Criminal barristers currently involved in industrial action in a dispute over legal aid have voted in favour of extending the strike into next month.
Last month the Criminal Bar Association announced that barristers would be withdrawing from all Legally-Aided Crown Court cases for a four week period running from January 6 to 31.
It is understood that correspondence related to the industrial action was sent by the Department of Justice earlier this month - and the outcome of that was deemed to be unsatisfactory to the Bar Council.
As a result, a second vote was held where four options were proposed: no extension of the strike, a one-week extension, a two-week extension and a four-week extension.
Of the 218 criminal barristers who voted, 77% opted in favour of a four-week extension.
This means that instead of the industrial action ending this Friday (31st), it will now continue throughout February.
Business in Belfast Crown Court has been massively impacted by the strike, and despite arraignments, pleas and trials being listed, a majority of these cases did not proceed in January.
They were adjourned and re-listed into February - but as the industrial action has now been extended for four weeks, it is likely they will now not go ahead next month.
Cases which are currently listed next week, but which may not proceed, include:
*The resumption of a trial concerning the April 2019 murder of Lyra McKee which involves ten defendants from Derry
*A murder trial concerning the death of Bangor man Ryan McNab who died in Rathcoole in October 2022
*The sentencing of John David Scott who pleaded guilty to murdering his partner Natasha Melendez in April 2020
*The case involving eight men and one woman who are due to be sentenced for a range of charges arising from the January 2019 murder of east Belfast father-of-two Ian Ogle.