Witness is happy to see justice done
Allison Mackay is celebrating after Raw Deal helped her get £869 worth of expenses reimbursed from the Crown Office.
The Sunday Post told two weeks ago how the gran embarked on a 16-hour trip to attend a court date in her home town of Tain, Ross-shire, in August last year.
When she arrived at her house, she discovered that her appearance as a witness had been cancelled at the 11th hour, leaving her more than £1,000 out of pocket.
At the time, she was working as an agency nurse on the Isle of Man and had made the 950-mile journey by air and road from the Irish Sea holiday isle to the Highlands via Gatwick Airport in London.
However, when Allison applied to get a portion of her expenses back, court services informed her she would not be due anything because she had not followed the correct procedures.
When contacted by Raw Deal, the Crown Office said it would review her claim.
Good news is that it has now been decided Allison is due a substantial refund.
A Crown Office spokesperson said: “Witnesses play an important role in the justice system and should be appropriately reimbursed for their time.
“The Crown Office has considered Ms Allison Mackay’s complaint and has offered to pay her £869.22 towards her loss of earnings and travel expenses.
“We have also apologised to Ms Mackay for the length of time it has taken to come to a resolution in her case.”
Allison, 54, is delighted with the outcome.
She said: “Thank you Raw Deal. I am blown away.
“Last week I was getting nothing but an apology and this week thanks to you I am financially ecstatic.”