Murder suspects released from prison due to lawyers’ strike
Four people accused of fatal stabbing of 40-year-old man are released from prison
Request for extension of their guardianship was rejected by Judge Ian Pringle
Their trial, which was set to begin earlier this month, was postponed due to ongoing strikes
Judge previously said strikes are not ‘sufficient reason’ to extend detention limits
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Four murder suspects are expected to be released from prison after their terms of detention expire due to court delays exacerbated by ongoing lawyers’ strikes.
On Wednesday, Ian Pringle, the highest court at the Oxford circuit, refused to extend the six-month detention period for the four defendants, who are accused of fatally stabbing a 40-year-old man outside his home in Banbury on Feb. 13.
The trial was set to begin on September 12, but indefinite strikes by members of the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) over legal aid rates have delayed the proceedings. Oxford Post reported.
Criminal lawyers gather on September 6 to protest at the Supreme Court as their strike action began
Pictured: General view of Oxford Crown Court
As a result, the prosecutors requested an extension of their detention terms, arguing that the exceptional delay caused by the strike action was reason enough to keep the four behind bars.
However, the request was denied by Judge Pringle, who acknowledged during the ruling that the Crown Prosecution Service had acted with “all due diligence and diligence” in filing its request for an extension of the guardianship terms.
Judge Pringle said, “This case was purely for ‘good and sufficient reasons’.”
Judge Pringle has previously said in other cases that delays caused by the lawyers’ strike were not “good and sufficient reason.”
A written statement explaining it the full reasons for the denial of the application will be published later today.
The law states that a judge may only extend the statutory retention period if he is sure that there are ‘good and sufficient’ reasons to do so.
Individuals can be held in prison for up to 182 days pending trial (just under six months), but judges have the power to extend the length of time a person can be held behind bars.
Fears are growing that the indefinite strike action launched by CBA members will lead to more suspects being released after the six-month term for detention has expired.
On Wednesday, the Justice Department began talks with the CBA in an effort to resolve the strike action, which centers on a row over a 15 percent increase in the government’s legal costs.
New Attorney General Brandon Lewis urged striking lawyers to return to work as they met ministers for the first time since the start of their union action.
In a brief statement after his talks, Mr Lewis said the discussions had been “constructive” and would continue.
Barristers photographed outside the Supreme Court in Parliament Square, central Lonodn in September
The indefinite strike action sparks a fight over wages and conditions, and talks were held this week with the justice minister in an attempt to resolve the dispute.
His predecessor Dominic Raab previously refused a meeting with the CBA during their campaign over wages.
The meeting was originally supposed to take place last week, but was postponed after the death of the Queen.
While all planned demonstrations were also postponed, the total strike continued during the national mourning period.
Criminal defense lawyers will receive the increase from the end of September, meaning they will earn £7,000 more a year.
However, CBA members are calling for an immediate 25 percent increase in legal aid costs, representing defendants who cannot afford legal representation and access to the justice system.
It comes at a time when the cost of living has skyrocketed and thousands of workers across a range of sectors including transport, telecom and post have staged strikes amid anger that their salaries are not matching rising inflation.
A Justice Department spokesman said: “Judges make bail decisions independently of the government.
“We have proposed a 15 percent increase in criminal attorney fees to come into effect next week and we are spending nearly half a billion pounds expediting justice as we recover from the pandemic.”