Covid has exposed the crisis in our courts

The other night I returned to my Cheshire home following a 500-mile round trip to the south of England to defend a client accused of drink driving.

Along the way, I netted eight hours behind the wheel, one cheerless night in a deserted hotel and a surfeit of grisly service station sandwiches. All for the princely return of spending fruitless hours in a draughty waiting room — only to be told very late afternoon that the court had run out of time.

How so? Three trials — including mine — had been listed for this particular courtroom. It only took one to get through the egg timer and monopolise the entire ‘court day’. And it wasn’t mine. As a result, despite robust protest, I was told my client’s case would be adjourned with a new date inked — pencilled? — in for several months later.

Now, the knee jerk response may well be, so what? Surely this is one for the string section of the bleeding hearts orchestra.