Thursday 20 July 2017

Ireland: Judge questions costs of proceeding with €16 theft case

http://www.con-telegraph.ie/news/roundup/articles/2017/07/20/4143345-judge-questions-costs-of-proceeding-with-16-theft-case/ 
Thursday, 20th July

Judge questions costs of proceeding with €16 theft case
A judge has raised her eyebrows over the cost of proceeding with a court case against a woman who is charged with stealing goods valued in the region of €16 from Tesco in Castlebar.
The services of an interpreter will be needed when the case proceeds at Castlebar District Court in September.
When the matter first came before Judge Mary Devins, she noted that the bill for an interpreter will be in the region of €1,600.
Judge Devins wondered if we are going back to Victorian times where offences against property are deemed more serious than those against the person.
She then asked Mr. Vincent Deane, Mayo State Solicitor, for his views on the matter.
Mr. Deane responded that an offence is an offence and has to be prosecuted.
"If you say you are not going to prosecute, where do you draw the line?", Mr. Deane asked.
The judge proceeded to certify the services of an interpreter in the case and listed the matter to proceed in September.

Friday 14 July 2017

Romanian man accused of attempted rape has case adjourned - because there is no interpreter

http://www.nottinghampost.com/romanian-man-accused-of-attempted-rape-has-case-adjourned-because-there-is-no-interpreter/story-30441063-detail/story.html 
July 14, 2017

Romanian man accused of attempted rape has case adjourned - because there is no interpreter
A judge has criticised police who failed to find an interpreter so a Romanian man could follow a court case where he is accused of attempted rape.
Mihai Vasille Ciprian, 25, was brought to the cells at Nottingham Magistrates' Court but language difficulties meant he would not have been able to follow his hearing.
His defence solicitor Jenny Gerrard was unable to interview him in preparation for a hearing, which would have decided whether he should be freed on bail.
The lack of an interpreter also affected another Romanian, a lorry driver charged with breach of tachograph laws.
He was also held in custody with defence solicitor Tim Holder unable to speak to him.
District Judge Leo Pyle was forced to adjourn both cases until Monday without pair appearing before him.
He told the court: "Police are responsible for providing interpreters at first hearings for people who don't understand the language.
"This is perhaps even more important when you have very serious allegations like attempted rape and offences of dishonest use of tachographs.
"I adjourn the case until Monday morning on the basis of insufficient evidence and no interpreter."
Sanjay Jerath, for the Crown Prosecution Service, agreed to pass on the judge's concerns.
Earlier in the day, police released a statement to say Ciprian had been detained after an incident involving a 22-year-old woman near The Arboretum early on Saturday.

Saturday 8 July 2017

I worked at a jobcentre – I'm so sorry for the way we treated you

https://www.theguardian.com/public-leaders-network/2017/jul/08/dwp-jobcentre-sorry-treatment-national-insurance-benefits-work 
8 July 2017

I worked at a jobcentre – I'm so sorry for the way we treated you
[…]
My bosses said I should be able to complete the interview in 25 minutes, but I had to collect lots of information from customers. Many of the people I saw only started to learn English and we also had to collect sensitive information, like the dates marriages ended or partners died. I’m sorry that I politely moved you along to the next question while you cried, but I could see my manager listening to our conversation, while checking against the diary to see how we were doing for time.
[…]
When you book an appointment through our outsourced and overworked call centre, you’re supposed to get a letter in the post confirming it. The letter says that if you need an interpreter, we will provide one. I’m sorry that I used a card with my questions in different languages rather than an over-the-phone interpreter. If we use the service too much, senior managers challenge our use. They accuse us of being carefree with public money and make it clear that it won’t happen on their watch. […]