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Lokman, who faces an additional allegation of attempting to burgle a home in Enfield, north London, in March, was due to stand trial on Thursday, having previously denied all the charges.
But his case had to be adjourned until July 6 when it was discovered that a Kurdish interpreter had not been booked for the trial, and efforts by court staff to scour London for an available interpreter to come to court at the last minute failed.
District Judge Annabel Pilling conveyed the news of the adjournment to Lokman by typing out an apology and explanation on her tablet, running the message through Google Translate, and showing him the screen.
The shocking waste of public money on failed court hearings has been exposed after three interpreters attended a hearing where four members of an alleged Romanian shoplifting gang failed to turn up.
The hearing was adjourned for an independent translator to be appointed
Translation services have failed to keep pace with the increased requirements, leading to delays in trials, while costs have doubled since 2020
