Peterborough’s courts remain open during coronavirus pandemic

Both the Peterborough Magistrates’ Court and Peterborough Combined Court Centre - which includes the crown court, family court and county court - have been labelled as priority courts.

The magistrates’ court in Huntingdon and courts in Cambridge have also remained open.

More than half of courts across the country have been closed to reduce the spread of the virus.

There will be a reduced list, as jury trials have stopped, and hearings will be conducted via video link for the safety of court staff, defendants and legal teams.

Lord Chancellor Robert Buckland said: “We are facing an unprecedented challenge and the government’s absolute priority is to save lives and protect the NHS.

“With each part of our justice system - from police to probation - dependent on one another, it is vital that we keep our courts running.

“This will only be done while ensuring the safety of the public, judges, legal professionals, staff and all those attending hearings and I’d like to thank everyone for their extraordinary efforts so far.”

The Lord Chief Justice said: “An extraordinary amount of hard work has gone into keeping our justice system functioning. Technology is being used creatively to ensure that many cases can continue. Not everything can be dealt with remotely and so we need to maintain functioning courts.

“These temporary adjustments to how we use the court estate will help ensure that we can continue to deal with work appropriately in all jurisdictions whilst safeguarding the well-being of all those who work in and visit the courts.”

Media and members of the public will be able to attend priority court hearings in person, if safe to do so in line with Public Health England guidance, thereby ensuring the principle of open justice.

Where this is not possible, judicial consideration will be given to them joining a hearing remotely or a transcript provided afterwards.

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