As further plans to recommence Sheriff Court jury trials across Scotland have been announced with arrangements for remote jury centres to be created in ODEON cinema complexes in Ayr, East Kilbride, Dundee and Dunfermline, Solicitors in Dumfries are worried that plans to transfer trials of serious crimes to Ayr will open a “covid motorway” allowing the virus to spread into and infect Dumfries and Galloway.
The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service intend to press ahead with plans to move sheriff and jury trials, reserved for the most serious cases dealt with locally, from Dumfries and Stranraer Sheriff Courts to Ayr Sheriff Court because the equipment to allow juries to hear cases in a covid-safe environment would cost £40,000 to install.
But the plans would involve dozens of people, including members of the public selected for jury service, witnesses, police, legal teams and custody staff travelling backward and forward from a covid level 2 area to a higher-risk level 4 area every morning and evening for several days, possibly even a week, for each case.
These centres are in addition to two remote jury centres already identified in Edinburgh and Glasgow where Sheriff Court jury trials are programmed to get underway next week.
South Strathclyde Dumfries and Galloway:
Plans are in place allow trials to recommence at Ayr Sheriff Court from 11 January 2021. Jurors will be based at the ODEON cinema in Ayr.
Sheriff Court Jury trials will operate from nominated courts in each of the six Sheriffdoms with juries located in a remote jury centre managed by SCTS. Sheriffs Principal are also making arrangements to transfer business in the respective Sheriffdoms to the nominated courts detailed above. Details of any transfers will be published by court order and can be found on the SCTS website.
The restart of Sheriff and Jury Trials is overseen by a working group chaired by Sheriff Principal Craig Turnbull and involving a range of practitioners in the justice system.
Dumfries court solicitor Ranald Lindsay said: “The people and health authorities of Dumfries and Galloway have done an excellent job in keeping infection rates from this virus and the sickness, misery and death that it brings to a minimum. Now the court service seems intent on ruining all that hard work. This plan will create a covid motorway into this area by increasing the number of people travelling into and out of an area (many by public transport) where there is a higher risk of coming into contact with the virus, all for the sake of a sum of money which would have to be spent anyway in additional travel and operating costs, not to mention the potential cost to local health services.
“No-one has explained to us why we have to risk the health of our families, friends and neighbours, as well as place local NHS facilities under greater strain, to suit the court service’s budget. While they may be reluctant to invest in facilities in Dumfries and Galloway, we worry about the cost to local businesses, jobs and the economy if this plan goes ahead and this area is moved into a higher level of virus restrictions or even lockdown. We have not been told whether those making this decision have taken any advice from NHS public health experts. No-one has told us whether any risk assessment has been carried out. We have just been told it is going to happen and we simply have to get on with it.
“Most of my colleagues who are expected to make this happen feel the same way. We don’t see why people should potentially be made carriers of this disease just because the court service doesn’t want to spend some money.”
David Fraser, SCTS Chief Operations Officer said:
“The commencement of trials in Edinburgh and Glasgow next week sees the restart of Sheriff Court jury trials. There has been exceptional progress to secure remote jury centre venues required and we intend to move as quickly as possible to the pre-Covid number of sheriff court jury trials proceeding in Scotland.”
Colin Smyth said: “Plans by the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service to move sheriff and jury trials from Dumfries and Stranraer Sheriff Courts to Ayr Sheriff Court are very concerning and they must be reassessed as a matter of urgency.
“I have written to the service and the Justice Secretary to ask for more details but the idea of dozens of people – witnesses, the jury themselves, police and legal teams – being forced to travel up and down to Ayr, for a number of consecutive days, is unthinkable in the current climate.
“Many people would need to use public transport and the costs involved in transporting everyone needed to appear in court would be huge.
“We have been repeatedly told by the Scottish Government that travelling between different level areas should be discouraged and even though this would be an essential reason for travel, it sounds very irresponsible to make these changes and risk exposing dozens of people to Covid-19, rather than spending a sum of money to make the sheriff courts in Dumfries and Stranraer safe.”
Hamilton and Airdrie Sheriff Court trials will recommence on 18 January 2021 and jurors will be based at the ODEON cinema, East Kilbride.
North Strathclyde:
Plans are in place to allow trials to recommence at Paisley Sheriff Court from 11 January 2021. Jurors will be based at the ODEON cinema, Braehead, which is currently operating as a remote jury centre for Glasgow High Court.
Kilmarnock Sheriff Court will recommence trials from 11 January 2021. Jurors will be based at the ODEON cinema in Ayr. Greenock and Dumbarton Sheriff Courts are expected to recommence trials from February 2021. Jurors will be based at the ODEON, Braehead.
Tayside Central and Fife:
Plans are in place to allow trials to recommence at Dundee Sheriff Court from 25 January2021 and Perth Sheriff Court on 8 February 2021. Jurors will be based at the ODEON cinema, Dundee.
Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court will recommence business on 1 February 2021 and Falkirk Sheriff Court on 8 February 2021. Jurors will be based at the ODEON cinema, Dunfermline.
Grampian, Highland and Islands:
Plans are in place for trials to recommence at Aberdeen and Inverness Sheriff Courts in February 2021. The High Court will also recommence trials in Aberdeen in February. Dates will be confirmed once contractual arrangements for remote jury venues in Aberdeen and Inverness have been concluded.
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