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The 39-year-old appeared via video link from HMP Berwyn, near Wrexham, alongside an Albanian-speaking prisoner who had volunteered to help him understand what the judge was about to tell him.
At present, translators working for DA Languages, are treated as self-employed contractors, but Leigh Day, a legal firm acting on their behalf, is arguing they should be classed as employees and afforded the appropriate rights which accompany employment.
A lack of court interpreters is delaying court hearings and risks miscarriages of justice, The Times has been told — with predictions that the problem is likely to get worse.
Craigavon Magistrates Court erupted in laughter on Friday when the interpreter for a defendant referred to District Judge Bernie Kelly as ‘Your Majesty’.