Midnight court hits traffic jam

London's first experiment with a New Yorkstyle midnight court has been called a "costly fiasco" after the first sessions were beset by problems.

The £5.4million pilot scheme is part of a drive to speed up justice. However, the four-month trial has already been scaled down since the Government first announced its intentions last autumn to have courts in London and Manchester sitting six nights a week until midnight.

The scheme started with London's Bow Street magistrates' court opening until midnight on Friday and Saturday but the start was delayed for more than an hour while vehicles ferrying prisoners to court tried to negotiate the rush hour traffic.

Then cases were held up because there was no one on the other end of a fax or telephone to relay the background information needed to proceed with cases.

Harry Fletcher, general secretary of the probation officers' union NAPO, said: "The whole thing is a costly fiasco. In New York they have a vast complex of holding cells within the court buildings which we do not. There is also a culture of plea bargaining in the US which means cases can be processed rapidly. The idea has been ill-thought through. There is really no call for it from prosecutors or victims."

Duty solicitor Michael Kalber, who represented defendants on the court's first Saturday night session, admitted there were problems.

"I'm on duty to represent whoever is up in the dock tonight, but some people will already have their own solicitor. For me to contact that solicitor is near impossible on a Saturday night."

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens strongly advocated 24-hour courts. He believes that to get people into court within hours of arrest "gives society a break" from persistent offenders and deters young criminals.

The first weekend's caseload did little to justify the overtime bills and taxis home for staff. Cases included a Scotsman who pleaded guilty to being drunk and disorderly. He was sentenced to one night in custody.

A 28-year-old on a robbery charge had to be restrained by seven security guards as he tried to escape from the dock. He is remanded into the cells at Charing Cross police station .

A spokeswoman for the Lord Chancellor's Department said: "It's a pilot scheme and everyone needs time to adapt."