Ronnie Rennuci QC

Appearing before Holyrood’s Justice Committee, Ronnie Rennuci QC, president of the Scottish Criminal Bar Association, said a solution to the stalemate would be “putting the High Court back out in circuit, taking it to the communities that it serves”.

His suggestion follows a recent call from Eric McQueen, chief executive of the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service, to reconsider non-jury trials, which would address the problem “very clearly”.

Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf, however, stressed that the highly controversial non-jury trials “are not an option that we are exploring”.

The SCBA’s approach would see retired judges return and would involve juries watching proceedings in another room while practising social distancing.

Mr Renucci said: “The High Court used to sit in various places – not only Glasgow, Aberdeen, Livingston and Edinburgh, primarily, as it does now.

“It could go to Inverness, Dundee, Forfar, Perth, Stirling, Dumbarton, Hamilton, Paisley, Kilmarnock – all these places can be utilised once we are out of COVID-19.

He added: “To some, non-jury trials may seem the cheapest and most convenient way of addressing that backlog.

“Convenience should not somehow outrank or take precedence over justice.”