“It’s Wrong”: Chief Magistrate Rebukes DPP Over Two‑Year Delay And A File It Cannot Find

By Alric Lindsay

In the Summary Court today, July 30, 2026, the Chief Magistrate delivered a pointed rebuke over the state of a prosecution that has hung over a defendant for about two years, telling the court it was “wrong” that the man kept being brought back while the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions could not even find his file.

The court heard that the case against Neville Antonio Faulknor had been delayed repeatedly. Since July 7, DPP Crown Counsel said it was unable to locate the file, and today, it still could not produce it. DPP Crown Counsel said he did not have the papers and was “not in a position to act.”

The Chief Magistrate did not hide her frustration. Those responsible for running the Summary Court behind the scenes, she observed, “are not the people who come to court,” and so did not see the consequences of the delays. “That’s quite a disadvantage for the persons who must come before me,” she said. “It’s wrong. I know, but it’s still wrong” — adding that there is “an obligation for efficient running behind the scenes.” Some of the charges, the court heard, had been hanging over Faulknor for two years.

The Chief Magistrate gave DPP Crown Counsel a final two weeks. If the papers are still not produced by the next hearing, on August 13, she indicated she would invite Faulknor to make an appropriate application to the court to have the long‑delayed matter brought to an end.