Hundreds of trials are being derailed because prison vans fail to transport the defendant to court on time, figures show.
A Guardian analysis found 207 crown court trials in England and Wales were declared “ineffective” in 2023 – meaning they were postponed on the day – because the prison escort and custody service (Pecs) failed to produce the accused. That figure was up 44% on the year before and a near trebling of the number from five years ago.
