Almost half of victims of rape, robbery and violent assault have had their trials delayed on the day they are prepared to give evidence, according to a damning watchdog report.
Baroness Newlove, the Victims’ Commissioner, said record court backlogs are ‘actively harming’ victims with some trials postponed up to six times at the last minute.
The number of trials that have been rescheduled more than three times on the day they were due to take place has quadrupled since 2020, the research found.
The Victims’ Commissioner said the findings lay bare the devastating human toll of court backlogs, with delays increasing the risk of victims withdrawing and damaging confidence in the justice system.
One victim of childhood sexual abuse has been waiting seven years for her case to be heard, during which time the perpetrator has died meaning she ‘will never see justice done’, the report says.
Another, who faced last minute delays and waited half a decade after first going to police aged 25, said: ‘It’s like I woke up one day and I’d lost five years of my life.’
Frequent court adjournments and lengthy delays have driven some victims to drink and drugs, and in some cases even led to self-harm, the Victims’ Commissioner found.
Many victims arrive at court prepared to give evidence only to be turned away at the last minute, with almost 48 per cent of victims with a scheduled trial date having it changed at least once.
And an increasing number of trials are being postponed three times or more at the last minute, with the number of completed Crown Court cases where the trial was rescheduled more than three times on the day increasing from 20 in 2019/20 to 87 in 2023/24.
Victims are often left in the dark, with more than a third saying they were given no explanation when their trial date was changed, even after steeling themselves to give evidence and travelling to court.
‘My report sadly confirms what I have long feared. These delays are not just administrative failings, they are actively harming victims and causing them real and undue stress,’ Baroness Newlove said.
‘There are many victims who get themselves psyched up in preparation for the court date to go ahead, only to suffer adjournment upon adjournment spanning several years.
‘This means some victims remain stuck in limbo, forced to relive their trauma over and over, unable to heal or move on. Others turn to alcohol or drugs to cope, some self-harmed. Tragically, I heard from victims who even contemplated ending their lives.’
It comes after the Government last year announced an independent review of the criminal courts, led by Sir Brian Leveson, after official figures showed backlogs hit record levels, with 73,105 outstanding cases at the end of September.
Baroness Newlove said the delays meant increasing numbers of victims were withdrawing from cases, adding: ‘For far too many victims, justice now feels out of reach. These delays don’t just prolong the process – they deepen the trauma.’
She also warned that delays mean the quality of victims’ statements are more likely to decline as memories fade, leading to ‘offenders walking free, justice denied and communities left at risk’.
It comes as the Ministry of Justice today [WEDS] announced that Crown Court judges will sit for a collective 110,000 days in the next financial year – 4,000 more than the previous year – in an effort to deliver swifter justice for victims.
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: ‘This Government inherited a record and rising courts backlog, with justice delayed and denied for far too many victims. Bearing down on that backlog is an essential element of our Plan for Change, bringing offenders to justice to keep our streets safe.
‘Funding a record number of sitting days is a critical first step. But there is more that we must and we will do. I have asked Sir Brian Leveson to consider radical reforms to deliver the swifter justice that victims deserve.’