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Central city venue for jury trials
A portacom complex of temporary buildings on the old King Edward Barracks site in Cashel Street will be the venue for the restart of jury trials in Christchurch from January 30.
Jury trials in the city were halted instantly by the February 22 earthquake and since then some Christchurch trials have been shifted to court houses in Nelson, Greymouth, Timaru, Dunedin, and Wellington.
After comments from a Christchurch District Court judge on Tuesday, the Ministry of Justice said that planning was well advanced for a jury trial facility within Christchurch city and details were expected to be announced soon.
The announcement was made today by the Minister of Courts Georgina te Heuheu that the large open area in Cashel Street where the historic King Edward Barracks formerly stood has been selected as the site. The site is now used for car parking.
Portacom temporary buildings will accommodate the courts, which require some special facilities to hold jury trials. Separate rooms are needed for the juries to retire to consider their verdicts, and some form of assembly area may be needed for jurors before the selection process begins.
The site is in the same city block as the Central Police Station which would presumably be used as secure facilities for people being held in custody as their trials proceed.
Bus services are moving back into the central city now, rather than using hubs on the four avenues, which will allow easier access for the jurors summoned to appear.
It may have been difficult to reactivate the jury trial system in Christchurch before this, while people are still struggling with jobs, damaged homes, and sometimes difficult transport arrangements.
The Christchurch Court House is a tall block which stands in Durham Street, a few blocks from the proposed site.
The ministry?s Canterbury Earthquake strategic recovery manager?Murray Smith said this week: ?Definitive answers around the structural condition of the main court complex in central Christchurch are not yet available. The ministry has commissioned both geotechnical as well as quantitative engineering reports. These assessments are on track and are expected to be received at the end of October.?
