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Hundreds 'escaped justice' claim Inquiry into court's 'bungling'
(21 minutes later)
Hundreds of defendants have escaped justice because of a catalogue of blunders at Leeds Magistrates' Court, a city MP has claimed. An inquiry has been launched after claims hundreds of defendants escaped justice during a catalogue of blunders at Leeds Magistrates' Court.
Leeds North West Lib Dem MP Greg Mulholland has said many defendants simply did not attend court and their cases were not followed up. Government officials launched the inquiry amid claims many offenders simply did not attend court or have their cases followed up.
Justice minister Jack Straw has started an inquiry into the claims and will lay a written statement at the Commons. Justice minister Jack Straw has charged senior legal figures with probing Leeds Lib Dem MP Greg Mulholland's claims.
A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman said the facts would be outlined. The Ministry of Justice said a senior judge would also investigate the cases.
The justice department said: "We are aware of these issues and the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice is to make a statement to Parliament. In a written ministerial statement to MPs, Mr Straw said two issues of concern had arisen at the court.
"He has been considering next steps and agreed at a meeting on Monday to establish an inquiry. These concerned the recording of outcomes of cases between 1997 and 2003 and subsequently in the case of recordable offences, updating the Police National Computer, a process known as "resulting".
"Details will be announced to Parliament in a Written Ministerial Statement.? The other is centred on the process used for withdrawing warrants issued by the court for the arrest of defendants who fail to appear, he added.
Mr Mulholland said: "This is an appalling example of systematic, institutional incompetence that will shatter local confidence in the criminal justice system. Mr Straw said: "The investigations will verify the number of cases involved, the breakdown of offences and the position regarding the Police National Computer."
"People in Leeds will be horrified to hear hundreds of people charged with crimes have been able to get off scot-free." Mr Straw said that a "continuing issue" was identified at Leeds following a national review "about the effectiveness of processes for resulting the 2.2 million cases dealt with in the magistrates' court each year."
He continued: As part of the work that court staff were undertaking to look at these issues, this month they identified a further problem with an historical process dating back to 2003 to withdraw old Failure to Appear warrants which had been agreed by the court, the CPS and the police.
"Although the withdrawal of warrants is entirely appropriate in certain circumstances, the process used in Leeds needs to be investigated."