CHIEF Justice Zaila McCalla announced Monday that a special courtroom at the Supreme Court has been assigned to hear matters related to sexual offences.

The chief justice agreed to designate the special courtroom after the alarming figures presented by the director of public prosecutions, who indicated a significant increase in sexual matters.

The announcement was made at Monday’s opening of the Hilary Term of the Home Circuit Court. Of the 939 cases set for trial this term, 419 of them are for sexual offences.

The assignment of a special courtroom is among several initiatives aimed at reducing the inventory of cases before the court.

The chief justice also spoke about an additional courtroom in the parish of St Catherine to hear Circuit Court matters extended Circuit Court in some parishes, and sentence reduction days.

Chief Justice McCalla, meanwhile, reiterated that all participants in the justice system have a duty to continue to work assiduously to improve the courts and to inspire trust and confidence in the process.