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The Magistrate's Blog (2005-2012)

This blog has migrated to www.magistratesblog.blogspot.co.uk This blog is anonymous, and Bystander's views are his and his alone. Where his views differ from the letter of the law, he will enforce the letter of the law because that is what he has sworn to do. If you think that you can identify a particular case from one of the posts you are wrong. Enough facts are changed to preserve the truth of the tale but to disguise its exact source.

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Location: Near London, United Kingdom

The blog is written by a retired JP, with over 30 years' experience on the Bench.

Friday, December 29, 2006

Well Down to Standard

A courtroom. Three magistrates. A legal adviser. An usher. A volunteer from Witness Support. A prosecutor. A barrister for the defence.

Guess what's missing? That's right:- the defendant and the witnesses.

Where are they? Well, the CPS assured the court three weeks ago that they had all been warned to attend, and so the court assumed that would be the case. But the witnesses (police officers and the victim) had not been warned, and they were not in court. The victim then gave the unsavoury mess another stir by claiming to have forgotten all about the incident, and deciding not to turn up.

Cost? A thousand or two. That's just in money though. Cost to justice?

Priceless.

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