Special court deals with 168 cases in one month after police chief's pledge to tackle domestic violence

A special domestic abuse court has dealt with 168 cases in its first month of operation. It has been set up at Warrington Magistrates' Court after a pledge by the Chief Constable of Cheshire to tackle a backlog of alleged domestic violence crimes.

The court began on April 4 after being delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Any case where there is a charge for a domestic abuse offence will be heard and will remain there unless a trial is required. It helps to ensure consistency in how cases are prepared and dealt with.

A dedicated police officer with specialist knowledge and skills is based at the court to liaise with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and police to ensure that there are no issues that could risk delaying the case, causing it to be re-listed or deferred to a later date.

In its first month of operation, a total of 168 cases have been listed and of these, 42 cases have been dealt with on the first appearance with 13 committed to crown court for trial, sentencing or plea hearing. A total of 54 cases have been adjourned for pleas, trial or pre-sentence reports and eight cases have resulted in offenders being remanded into custody.

In November an operation aimed at targeting domestic abuse perpetrators resulted in a total of 60 arrests across Cheshire. Operation Guardians took place over a period of 72-hours from Tuesday 23 to Thursday 25 November and was aimed at targeting those suspected of committing domestic abuse while boosting the support available to victims and families affected.

Assistant Chief Constable Una Jennings said: "There is no doubt that the court is playing a crucial part in driving home how important it is to deliver justice for victims of domestic violence.

"From early observations we