Senior Reporter
Jensen.lavende@guardian.co.tt
Defence Minister Wayne Sturge says efforts to speed up the justice system should not come at the expense of justice for victims of crime.
Speaking at the conclusion of a workshop on virtual hearings yesterday at the Justice Ministry’s Government Plaza, Port-of-Spain office, Sturge said as a defence attorney, he often reflected on cases in which justice was denied.
While he could not speak publicly on the matter before entering politics, he said he could now do so.
“As a human being, privately, you always reflect on the fact that whilst the criminal justice system appears to be addressing the backlog and moving faster than before, there are human beings who were denied justice.
“Now, I never said that publicly as a defence attorney because I couldn’t, but the reality is that sometimes, in the quiet of night, you reflect on having read victim statements and that someone was denied justice. So, in our haste to deal with the backlog and to be speedier, I would ask that we not lose sight of the fact that people are being denied justice,” he said.
Sturge said winning cases due to dismissals caused by non-compliance by the State is not a genuine victory. Such outcomes, he said, deny justice to both victims and the accused, who may have won on a technicality rather than on the merits of the case.
He said he intends to speak with Chief Justice Ronnie Boodoosingh about providing additional support to prosecutors to ensure that police officers do not inadvertently contribute to case collapses.
“I’ll have a discussion with him about providing not only highly trained staff, but adequate staff to the police. It might be civilian staff, maybe BOAs and so on, but highly trained staff, and expand it in such a way that it works, so that there is no burden. Because many times in private practice, I saw instances where prosecutors had to get on the backs of the police to comply, so that cases are not dismissed,” Sturge said.
Chief Justice Boodoosingh also commented on traffic cases, noting the new system, which allows motorists to choose their court location, may have contributed to the backlog. He said the system may be “too easy” for some, adding that in some districts, cases are resolved quickly, while others face delays.
“In some districts, you get ticket cases in a very, very short time. There are certain locations where you have difficulties, and we are looking to see… even with the new system, we may need to tweak it a bit. Previously, if you got a ticket in a district, you had to respond in that district. So with the choice being given as to where to appear now, that now, I can understand,” Boodoosingh said.
Their comments come a day after Puisne Judge Trevor Jones pledged to tackle the criminal justice backlog. Jones was one of five judges appointed on Tuesday.
He said two measures could help address the backlog: proper case management and the use of judge-alone trials where appropriate.
“These two methods—proper case management and use of judge-alone trials when and where it’s appropriate—I think assist in managing the length of time a trial takes and the length of time it takes to have trials,” Jones said.
