Court delays impacting victims of crime - charity

Unresolved cases set to go before crown courts across Yorkshire were at a seven year high, new figures from the Ministry of Justice showed

Long delays in court cases coming to trial are putting victims off reporting crimes, according to a charity.

A backlog of more than 4,600 outstanding cases waiting to go through crown courts in Yorkshire is at a seven-year high, latest figures show.

Sexual abuse charity Support After Rape and Violence Leeds said delays across the court system created another barrier for victims of crime.

The Ministry of Justice said new plans were in place "to speed up justice".

Figures from the ministry showed before the coronavirus pandemic there were just over 2,700 cases waiting to go through the crown courts in Yorkshire.

Now, that figure has increased by almost 2,000 cases.

More than 4,600 crown court cases were outstanding in Yorkshire in the third quarter of 2021, figures from the Ministry of Justice showed

Katie Russell, chief executive at the charity Support After Rape and Violence Leeds, said the pandemic was contributing to the backlog, with some survivors of sexual abuse still waiting for their cases to be heard.

"One or two years from the point of reporting to actually getting an outcome in court was not uncommon," she said.

"Because of the pandemic, and the circumstances around it, we've seen perhaps an inevitable further delay and in cases now in our experience, it's a very serious length of time, many years from start to finish."

One survivor of historic sexual abuse told the BBC they have been waiting for almost four years for their case to be heard, impacting their recovery.

"I reported my abuse in September 2018. One of my abusers is due to stand trial this October, the other abuser's trial date is yet to be set and it is likely to be another year from now. That's five years.

"I'm unable to have my counselling and start my healing process until after all the trials are finished."

• Criminal prosecution delays hit record 708 days

• More stories from across Yorkshire

Budget cuts to courts and the scaling back of legal aid have contributed to the backlog, some in the justice profession have said.

Gordon Stables, barrister from Sheffield law firm St John's Buildings, said a shortage of judges was adding to the problem.

"Sheffield can now operate in 13 criminal courts but finding the judges to do judging in 13 courts and finding the barristers is a major problem," he added.

The Ministry of Justice said the pandemic created unprecedented issues for the criminal justice system "but we have a package of measures to tackle court backlogs and deliver the swift access to justice victims deserve".

A spokesperson added it had put £500m towards speeding up justice, including new Nightingale courtrooms and increased sentencing powers for magistrates.