10 November 2021
Lawyers have welcomed the opening of the second ‘super courtroom’ for criminal cases
The court, at Loughborough Magistrates’ Court, began its first case, a murder trial involving nine defendants, this week. It will act as an annex to Leicester crown Court. The first ‘super courtroom’ opened in Manchester in September.
Multi-hander cases, involving three or more defendants, accounted for nearly one in five of all trials waiting to be heard in October.
Law Society president I Stephanie Boyce said: ‘Some trials are being delayed until 2023, meaning a traumatised victim can be left waiting years to see their assailant locked up, while an innocent defendant can find their life in limbo while they wait to clear their name. Currently we are seeing the ability to run criminal courts at capacity hit by a lack of judges, court staff, prosecutors and defence lawyers.
‘This is a long-term problem which pre-dates the pandemic and was the result of years of underfunding and cuts.’
