Covid in Scotland: Sheriff court trials set to resume in Odeon cinemas

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Remote jury centres for sheriff court trials are to be created in Odeon cinema complexes in Ayr, East Kilbride, Dundee and Dunfermline.

The facilities are in addition to two remote jury centres already identified in Edinburgh and Glasgow, where trials are set to get under way next week.

Arrangements for jury venues in Aberdeen and Inverness are currently being finalised for a February launch.

The pandemic has caused a major backlog of cases across the country.

'Exceptional progress'

David Fraser, chief operations officer for the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service, 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."

Under the plans, published on Tuesday, jurors will be based as follows:

  • Ayr Sheriff Court and Kilmarnock Sheriff Court - Odeon cinema in Ayr from 11 January

  • Hamilton and Airdrie Sheriff Court - Odeon in East Kilbride from 18 January

  • Paisley Sheriff Court - Odeon at Braehead from 11 January

  • Greenock and Dumbarton Sheriff Courts - Odeon at Braehead from February

  • Dundee and Perth Sheriff Courts - Odeon in Dundee, with Dundee cases resuming on 25 January and Perth cases on 8 February

  • Kirkcaldy and Falkirk Sheriff Courts - jurors will be based at the Odeon in Dunfermline, with Kirkcaldy business resuming on 1 February and Falkirk cases resuming on 8 February

The Odeon in Braehead, Renfrewshire, is currently operating as a remote jury centre for Glasgow High Court.

Last month the SCTS confirmed that six juries would be based remotely in the Odeon at Glasgow Quay for Glasgow Sheriff Court trials.

For trials running initially in Edinburgh Sheriff Court and then Livingston Sheriff Court, three juries will be based remotely in the Odeon complex on Lothian Road, Edinburgh.

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