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Thursday, November 13, 2008, 07:00
It is a price most people are willing to pay. But when money is seen to be wasted – through lack of communication, confusion, incompetence or other reasons – then questions need to be asked. Which is why many people today will read Plymouth Crown Court judge Francis Gilbert QC's comments about the collapse of a case before him with interest. Judge Gilbert, a respected and experienced member of the judiciary, spoke out after an 11th-hour development involving a defendant facing two charges. As the trial was about to begin, the prosecutor asked for time to study CCTV footage of the alleged incident at the heart of this case, and to discuss this with the defence counsel. The result was that the prosecution offered no evidence on the more serious of the charges, the case collapsed and the jury stood down. Judge Gilbert, who made clear that he was not blaming the prosecuting barrister personally, said that if the video had been viewed earlier, the case could have been resolved a long time ago. He added: "Here we are on November 12 with you offering no evidence, yet the incident happened in February and the evidence has been in possession of the prosecution for some time." In a reference to recent aborted trials, the judge said: "A lot of public money goes down the drain."
When a judge makes such an outspoken remark, we have a right to be concerned. There is not a bottomless pit of public money to fund our legal system, and every agency involved has a duty to ensure that this precious resource is not squandered. Let's hope Judge Gilbert's words are noted, and appropriate actions taken.
THE £9million which has been given to Plymouth to help refurbish primary schools is a further boost to the changing educational landscape. Our report about the two new classrooms at Chaddlewood Primary show just what a difference new facilities can make. This extra cash will be put to good use, and continue the sterling work already being done to give our children an exciting future.
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