Parramatta Bail Court was overflowing with bail applicants on Saturday but Attorney General Brad Hazzard denied there was any link between the influx and the state's tough new bail laws that came into force on Wednesday.
The court, which deals with everyone arrested overnight in the greater Sydney area, could only open one court instead of the usual two for some of the day after there was a bottleneck in processing everyone who came in overnight.
Two remand centres, in Surry Hills and Emu Plains, were struggling to find room for the new arrests, as people locked up during the week were still waiting to face court, sources said. Some were forced to wait in cells at police stations, though police say this is by no means a new phenomenon .
The new laws require people accused of serious violent offences to demonstrate why they should not be held in custody while on remand. Failure to prove they are not a risk means they remain behind bars.
Mr Hazzard flatly rejected the notion Saturday's jam was a result of the new laws.
"One day's increased bail applications are insignificant," Mr Hazzard said.
"The number of bail appearances has nothing to do with the bail laws…the Act obviously has the presumption of innocence."
Though Mr Hazzard conceded while the new laws are unlikely to affect arrests, an increase in prison populations due to more people being held in remand was likely.
"Yes, it will mean there will be some increases but, if you commit a crime, there will be consequences."
Cases that did make it in front of a magistrate on Saturday were at the mercy of long pauses for procedural wrangling as lawyers and court staff consulted the new legislation and debated how best to proceed.
Police too were getting their heads around the new laws. One woman turned up to court only to be told police had changed their minds and given her relative bail at the police station.
One lawyer who did not wish to be named described the scenes in Parramatta as a "schmozzle". Though the lawyer was hesitant to attribute the large number of people waiting in custody to the new bail act, they were highly critical that the "large number" waiting to be seen were being denied their right to see a judge quickly.
Everyone caught in the Saturday bottleneck is expected to face court on Sunday, with speculation the backlog could continue to Monday.
