A solicitor who fought against the closure of Arbroath Sheriff Court says missed targets will come as “no surprise” to Angus court users.
Nick Whelan, who strongly campaigned against the closure and subsequent merger with Forfar, was speaking after figures revealed fewer court cases are being completed within Scottish Government target times.
Audit Scotland pointed out that the fall, between 2010-11 and 2014-15, came as the overall budgets of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) and the Scottish Courts Service (SCS) fell by 14% and 28% respectively.
Although the Tayside, Central and Fife sheriffdom is the best performing in Scotland, it too has experienced a performance drop of 7% when it comes to processing cases within 26 weeks.
Mr Whelan said: “The findings of Audit Scotland will come as no surprise to the court users of Angus.
“We are experiencing the combined impact of the closure of Arbroath Sheriff Court and the savage reduction of funding being applied to the budgets of the Prosecution and the Scottish Court Service.
“This impact is being borne by the most vulnerable members of society who for a variety of reasons find themselves within the sheriff court system.
“As a court practitioner I have direct experience of the palpable delays in concluding sheriff court business within the overstrained facility being provided at Forfar Sheriff Court.
“These cutbacks are being most keenly felt by the victims of crime who, due to the delays, often experience having to endure several attendances at court and lengthy journeys due to the lack of public transport facilities, only to be told that due to lack of court time or other resource related issues, the matter for which they were due to give evidence for has been adjourned.
“The Scottish Government need to remember the founding principle of a court system in a democratic society is ‘justice delayed is justice denied’.”
Arbroath Sheriff Court was closed in May last year, with some voicing concerns that the closure of the court would impede the administration of justice.
Statistics, obtained under freedom of information legislation by Mr Whelan, proved Arbroath was a far busier court than Forfar before the axe fell.