Judge slams chicken prosecution

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A judge has slammed a failed £30,000 prosecution of two women alleged to have stolen a £1.84 pack of chicken from the supermarket where they worked.

Judge Mushtaq Khokhar said the case, involving two collapsed trials, had been a waste taxpayers' money.

Verity Bredbury, 28, and Cassandra O'Connell, 25, were found not guilty of stealing the chicken thighs from Morrisons in Bredbury, Gtr Manchester.

The Crown Prosecution Service however said it was correct to pursue the case.

One trial was abandoned after a day and the second collapsed after three days.

We appreciate that the value of the items involved was relatively small - but this is true of most cases of theft from an employer CPS spokeswoman

Referring to the use of public money, Judge Khokhar said it costs £5,000 to £8,000 a day for a crown court trial before a judge.

The women, who denied the meat they were seen eating in their work canteen was stolen, appeared in court numerous times during a 10-month period.

They opted for trial at Manchester Crown Court, which led Judge Khokar to instruct the jury to find the pair not guilty after the second trial became bogged down in legal argument for two days.

A CPS spokeswoman hit back at the judge's criticism saying: "If we believe there is sufficient evidence to proceed with a case, we will not drop that case purely because the defence requests for it to go to Crown Court - otherwise the court system could clearly be open to abuse.

"We appreciate that the value of the items involved was relatively small - but this is true of most cases of theft from an employer, and indeed of ordinary shoplifting cases.

"This alone would not be a reason for us to abandon the case."

She explained a CPS lawyer and an independent barrister reviewed the case throughout the legal process and always believed there was enough evidence to prosecute.