Coronavirus: NSW Court changes for families, friends of defendants
Family members and friends supporting people in local court matters are being told to stay away, with a raft of new measures handed down to mitigate the risk of coronavirus infection.
Newcastle
Don't miss out on the headlines from Newcastle. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Family and friends supporting people in local court matters across NSW are being told to stay away, with a raft of new measures handed down by Chief Magistrate Judge Graeme Henson to mitigate the risk of coronavirus infection.
Judge Henson said the health and wellbeing of all court users is a major priority and implemented a number of steps to reduce the risk to the exposure to the virus in courthouses across the state.
Local Courts in NSW were notified of the new directive on Tuesday morning.
At Toronto Local Court, cleaners were instructed to disinfect and clean all court rooms and waiting areas ready for the day.
Court goers were also asked not to be in the courtroom if not necessary, or wait outside to limit the number of people and contact.
Instead of having to turn up to court, the new changes will allow most defendants not to be present, with matters able to be dealt with electronically by email.
That will include pleas of guilty or not guilty and list matters not for hearing or sentence, unless it is deemed serious by the presiding magistrate and in that case it will be adjourned.
Those legally represented, that will be considered a physical appearance, while those in custody won’t have to appear in the courtroom, and will use audio visual link technology where possible.
And for domestic violence proceedings, protected persons will not be required to attend court for a domestic violence order unless they are fixed for hearing.
Local Courts have set aside the month of October to catch up on backlogs, where no hearings will be listed.
The Local Court is the largest trial jurisdiction in Australia with more than 330,000 criminal cases dealt with by NSW magistrates in 2019 at over 140 locations.
The changes have come in a day after the Supreme Court and District court jury trials were announced as suspended until further notice.