Former prosecutor Peter Sefton identifies the real malaise at Barra McGrory’s Public Prosecution Service: people like Barra McGrory!
Kier Starmer made a number of criticisms of the PPS. Any prosecuting barrister could have told him of the failings if he had cared to ask. The service provided to victims has always been wanting. Frequently the defence is represented by senior and junior counsel attended by a solicitor and frequently the prosecution is in the hands of junior counsel or employed counsel attended by an unqualified clerk.
Worse still is the enormous pressure place on these clerks, who are left to be the conduit between victims, the witnesses, the court, the police, the directing officer and counsel. None of the PPS high command, mentioned by Starmer, has ever had a career prosecuting in the Crown Court and they are rarely seen there.
The problems suffered by the three complainants are not new. The victim is less well looked after than the accused. For example in Craigavon, the PPS has…
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The Broken Elbow 
Ed,I would consider myself a person who would take a more thanaverage interest in the day to day political discourse in Ireland, and more soin what passes for political discourse in the day to day workings of theNorthern Ireland Executive, I have to say that for me, (and I can’t think howthe regular Joe would view this) that I am totally bamboozled by what this postis trying to articulate. A little bit of work perhaps in trying to put this in plainEnglish so the regular punter can understand. Gach Buiochas,
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i think it is straight forward, joe. the pps fucked up the mairia cahill case because the people who run the pps are all plonkers!