New Nightingale court opens

The fifth Nightingale court has opened in Monument. However, Law Society president, I. Stephanie Boyce, said: “While we welcome the… court opening, to date no significant inroads have been made into the Crown Court backlog.” She said some trials are being delayed until 2023, “leaving victims, witnesses and defendants disillusioned”. She added “years of underfunding” have stretched the system to “breaking point” and that since restrictions have eased, the lack of judges, court staff, prosecutors and defence lawyers are more of an issue than physical court space.