The introduction of remote hearings has raised concerns about the protection and delivery of open justice.  Transform Justice Director, Penelope Gibbs, remotely observed a magistrate court where all participants except the magistrates and the lawyer appeared remotely. She noted that the sound from the Court was poor and very distant and that defendants struggled to understand and participate in the proceedings. This was particularly the case for unrepresented defendants, defendants with English as a second language, but also defendants held in custody whose lawyers were in court and who had to rely on police officers to understand the proceedings.

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