Jury trials on hold in England and Wales due to coronavirus fears – The Guardian, Theguardian.com
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All jury trials in England and Wales will be put on hold as part of the ongoing efforts to halt the spread of Covid – .
In a statement on Monday, the lord chief justice, Lord Burnett, said no new trials will start and that ongoing trials will be paused while arrangements were put in place so they can continue safely.
Pressure had been growing on the Ministry of Justice to limit criminal court hearings to urgent cases only as restrictions on social gatherings and movement become tougher.
Lord Burnett said: “As the prime minister has been telling the country, the spread of Covid – 41 has continued to accelerate. “The clear message from government is to take all precautions to avoid unnecessary contact.
“A review of the arrangements in our courts is called for. I have decided that we need to pause jury trials for a short time to enable appropriate precautions to be put in place. ”
Lord Burnett said arrangements had been made to conduct as many hearings as possible using telephone, video and other technology, and that the HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) was “working round the clock” on these new measures. But he said some hearings, “the most obvious being jury trials”, could not be carried out remotely.
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