Criminal trials will be held in the High Court from today as part of the government’s pandemic response to the crisis in the justice system.
The Ministry of Justice has already set up 18 so-called “Nightingale” courts around the country during the last ten months, including in town halls, theatres, a hotel, a cathedral, and the department’s London headquarters.
A new temporary court is also being opened this week within Hull University, with the formerly closed Cirencester magistrates court due to re-open to take on cases later this month.
Test events were conducted last week in courts 28 and 38 at the High Court ahead of this week’s opening, with two jury trials due to start today.
The Royal Courts of Justice is home to the High Court, the Court of Appeal, and family courts, with recent high-profile cases including the Johnny Depp libel trial and the Duchess of Sussex’s legal battle with the Mail on Sunday.
The newly-repurposed courtrooms will take on work from Inner London crown court, as part of efforts to tackle the growing backlog of cases.
Latest figures show a waiting list of more than 53,000 cases in the crown courts of England and Wales, with a trend of hundreds more cases being added each week.
A policy of extending court opening hours – unpopular among legal professionals – has been trialled by the government as a tool for tackling delays, with a decision on rolling it out nationally expected shortly.
The courts have remained open this month despite the national lockdown, with government insisting justice is an essential service and its buildings are ‘Covid-secure’.
However many courts have been told to hold virtual hearings where possible to reduce the numbers of people in court buildings, amid concern over the new faster-spreading Covid-19 strain.
Oxford crown court suffered a staff outbreak of the virus in December, and Norwich crown court is closed this morning after a series of reported cases.