From The Law Society Gazette:
The lord chancellor is to be represented at tomorrow’s appeal challenging a Crown court judge’s decision to throw out a major fraud trial for want of defence counsel, the Gazette has learned.
At the last minute, Chris Grayling has sought, and been granted, leave to be represented as an interested party in R v Crawley and Others, a case arising out of the Operation Cotton investigation.
He will be represented by joint head of chambers at Blackstone Chambers Anthony Peto QC and Peter Woodall, who joined the Public Defender Service last month from Carmelite Chambers.
At Southwark Crown Court earlier this month, His Honour Judge Anthony Leonard stayed the prosecution against five defendants in relation to an alleged £4.5m land banking fraud. The five defendants were represented pro bono by the prime minister’s brother Alex Cameron QC, head of chambers at 3 Raymond Buildings.
Following the refusal by barristers to accept the most serious criminal cases after the government cut fees by 30% (barristers claim the sum is 44%), no advocates could be found to take the case.
Reminding us yet again that the UK's so-called 'justice' or 'legal' system is a complete and utter joke, and has got very little to do with 'justice;' or 'laws'.
For the self-selecting and largely 'upper class' people who are supposed to be running it, it is just an excuse to hand each other large piles of taxpayers' money. And dress up in silly outfits just to see if they can get away with it.
Barristers also boast about being like taxi drivers, just so that you can't say you weren't warned.