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CourtWatch London @courtwatchldn.bsky.social · 5d

This case is deeply concerning. How can our magistrates’ courts allow someone so clearly unable to participate in their own trial to be treated this way? Where is the adherence to fair trial rights - or basic human empathy?

#CourtWatchLondon #MagistratesCourts
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CourtWatch London @courtwatchldn.bsky.social · 5d

👁️‍🗨️“The defendant was so incapacitated that he wouldn't have been allowed to drive a car. He wouldn't have been able to give consent. Yet he was allowed to be questioned as a witness and tried in a criminal proceeding.”
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CourtWatch London @courtwatchldn.bsky.social · 5d

👁️‍🗨️“No one offered to take a break. No one offered the defendant some water. No one asked the defendant if he was okay or if he needed help."
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CourtWatch London @courtwatchldn.bsky.social · 5d

👁️‍🗨️“The defence then called the defendant as a witness, even though he barely seemed to understand what was happening. While giving testimony, he swayed back and forth, starting to fall asleep mid-sentence. The defence continued to question him. The trial proceeded.”
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CourtWatch London @courtwatchldn.bsky.social · 5d

👁️‍🗨️“Later, the defendant woke himself up with a loud yawn, which startled everyone else, yet no one looked at him, checked if he needed help, or acknowledged him in any way. Only later did one of the magistrates look at him seeming disgusted. The trial proceeded.”
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CourtWatch London @courtwatchldn.bsky.social · 5d

👁️‍🗨️“When the prosecutor made his opening statement, the defendant was audibly snoring. The trial proceeded.”
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CourtWatch London @courtwatchldn.bsky.social · 5d

👁️‍🗨️“Trial began with the defence lawyer saying he hadn't talked to the defendant, as the def. was heavily medicated due to a heart condition, and his support worker was absent. While he explained this, the def. was asleep in the courtroom. The trial proceeded.”
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CourtWatch London @courtwatchldn.bsky.social · 5d

⚠️One courtwatcher observed a deeply disturbing case: a defendant so unwell and heavily medicated he was effectively unable to participate in his own trial - and yet it went ahead with no accommodations at all.

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CourtWatch London @courtwatchldn.bsky.social · 26d

One way to mitigate these delays - as suggested by the courtwatcher quoted in the image above - would be for the court to check the pre-sentence report was ready prior to the hearing. This simple suggestion could save a lot of court time!

#CourtWatchLondon #Delays #MagistratesCourt
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CourtWatch London @courtwatchldn.bsky.social · 26d

👁️‍🗨️“Judge unimpressed that she still hadn't been interviewed by probation: ‘the wheels need to start turning’.”

👁️‍🗨️“Probation had failed to arrange an appointment, remanded to 24th June…What a waste of time!”
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CourtWatch London @courtwatchldn.bsky.social · 26d

However, many courtwatchers have found themselves taken aback by the length of time taken for the (currently understaffed and underresourced) probation service to produce a pre-sentence report. This task can often result in over a month - and sometimes up to 3 months - delay to proceedings.
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CourtWatch London @courtwatchldn.bsky.social · 26d

👁️‍🗨️“I was glad though that the magistrate decided to await pre-sentence reports for most of the hearings during the afternoon…I thought it was a good sign that the magistrates often chose not to sentence someone until they had a better understanding of what was going on for them.”
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CourtWatch London @courtwatchldn.bsky.social · 26d

However, unlike with some other causes of delay, courtwatchers were not opposed to this - in fact, many were pleased the magistrates or district judge wanted to consult a pre-sentence report before sentencing:
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CourtWatch London @courtwatchldn.bsky.social · 26d

⚠️ Inefficiency around pre-sentence reports are a big cause of delays in the mags’ courts.

Almost 1 in 6 of the delays or adjournments observed by courtwatchers throughout the project were so that pre-sentence reports could be written.
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CourtWatch London @courtwatchldn.bsky.social · Sep 5

We are, as ever, extremely grateful to everyone who volunteered their time to gather information for us on the goings-on of London’s magistrates’ courts. Your valuable contributions will be shaping our next CourtWatch reports, intended to influence policy and practice going forward.

CourtWatch London @courtwatchldn.bsky.social · Sep 5

👁️‍🗨️“CourtWatch has given me a lot to think about.”

One month on from the end of the project, our volunteer courtwatchers have been reflecting about what they learned from their courtwatching experiences; the good and the bad, and what they might do differently going forward.

#CourtWatchLondon

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CourtWatch London @courtwatchldn.bsky.social · Aug 29

Have you experienced faulty video technology in court? How important do you think it is that everyone in the courtroom can see video evidence? Let us know your thoughts below ⬇️

#CourtWatchLondon #VideoTechnology #TransformJustice
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CourtWatch London @courtwatchldn.bsky.social · Aug 29

Reliable video systems aren’t just a convenience, they’re essential to a transparent justice system. Investing in them could reduce delays and ensure that justice is seen to be done.
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CourtWatch London @courtwatchldn.bsky.social · Aug 29

👁️‍🗨️“There's CCTV video footage of the case but the video facility didn't work. The judge kindly asked to share the public footage with public gallery but the prosecutor's laptop was frozen. When it was back, they called the judge so I wasn't able to see the CCTV video footage which is a shame.”
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CourtWatch London @courtwatchldn.bsky.social · Aug 29

👁️‍🗨️“It was intended to show the video on the big screens in court, but there was a problem getting them working, so magistrates were shown the video on a laptop. The defendant was also given the opportunity to watch, but people in the public gallery didn't have the opportunity to see this.”
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CourtWatch London @courtwatchldn.bsky.social · Aug 29

👁️‍🗨️“Court struggled with technology. In first room the TV screens didn't work at all. Case was shifted to another court room before starting. They still struggled with placement of the screen to protect witness, prosecutor had difficulty to show video, but resolved.”
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CourtWatch London @courtwatchldn.bsky.social · Aug 29

⚠️Faulty court technology is preventing the public from seeing crucial evidence.

Across dozens of hearings, courtwatchers saw faulty video screen links to be a source of delays and found they were unable to see the evidence originally intended to be viewed by the entire courtroom.
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CourtWatch London @courtwatchldn.bsky.social · Aug 29

A very interesting point!

CourtWatch London @courtwatchldn.bsky.social · Aug 22

It seems common sense to move away from the dock being our default option, and instead reserve it only for cases where the defendant represents a legitimate security risk. So why have we seen so little movement on this?

Let us know your thoughts on the dock debate ⬇️
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CourtWatch London @courtwatchldn.bsky.social · Aug 22

Moving the defendant to the middle of the courtroom could even help them feel more included and respected, thereby increasing their likelihood of engaging with - and having trust in - the process. A win for the defendant, the justice system and the public.
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