Press release

Boost for local justice in Redditch as new Crown courtroom opens

Redditch Magistrates바카라 사이트™ Court has opened a new Crown courtroom in order to increase case capacity.

• From: HM Courts & Tribunals Service
• Published: 22 January 2025

Victims and communities across Worcestershire will benefit from quicker access to justice as a new Crown courtroom officially opened yesterday (Tuesday 21 January 2025) at Redditch Magistrates바카라 사이트™ Court, marking a significant boost to the town바카라 사이트™s justice services. 

The Crown Court development, which includes the conversion of the existing 25-year-old Magistrates바카라 사이트™ Court building into a joint magistrates바카라 사이트™ and Crown Court facility, represents a major investment in the region바카라 사이트™s justice infrastructure. In order to manage trials involving defendants appearing from prison custody, the new room makes use of existing cells beneath the building.  

The present magistrates바카라 사이트™ court and police station were built in 1978, as part of the regeneration and New Town project. The expansion of this new Crown courtroom facility will increase the court바카라 사이트™s capacity to hear the most serious criminal cases and improve access to justice for local communities across Worcestershire and the wider Midlands region.  

Since August 2024, the opening of this new Crown Court has enabled 25 multi-day and multi-week trials to be heard in Redditch. Without the additional room, these would likely have been adjourned due to lack of court time in Worcester Crown Court. 

Minister for Courts and Legal Services, Sarah Sackman KC MP, said: 

I welcome the opening of this new Crown courtroom facility, which will ensure local communities have quicker access to justice. This development will provide an essential boost to our court infrastructure in Worcestershire and beyond.

The Lady Chief Justice attended the official opening event, marking the first stop on the Midlands leg of her 2025 circuit tour. Mrs Justice Amanda Tipples, Presiding Judge for the Midlands Circuit, also attended the ceremony. 

This is one of two new Crown courtrooms being introduced across the region, with another courtroom to be opened at Hereford Justice Centre this year. The development is part of ongoing work to strengthen the justice system바카라 사이트™s ability to process cases efficiently.  

Jury trials have not been held in the Hereford area since June 2020, when the roof was damaged in a courtroom at the grade II listed 19th century building in St Peter바카라 사이트™s Square. COVID-19 restrictions created further backlogs of trials awaiting dates. Crown court trials have been held in Worcester since, with some Crown court sentencing hearings taking place at Hereford바카라 사이트™s magistrates court in Bath Street. The Crown courtroom in Hereford is on track to officially open later this year.

Notes to editors:

• The building will continue to serve as both a Magistrates바카라 사이트™ Court and Crown Court, as well as hearing family and civil cases. 

• Ahead of yesterday바카라 사이트™s official opening, the Crown Court has been hearing cases since July 2024.

Published 22 January 2025