Auckland's traffic snarl-up is causing disruption to High Court proceedings in Northland, raising the ire of a High Court judge.
It took nearly three hours for prison authorities to bring a woman from the Auckland Regional Women's Corrections' Facility in Wiri, Manukau, to the High Court in Whangarei for a callover on Thursday. "This is happening far too often and I am going to make representation to the department," Justice Kit Toogood said while presiding over the case from Auckland via audio visual link (AVL).
"This is the fourth, fifth, or sixth time this year that defendants are not present because Corrections haven't brought them to court on time. I am becoming sick of this."
An order was made for a Whangarei woman facing a charge of murder to be brought to court at 9am on Thursday for callover. She has interim name suppression.
Corrections acting deputy national commissioner Leigh Marsh said the prisoner left the prison facility in an escort van at 6.15am but the journey was delayed due to traffic congestion up to the Auckland Harbour Bridge. She arrived at Whangarei court at 9.10am.
"Although prisoner transport movements are carefully co-ordinated, documented, supervised and managed to ensure both the public, our staff and the prisoner's safety, transport in Auckland and across the wider Northern region can present a number of issues," Mr Marsh said.
"We are aware there is an impact on court proceedings if there is an unforeseen delay and we are working with other agencies on further improvements, for example, an increasing use of audio visual link ups between the prison and the courts, to reduce the number of offenders needing to be transported outside of prison."
The woman's lawyer, Lucy Postlewaight, said she was happy for the matter to be called in the woman's absence and she could brief her client later.
Crown solicitor Mike Smith said delays could happen especially if multiple prisoners were being transported to court.
But Justice Toogood said Corrections needed to lift its game.
"I don't care how they do it. If they get on the road half an hour or an hour earlier, so be it. The prisoners have a right to be in court on time," he said.
Arthur Fairley, president of Sir Peter Williams QC Penal Reform League's Northland branch, said late arrival of prisoners put everyone under extreme pressure.
"It goes without saying that if anyone is ordered to come to court whether they are lawyers, probation officers, or prisoners, they should be there on time.
"One of the difficulties of the AVL system is lawyers get less time and access to their clients if certain things need to be discussed before court resumes," he said.