The backlog of crown court cases in England and Wales has hit a record number of almost 60,000 as waiting times rocket for victims and defendants. Figures released by the Ministry of Justice on Thursday showed there were 59,532 outstanding crown court cases by 31 March, up 45 per cent on the previous year.
A document said the figure was the highest level on record, and included all offence groups and case types.
Days after a government review of rape cases found that delays were among the factors driving plummeting prosecutions, the figures showed that the number of sexual offences cases awaiting trial had risen by 67 per cent in a year.
A fifth of crown court cases are taking more than a year to be heard, while the average waiting time has jumped by 43 per cent to 363 days.
There are also almost 400,000 outstanding magistrates’ court cases, up 21 per cent on the previous year.
The backlogs mean that some trials are now being scheduled in 2023, and the Lord Chief Justice has suggested radical measures including reducing jury sizes to speed processes up.
Read the full story from The Independent below:
Source: Crown court backlog hits record high of 60,000 cases as victims wait years for justice
