A NORTH Wales Judge has expressed his concern about the delay in bringing criminals to court after they have been caught by police.

John Speed-Speirs, of Clayton Road in Pentre Broughton, appeared at Mold Crown Court on Monday morning.

The 30-year-old was jailed for two-and-a-half years after having previously admitting being concerned in the supply of cocaine, and possession with intent to supply cocaine.

Prosecutor Rosemary Proctor told the court the offence dates regarding Speed-Speirs were August to October 2021, and the defendant was not charged until March 30 this year.

During the sentencing, Judge Rhys Rowlands said: "This is another example of a case which has taken far too long to come to court. This is the sort of case in which, a few years back, Mr Speed-Speirs would have been charged and before magistrates, then before the Crown Court within a month, and he'd have been starting a lengthy custodial sentence.

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"Everyone knew as much - it's not fair on anyone to have this sort of delay.

"It's a straight-forward case and it seems the police have sat on it."

He added to the defendant in his sentencing remarks: "In all the decision to charge you took in the region of 17 months - this when the evidence against you was, on any view, overwhelming.

"Such delay is, I am afraid, not uncommon nowadays, but it simply cannot be justified.

"It undermines the good work which led to your arrest.

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The Leader:

"The police had to exclude your partner and others, but plainly 17 months is far too long for a case to be investigated and a charging decision to be made - over the years the courts are becoming accustomed to inordinate delays in bringing cases which may amount to real mitigation where defendants have not contributed to the delay and have managed to stay out of trouble, which is the case here."

Following the Judge's comment, Wrexham Rural District Inspector Matt Subacchi said: "Waiting for results from phone downloads, bank and financial information, and forensic enquiries is protracted and frustrating to my officers, as this takes months, rather than weeks.

"As a result of evidence coming to light during an investigation, it is not always possible to undertake these sorts of enquiries at the same time, which can delay matters further.

"However, I accept there is always room for improvement in our timescales and I will continue to look for ways to expedite the investigation process.

"I am confident the investigating officer in this case did an extremely thorough job, and their diligence ultimately resulted in a successful conviction."

A Crown Prosecution Service spokesman said: “A request for advice on this case was received on January 30, 2023, and further enquiries were needed. 

"They were actioned by the police and the matter was resubmitted to us on March 3, 2023.

"We provided charging advice within 18 days and the case was then listed before the court.”