High Court to expand venues to tackle soaring trial numbers

Scotland’s High Court will expand its venue network with four additional Sheriff Courts opening in Airdrie, Dunfermline, Edinburgh and Glasgow from January 2027 to handle a growing backlog of complex criminal trials. The system will be able to host up to 26 High Court trials per day, compared with 16 daily trials at the start of the decade. Officials said High Court indictments are set to exceed 2,000 this year, up from 935 in 2023/24, driven by legal changes and a push to investigate historical sexual offences and serious organised crime. The Lord Justice General, Lord Pentland, warned the current 10-venue capacity is under intense pressure, even as efficiencies such as Summary Case Management have helped. A Preliminary Hearings Court will also run in Glasgow from October.