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England and Wales to have specialist courts for rape cases
The reforms aim to cut delays after rape cases took 424 days on average to complete last year, officials said.
- Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced specialist courtrooms for rape and serious sexual offences will be established in every Crown Court in England and Wales over the next two years.
- Funding of around £23 million will support "trauma-informed training" for court staff and shift trials from "floating lists" to fixed dates starting next month, addressing delays that often cause survivors to withdraw cases.
- Labour MP Charlotte Nichols, who waited 1,088 days for her own trial, called the reforms a "hugely important milestone" reflecting her advocacy for a victim-focused justice system.
- Rape Crisis England and Wales welcomed the announcement as a "significant step forward for our justice system," with Chief Executive Ciara Bergman emphasizing courts must better meet survivor needs.
- Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy called the delay-tackling measures "long overdue" but criticized the government's separate plans to restrict jury trials, arguing backlogs should not undermine the right to trial by jury.
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Britain Creates Special Rape Courts as Victims Wait Over a Year for Justice
Rape victims in England and Wales now wait an average of 424 days just to get through the Crown Court system, a staggering backlog that has pushed the government to create dedicated courtrooms exclusively for sexual assault cases.
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Total News Sources77
Leaning Left12Leaning Right11Center25Last UpdatedBias Distribution52% Center
Bias Distribution
- 52% of the sources are Center
52% Center
L 25%
C 52%
R 23%
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