Rape and violent crime victims kept waiting for justice as backlog of cases at Northampton Crown Court grows

A backlog of cases at Northampton Crown Court was growing even before a strike by barristers added to delays, figures show.

The Law Society of England and Wales warned trust in the criminal justice system is in “jeopardy” with victims of the most serious crimes facing long waits to see their case get to court.

Latest Ministry of Justice data shows there were 609 outstanding cases at Northampton Crown Court at the end of June — up from 572 at the end of March.

Uncompleted case numbers are ​47 percent higher than they were prior to the coronavirus pandemic including 137 relating to alleged violent attacks and 111 for sex offences — including 25 alleged rapes.

In June 2019, there were 413 cases outstanding at Northampton Crown Court.

Diana Fawcett chief executive of charity Victim Support said: “Long waits for trial cause immense stress and misery for victims. Sadly, wait times for court are only part of the problem – many people have already waited years from reporting the crime to the police to their case reaching the courts.

“This a particular problem for victims of sexual violence – our case workers are supporting victims who have been waiting upwards of five years to have their cases heard.”

Across England and Wales, 59,700 cases were yet to be concluded at the end of June – up two percent from March, and a rise of nearly three-quarters compared to June 2019, when 34,500 were outstanding.

Stephanie Boyce, president of the Law Society, which represents solicitors, said the national backlog of criminal court cases has left victims and defendants facing “unacceptable delays”.

She added: “The criminal justice system has been devastated by years of underfunding and cuts and there are not enough judges, barristers and solicitors to cover all the cases.

“Trust in the system is in real jeopardy and a system collapse would embolden criminals.

“The UK Government is falling way short of addressing the crisis in the criminal justice system. You cannot fix the problems in the system unless you fund all parts of it effectively."

Criminal barristers in England and Wales have been taking part in a continuous walkout after their row with the Government over fees intensified.

Members of the Criminal Bar Association are set to vote this week on whether to end strike action after being offered ‘a comprehensive package’ including a 15 percent fee increase for new and existing cases, with a decision due on Monday (October 10).

Mark Fenhalls KC, chairman of the Bar Council, which regulates barristers, welcomed news of the CBA ballot and added that the Government should commit to a funding package for the justice system which would see every serious case in the crown court offered a trial date within six months.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “Restoring the swift access to justice victims deserve is our absolute priority.

“The Government has deployed a range of measures – including unlimited sitting days, Nightingale courts and increasing magistrate sentencing powers – that has reduced the backlog in crown courts by over 2,000 from its pandemic-induced peak and seen magistrates cases return to pre-pandemic levels.”