Pilots of a ‘virtual court’ enabling defendants to make their first appearance before magistrates by video link have been snubbed by solicitors.
Of the 21 firms in Westminster that are eligible to take part in the first 12-month pilot, only 11 have agreed to participate. A second pilot, due to begin in mid-June in Kent, has failed to attract any solicitors at all, the Gazette has learned.
The Ministry of Justice claims the scheme will save £10m a year by reducing the need to transport defendants from police stations to magistrates’ courts. However, it has run into opposition from defence solicitors who say they would be required to sit next to their client at the police station and would be within reach of defendants reacting violently to sentence or refusal of bail.
Such fears were last week dismissed by justice secretary Jack Straw (pictured). During a visit to the first pilot site, Camberwell Green Magistrates’ Court in London, Straw told the Gazette that there are ‘a lot of quite large custody and police officers around in the police station’ and it was unlikely that a defendant would attack their own solicitor.
Greg Stewart, a defence representative at local implementation meetings, said: ‘If defendants pose such a slight risk why does the court service spend so much money on secure docks to protect other court users? And why do defence solicitors not merit such protection?’
While violent incidents are rare, they are a ‘pre-known palpable risk’, Stewart said. ‘We’re under a duty to provide a safe system of work for our representatives, and this is not a safe system of work.’
During his visit, Straw said the virtual court process would be faster and more efficient, and free up police time, making a ‘big difference to the quality of justice’.
But the Law Society said it has ‘grave concerns’ about the initiative and that outstanding practical considerations have not been adequately addressed.
The second pilot scheme is due to link North Kent police station in Ebbsfleet with Medway Magistrates’ Court.
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: ‘The virtual court pilot is not currently live in Kent and, as a result, the virtual court duty solicitor rota for Kent has not yet been finalised.’
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