Fresh trial bid after court error

A bureaucratic error led to a judge throwing out a case brought by the Crown's ineptitude, in what seems to have been a fit of pique. No doubt we all have days like that from time to time - although perhaps not in a manner which makes us a public laughing-stock (this applies to the Crown - possibly the judge's frustration is understandable).

There have been many reports about this over the past couple of days, and I did not feel inclined to comment here (although I did allude to it in a comment at another blog), but what amused me in this article is the quite witty and pertinent comments made by Scottish Conservitive Leader Annabel Goldie in the Scottish Parliament(scroll down to the bottomm of the article in the first link above):

"I suspect that what is alarming is the suspicion that this case is a symptom of a wider problem within the system and a demonstration of judicial frustration that an accused, quite simply within a Scottish prison, could not be located by the Crown Office. "I don't know whether it's reassuring or discomfiting to see the lord advocate scurrying around the parliament briefing the first minister."

- she's not usually my favourite person, but she does come out with some clever lines occasionally.