Overview
- A court clerk at Isleworth Crown Court misfiled digital records on February 6, which led HMP Wormwood Scrubs to be wrongly told Bernadin Dedic had been granted bail and he was released from custody.
- Hours after the mistaken release, Dedic travelled from London to Bosnia on the Eurostar and failed to return for a March hearing and a rescheduled trial.
- In June a jury found Dedic guilty in his absence of four counts of rape and multiple other sexual offences and threats, and Judge Hannah Duncan said she was unconvinced by his medical excuses and saw his conduct as an attempt to avoid justice.
- The Ministry of Justice has responded to an independent review by Dame Lynne Owens by ordering changes and announcing an £82 million programme to digitise paper-based release systems to prevent similar errors.
- A review hearing is set for July 7, police and the Crown Prosecution Service are working with the MoJ and Border Force to try to return Dedic to the UK, and the case has renewed questions about cross-border return and public safety.