Judges forced to adjourn cases costing tens of thousands of pounds because two gang members were being given tours of the cells Southwark Crown Court brought to a halt by gang visits Defendants and family members outraged as courts adjourn By Rebecca Camber Judges at one of Britain's largest courts were forced to apologise for adjourning trials because teenage gang members were touring the cells below. The sentencing of several criminals had to be aborted amid farcical scenes at Southwark Crown Court this week when young offenders were invited to take a look at the custody suites. The tour was part of a community scheme to deter "high-risk" teenagers involved in, or at the risk of, gang crime, from further offending. Farce: Courts were forced to rise at 4pm at Southwark Crown Court this week when young offenders were invited to take a look at the custody suites But there was outrage that courtrooms were disrupted and sentencing of serious offenders halted at a cost to the taxpayer of tens of thousands of pounds just to show a group of teenage thugs around. Custody cases at the court were postponed on Monday after a dozen teenagers from the Lambeth area of South London were invited. The visit, which happened during normal court hours, meant there would be nowhere to put the defendants if they were jailed. But only two youngsters turned up for the anti-gang initiative planned by Lambeth Council and the police. Southwark Crown Court, which is the fourth-largest crown court in Britain with 15 courtrooms, costs a minimum of £42,000 a day per defendant to run. Matthew Sinclair, chief executive of the TaxPayers" Alliance, said yesterday: "Taxpayers will be appalled that this court visit for gang members interfered with the dispensing of justice, causing considerable disruption and incurring additional costs. The young gang members were given a tour of the cells, which forced the courts to abort sentencings and hearings (file photo) Regardless of the merits of the visit, Lambeth Council should have organised it for a time when the court was not sitting so that important hearings were not interrupted. At least two cases were adjourned. In one case, there was uproar when the judge announced he would have to adjourn midway through the hearing. Judge Michael Grieve had risen to consider the fate of two fraudsters in a £4.5million scam when suddenly he announced that the defendants and their relatives would have to come back the following day. Daniel Snelling, 38, and his cousin Rebecca McDonald, 42, were facing years behind bars for persuading scores of vulnerable victims to hand over their life savings in a £4.5million wine investment scam. But having already heard mitigation, Judge Grieve said he could not continue. McDonald sobbed and Snelling appeared shocked while angry family and friends in the packed court room bellowed "you must be joking." Judge Grieve said: "Because of an event that is taking place involving the cells in this building, all courts have been asked to rise at 4pm. I have to express real regret this has occurred. Snelling was jailed for seven and a half years the next day, while McDonald, a former employee of accountancy giant KPMG, was locked up for three years. The sentencing of a woman police officer for exchanging more than 1,000 calls and texts with her jailed lover, Dominic Diop, was also adjourned. Diop shouted: "F*** that, man. I'm not coming back tomorrow. They can do it by video link - I'm not coming back, bruv. The hearing resumed the next day when Diop, currently serving an extended sentence for armed robbery, was given five months in prison, while his WPC lover Kayley Newman received a suspended prison sentence. A spokesman for Lambeth Council said the event had been planned in advance to ensure minimal disruption. The council hailed the initiative as a success, saying several "high-risk individuals" had taken the first steps to changing their lifestyle.