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by pltm
(PLTM) - The lack of a Magistrate’s Court on Virgin Gorda continues to pose as one of the many challenges facing the Magistracy.
On Tuesday, Senior Resident Judge, the Honourable Justice Vicki Ann Ellis highlighted some of the impediments to the smooth flow of the work of the courts, and among them was the fact that no premises has yet been selected to house the Magistrate’s Court on Virgin Gorda.
“…No premises have been identified. Discussions are being held with the intention of identifying a premises, as no works have yet started on the Government-owned structure, which formerly housed the court,” she stated.
This obstacle and the associated hindrances were made evident during a sitting of the Magistrate’s Court at John’s Hole on Wednesday, when some matters had to be adjourned to a future date, as they were cases from Anegada and the logistics of getting the parties involved to court was an issue.
Meanwhile, the issues facing the functioning of the Magistrate’s Court in Tortola were also highlighted, with the difficulties due to the separation of staff being brought to fore.
The building at John’s Hole is only a single courtroom, and as a result, the administrative staff remain without a permanent home since September 2017, Hon. Justice Ellis explained. This has caused the staff to be placed at various locations around Road Town.
“The Senior Magistrate has advised that they continue to experience daily challenges due to the separation of the administrative staff from the court premises, lack of equipment and staff,” the Senior Resident Judge stressed.
Hon. Justice Ellis went on to say that Senior Magistrate Tamia Richards has informed her of plans to reduce the backlog in criminal matters that has resulted due to this situation. This backlog is obvious, with the Magistrate’s Court now hearing first time matters from 2017.
“In order to reduce this backlog, the Senior Magistrate intends to implement a system in which two criminal courts will sit simultaneously and daily,” she divulged.
The Senior Judge is hoping for the necessary support to make this system as success, and is urging the relevant parties to play their role.
“It is hoped that practitioners, the commissioner of police, and the office of the DPP will employ the necessary resources to ensure that they put in place systems which will ensure the smooth running of the courts at all the locations.”
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