Botched installation of coronavirus screens created potential safety risk at Snaresbrook crown court

Plexiglass screens have been installed in courts around the country
MoJ

Courtrooms at one of London’s crown courts were left unusable for jury trials when the installation of plexiglass screens was botched, it has emerged.  

Screens have been added to 223 courtrooms and 143 jury deliberation rooms around the country in a bid to increase the number of trials being heard in “covid-secure” conditions.  

The Ministry of Justice measures are designed to allow jurors to sit closer to each other than 2m without fear of breaching social distancing guidelines.  

However Snaresbrook crown court reported that “insufficient space” had been left around its newly-installed screens, rendering courtrooms unusable without emergency remedial work.  

“Jury plexiglass screens have been installed in nine courtrooms and deliberation rooms”, according to a ‘Covid-19 assessment’ at Snaresbrook conducted on October 22.  

“Screens have been put in place but pose a health and safety issue due to the insufficient space available around the screens.  

“Ricoh - the company who provided the screens, have been on site to reassess and improvement works are expected to take place to reduce the size of the screen’s legs and/or adapt the size of the jury boxes asap.  

“The courts will only use the deliberation rooms that conform to the correct measurements which are 1,15,16,17,18 and 20. Court 13, 14 and 6 deliberation rooms are not fit for purpose and the furniture will be removed by the 31.10.2020.”

Snaresbrook was one of three London crown courts given an “amber” rating in the routine assessments carried out two weeks ago.  

Despite having 20 courtrooms across a sprawling estate, there were just two trials sitting at Snaresbrook last Monday following the assessment.  

Inner London crown court reported the need for “water testing”, work to fix social distancing measures on public seating, and an update to jury packs to include social distancing guidance.  

At Harrow crown court, “remedial work” has been ordered on the ventilation system for two of its eight courtrooms and in jury retiring rooms.  

The other seven crown courts in London were given “green” ratings in the assessments, with only minor improvement works identified at some.  

Plexiglass screens are being installed in eight courtrooms at the Old Bailey to enable jury boxes to be used normally again.  

All trials around the country had to be stopped in late March when the pandemic first struck, adding to a mounting crisis in the criminal justice system and the rapid growth in the backlog of cases.  

The Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett confirmed this weekend that courts will continue to operate during the second national lockdown due to come into effect on Thursday.  

“We have every confidence that in the coming very difficult period, with the support of all those who contribute to the running of the courts, collectively we will remain equal to the many challenges ahead”, he said.

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