Bradford's magistrates are giving the district's ethnic minorities the chance to witness court cases from the other side of the Bench.

The city has been chosen as one of 12 to take part in a national project where people from ethnic minority groups will shadow magistrates for about six months.

Chairman of the bench, Angela Barker, said one of the main aims was for those taking part to act as "ambassadors" within their community and pass on information about what they gained from the scheme to others.

"It will help promote the role of the magistrate within the community where they work or live," she said.

She said it was also hoped that some taking part would go on to apply to become a JP.

Of the 340 magistrates in Bradford, 18 per cent are from ethnic minority backgrounds and Mrs Barker said she hoped this figure would increase because of the programme.

David Odunukwe, an office manager of Heaton, said he applied to shadow a JP to gain an insight into how the judicial system worked.

"It is a way of getting closer to the judicial process and how it all fits together," said the 50-year-old.

"I recently did jury service and I found it fascinating, so when I heard about this I was keen to give it a go."

He said it was also important that the bench reflected the district's diverse community.

Residential social worker Mohammed Liaquat, 32, of Bradford Moor, said he planned to apply to be a magistrate at the end of the six months.

"It's something I've thought about in the past and I'm eager to see what the role entails," he said.

The project was piloted in Bradford last year after being launched in London by Operation Black Vote - an initiative focused on getting a political voice for ethnic minority communities in Britain.