Shut out of justice Secret hearings tip the balance both ways

There has been a litany of injustices or errors through magistrates operating the Single Justice Procedure behind closed doors.

A student known only as Ola was convicted in her absence of failing to pay the TV licence fee. Her name was on the licence because her parents did not speak English, while her own language skills meant she struggled to enter a plea online. She did not receive an offer of an out-of-court disposal because the letter was sent to an old address. She could have faced prosecution and even jail for non-payment of the fine but had her conviction quashed after the charity Appeal intervened.

In a case of a perpetrator avoiding justice because of the system, the former Tottenham Hotspur footballer Erik Lamela was initially spared a driving ban despite accumulating 15 points on his licence and three speeding offences in two weeks. This was because his DVLA record could not be found by the magistrate in the closed court. It was only after the hearing that the error was identified, leading to the case being reopened and a six-month driving ban being imposed.