SURREY — Surrey provincial court now has a courtroom specifically dedicated to dealing with domestic violence cases.
"There is a large volume of domestic violence cases, which are currently spread out in Court 101, 102 and 103," Crown prosecutor Winston Sayson told the Now. "After consultations with a number of agencies, it was decided that all pre-trial domestic violence cases are dealt with in one courtroom for efficiency purposes. This is a pilot project that will we eventually reviewed."
Crown spokesman Dan McGlaughlin said the new "front end" criminal court is, as of this past Monday, will handle bail hearings, sentencings and arraignment hearings in cases involving "short and uncontested matters" in courtroom 104.
It's hoped to relieve pressure on Surrey provincial court, which McGlaughlin said is "certainly one of the busiest if not the busiest courthouses in the province."
The new criminal remand court will be evaluated after nine months.
McGlaughlin noted that a "significant" portion of Surrey provincial court's caseload — 28 per cent — involves domestic violence cases.
tom.zytaruk@thenownewspaper.com