Some 60 Crown Court rooms will reopen by September, while 32 Nightingale Court rooms will have their leases extended to April 2022 to tackle the backlog of cases, the Lord Chancellor, Robert Buckland has announced
Judges will have discretion to open court rooms for extended hours under ‘Temporary Operating Arrangements’, running morning and afternoon lists (9am-1pm and 2pm-6pm) instead of 10am-4pm, and given options to hold pre-trial preparation hearings online.
Bar Chair Derek Sweeting QC said: ‘Sentencing via a screen needs careful consideration and should not be routine. We need long-term investment, not a short-term fix.’
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