I think it's important to remember that the endgame here is played out in front of an adjudicator not a court, and the documents being asked for are ones that the law requires the Council to serve as part of the PCN process.
If a DSAR did take over a month and/or result in incomplete or redacted documents being provided, far from hindering the defence, it would actually provide an excellent reason for the adjudicator to kick out the PCN and deliver a stern telling off to the Council without even considering any of the other merits of the case.
