Courts Service of Ireland says the pandemic has resulted in delays of up to six months for jury trials

Jury trials are being pushed back in an effort to reduce the numbers attending court, which has led to a backlog of cases waiting to get on.

Before Covid arrived, the average waiting time for a jury trial before the Central Criminal Court was 18 months.

With no juries being sworn in during heightened lockdown restrictions, the waiting times for rape and murder trials has increased by between five and six months.

It can now take up to 21 months for a jury trial to be heard before the circuit court. Before Covid hit, the average wait was somewhere between 12 and 15 months.

Victim support groups have today expressed their concern with the delays.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Courts Service of Ireland said they stand ready to restart jury trials once it has been advised that it’s safe to do so.

Custody cases and cases involving vulnerable parties are being given priority and some have been given trial dates in the first half of this year or Sept at the latest.

A review on whether they can safely resume from the end of next month will take place in the coming weeks.