Justice system 'broken' says rape crisis charity

Domestic violence is on the rise in the East of England

The head of a charity helping women who have been raped has described the criminal justice system as "broken".

Dawn Thomas, chief executive of Northamptonshire Rape Crisis, spoke to BBC Politics East after Home Office figures showed domestic violence has increased by more than 100% over the past seven years in the East of England.

Ms Thomas said the problem was such that when Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer talked about halving violence to women she said “it seems like a sweeping statement”.

The government said the criminal justice system was "in crisis" and said it was "committed to fast-tracking rape cases".

Chief executive of Northamptonshire Rape Crisis, Dawn Thomas, has concerns about the growth of violence against women

Latest statistics from the Home Office showed that domestic abuse-related crimes (which predominantly impact women) rose by 109% between 2015-16 and 2022-23 in the East of England.

In total, the number of domestic-related crimes rose from 59,213 to 124,082.

Norfolk saw a rise of 157%, while Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Thames Valley saw rises of about 130%. Bedfordshire saw a rise of about 70%, Hertfordshire 58% and Northamptonshire 53%.

According to the charity Refuge, 84% of the victims of domestic abuse cases are women.

Ms Thomas raised concerns about violence against women and the delays in the criminal justice system.

She said she hoped Sir Keir's talk of halving violence would help campaigning organisations.

“There’s a shortage of barristers and delays from magistrates to Crown Court which should be within two years and it is taking longer than two years," she said.

"So to halve it I think is a sweeping statement."

Sir Keir Starmer met people supporting victims of violence against women and girls (VAWG) during a visit to The Arc centre in Scunthorpe before he became PM

She added: "If we are to halve the number of victims of violence, we have to have meaningful campaigns and the time taken to get to court and secure a conviction has to be looked at.”

She continued: “The criminal justice system is broken. The struggle to get your case heard, reviewed by the CPS through to court takes an incredibly long time.

"It takes a toll on survivors. We must remember that less that 15% of victims of sexual violence actually choose to report it.”

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said the government recognised there was "more to be done" and was "committed to halving violence against women and girls within a decade".

“The criminal justice system is in crisis – evidenced by the significant Crown Court backlog which is having a devastating impact on the wait for justice," they added.

"Addressing this is a priority for this government which is why we have committed to fast-tracking rape cases as a first step to reducing the number of outstanding cases.”

BBC Politics East will be broadcast on Sunday, 29 September at 10:00 GMT on BBC One in the East of England, and will be available after broadcast on BBC iPlayer.

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