Mark J D Connor

Husband, father, mountain biker, art school veteran and barrister

[St John's Buildings @SJBnews]

Mark Connor led Jemma Gordon in prosecuting a paedophile who spent 27 years on the run in Thailand after stealing another man’s identity. On 30th April at Chester Crown Court, Richard Burrows was sentenced to 46 years with 1-year extended licence. https://t.co/BkYNxtNoWb

[The CBA @TheCriminalBar]

“You said you were going to have to be running between two court rooms, how did that come about” asks @BBCr4today @jade_bogart of
RASSO criminal barrister Stacey Lee Holland of @2drjb “unfortunately it’s due to a lack of [criminal] barristers and there aren’t enough of us to cover the amount of work that’s coming in” listen to @DonnaLongcroft of @2drjb and Gregory Wedge of @187FleetStreet
Maidstone Crown Court a day in the life from 6am to court opening at 8am for criminal barristers to prepare dozens of cases many that have just arrived that morning to be prosecuted and defended that morning from 10am when jurors arrive. One trial date being offered is for 2026 for a 2020 alleged assault of an emergency worker.

The impact on defendants and complainants and victims of crime, and to have trials snatched a wave on the day that they were supposed to start removes “the light at the end of the tunnel”.

A murder trial is concluding, jurors retire to consider a rape and serious sexual assault trial, and an array of other cases with trial and sentencing dates set ranging from this year to 2025 and 2026 for offences ranging from assault of emergency worker, to downloading indecent images, to alleged theft and deception involving a woman victim of 85 with dementia and a defendant with over 25 previous convictions. He is on bail. The criminal barrister tasked with advocating prosecution for @CPSUK is seeing the case for the first time as he appears before the judge at 230pm - there had been a call out on tannoy to barristers’ robing room at 9am asking if any criminal barrister was free to take some prosecution instructions for hearings booked finally for today. But there was no one in the country left to cover them. No one was free. The Criminal barrister who took that case at 130pm did so as his hearing on a “backer” was able to be heard if he appeared on that earlier hearing where there was no prosecution counsel found.
Maidstone Crown Court judges are working round the clock with @TheCriminalBar to handle trials amid a case backlog of which by September 2023 had more than tripled in 5 years from 518 at end June 2018 to 1680 by September 2023, up 224%, while the National rate of increase was 100% over the same period. Maidstone doesn’t have sufficient judges so they all work overtime helped by recorders - part time judges drawn from @TheCriminalBar, and somehow manage to keep justice on track. They are exhausted.
But it doesn’t help when defendants are brought to court late - because prisons are overcrowded.

Facts
CBA analysis of official data shows as at 31/12/2023 across England and Wales
A 23 year high crown court case backlog
67,533
🆙105% from record low at 31/12/2018
32,936
And
🆙 8% on in 12 months on 31/12/2022 62,628
🆙 1% in 3 months from 30/9/2023
66,578
🆙 4% in 6 months from 30/6/2023
64,810
🆙 8.6% in 9 months on 31/3/2023 62,207

Includes

Rape case backlog also at record high 
At 31/12/23 up nearly 5 fold in 5 years
2,786

🆙up 385% (2,211 more) in 5 years from 31/12/2018:
575
(568 on 31/12/2019 (record low)
And
🆙36% in 1 year from 31/12/2022
🆙7% in 3 months 30/9/2023
2,604
🆙17% in 3 months on 30 June 2023 of
2,389

Rape backlog part of a record sexual offences backlog up over three fold in 5 years
on 31 December 2023 of 
10,141

🆙up 237% (7,136 more) in 5 yeass from 31/12/203
3,005
And
🆙 21% in 12 months on 31/12/2022 of
8,353
🆙 3.5% in 3 months on 30/9/2023
9,794
8.6% in 3 months on 30 June 2023 of
9,335

https://t.co/JA4ZIMAeLC

[Mark J D Connor @mjdconnor]

@KSCSport1 @kingschester Great effort Lucia and Amelia, you should be immensely proud!

[KSCSport @KSCSport1]

Many congratulations to Lucia and Amelia, who ran for Cheshire last week against Merseyside. The girls were selected after their success in the Chester & District event, then the County Cross Country Comp where they represented Chester. Bravo girls! ⁦⁦@kingschester⁩

[St John's Buildings @SJBnews]

Congratulations to Hannah Wood who was awarded Barrister of the Year at the Manchester Region Resolution Awards last night!

https://t.co/BE6zJEtjp9

[St John's Buildings @SJBnews]

We are pleased and proud to announce that we have achieved ISO 27001 certification, the international standard for information security. We think this makes us the first chambers in the country to achieve this accreditation! https://t.co/OkzntSVfXQ

[The CBA @TheCriminalBar]

Ask anybody in the street to talk about a barrister and the barrister they’ll talk about is a criminal barrister
They’ll see the role that we play is absolutely central to our democracy, to our society, to our civic society
#CriminalJusticeMatters #podcast
https://t.co/bfXASxvDxk
@jaimerh354 Jamie Hamilton KC with
Laurie-Anne Power KC and @Kirsty_Brimelow Kirsty Brimelow KC
Tune in for more

[KSCSport @KSCSport1]

Well bowled Reuben with his left arm wrist spin, bowling with nice line, flight and dip to secure a wicket by LBW against St Anselm’s College in the U13 Cheshire Cup this afternoon 🏏 👏

[Johnny Marr @Johnny_Marr]

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Andy Rourke after a lengthy illness with pancreatic cancer.
Andy will be remembered as a kind and beautiful soul by those who knew him and as a supremely gifted musician by music fans. 
We request privacy at this sad time

[Mark J D Connor @mjdconnor]

@SJBnews @Shaun__Spencer Congratulations Shaun fantastic achievement

[St John's Buildings @SJBnews]

St John’s Buildings are deeply sorry to announce the sudden and untimely death of Matthew Mawdsley.

[Mark J D Connor @mjdconnor]

Thank you @futureislands for a superb and flawless gig last night in Liverpool.

[Mark J D Connor @mjdconnor]

@PhantomPower14 It is unbelievable that anyone could think this is acceptable. It is morally bankrupt and shameful.

[H.H. Nigel Lithman KC @NothingLiketheTruth @NigelLithmanQC]

Stick to your guns. You have proved both your might and you're right.

[Mark J D Connor @mjdconnor]

We are united, we cannot stand by and allow our CJS to be damaged beyond repair @TheCriminalBar

[Mark J D Connor @mjdconnor]

#NowIsGood was fantastic and not just because my daughter was in it! Great acting, poignant and moving @joyseabee @StoryhouseLive

[Victoria Derbyshire @vicderbyshire]

🗣’[President Putin] is doing a special operation’

🎙’He’s invaded an independent country & is killing innocent men, women & children’

Dr Henry Sardaryan from Moscow Institute of International Relations supports President Putin’s actions in #Ukraine

[Prostate Cancer UK @ProstateUK]

1 in 8 men will get prostate cancer. We think you're worth saving.

Check your risk of prostate cancer in 30 seconds.

#MenWeAreWithYou

[Mark J D Connor @mjdconnor]

#BorisJohnson has to go, we deserve better.

[Joshua Rozenberg @JoshuaRozenberg]

Trying the judges’ patience: people shouldn’t have to wear bobble hats in court, says chief justice.

New post, free to read:

https://t.co/bJ5OeYMqxn