Brawl case dropped in paperwork error

It was bureaucracy at its finest – the case against five men accused of starting a bar brawl was dropped at Walsall Magistrates Court because the Crown Prosecution Service, CPS, had spent six months getting the paperwork together and still not done the photocopying.

Magistrate Mrs Sue Arnold said the bench "did not find it acceptable" that the CPS' excuse was that the photocopying person was off work.

They declined an application to adjourn the case for a week, deciding instead to discharge the five men yesterday. The case has cost up to £2,000 in legal fees alone, excluding police and court time.

Paul Bridges, aged 38, of Whitehall Road, Palfrey, Samuel Cadman, 23, of Bridge Street, Walsall, Nathan Hathaway, 18, of Welland Grove, Willenhall, Matthew Lovatt, 26, of Gallery Square, Walsall, and Jack Pilbeam, 21, of Hardy Road, Walsall, were charged with affray in connection with a fight which took place in a Walsall bar.

The men have been bailed five times since the alleged offence on April 24, and the CPS was preparing papers to commit them to be trialled at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

Mrs Shalaha Hannan, prosecuting, told the court that papers for all the defendants had been prepared to serve to the three defence lawyers, but photocopies of the papers for Bridges had not yet been made in order to serve them, despite the fact that they were due on October 1.

Mr Brij Chaudhry, for Cadman and Lovatt, said the CPS could charge the men again once it "gets its act together".

Mr Chaudhry said: "The prosecution are already two weeks out of time.

"The police knew exactly what the situation was and how many people were involved.

"These men are innocent until proven guilty."

Mr Chaudhry said that a one-week adjournment would cause trouble as one man studied and another worked.