The Crown Office has defended the decision to parachute a raft of Dundee court cases into Perth Sheriff Court.
Within the past month, six jury trials have been passed down the A90, displacing those set down for sittings in Perth.
Disquiet was expressed by some members of the local legal profession at the decision, particularly in light of the fact that the majority of those cases subsequently collapsed.
The majority failed to ever be heard before a jury as a result of long-standing witness problems and concerns over the quality of evidence.
The Perth cases displaced required to be rescheduled, adding to the already packed diaries at what is a busy court building.
The issue arose out of the fact that Scottish law requires that the jury trial of anyone remanded in custody must start within 110 days, though the Crown can request an extension to the time limit in exceptional circumstances.
Pressure of business at Dundee Sheriff Court recently has led to cases being farmed out to other courts in the jurisdiction and has also forced the adjournment of a number of trials to future jury sittings.
In some cases, the adjournment would take the case beyond the 110-day time bar and the Crown has been forced to seek an extension.
One response to such a problem was that taken by Sheriff Davidson at Dundee, who released accused on bail pending their trials, making it clear that their rights could not be overlooked for the convenience of the courts.
He suggested that the problem was one of under-funding, which did not allow the court to make arrangements to provide extra facilities to ensure all cases were dealt with timeously.
Another response has been to secure court space for time-sensitive cases at other sheriff courts in the region, including Perth.
A Crown Office spokesman said such a move represented the best possible use of court resources.
”It is right and proper to seek to use all the courts within Tayside for Dundee sheriff and jury trials,” he said. ”This is a long-standing practice across Scotland and ensures that the business is appropriately prioritised.”