A strike by criminal barristers has disrupted 965 court cases in Northern Ireland since January 5. Justice Minister Naomi Long provided the figure to the Northern Ireland Assembly. The cases include 195 trials, 469 arraignments, and 301 plea and sentencing hearings.

Long stated that the number of victims, witnesses, and defendants affected exceeds those figures. She expressed concern over the stress placed on victims and their families. The action stems from a dispute over legal aid fees, halting crown court cases for those needing legal aid.

Derogations permit some trials to continue, such as the case of a man accused of murdering Natalie McNally in 2022 and the case of a man accused of murdering Chloe Mitchell in 2023. The Public Prosecution Service now holds sole responsibility for deciding which high-priority cases proceed.

Long noted that the Criminal Bar Association previously decided case priorities, creating a conflict of interest. An independent accelerated review of the issues started on Friday and will conclude before April 27.

UUP leader Jon Burrows claimed the Criminal Bar Association proposed an accelerated review on January 13 and offered to handle priority cases. Long called this inaccurate, stating the review offer required a return to work, with her sole condition being that the association no longer selects priority cases.

Long urged the Criminal Bar Association to resume work, adding that their attendance would not affect the review outcome. She hopes for improved relations to avoid future disputes.

In separate Assembly exchanges, Sinn Fein MLA Gerry Kelly asked about expanding the Domestic Homicide Review model to domestic abuse-related suicides. Long acknowledged established links between domestic abuse and suicide but noted challenges in proving a clear causative link due to multiple factors.