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Years ago most police prosecutions were overseen by an experienced police officer who looked through individual case notes and decided whether the evidence was such as to make proceeding worthwhile.
But then politicians tinkered with court systems and the Crown Prosecution Service became the body to decide whether cases should be sent to the courts. Since then there have been a number of instances when commonsense seems to have been thrown out of the window.
Take for example the recent case of the art teacher with an unblemished thirty-year career who was arrested on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm to a 12-year-old special needs pupil with, of all things, a Pritt Stick. In evidence it transpired that the superficial wound to the pupil’s thumb by the aforesaid glue stick was caused accidentally and the case was thrown out.
You’d have thought that someone would have looked at the case notes of this heinous crime and wondered why so much time and effort had been spent on it thus far. But no, the Crown Prosecution Service sent the case to court, incurring costs over a three-day trial in Swansea Crown Court estimated at £30,000.
The Home Secretary has promised to give some powers back to the police.
She could start by ordering that someone sort out the Crown Prosecution Service.
.
Years ago most police prosecutions were overseen by an experienced police officer who looked through individual case notes and decided whether the evidence was such as to make proceeding worthwhile.
But then politicians tinkered with court systems and the Crown Prosecution Service became the body to decide whether cases should be sent to the courts. Since then there have been a number of instances when commonsense seems to have been thrown out of the window.
Take for example the recent case of the art teacher with an unblemished thirty-year career who was arrested on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm to a 12-year-old special needs pupil with, of all things, a Pritt Stick. In evidence it transpired that the superficial wound to the pupil’s thumb by the aforesaid glue stick was caused accidentally and the case was thrown out.
You’d have thought that someone would have looked at the case notes of this heinous crime and wondered why so much time and effort had been spent on it thus far. But no, the Crown Prosecution Service sent the case to court, incurring costs over a three-day trial in Swansea Crown Court estimated at £30,000.
The Home Secretary has promised to give some powers back to the police.
She could start by ordering that someone sort out the Crown Prosecution Service.
.
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