Extra trial courts sitting to tackle COVID backlogs

Additional courts have started operating around Scotland today as part of the Scottish Courts & Tribunals Service (SCTS) Courts Recovery Programme.

They form part of the programme announced by the Criminal Justice Board in March to return the justice system to pre-pandemic capacity and address backlogs, while embedding new ways of working.

The daily increase of 16 extra courts includes four additional High Courts, two additional sheriff solemn courts, and up to 10 sheriff summary courts.

All solemn trial courts will be linked to remote jury centres. The High Court will sit in Airdrie, Dundee, Inverness and Stirling, and the sheriff solemn courts in Dumfries and Dunfermline.

Additional sheriff summary courts will be provided at varying locations across Scotland, based on the level of cases and safe court capacity, with at least one additional court in each of the six sheriffdoms.

New facilities have also been prepared to enable more multi-accused High Court trials to be heard in Glasgow and Edinburgh, where courts have been refitted to accommodate trials of up to nine people in fully COVID-compliant surroundings. With the move to 1m social distancing in court buildings, every sheriff court will now have the capacity to accommodate two-accused trials and SCTS will expand this capacity further in the coming weeks.  

Eight new temporary judges have been appointed to preside over High Court trials. There is also a current recruitment round for 15 new part-time sheriffs and 15 new part-time summary sheriffs.

SCTS chief executive Eric McQueen commented: “Our attention is focussed on creating a safe environment to tackle the backlogs across courts which impact on complainers, witnesses and the accused.

“We have moved quickly to introduce these additional courts as part of the recovery programme and this has been made possible by continued collaboration across the whole justice system.

“We are progressing while still recognising the need to keep our buildings as safe as possible for all to use. At all times safety for everyone in our courts and remote jury centres will remain our top priority. We will continue to maintain a careful, cautious and sensible approach in all that we do to maintain both safety and throughput of business.”