Court backlogs leaving thousands of sex assault victims waiting five years for trial

Thousands of sexual assault victims are waiting for up to five years to get a court date in the capital due to backlogs, according to Government figures.

Ministry of Justice figures show there were nearly 16,000 outstanding cases in London’s crown courts, and nearly 73,000 in magistrates courts between January and March 2022, with victims and survivors in the capital waiting for up to five years to get a court date.

The latest Office for National Statistics release on Crime in England and Wales in the year ending March 2022 also revealed that in London, police recorded more than 25,000 sexual offences – an increase of 35 per cent on the previous year, with 9,245 of these reports for rape – a 24 per cent increase on the previous year. 

Earlier this month, the London Survivors Gateway temporarily stopped taking new referrals and some London Rape Crisis Centres have been unable to add to their waiting lists for counselling.

London’s Independent Victims’ Commissioner Claire Waxman OBE said: “The criminal justice system has been chronically underfunded for more than decade and its now struggling to deliver justice.

“Victims are already having to wait years for their day in court, and now they are having difficulties accessing vital support services. I’m deeply concerned for the wellbeing and welfare of victims and it’s vital that swift action is taken to ensure they are supported.”

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has written to justice secretary Dominic Raab to take action to tackle the severe court backlogs that have contributed to support services being stretched to the limit.

Mr Khan said he has overseen more than £100m in investment in tackling violence against women and girls, but the government needs to act urgently to tackle the court backlog and address the capacity issues in the support services.

He said: “I am hugely concerned about the impact that the crisis in our justice system is having on survivors of rape and sexual offences in our city.

“It is unacceptable that victims and survivors are waiting up to five years to get a court date and now vitally important support services are being stretched to breaking point.

“This is exacerbating trauma, leaving vulnerable people feeling isolated and increasing the likelihood of victims withdrawing from the justice system altogether.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice said: “Rape convictions are up by more than a quarter on pre-pandemic levels and even more cases are reaching court following our Rape Action Plan.

“But we are restless to go further, which is why we are recruiting more independent sexual violence advisers for victims, improving collaboration between police and prosecutors and investing £477m to deliver speedier justice for victims and reduce the backlog of court cases from the pandemic.”

Pictured top: Looking up at the scales of justice at the top of the Old Bailey court in central London (Picture: Images George Rex)