A trial at Liverpool Crown Court had to be halted yesterday and the jury discharged after a paralegal tested positive for Covid-19.

According to an announcement by the Northern Circuit, the representative body for barristers practising in the north of England, a Crown Prosecution Service paralegal who works at courts in Chester and Merseyside has been diagnosed with coronavirus.

Two court rooms at Liverpool Crown Court have now been deep cleaned and the CPS has been notified of all the people the paralegal came into contact with, Northern Circuit leader Lisa Roberts QC said.

One trial was halted and the jury discharged because of concerns the individual had touched documents in the jury bundle. However the case has been re-listed for today with a new jury. 

Meanwhile, a colleague of the paralegal who works at Chester Crown Court has been advised to go home and take a Covid-19 test. At Merseyside Magistrates' Court, some CPS staff were told take a test and/or self isolate.

Manchester Crown Court, which has been closed all week because of a coronavirus outbreak, will remain closed on Monday and Tuesday of next week and will not be open to the staff or public.

 

*The Law Society is keeping the coronavirus situation under review and monitoring the advice it receives from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and Public Health England.