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I had the unhappy task of prosecuting two Albanian nationals a few weeks ago. Both were guilty of producing cannabis. Neither spoke English. One had an interpreter at the Magistrates' court, the other did not. The one with an interpreter pleaded guilty in the lower court and was committed to the Crown Court for sentence. As the other had no interpreter (on a different day) the Magistrates sent the case to the Crown Court, where an interpreter was made available. He entered an early guilty plea and was sentenced on the same date. Both received identical punishments (the facts were almost indistinguishable) but the one who was able to plead in the lower court was ordered to pay £180 as a criminal court charge. The one who was unable to understand anything in the lower court, and therefore unable to enter a plea there, was ordered to pay £900 as it was a plea in the Crown Court. The Judge expressed incredulity but there was nothing he could do. Equally I was unable to intervene. The present system is patently unfair and needs revision or scrapping.