Abandon all jury trials to protect health of court staff, say lawyers

MINISTERS have been urged by Britain’s most senior barristers to delay all jury trials amid concerns plans to press ahead risk the health of court staff and conflict with the Government’s own advice.

Amanda Pinto QC, the chairman of the Bar Council, wrote to its 24,000 members, saying the intention to continue with trials under three days was inconsistent with advice and failed to take account of “valid” concerns about the spread and risks of the virus.

Robert Buckland, the Lord Chancellor, and Lord Burnett, the Lord Chief

Justice, agreed on Tuesday that all new jury trials lasting longer than three days would be delayed until after the pandemic abates, but thousands below that threshold would continue.

Ms Pinto said: “Scotland and Northern Ireland have already stopped listing any new jury trials. We do not believe the risk of infection is less in England and Wales. Indeed, the Government’s position is that the risk is greatest in London.

“Nor do we consider that short jury trials present less of a risk to the health of those involved than longer ones – quite the opposite.”

She warned that a lack of hygiene in courts was a potential catalyst for spreading the disease. “We have serious concerns about standards of hygiene and facilities within court buildings, such as lack of soap, sanitising hand-gel and running water and the cleaning of conference and court rooms,” she added.

“We are also very concerned about the security checks that are necessary for safety but inadequate to mitigate the risk of infection being passed on.”

In a statement, Mr Buckland said the plan aimed to ensure the court system continued to function even at a reduced capacity while taking “appropriate” steps to comply with public health guidance to minimise risk.

“We will keep the situation under review and continue to listen to feedback from lawyers, court staff and users about how Covid-19 is affecting them and their availability,” he added.