Court Report: 27/10/2020 @ Snaresbrook Crown Court
I am before His Honour Judge M Shanks for the 2pm hearing of man due to be sentenced on three counts. The court is sitting unrobed today and the absence of wigs during a crown court hearing is quite unusual.
The defence barrister tells the court she only has papers for matters 1 and 2 and unfortunately the CPS have only provided their lawyer with papers for matters 1 and 3. The court doesn’t need a witness statement from Rachel Riley to know that those numbers don’t add up.
The judge explains that as the three charges came from three different courts that is “part of the problem” and the clerk explains that he can see that one of the missing cases “is on the system but not in a way that I can take forward”.
The court decides to adjourn to allow all the paperwork to catch up. HHJ Shanks explains he is elsewhere over the coming weeks so a different judge will be dealing with it. The defendant generously shouts out from the dock that he’s happy to “wait a week or two” for his return leading HHJ Shanks to remark that “I’m very happy to let someone else take this on”.
This isn’t the first time I’ve heard a remark like this from the judge having witnessed on a previous occasion “I won’t be here and I can’t say I’m that disappointed”.
It is understood this delay does prejudice the defendant because as he’s being held on recall (rather than remand) this means his sentence will start from the date of sentencing, rather than the date of imprisonment.
The decision is also likely to affect the victim who the defendant robbed back in July 2019. I suppose when you’ve been waiting 15 months for justice a couple more weeks isn’t too much more.
Mouse in the Court 