First look at Nightingale court inside Wolverhampton hotel
This is the first look inside a hotel and spa which has been converted into a Nightingale court as part of plans to tackle a backlog of cases.
Wolverhampton's Park Hall Hotel & Spa has provided two additional rooms which are hosting non-custodial criminal cases such as fines and community service orders, freeing up space for the crown court to carry out more jury trials.
The venue, which opened as a court this week, usually hosts spa retreats and business conferences but has sat empty during the pandemic.
The temporary transformation will help reduce delays and deliver speedier justice for victims across the West Midlands, while allowing the hotel to take staff off the furlough scheme.
It is the third Nightingale court to be located in the region after opening on Monday, joining sites at Shire Hall in Stafford and Maple House in Birmingham.
It comes as West Midlands Police Chief Constable Sir David Thompson said he was concerned that vulnerable victims were being let down due to cases being disrupted due to Covid.
Crown courts across the country are currently dealing with a backlog of more than 50,000 cases after the pandemic forced many hearings to be postponed.
Dozens of temporary 'Nightingale' courts have been set up to tackle the delays, which have led to some cases now being timetabled for 2023.
The Government plans to have 60 Nightingale courts up and running by the end of this month.
