Defence Bar Services Withdrawn From Criminal Trials

Members of the defence Bar will continue to withdraw their services from criminal trials in the Crown Court in Northern Ireland until January 31, 2025, the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) has announced.

While PPS staff and barristers who appear for the Public Prosecution Service are not involved in the withdrawal of services, which commenced on January 6, the action by defence barristers is likely to cause significant disruption to criminal cases in the Crown Court until the end of the month. A statement from the PPS said: "We recognise how disappointing and distressing this may be for you if your case is disrupted due to the withdrawal of services. Please be assured that no case or person will be forgotten.

"We are continuing to work with our criminal justice partners to ensure that trials are re-scheduled as quickly as possible when the action ends, with priority given to the most vulnerable victims and witnesses.

"Although we will be contacting all those affected directly, our Victim and Witness Care Unit is point of contact for victims and witnesses whose case has been referred to the PPS."

The statement added: "We will continue to engage with all our partners and will provide further updates as the situation develops."