1,300 arrest warrants issued per week for failure to attend court

MAGISTRATES IN England and Wales issued more than 1,300 arrest warrants every week last year for people who failed to turn up to court, figures reveal.

But a legal charity says the warrants, which can result in prison terms, are a waste of police time and an unfair punishment.

Figures from the Ministry of

Justice released yesterday show 70,586 failure to appear warrants were issued in magistrates’ courts in 2019, the equivalent of 1,357 every week – a three per cent drop on 2018.

Defendants risk receiving a fine or being sent to prison for the offence, and Penelope Gibbs, the director of Transform Justice,

said she was not convinced the “punishment fits the crime”.

“Someone who doesn’t turn up for their court hearing may not have got the letter, or may have mental health problems or lead a chaotic life,” she said. “They should of course turn up for it, but maybe the response to failure to appear may need to be different.”

With two million court hearings last year, it means failure to appear warrants were needed for about 3.6 per cent of cases.

Two thirds of the warrants were issued for offences such as theft and burglary, which could be heard in either magistrates’ courts or crown courts.

The Greater London Criminal

Justice Board issued the highest number of warrants, with 10,788 – almost three times as many as the second highest count, in West Yorkshire.

John Bache, the national chairman of the Magistrates Association, said: “When people do not attend court when required to do so it leads to delays in the justice system, which is a waste of scarce resources and may also be upsetting for victims.”

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said the warrants ensure people attend court and prevent further delays, but added that the decision to issue them is a matter for the independent judiciary.