Staff say new £300m court IT system is ‘putting justice at risk’ because ‘fundamentally flawed’ computer software is causing key trial information to disappear or change
- Common Platform allegedly changing information such as pleas and case results
- One instance saw information about a driving disqualification change
- Some court staff taking strike action over ‘fundamentally flawed’ system
Court staff say a £300 million IT system is ‘putting justice at risk’ because the ‘fundamentally flawed’ software is causing key information to disappear or change.
Legal advisers have warned the system, Common Platform, is allegedly changing information about cases, such as pleas and results.
One court staff member told the BBC of their shock to find that a driving ban which had been inputted correctly on the system had changed.
Magistrates’ court legal adviser, James, told the BBC Radio 4’s File on 4 Programme that he put in a man’s driving ban on Common Platform but when he went to access it later on it had changed.
Legal advisers have warned the system, Common Platform, is allegedly changing information about cases, such as pleas and results. (Stock image)
He told the BBC: ‘The results that appeared on Common Platform were not the results we imposed.
‘It’s a good job we remembered the case otherwise it would have been missed.
‘That’s scary because this person wouldn’t have been disqualified, they’d have been on the road – a threat to others.’
The government has insisted there is no evidence justice is being undermined but some court staff have branded the IT system ‘fundamentally flawed’.
Other staff have warned of occasions when information has disappeared on the system, such as pleas and case results.
The File on 4 programme reports that there was another instance where a person was forced to stay in prison for days longer than they should have, due to a fault with the system.
Common Platform was rolled out across 136 courts in England and Wales in 2020, having been built to replace an outdated piece of software.
The other 40 per cent of courts who are not currently using Common Platform are set to by early next year.
Common Platform gives judges, lawyers, the CPS and courts the ability to access case information in one place.
The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) Union said warnings about the IT system and its failings have been ignored by the courts service.
Legal advisers and court associates are due to hold industrial action over the use of Common Platform from September 10-18.
Some court staff have voted to take strike action over the ‘fundamentally flawed’ Common Platform IT system. (Stock image)
The PCS Union said the strike was over the courts service failing to address the system’s ‘negative impact on members’ health, safety and welfare’.
They also blasted the further roll-out of Common Platform and said the courts service had ‘gaslit’ members over the success of the £300m project.
A HM Courts and Tribunal Service spokesperson said: ‘Common Platform is fundamental to modernising the court system – replacing out of date systems not fit for purpose and freeing up court staff for the work they can add most value to.
‘It has already successfully managed over 158,000 criminal cases and there is no evidence that Common Platform is compromising justice or putting parties at risk.
‘We will continue to work closely with staff to support them through this transition and want to thank all the judges, court staff and others who have contributed to its design and implementation.’
Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), which represents barristers in England and Wales, outside the Old Bailey, central London, in June on the first of several days of court walkouts by CBA members in a row over legal aid funding
Courts have been plagued with backlogs due to the pandemic, with some victims waiting up to five years to get a court date.
The backlog of crown court trials stood at 58,271 in April this year, and recently Justice Secretary Dominic Raab has accused industrial action staged by barristers for exacerbating this further.
Members of the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) have been staging walkouts on alternate weeks and have voted in favour of an indefinite, uninterrupted strike.
Ministry of Justice figures show more than 6,000 court hearings have been disrupted by the dispute over conditions and Government-set fees for legal aid advocacy work.
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