Court Report: 3rd + 6th August 2020 @ Snaresbrook Crown Court
I’m in Courtroom 9 before Her Honour Judge S Canavan and first up we have a sentencing to witness in the matter of Mr ‘IS’.
The CPS have requested a behavioral order that would prevent the defendant accessing the entirety of the London Boroughs of Camden and Islington. Regrettably, no evidence is advanced in support of this rather ambitious restriction. The judge describes the requested order as a “very large hammer to crack a nut”.
The court is adjourned for 35 minutes for counsel to get the Police Officer dealing with the case on the phone to clarify. Yes is the response – that’s what the police want. The court will reconvene in 6-weeks-time and hopefully the CPS will have with some compelling reasons this time.
(As a bonus the court proceeds straight into another hearing due to start at midday with a time estimate of one hour. Sadly, the defendant Mr ‘IM’ isn’t present, and his counsel explains to the court that’s because IM is showing symptoms of Covid-19. Whilst the Judge “tries not to be sceptical about these things” the matter is adjourned for two weeks.)
Aug 6th 2020
Three days later I’ve returned for the sentencing of an ‘AR’. The indictment – one of dangerous driving – was committed way back in December 2018 and was before the court two weeks ago.
At that hearing the prosecution were requested to obtain a certain report for the court. Alas that document had not been produced and the Judge wasn’t impressed saying she was concerned over “the particular way the CPS have prosecuted this case”. She demands the CPS send an e-mail to court by 1pm the next day explaining why they hadn’t complied with the request lest they face the court in person on Aug 24th for what I suspect will be class 5 grilling.
It was at that point Counsel for the prosecution, who had been busily looking through his e-mails made a confession to the court – he hadn’t actually passed on the request!
It perhaps wasn’t too prejudicial to the defendant who had for unknown reasons been unable to obtain representation and so was “given one more chance to get a solicitor”.
As I passed Counsel in the corridor he remarked to me ‘Whoops’. Whoops indeed!
Mouse in the Court 