Backlog

The criminal trial backlog that built up during the pandemic has been "significantly reduced" but waiting times for the most serious crimes have doubled, according to Scotland's auditor general. Clearing the backlog of cases of serious assault, murder and rape, solemn cases, is proving much more dif

Senior legal executives will have the opportunity to become Crown Court judges as the UK government takes action to address the backlog of serious criminal cases. Justice Secretary Alex Chalk KC announced that the departure from usual practice on the Crown Court bench, which has traditionally been o

To assist with jury trials in the High Court, the following sheriffs have been appointed by the Scottish ministers to act as temporary judges from 1 August: The Lord Advocate, Dorothy Bain QC, warned MSPs in November last year that the backlog of cases was an "enormous problem" that would take "mult

A new consultation launched today seeks the public’s views on legislative reform to support Scotland’s recovery from the pandemic. The consultation sets out a range of proposals, including whether some beneficial temporary provisions made under Scottish and UK coronavirus legislation and

There have been unacceptable delays in sexual crime cases, HM Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland has warned. The head of the prosecution watchdog said the backlog of almost 30,000 cases is continuing to grow during the pandemic.

A judge-led initiative in courts across the south of Scotland is proving successful in reducing the backlog of summary court cases caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Currently, many Sheriff Court cases scheduled for trial resolve by an agreed guilty plea between the prosecutor and the defence agent

Criminal defence solicitors have ridiculed a suggestion that summary trials be held at the weekend as a measure to cope with the mounting backlog of cases.

New Nightingale-style courts will be opened to deal with the backlog of more than half a million criminal cases that have built up during the pandemic, The Times reports. Ten sites have been identified by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), amongst them town halls and university lecture theatres, wh