Supreme Court trials are scheduled to restart next week after a months-long halt caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Puisne Judge Charles-Etta Simmons said at yesterday’s arraignments session that work to reopen Supreme Court 1 in Sessions House with Covid-19 precautions in place was almost complete.

Mrs Justice Simmons said protective Plexiglas shields had been installed in the courtroom to separate jurors and lawyers to allow trials to resume in safety.

She added that the barriers would mean that witnesses, lawyers and jurors would not be required to wear face masks during court proceedings, but that they could if they wanted to.

Mrs Justice Simmons said: “We have our first trial date on November 9, we have eight trials now fixed and we expect them to go on following that.”

But she warned: “Some flexibility may be needed from counsel – if there is a halt to a trial by reason of a guilty plea or an early disposal of the case, then we would look for counsel’s co-operation to move the case up if we can in an effort to get this very large backlog that we have resolved.”

She added that she hoped that Government would make cash available to prepare a second Covid-safe courtroom, but admitted she did not know if that would happen.

Mrs Justice Simmons said: “We have asked for a second venue to be made available, but that’s not in our hands.”

Elizabeth Christopher, a veteran defence lawyer, raised concerns about acoustics in the refurbished courtroom because of the new Plexiglas shields.

Mrs Justice Simmons said that efforts would be made to accommodate counsel, including the possibility of moving lawyers so they can be heard by the jury.

The first trial is expected to be that of James Rumley, 38, who has denied charges of importation of firearm parts on June 3 and October 14 last year.

The Supreme Court left Sessions House before renovations started last year.

Jury trials continued in a modified Magistrates’ Court courtroom in the Dame Lois Browne-Evans Building on Court Street until March, when the courts were closed in an effort to slow the spread of Covid-19.

Most court matters have since been allowed to resume with safety precautions in place, but none of the island’s courts were suitable for a jury trial.

The continued delays sparked concern about the Constitutional rights of defendants to “a fair hearing within a reasonable time by an independent and impartial court established by law”.

Mrs Justice Simmons said in July it was possible that jury trials could be delayed until 2021 unless action was taken.

She said at the time that several alternate locations had been considered, but they were found to be either unsuitable or the cost to carry out the necessary renovations was too high.

Government later announced that renovations to make Supreme Court 1 Covid-19 safe would be carried out.