Somebody will have to be made accountable for trial delays - Judge

A senior judge has said that somebody will have to be made accountable after just three of the ten trials that were listed on Tuesday at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin were ready to proceed when called.

Mr Justice Paul McDermott, who has repeatedly complained for several months about issues being flagged when trials are already expected to begin, said that some of the trials that were adjourned on Tuesday have been listed since 2020.

He said the courts are offering case management to lawyers ahead of trials and all barristers are aware of the issues that might impact trials going ahead.

He accused barristers of coming to him with "tales of woe" when their trials are listed and added: "These are not issues that fell out of the sky but are entirely predictable, in my view."

Some of the cases involve people who are in custody and, Mr Justice McDermott said, the prospect for complainants coming to give evidence is "daunting" and there are also the families of the bereaved to be considered in murder cases.

Mr Justice McDermott's comments came after lawyers in seven trials that were listed to begin today said they were unable to go ahead due to a variety of reasons.

Mr Justice McDermott has complained in the past about trials being delayed due to difficulties in getting reports from government agencies and due to late disclosure by the Director of Public Prosecutions. Delays have also been experienced due to expert reports not being ready in time.