Stornoway Sheriff Court

• About the court
• Accessibility
• Complaints and feedback
• Contact the court
• Court Rolls
• Difficulty using the phone
• Directions to court
• Facilities
• Latest covid-19 information
• New, first instance custodies
• On arrival
• Opening times
• Pay a fine
• Public holidays
• Sheriffdom orders
• Useful websites

Hearings continue to call at Stornoway Sheriff Court

Jury trials which would otherwise call at Stornoway Sheriff Court were transferred to Inverness from July this year, due to the ongoing staffing challenges being faced by GEOAmey.

We would like to make it clear that all other hearings, including summary trials and civil hearings will still call at Stornoway Sheriff Court. Please only attend Inverness Sheriff Court if you have received a citation requiring you to do so.

The Order published in July requires new jury trials which would have called at Stornoway, Lerwick, Kirkwall, Portree and Lochmaddy Sheriff Courts to call at Inverness, Aberdeen or Peterhead Sheriff Courts instead.

Sheriff Principal Pyle has this order under constant review and is consulting with justice partners with a view to returning jury trials to island courts when practically possible.

Hub Courts for new, first instance custodies

New, first instance custody cases will continue to be heard in hub courts as first instance cases in each Sheriffdom as follows. Thereafter, if a further substantive hearing is assigned this will be to the court of local jurisdiction.

About the court

Stornoway Sheriff Court is situated in the town of Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis in the Western Isles. The Court jurisdiction covers the Islands of Lewis and Harris.

Contact the court

Postal address

Sheriff Court House
9 Lewis Street
Stornoway
HS1 2JF

Sheriff Clerk

Kenneth Finnie

Court accepts dative petitions, Special Petitions and Requirement of Writings applications only. Inventories and the issuing of confirmation is undertaken at Inverness Sheriff Court

Email

stornoway@scotcourts.gov.uk

Fax

01851 704296

Phone

01851 702231

Jury helpline

01851 702231

Difficulty using the phone

Phone interpreter

A phone interpreter service is available when you contact a court by phone or attend in person. To access this service ask for phone interpreter and the language required.

The phone interpreter service is not available during actual court proceedings.

Text relay service

If you are deaf, have hearing loss or are speech impaired you can contact us for free with Relay UK.

British Sign Language (BSL)

If you use British Sign Language (BSL) and wish to phone us using a sign language interpreter, you can use the online video relay interpreting service. For more information see the Contact Scotland BSL website.

Opening times

The Sheriff Clerk's office is open as follows:

Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 13:00 then from 14:00 to 16:00

Public holidays

2024

• January 1, 2
• March 29
• April 1
• May 6
• July 1
• August 19
• September 23
• December 2, 25, 26

Directions to court

The court is about 5-10 minutes walk from Stornoway town centre. Please use the Journey Planner for public transportation information.

By bus

The bus station is at South Beach and is a 5-10 minutes walk from the Court. Bus timetables can be found at the website.

By car

There is a public car park at the court. There are limited parking spaces which are on a first come first served basis. Other parking is available at South Beach Quay (Free Parking) and Perceval Square.

By taxi

There is a taxi rank 10 minute walk from the court.

By air

The nearest airport is Stornoway Airport (3 miles) - 01851 707400. There are daily flights to Glasgow, Inverness, Edinburgh and Aberdeen. There is no bus service to the Airport.

On arrival

On arrival please report to the sheriff clerk's office. You will be directed from there to where you need to go in the building.

Jurors on jury duty

If you are attending for jury duty please report to reception. If you are sitting on a jury, lunch and refreshments will be provided for you if the court sits into the afternoon.

Facilities

There are a small number of shops, cafes and hotels in Stornoway within walking distance of the court building where meals/snacks can be purchased. There are no refreshment facilities at the court.

Accessibility

Accessible hearing

A loop induction service is available in all courtrooms for people who have hearing difficulties. Please contact the sheriff clerk's office if you require to use this facility.

Accessible access

Access for wheelchair users is at the rear of the court building. If you have any specific access requirements please contact the sheriff clerk's office on 01851 702231.

Sheriffdom orders

The following Sheriffdom guidance, information and practice notes apply to this court. Please also refer to the Rules of Court and the Sheriffs Principal Guidance.