City may host jury trial again

A sheriff and jury trial could again be held in a Highland court – but for one week only.

The former interior of Tain Sheriff Court was reorganised to create a new public access as well as for security improvements. It resulted in the jury room being converted into the sheriff clerk’s office and jury trials ended. But at Inverness Sheriff Court yesterday, it was decided to ask permission for a jury trial to be held there as “a one-off ”.

“I will make another bid to explore using Tain”

A 29-year-old Alness man, Christopher Golabek, is facing a serious sex offence charge and his trial was scheduled to take place in Wick. But it was decided to move it to Inverness after concerns about his fitness to travel such a distance.

Yesterday at Inverness Sheriff Court, Sheriff Margaret Neilson lamented the closure of Dingwall Sheriff Court.

Fiscal depute Roderick Urquhart said his office had suggested to Sheriff Principal Derek Pyle to reopen Tain just for this trial. Mr Urquhart said: “I will make another bid to explore using Tain.”

Sheriff Neilson and Golabek’s defence counsel both agreed this would “make sense”.