A failed attempt to introduce iPads to Scotland’s criminal courts has cost £1million, the Sunday Mail can reveal.

The Crown Office have been hit with a five-year delay in rolling out the new technology, which was supposed to speed up justice and reduce paperwork.

Scotland’s prosecution service announced in 2013 that tablets would be introduced into courtrooms.

But the project has been hit with delays and has seen one consignment of iPads sold back to suppliers for a knock-down price.

Senior officials ordered 150 units to be used in 73 sheriff and justice of the peace courts.

The original tablets were not used and were sold back to Vodafone for half the cost.

Despite the delays, the Crown Office replaced them with more expensive, updated versions.

Plans were unveiled in 2013 to roll-out tablets across Scottish courts

A pilot study took place in Perth, Falkirk and Lerwick sheriff courts in February 2013 with a view to rolling it out nationally the same year.

But the introduction did not happen because of a series of expensive IT glitches, with the cost tripling since then to more than £1million.

One Crown Office source said: “The plan to use iPads in court has been a disaster from the off. Because of the delays, the technology has moved on. And on several occasions they have had to sell the iPads for half the cost they bought them for.”

It is understood that experts have struggled to make the system comply with UK Government IT security rules.

The Crown Office admitted the five-year delays had cost around £1million.

They hope 292 newly-ordered iPads will be in full use in sheriff and justice of the peace courts by next year. They’ll start to be introduced within the next six weeks.

MSP Liam McArthur has criticised the delay

Officials claim the new system will save £846,000 in the first two years. They also say there have been successful trials of the tablets in Perth and Livingston.

A Crown Office spokesman added: “We expect to complete national rollout by the end of March 2019, with detailed rollout implementation work commencing from April 2018.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur said: “This project has stuttered from one hurdle to the next. Public bodies have a duty to the taxpayer to ensure that limited resources are not wasted.”

Labour’s Daniel Johnson said: “The wasted taxpayer cash will frustrate people who see a justice system already struggling to cope with austerity.”

The delay is the latest example of IT problems within the prosecution system costing taxpayers millions.

In 2011, plans to install a new case management database system called Phoenix were axed after a two-year trial, despite tests costing £2.3million.

In 2012, a computer system used to process criminal cases went down after an upgrade failed.