Omicron led to increased court adjournments in January

The Omicron wave of coronavirus led to an increased number of adjournments in Scottish courts last month.

The Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service (SCTS) said fewer court days were planned during early January and the requirement for self-isolation meant more cases were adjourned.

The latest figures show the level of new cases registered was 78% of the average pre-Covid level and the number of cases concluded was 77%.

A total of 4,126 sheriff summary cases were concluded, which is 86% of the average pre-Covid level.

However 47 High Court evidence-led trial concluded, which is 112%.

David Fraser, SCTS executive director of court operations, said: “Our court buildings continue to operate in accordance with guidance from Public Health Scotland to safeguard our staff, judiciary and court users.

“As the impact of the Covid Omicron variant reduced, we were able to ease the restrictions in our courts at the end of January while continuing to maintain necessary baseline safety measures.

“The collaboration across the judiciary, justice organisations, the legal profession and the third sector is helping to effectively manage court business, including the ongoing delivery of the recovery programme.

“We will continue to publish these figures on a monthly basis to illustrate the progress we are making and the challenges still being faced.”