Court delay victims invited to give feedback by Victims’ Commissioner

The Victims’ Commissioner, Baroness Helen Newlove, has launched a survey aimed at understanding how prolonged court waiting times, particularly those caused by the Crown Court backlog, are affecting victims across England and Wales.  

This initiative comes amid growing concerns that lengthy delays within the criminal justice system are leading to an increased number of victims walking away, and placing strain on the services designed to support them. 

The survey is open to any victim whose case resulted in a charge by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), regardless of when the crime occurred or whether the case is still ongoing. 

Available in both English and Welsh, the survey is anonymous and offers victims a platform to share their experiences. 

How severe is the court delay backlog? 

Recent data from the Ministry of Justice highlights the severity of the current situation. A record 67,573 open cases are currently clogging the Crown Court, with 16,031 of these pending for over a year. 

Over a quarter of cases were rearranged on the day of trial by the end of December 2023.  

This delay has severe consequences on the victims it is intended to support. For example, 59% of adult rape investigations were discontinued due to victims withdrawing from the process.  

A poor outcome for victims, according to Victims’ Commissioner

Baroness Newlove stated, “No one should be expected to wait years before their case gets to court. Yet justice is not being delivered in a timely or effective way, and it is victims who are ultimately paying the price.  

“With a record backlog in our Crown Courts, the justice system is under immense strain, and we cannot ignore its impact on victims.” 

Baroness Newlove is no stranger to the UK courts system. Her husband, Gary Newlove, was murdered in 2007 in a gang attack. She has since advocated for better support for victims, as a prominent community activist and later as Victims’ Commissioner. 

She continued, “I often hear from frustrated victims anxiously awaiting their day in court. Stuck in limbo for years, one victim even questioned whether a justice system inflicting such delays on victims can even claim to be delivering justice. It is clear to me that these aren’t isolated examples. These are systemic issues, and it is causing victims real and undue distress.” 

The feedback collected from this survey will be instrumental in shaping an upcoming report that will propose measures to alleviate the burden on victims.  

The survey is available on the Victims’ Commissioner’s website and will remain open until Thursday 12 September 2024. Victims are encouraged to share their experiences. 

 Image: Official 3:2 portrait of Baroness Newlove made available by UK Parliament under an Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) licence

Josie Miller Josie is an editor for Claims Media. She welcomes feedback, comments, and opinion at josie.miller@barkerbrooks.co.uk