The State cannot escape from obligation to try a defendant speedily

Table of contents

• Analysis
• Approach to the POA 1985
• Failure of defence to raise the issue at the PCMH
• Points for practitioners

Article summary

Unavailability of a judge or court room cannot amount to a ‘good and sufficient cause’ in respect of an application to extend the Custody Time Limits (CTL) in ‘routine’ cases, absent other circumstances. Neither can the failure by the defence to raise the issue where the trial date had been fixed outside the CTL amount to a ‘good and sufficient cause’.