CHIEF Magistrate Judge Graeme Henson has announced a raft of new measures for the Local Court to mitigate risk of infection during the COVOID 19 pandemic, including encouraging those not involved in proceedings to stay away from court.
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Other significant changes include defendants who are unrepresented and entering a plea of guilty can notify the court by email or by post. They will also not be required to attend court for the sentence unless the magistrate considers attendance is required.
Local Courts, which include the Bathurst Local Court, are the largest trial jurisdiction in Australia with more than 330,000 criminal cases dealt with by NSW magistrates in 2019.
Judge Henson has been working closely with stakeholders including the Office of Director of Public Prosecutions, Legal Aid, the Sheriff's Office, Department of Communities and Justice, Corrective Services, NSW Health and the NSW Police Force to address the issue.
Releasing his statement on Tuesday Judge Henson said the health and wellbeing of all court users is a major priority which is why he is implementing the follow steps to reduce the risk to the exposure to the virus in courthouses across the state.
The major points include:
Asking visitors who are not involved in proceedings should stay away from court.
Wherever possible all appearances by persons in custody, whether from a Correctional centre or a police station are to be by Audio Visual Link technology.
List matters that are currently pending before the Local Court but aren't listed for hearing or sentence, can be dealt with electronically.
Defendants who are unrepresented entering a plea of guilty can notify the court by email or by post. They will not be required to attend court for the sentence unless the presiding magistrate considers attendance is required. If this is the case, the court will adjourn the matter and advise the defendant in writing. Chief Magistrate Henson also said the Local Court has set aside the month of October 2020 to catch up on backlogs.
