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Trial delays spark anger

14/11/2007

THE trial of Stefan Kiszko was twice interrupted because of staff shortages at Armley Jail.

Acting on a Home Office directive, prison officers had been catching up on a backlog of rest hours and as a result the supervision of prisoners at Leeds Crown Court on Mondays and Fridays had been suspended.

That had led to three days scheduled for Stefan’s trial being lost.

Rochdale MP Cyril Smith questioned Home secretary Roy Jenkins in the House of Commons and accused the government of ‘trying to save a shilling and losing a quid.’

He believed there could be parliamentary reaction, apart from his representation, out of concern for the accused man’s situation if the delay became prolonged.

Mr Smith said the only possible intervention by the judge would be to instruct the Armley governor to produce the accused in court.

He demanded from Mr Jenkins the net cost of administering Leeds Crown Court for a day and if, when crown courts could not hear cases due to ‘certain consequences of cuts in prison expenditure’ attempts were made to otherwise employ judges and staff.

The MP put forward the motion: “That this House believes that it is a false economy to delay trials or extend over their period of hearing to save overtime pay to prison officers, since the court costs continue on court sitting days whether or not a case is proceeded with.”

A few days later Mr Smith received a reply from the Attorney General which said the cost of administering the court for that day was £650 and that every effort was made to find judges and staff alternative work.