Murders and rapists from the Highlands will soon face justice in the region once again when a “unique” new £23million court complex is built in Inverness.
Justice Secretary Michael Matheson revealed yesterday that the high court will return to the north once the new facility is opened in 2019.
The move will revive a centuries-old tradition – which was controversially ended amid a shake-up in 2013 – whereby the region’s worst criminals go on trial as a matter of course in the Highland capital.
Mr Matheson was in Inverness yesterday to view the plans for the justice centre – which he hailed as providing a “benchmark” for the rest of the country.
The new building, off Longman Road, will feature six courts and provide a base for almost all local public sector workers involved in the field of criminal justice, as well as a link to the Burnett Road police station next door.
The last routine high court sitting in Inverness was held in October 2013, with Lord Jones marking the significance at the time by saying it was a “historic but also sad” day.
The practice was ended after the Scottish Government backed a recommendation at the time that the high court should sit primarily in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen.
But Mr Matheson said yesterday: “The intentions are that it will have a court which will have the capacity to allow the High Court to return to Inverness.
“It will also have the ability and capacity to deal with any fatal accident inquiries that need to take place, while at the same time dealing with civil cases as well as criminal cases.
“It will be a facility that will be able to provide a whole range of court functions, and at the same be adjacent to the police station and also the opportunity for other agencies to be based there.”
The SNP minister was speaking to the Press and Journal at Inverness Castle, which will be freed up to be transformed into a revamped tourist attraction once the court service vacates the site.
He was viewing the plans for the justice centre, which will go on public display today at the Spectrum Centre, between 2pm and 7pm.
A planning application is expected to be submitted in October or November, with a decision made by March, before the building work is completed in December 2018, in advance of an official opening in early 2019.
Mr Matheson said: “I’m very impressed by the plans for the new justice centre.
“It’s an opportunity to bring together a whole range of different justice services, from the court through to the other criminal justice agencies, into a single campus, to bring together what they do collectively in the community, but also to what I believe will be an iconic building in the town.
“We’ve looked at the development of justice centre in other parts of the country and this is the first that has got to the point of development, so this will really set the benchmark for any future justice centres which we develop.”
Sheriff Principal Derek Pyle, the most senior sheriff in Grampian and the Highlands and Islands, also viewed the plans.
He said: “I think it’s terrific. This is major stuff. It’s the first justice centre in the whole of Scotland and it’s coming to Inverness.
“You always think these things start in the central belt but this proves not.”
He believed the project and increased co-operation between agencies could help tackle the so-called “revolving door” at court for many criminals.
“There’s a real chance to gather what you will have on site to progress that idea further – to see if you can decrease the prison population, but from a sheriff’s point of view, stop people regularly committing crime,” he said.
Eric McQueen, chief executive of the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service, said: “This is a very exciting development and unique in its vision to bring together a range of organisations who work within the justice environment in the Highlands.
“With financial support in place from Scottish Government, the Inverness Justice Centre is a fantastic opportunity to improve the delivery of justice within a purpose-built fully integrated facility.”