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Drink driving and minor theft crimes could be brought to trial the same day the offence is committed following the launch of a new “cyber-court”video system devised by Justice Secretary Jack Straw.
The system supports a video link between Charing Cross police station and Camberwell Green Magistrates Court.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson explained: “Rather than having the offender taken from prison to the magistrate’s court which always takes time, they have a system where is a camera in the police station, which links them up to the magistrate’s court. So they have that kind of hearing, via the video. The offender has the right to ask for a lawyer.”
The system can be very fast, as recent examples have indicated. The first trial via the video link, concerning a drink driving case, took place last week and lasted 20 minutes. The offender was sentenced after the first hearing.
The Ministry of Justice estimates more than 2.2 million pounds will be saved in London and a further 10 million will be saved in the UK and Wales within a year, due to lower spending on prisoner transfers. Critics of the system have been raised about the provision of justice. Georgios Chic, a lawyer, said: "the offender’s state of mind may still be influenced by the incident. His statement of the events might be still skewed because the hit of the moment is still with him." Some also have expressed their concern about procedures involving eye-witnesses and testimony. It can take up to three to four months for all the relevant information including witnesses’ testimony to be collected.
Mr.Chic, added: “What if you need witnesses? The discovery procedure, which takes place before the trial, may not be carried out properly due to lack of time.”
The system will be expanded to 14 police stations over the summer,including Brixton, Hampstead, Kennington and Walworth.
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