Disclosure / Serious Crime  

Human Trafficking trial collapses due to wholesale disclosure failings uncovered by Narita’s focused requests for disclosure, post nine days of evidence, extensive legal argument on disclosure and abuse of process. The Prosecution conceded evidence existed which significantly undermined the case and offered no evidence, on all counts indicted against Narita’s client. 

The case attracted widespread media coverage, demonstrating the devastating impact prosecutorial negligence can have on the lives of defendants; The client had spent 13 months in custody, during which time she gave birth to a son with a genetic disorder. She was forced to give birth without the support of her partner or family and her son spent the first five months of his life in HMP Bronzefield.

At the conclusion of the case the judge ordered an inquiry into why there had been a ‘wholesale failure and serious errors’ on the part of the prosecution to deal with disclosure properly and that oversight and review of disclosure by the CPS had been lacking.

The Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor Malcolm McHaffie accepted the CPS had fallen short in this case and apologised to the Court. He indicated an independent review into the case had been launched and would be provided to the DPP as well as the Court in an effort to identify what went wrong and ensure mistakes were not repeated.