DENVER — Denver prosecutors failed to turn over police reports to defense attorneys in as many as 800 criminal cases – a potential violation of one of the bedrock rules of court procedure, 9NEWS Investigates has learned.
A letter being sent to defense attorneys blamed the problem on “an automated file processing issue,” which meant some documents given to prosecutors by Denver Police were mistakenly routed to the wrong file. Withholding material from the defense – including paper records – can be a violation of what’s known as “discovery.”
“For decades and decades, all states and the United States government have embraced the idea of full discovery,” said Attorney Scott Robinson, a 9NEWS legal analyst. “No more trial by ambush.”…