Daily Post (Liverpool, England), Pg. 10 ISSN: 0962-7553

Liverpool, England

HUNDREDS of defendants escaped justice due to failures of prosecutors and police that cost more than pounds 650,000 last year, inspectors said today. Cases were discharged because prosecutors were not ready to proceed, mainly due to late arrival of evidence from the police, missing evidence, and the late review of files by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the audit found.

Victims of crimes including burglary, theft and affray were also kept in the dark, with more than one in seven whose cases were discharged never receiving any explanation. Chief Inspector Michael Fuller said: "The CPS needs to focus its efforts to improve the handling of cases committed to the Crown Court. Failure to serve timely evidence is leading to cases being discharged, and these cases not being brought to justice."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
International Association for Property and Evidence
"Law Enforcement Serving the Needs of Law Enforcement"
www.IAPE.org