Inverness hearing will be first virtual sheriff court

An Inverness Sheriff Court commercial case will provide the first opportunity to test the use of virtual court hearings in Scotland’s sheriff courts.

At a hearing on Tuesday 12 May parties will appear before Sheriff Principal Derek Pyle in a virtual courtroom.

Arguments will be heard using the courts’ new video platform. This will be the first virtual sheriff court, although video links have been used in sheriff courts since the start of the coronavirus outbreak to conduct custody proceedings with accused individuals appearing from police cells.

Journalists and members of the public will be able to access a link to the virtual court by contacting communications@scotcourts.gov.uk

Scottish Courts & Tribunals Service, which was criticised in the early stages of the shutdown for being slow to enable business to be done other than in the traditional court setting, said it had been working hard with sheriffs principal and the Law Society of Scotland to extend its services, as well as planning how to move safely into the next phase as soon as the lockdown restrictions ease.

Virtual courts were successfully introduced in the Court of Session Inner House in April and SCTS said they would shortly be extended to the Outer House, which has already begun using telephone hearings.

Sheriff Principal Pyle commented: “In these unprecedented times, it is remarkable how quickly the courts, judiciary and legal profession have grasped the nettle of technology to find solutions. There is still a long way to go, but the hearing this week is another step along a road which, over the coming months should revolutionise the way in which sheriff court civil proceedings are conducted.”