NEW courts are to become permanent in the North-East following a successful pilot period.

The Government has announced it is to broaden the "sensitive" court scheme, after successful trials in seven areas, including County Durham.

Pioneering sittings have seen magistrates dealing purely with domestic and race-related crimes in sessions at courts in Newton Aycliffe, Peterlee and Consett.

Sensitive areas covered are cases involving not only domestic violence, but those with racist, homophobic and other hate-based elements.

Domestic violence is said to account for 17 per cent of all recorded crime nationally, with more than two women killed by a current or former partner every week.

Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) lawyer Steven Orange, chairman of the planning group for the sensitive cases courts, welcomed the scheme's expansion, which will see County Durham included in 25 new dedicated sensitive court areas nationally.

He said it will enable the group to seek more financial backing to improve the service for victims of all such crime, specifically domestic violence cases.

He added: "We want victims to feel very much better supported in the court process, to make them feel they are not on their own."

Since the sensitive courts began sitting, at Newton Aycliffe, in January, there has been a marked increase in the number of cases coming to court in each category.

The conviction rate for domestic violence in County Durham and Darlington area was already higher than average, at 71 per cent, but has risen to 79 per cent.

Similar results have been noted in the other six areas during the pilot. Partners include police, CPS, magistrates, the Darlington and County Durham Racial Equality Council and Gay Advice Darlington.