An administrative error in the Magistrates Court has resulted in an individual not attending a scheduled appearance in the Supreme Court earlier this week.
The individual was serving a sentence in Risdon Prison on unrelated matters; however, following an appearance in the Magistrates Court, he was also to be held on remand until appearing before the Supreme Court on other charges.
Due to an administrative oversight, the Magistrates Court did not provide the remand warrant for the Supreme Court matters to the Tasmania Prison Service. As a result, the individual was released from custody at the end of his sentence, prior to the scheduled appearance in the Supreme Court.
The individual failed to appear in the Supreme Court as scheduled, and the matter has been relisted for a future date.
The Magistrates Court regrets the error. While the ratio of errors to volume of matters handled is very low, the Magistrates Court recognises the limitations of its existing processes as highlighted in the recently released KPMG report on sentencing. The Court is working with the Department of Justice to implement the recommendations contained in that report.