The judge ordered an inquiry, but David already knew what it would find—nothing. The document wasn't in the official file, and the police, overloaded and under pressure themselves, hadn't prioritised its inclusion.
Soon, as defence counsel escalated their complaint, COPFS launched an internal review. The police admitted that they had failed to pass on the document, but their excuse was one David had heard too often: overload, miscommunication, human error. It wasn't malicious; it was the result of a system stretched too thin, with too many cases and not enough hands.
David watched the review unfold with a growing sense of detachment. His knowledge of the document had never been recorded, and to his colleagues, it appeared to be a simple case of police oversight. COPFS found no fault in their own processes—they had acted on the information given to them.
But David knew better. The system wasn't just creaking under pressure—it was breaking in small, unseen ways. And this time, the cracks had cost a man his chance at a fair trial.
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Fiscal: The Hidden Thread
Short StorySecond short story in the Fiscal series. Advocate Depute David Maclean is an experienced prosecutor navigating the pressures of Scotland's legal system. When he uncovers a crucial piece of exculpatory evidence in a high-profile workplace violence ca...
