CORONAVIRUS

Coronavirus: Suspect released as judge criticises crown courts backlog

Jury trials were halted in March, which has created an enormous backlog of crown court cases
Jury trials were halted in March, which has created an enormous backlog of crown court cases
JONATHAN BRADY/PA

A judge has ordered that a suspected drug dealer be released from prison because a lack of courtrooms means he will not face trial until next year.

The ruling could affect thousands of defendants in custody, as the backlog of crown court cases has risen to more than 41,000 and a shortage of courts has caused delays of up to three years.

Ministers have hired facilities at ten sites to create “Nightingale” courts but in an unusually outspoken criticism of the government, Judge Keith Raynor said that “many defendants in custody will not be tried until well into 2021”.

He was speaking at Woolwich crown court in London during a hearing regarding Richard Graham, 49, who was arrested in December and charged. Suspects who have