Odeon delivers digital solution for Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service

An Odeon cinema in Edinburgh, Scotland is set to host virtual high court jury trials.

In a UK first, five of its screens are being converted into jury boxes where 15 randomly selected members of the public will decide various cases.

The cinema in Fort Kinnaird will be closed to the public from 8am to 6pm on weekdays, allowing justice to be served during the coronavirus pandemic.

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At weekends, after a deep clean, it will be converted back into a cinema again. The project, which follows a pilot and for which Odeon is pocketing an undisclosed amount, will start in October and run for six months.

The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service will also use a further 11 screens at another complex in Glasgow. On its court estate, courtrooms are being fitted out with the cameras and technology necessary to broadcast the trials to the cinema screens and to receive a video wall of jurors into the courtroom.

Jurors will sit physically distanced and will be presented with four views on the cinema screen. At all times the screen will show the judge and the accused, with the other screens showing witnesses, prosecutor/defence or evidence.

The jury deliberation takes place in the same cinema room, with physically distanced tables and chairs linked by microphones.

Ronnie Renucci QC, Vice-Dean of Faculty and President of the Scottish Criminal Bar Association, says: “The use of cinemas as remote jury centres is an innovative and unique solution to the problem of conducting jury trials during the present restrictions”

“ More importantly, it is a workable solution that allows jury trials to proceed at a sustainable level, which should prevent the present backlog rising further.”

“With a brand that’s been around for over 80 years, we are the most iconic name in cinema. We’re also the most innovative. I’m incredibly proud that we have led the way in delivering a quality, safe and digital solution for the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service,” Paul Wren, Senior Commercial Manager at Odeon Cinemas Group, said in a LInkedIn post.