Yahoo News UK courts IT meltdown 'not caused by cyber attack'
The Ministry of Justice said a massive IT meltdown which lawyers claim has brought the courts system “to its knees” was not caused by a cyber attack.
Thousands of cases across England and Wales have been affected by a breakdown of the central computer system, which stopped working last week.
The secure email system for lawyers and judges was also affected, prompting many to complain that they have been unable to prepare for hearings and trials.
Chris Henley, QC, chairman of the Criminal Bar Association, said around 30 trials had been adjourned due to the problems.
He said lawyers might not be paid for work because there will be no electronic proof that they attended court.
Finally the IT chaos in the courts hits the front pages.
But this is far from the first time the courts and the public have been let down by the MoJ’s abysmal computer systems. The questions now are how much is this persistent failure costing, and who is going to be accountable? pic.twitter.com/exf5qAJHdO— The Secret Barrister (@BarristerSecret)
He said: “The IT infrastructure is inaccessible in many places, electronic recording systems aren’t working and barristers can’t access vital documents because court wifi and secure emails aren’t working. The system is on its knees.”
Criminal defence lawyer Jonathan Black warned it was a “real possibility” that defendants could be set free from prison, in a bid to avoid anyone being held in custody longer than legally allowed.
A barrister who blogs under the moniker The Secret Barrister said on Twitter: “The entire digital infrastructure of the courts has been broken for days. Imagine the headlines if it were the NHS. But it’s only justice, so no one cares.”
Howver the MoJ said this claim was “completely wrong”.
In a statement yesterday, the MoJ said it is working to get the system back online, adding: “It is not the result of a cyber attack and there has been no loss of data.”
The MoJ said last night that 75 per cent of court staff are now back on working IT systems and that it is pressing contractors to get to the root of the problem.
“Hearings are continuing to progress in our courts, though we appreciate the extra burden placed on court users still without network access,” it added.
The Ministry added that 12.5 per cent of users of the secure email system were affected by the issues but the system is now working again.
