Information Note on the Court’s case-law No.
February 1993
Dobbertin v. France - 13089/87
Judgment 25.2.1993
Article 6
Criminal proceedings
Article 6-1
Reasonable time
Length of criminal proceedings: violation
[This summary is extracted from the Court’s official reports (Series A or Reports of Judgments and Decisions). Its formatting and structure may therefore differ from the Case-Law Information Note summaries.]
I.ARTICLE 6 § 1 OF THE CONVENTION ("REASONABLE TIME")
A.Period to be considered
Starting point: arrest of Mr Dobbertin.
End: expiry of period during which the prosecution could have appealed on points of law against the acquittal.
Result: a little over twelve years and ten months.
B.Relevant criteria
Reasonableness of length of proceedings - to be determined with reference to criteria laid down in Court's case-law and in the light of the circumstances of the case, which in this instance called for an overall assessment.
Real difficulties arising from nature of offences charged - could not on their own justify total length of proceedings.
Applicant's conduct - several of his appeals achieved their purpose.
The authorities had taken no steps to ensure that cases still pending after abolition of National Security Court and Paris Military Court were dealt with swiftly, and the ordinary courts had been slow to resolve two procedural problems. Case had not been tried within a "reasonable time".
Conclusion: violation (unanimously).
II.ARTICLE 50 OF THE CONVENTION
A.Damage
Pecuniary damage: no claim; question of detention pending trial did not fall to be taken into consideration.
Non-pecuniary damage: award of compensation.
B.Costs and expenses
In the domestic proceedings: reimbursement in part.
In the proceedings before the Convention institutions: reimbursement in whole.
Conclusion: respondent State to pay specified sums to the applicant (unanimously).
© Council of Europe/European Court of Human Rights
This summary by the Registry does not bind the Court.
Click here for the Case-Law Information Notes
Full & Egal Universal Law Academy