Super courtroom opens

It is hoped the super courtroom will help clear the backlog exacerbated by the pandemic

Manchester Crown Court has opened a ‘super courtroom’ – three times the size of a usual courtroom – which allows for trials with up to 12 defendants. This will create the space needed to get through the backlog of these types of cases – known as multi-handers and often gang related – which have built up recently due to social distancing requirements. Prior to the expansion, a 12-defendant trial would have utilised two or three courtrooms, sometimes for several weeks. A second super courtroom is planned for Loughborough Magistrates.