§ Mrs. Dunwoodyasked Attorney-General what were the reasons for the 18-month delay between the completion of the police investigation into the sale of blood from certain hospitals by Dr. M. Patterson, and his subsequent prosecution.
§ The Attorney-GeneralThere was not a delay of 18 months between the completion of the police investigation and the prosecution of Dr. Patterson. The Director of Public Prosecutions wrote to the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis on 16 March 1982 requesting that inquiries be made. The investigation took approximately 13 months and proceedings were commenced against him on 29 April 1983. The police investigation was of necessity extensive in a difficult matter such as this, involving inquiries in Denmark and the United States of America, as well as in this country. The Director of Public Prosecutions advised the police on the conduct and direction of the inquiry throughout the investigation. In all, four police reports were submitted to him during the period, the last of which was received on 6 April 1983. Proceedings were commenced three weeks thereafter.
Dr. Patterson was committed for trial on 23 July 1983 and the trial commenced at the central criminal court on 30 April 1984. Sadly, this is by no means an unusual delay for cases heard at the central criminal court.