Scotland’s court system faces further disruption with a top official saying this month may prove to be the “most challenging time of the pandemic”.
The Covid-19 lockdown restrictions, which closed courts throughout the country, have resulted in a backlog of tens of thousands of cases.
Officials have already indicated it is likely to be 2025 before they are cleared. Eric McQueen, chief executive of the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS), has now warned that soaring levels of positive cases and of individuals needing to self-isolate are likely to lead to more hearings being postponed.
In a letter to the Law Society of Scotland (LSS) he said: “The coming weeks may arguably be the most challenging time of the pandemic.”
He added: “With the