Rape victims wait 12 months or extra for courtroom instances as Rishi Sunak misses key goal
More than a quarter of victims of serious crimes are waiting a year or more for their case to be heard in the crown court, the official spending watchdog has found.
More than 6,500 cases have been waiting two or more years as the Tories fail to get a grip on the crisis. In a blow to Rishi Sunak as he kickstarts his election campaign, the Government’s target to reduce the courts backlog has been ruled “no longer achievable” by the National Audit Office.
The watchdog said long waits are “prolonging the distress of victims, witnesses and defendants” and increasing the risk of cases collapsing. It comes as the PM tried to celebrate 14 years of Tory rule as he took to the airwaves after announcing the General Election will be held on July 4.
In 2021, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) set a target to reduce the backlog to 53,000 by March 2025 – but it has continued to grow since then. More than 67,000 cases were waiting to be heard at the end of 2023. The MoJ now estimates the figure will only go down to 64,000 by next March – more than 10,000 above its target.
Some 27% of the backlog cases have been waiting a year or more to be heard, with 6,523 waiting two years or more. Almost a fifth (18%) of cases awaiting trial are sexual offences, and cases involving violence against a person are nearly a third (32%), the NAO found.
A shortage of criminal lawyers, a high number of complex rape cases and delays from the pandemic are among reasons blamed for the long waits. The NAO also warned the condition of crown courts “may in future be a barrier to reducing the backlog” as it said courtrooms are frequently taken out of action due to, for example, leaks or heating failures.
In its report, the NAO said: “Delays are exacerbating the impact on victims and witnesses, as well as increasing the risk of cases collapsing. Longer delays mean victims and witnesses may withdraw from proceedings, or their recollection of evidence declines over time. It can also impact victims’ mental wellbeing, and that of defendants awaiting trial.”
The watchdog added that the MoJ is unable to say how much has been spent on addressing the backlog “because additional funding is added to operational budgets across the criminal justice system and is not separately monitored”.
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “The Crown Court sat for over 107,000 days last year, more days than at any point in the last seven years. We are also investing more in the system, rolling out remote hearings, extending the use of Nightingale courts and recruiting hundreds of judges to get victims the justice they deserve and put more offenders behind bars.”
