CRIMINAL JUSTICE NORFOLK STYLE

 

22. Jan. 2010. – 15:52:24

Every part of government expenditure is being closely examined in order to determine where savings can be made........or so we are told. Within the Criminal Justice System and Her Majesty`s Court Service in particular there is currently a shortage of Legal Advisers and support staff at all levels. Judging by hearsay evidence from individual prosecutors and the apparently increasing inefficiencies at the Crown Prosecution Service that service is in need of all the money it can beg, steal or borrow. At the very least one would expect it to use its limited resources as effectively as possible.....not so in Norfolk....see my previous blog "TRULY THE INMATES ARE RUNNING THE CIVIL SERVICE ASYLUM" [also in Norfolk]....where the CPS charged Chantelle Amies, 19, with criminal damage insofar as she was alleged to have poisoned her neighbour’s fish, worth £7, by putting bleach in their bowl during the course of a disagreement. She appeared before magistrates at Norwich on Thursday January 21st. Unfortunately the water in the fish bowl was not sent for testing by the Police so the case was not proceeded with owing to there being not enough evidence likely to have secured a conviction. Witnesses present at court were not needed and all the costs associated with bringing the matter to court were a true waste of tax payers` money. Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers Alliance, said: “The CPS is meant to filter out cases that are too weak to secure a conviction, so it is bizarre that this case got so far."

A year or so ago a case involving theft of a banana worth 25p heard before a jury at Crown Court was thrown out after the jury took all of 15 minutes to acquit the defendant. At that time it was said the CPS would add what I describe as the "is it worthwhile" test to the various thresholds the CPS has in place to determine whether or not to prosecute in any individual case; ie would it be worth the cost to the public purse?

Norfolk as a county has been and is the butt of many a comedian`s joke about its inhabitants being inbred and therefore with limited intellectual capacity. Recent events might indicate to some but of course not this observer that the level of awareness of certain organs of the body known as the Criminal Justice System need a hefty dose of castor oil to clear out their blockages.