A civil judge has cautioned that the justice system is underfunded and significantly under-resourced and will continue to face “embarrassing” situations if action is not taken to fix the problem.Justice Cecil McCarthy raised his concern on Wednesday as he awarded another $60 000 in compensation to former murder accused Pedro Deroy Ellis whose constitutional rights were breached, and also praised his lawyer for taking on the State in such matters.He further suggested that Ellis’ victory in this matter and other cases against the State should spur the powers that be to address “a very difficult phase in terms of the administration of justice”.The quantum of the award to be paid to Ellis was handed down just under two weeks after Justice McCarthy ruled that the former accused’s right to a fair hearing within a reasonable time as well as his right to bail had been breached.
