`Criminals are freed because of CPS flaws'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.MISTAKES WHICH could lead to potentially guilty defendants being set free are being made in one in 10 cases in the Crown Court, a report on the Crown Prosecution Service revealed yesterday.
The annual report of the CPS inspectorate said errors in calculating how long a defendant could be held in custody had the potential to cause "irreparable harm". In some cases the accused had to be released because lawyers had miscalculated how long he or she could be held, or failed to go to court to get an extension if trial dates changed.
Inspectors uncovered errors in 13 out of the 29 CPS branches investigated.
Chief Inspector Stephen Wooler warned that without improvement, those branches "are and will remain hostages to fortune".
The operational mistakes were just one factor in an overall "pressing need" for the CPS to improve its performance in the Crown Court. The quality of instructions given to barristers employed to present cases in the Crown Court remained a "distinct weakness" and one in four charge sheets contained mistakes.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments