Wait for 'answer' delays Sheriff Court proceedings

A court was delayed for almost an hour because of an answering machine.

Courtroom 3 at the new Inverness Justice Centre was due to begin at 10am to deal with accused people who had given a police undertaking to attend court yesterday (Thursday).

But sheriff clerk Donna Jack had to explain to Sheriff Sara Matheson when she took the bench that they couldn't contact the fiscal depute assigned for the court.

"We are only getting an answering machine from the number given to us by the fiscal's office. We have been trying since 9.30am" Ms Jack said.

Sheriff Matheson ordered that a further effort be made but there was the same result – an answering machine.

Defence solicitor John MacColl and Natalie Paterson then informed the Sheriff that they would have been unable to deal with their cases in any event because they couldn't access the necessary papers.

Mr MacColl explained: "I have ten or eleven cases and can't get their papers because there is an instruction that we shouldn't attend at the fiscal office counter at the end of this corridor."

Eventually, after almost an hour and intervention by an unhappy Sheriff Matheson, an alternative phone number was provided and proceedings began.

It is understood the Sheriff summoned a senior fiscal to her chambers to resolve the impasse and the papers the solicitors required were delivered to them.