THE Central Criminal Court is to resume sitting in mid September three weeks earlier than normal in an attempt to cut the backlog of over 60 rape and murder cases awaiting hearing.
At the court's last listing session on July 18th, trial dates were fixed for 38 of the 41 rape cases and for 15 of the 21 murder cases.
In the last few years, each listing session has seen the backlog increase as trial dates could not be found for the majority of cases before the court. A number of murder trials, with between 50 and 100 prosecution witnesses, have taken up the biggest portion of the court's time.
The extra sessions from September 16th to the start of the Michaelmas law term on October 7th will deal with some of the shorter rape cases.
In all, 13 rape cases have been listed for trial during this extra period with another five listed provisionally. These provisional trials will proceed in the event of vacancies arising due to guilty pleas or delays in other cases.
Mr Justice Carney will preside, with Mr Justice Moriarty and Mr Justice Shanley also available to hear trials.
It is hoped the court will be able to devote the term from October 7th to December 21st to deal with 27 of the longer rape and murder trials. Another five rape and three murder cases have also been given provisional trial dates.
Meanwhile, Judge Cyril Kelly indicated the delay in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court was down to four months. "That is without new judges," he said at the close of the law term on Wednesday.
Circuit Court trials for accused persons in custody were fixed from October and bail cases were given dates from December next to March, 1997.