Trial delays: a question of fairness

Delays to Supreme Court trials will cause extra stress for defendants, victims and the police, a lawyer predicted yesterday.

Victoria Greening, of Resolution Chambers, said that the inability to hold jury trials — potentially until next year — could have serious consequences.

Ms Greening said:

“The real thing that I am concerned about is the backlog and the stress on the police having all these people awaiting trial for serious offences who are on bail. At the same time, there are those who are being held indefinitely in pretty oppressive, extraordinarily oppressive, conditions. The visits are still restricted. There are a number of things that have changed at the prison, so their restrictions of liberty are restricted even further.”

Ms Greening added that there was a backlog of 15 cases that may not be heard until next year and further cases would be brought before the court over the next few months.

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