Police chiefs’ concern at Nightingale court delays
POLICE chiefs have not been trusted with the location of a pop-up court to tackle the massive backlog in cases which should be in place in Bristol this month.
Sue Mountstevens, the police and crime commissioner for Avon and Somerset, said mounting delays mean victims and defendants alike are left in limbo, sometimes for years, or denied justice altogether.
She said a Nightingale court - named after the field hospitals set up in response to Covid-19 - should be operational in the city this month but “commercial sensitivity” means she and chief constable Andy Marsh have still not been told where it will be.
Ms Mountstevens, a former magistrate, told the police and crime panel: “Nationally, we have a backlog of 42,000 trials in the Crown courts and half a million cases waiting in the magistrates courts. Our arrest rate hasn’t come down - we’re still feeding into the criminal justice pipeline. That’s causing a lot of grief. Hertfordshire are listing for 2025.
“In Bristol we’re using three courtrooms for every trial to do social distancing. Our backlog is increasing.
“The Nightingale court was meant to be up and running by the end of September. Not only do I not know where it will be in Bristol, and nor does the chief constable - we’re told we won’t be told because of commercial sensitivity. This sort of blockage from the centre is causing serious issues.”
Bristol’s Nightingale court was one of eight announced by HM Courts and
Tribunals Service last month, following 10 others over the summer. They opened in former courts, council chambers, hotels and even a theatre to hear non-custodial crime cases, as well as civil, family and tribunals work. The move is intended to free up room in existing courts to hear other cases, including custodial jury trials, which require cells and secure dock facilities to keep the public, victims and witnesses safe.
A spokesperson for Ms Mountstevens said she was initially told the Nightingale court would be up and running in September or October but it is now likely to be the middle of October, adding: “At this stage, the PCC does not know where, when or how it will be staffed.”
Ms Mountstevens told the police and crime panel the backlog in the courts is also causing issues for Lighthouse, a group of organisations that supports victims and witnesses through court cases.
“If you’re told your case won’t be heard for six months, a year, four years, you aren’t going to stay with the process,” she said. “We’re denying our victims and defendants any sort of justice whatsoever.”
She said a man who came forward to report being sexually assaulted by a teacher when he was a child was told the trial was initially listed for March. However, it has now been pushed back to January, with no guarantee it will go ahead then. Other sexual abuse cases have never been listed.
“We have victims in limbo,” said Ms Mountstevens.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice said: “We work closely with our partners across the justice system every day and ensure they are kept informed on sensitive matters whenever possible, subject to prejudicing commercial conversations. We’re now able to engage stakeholders on this issue and will be taking that forward immediately. Further public announcements on Nightingale court locations will be made in due course.”
At this stage, the PCC does not know where, when or how it (Nightingale court)
will be staffed PCC SPOKESPERSON