Category Archives: Court Reporting

What we learnt from observing court proceedings every week in 2023.

For our last TWIC post this year, we took out some of our case notes from court hearings we observed over the last few months that we hadn’t included in previous reports. These cases reinforce some of the patterns that have been consistent across our experiences reporting on court proceedings over the course of thisContinue reading “This Week In Court”

This week in court, we saw two cases where bail was forfeited and how the Court’s decisions might have failed in properly considering the circumstances leading to bailee absconding, or the bailor’s difficulties in exercising their responsibilities at that particular point in time.

– Week of 7th September – This week in court, we saw that while the Public Defender’s Office was purportedly established in recent times to “enhance access to justice for vulnerable persons”, people are facing serious issues securing legal representation because of a lack of transparency and onerous bureaucratic processes. We also saw how whenContinue reading “This Week In Court”

– week of 7th August – This week in court, we saw how lengthy court proceedings cause stress and anxiety for accused persons, as their time in remand gets extended indefinitely. Investigations can sometimes take years, and those who cannot afford bail or are being remanded for non-bailable offences can even end up being incarceratedContinue reading “This Week In Court”

– week of 19th June – What does justice look like to you? Is it when a sole breadwinner has to pay $15000 in bail in order to be able to come out of remand and work to provide for his family? Is it when someone is kept in remand for more than a yearContinue reading “This Week In Court”

– week of 22nd May – This week in court, we saw blatant proof that our law enforcement systems are not designed for rehabilitation, despite trite claims to “rehab, renew, restart”. Instead, they lock up people who use drugs for long periods of time, never giving them a chance to build the lives they deserve.Continue reading “This Week In Court”

– week of 15th May – If someone’s remand period could extend beyond the sentence they are likely to get if they are found guilty, surely their court proceedings should be expedited, and they should be able to get the legal counsel they require in time. Alternatively, they should be released on bail. Unfortunately, thisContinue reading “This Week In Court”

– week of 7th May – This week in court, we saw first-hand the terror and trauma that being involuntarily detained at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) can inflict on people. One person described it as “hell” and another claimed they were not fed properly there. Over the years, we have heard many otherContinue reading “This Week In Court”