substances were fuelling the increase in prison violence.
He added: “It is one of the most challenging jobs in Britain today – standing on a prison level, standing outside a cell door, working with prisoners.
“It’s incredible what can be done if you have the right type of governor, the right type of support and training, and if you focus on two particular things: drugs and cleanliness.”
The 10 prisons selected for the programme are Hull, Humber, Leeds, Lindholme, Moorland, Wealstun, Nottingham, Ranby, Isis and Wormwood Scrubs.