Borders courts postpone trials and impose entry restrictions in effort to control spread of coronavirus

Jury trials due to go ahead on Monday, March 23, have been postponed, and other trials for new non-priority cases are being put back until October.

Custody trials will continue to take priority, with trial dates for new cases involving domestic abuse, sexual offences and violence now being fixed for August.

Access to sheriff courts is being restricted, with only court users being allowed entry.

That means those accused of offences and witnesses can no longer be accompanied by family or friends.

Court users are also being asked to wash their hands on entry to Jedburgh and Selkirk’s courts, and waiting on the staircases outside the main court chambers is now banned.

One scheduled trial was adjourned at Jedburgh Sheriff Court yesterday, March 19, after the accused failed to turn up due to lung difficulties putting him at higher risk of falling victim to Covid-19, according to his lawyer.

Philip Lockwood, 62, of Dunion Road in Jedburgh, is charged with assaulting a man last August, stealing a set of car keys and obstructing police.

His trial has now been rescheduled for August 4.

Three jury trials due to get under way at Jedburgh next Monday have been put back for intermediate diet hearings in May to fix new dates to go ahead.