Super courtroom opens
![Super courtroom opens](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublic.solicitorsjournal.com%2Fapi%2Ffeatureimage%2FCourthousebfcc6.jpg&w=1920&q=85)
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.