A DISTRICT Court judge sitting in Albury had to swap courts with a magistrate yesterday so an audio-visual link could be used.
It happened a little more than a week after a rape trial for two men was aborted through a lack of an appropriate video link in the room used by the District Court.
Judge Paul Lakatos said the court was supposed to have first-world technology, but that was not the case.
He used the video link in the court where the magistrate presides for a short time yesterday.
He resumed sitting in his usual court for the rest of the day and magistrate Megan Greenwood then continued in her court.
A spokesman for NSW Attorney-General Greg Smith said last week circumstances surrounding the trial being aborted would be investigated, along with the feasibility of upgrading the facilities at Albury.
The spokesman, when advised of yesterday’s situation, said the audio-visual link facilities at Albury are to be shared by the local and district courts.
“The local court utilises AVL on a daily basis, particularly for bail applications, while the District Court needs the facilities less frequently,” he said.
“Parties who intend to call a witness via AVL in a District Court trial must notify the courthouse in advance.
‘That allows appropriate arrangements to be made.
“The department is continuing to improve its AVL network and courthouses that do not have such facilities are currently the highest priority.”