A shortage of High Court judges is causing long delays in bringing criminal cases to trial at the Central Criminal Court, Mr Justice Paul Carney has said. Mr Justice Carney said it was "highly unsatisfactory" to have such long delays.
"I am the only substantially full-time judge in this court dealing with the criminal trials," Mr Justice Carney said, during the listings sessions for setting dates for murder and sexual offences cases.
He noted that some cases listed for trial had to be put back until much later and added that the situation would not change until a sufficient number of judges were appointed to remedy the present "serious inadequacy".