The government has announced a significant boost in funding to address the growing backlog of cases in the Crown Court system. This investment aims to create an additional 1,250 Crown Court sitting days nationwide, enabling more cases to be processed and accelerating justice for victims, Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Justice, David Lammy, confirmed.
Recent official data reveals the Crown Court backlog has reached unprecedented levels for the ninth consecutive quarter. Between April and June this year alone, 1,400 new cases were added, bringing the total nationwide backlog to 78,329 cases.
Among these are a record 13,238 sexual offence cases, including 4,086 adult rape cases and 1,759 child rape cases. Avon and Somerset’s backlog mirrors this troubling trend, rising from 3,213 cases in June last year to 3,365 cases between March and June this year — the highest on record for the region.
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The situation has worsened significantly since before the pandemic. In June 2019, Avon and Somerset recorded just 1,569 cases, less than half the current figure. Sexual offence cases in the region have also increased, with 411 currently pending—up from 346 the previous year. These include 174 adult rape and 55 child rape cases.
David Lammy emphasized the human impact behind the numbers: “The Crown Court backlog we inherited stands at over 78,000 and behind each case is a real person, waiting years for justice.”
He added, “This is why we are making the biggest investment on record as part of our Plan for Change. Allocating an additional 1,250 sitting days this financial year will help the courts hear significantly more cases.”
While acknowledging that substantial reform is still needed, Lammy expressed hope that this funding boost will ease the backlog’s strain and bring quicker justice to victims nationwide.