Darlington County Court

A service in melt down. My case has passed through the hands of various judges two of whom had opposite views on a defendant's application made in February that has still not been dealt with. The judicial decision making is variable and erratic and the Courts administration just cannot cope. There are massive delays at every stage and the Court is asking litigants to re-send all their records because the Court file is not complete or cannot be released to a Judge working remotely. This is a civil justice system that is no justice system at all. Avoid if possible!
Apr 18th, 2021

Jan 14th, 2019

Nov 7th, 2017

WARNING TO EVERYONE! I was supposed to attend a First Tier Tribunal hearing in 2017 - being a ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome sufferer,I'm aware of trigger points and how long a severe bout will last - because of a bad bout,I knew I'd be unable to attend the hearing in person(there was no way,the symptoms were going to subside by the date of the hearing) Consequently and out of CONSIDERATION for the people sitting on the tribunal,I phoned Darlington County Court to notify the Court of my non attendance due to health grounds. The person I spoke to arrogantly asked me, "How do you know a few days before the hearing that you won't be able to attend?" I explained that having had ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for so long,I recognise the patterns and trigger points.I even gave her an HYPOTHETICAL example of this and couldn't have been more clear,that it was HYPOTHETICAL! This is what I told her! "Because of the symptoms of ME /CFS I can't plan ahead - for example,my friend could ask me if I wanted to go and see a band in Manchester in a couple of months time - and I always tell him,that I have no idea of how I'll feel tomorrow,never mind in a months time,so buying me a ticket is a gamble" When I read the First Tier Tribunal decision (bearing in mind I wasn't present)according to them,if I was well enough to go to Manchester RECENTLY,there was no reason why I couldn't attend the hearing in person. Just to remind everyone! The First Tier Tribunal hearing was in 2017 At that exact moment in time and it's still the case,the last time I visited Manchester was in November 1993!!! NINETEEN NINETY THREE! which in everybody's world,was TWENTY FOUR YEARS ago - but in the warped timezone that Darlington County Court staff and HMCTS live in TWENTY FOUR YEARS AGO is "recently"!!! It gets worse!!!!! It was also mentioned in the First Tier Tribunal letter,that Darlington County Court employees had observed me in Darlington town centre as I was a "regular" at the Court! Whilst I was engaged in a civil case at the time,I'd hardly describe two visits to the County Court as sufficient grounds to label someone as a "regular" (as it happens,I avoid going there if I can help it,as the staff are among the most miserable and unhelpful people on the planet - they wear an "I'm going to be executed in five minutes time,for a crime I didn't commit" look on their faces. ALSO, I have never ever given the slightest indication that I'm 100 % housebound,THEREFORE, my being in Darlington town centre, should hardly be viewed by Darlington County Court staff as "front page news" - to "cut to the chase" staff at Darlington County Court can't interpret basic English("reporting to teacher" that I'd RECENTLY been to Manchester when the REALITY was and still is,the last time I was in Manchester,was 24 years previously,in 1993! Also by surveilling the movements of citizens, without GOOD REASON is an infringement of their Civil Liberties and probably a breach of the Human Rights Act! STEVE(hasn't been to Manchester since 1993) PEARN informing each and everyone of you that staff at Darlington County Court class a gap of 24 years(1993 to 2017)as "recent" Consequently,if any of you are given a time and date for any type of hearing at Darlington County Court,I suggest you ring them up and ask a very simple question, "Is this time and date in Darlington County Court's timezone or the timezone that the rest of the UK live in?" Who knows,they might even refrain from claiming you were recently in Manchester and stop observing you in Darlington town centre!
Jun 26th, 2022