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Minister warns it could take 300 years to bring courts backlog under control
MoJ figures show 22,124 crown court cases have waited a year or more, and ministers say major reforms are needed to prevent further delays.
- Justice Minister Sarah Sackman warned it could take "nearly 300 years" to clear the Crown backlog without major reforms, even as the backlog fell by 37 cases last quarter—the first decline in three years.
- Record numbers of victims are waiting over a year for cases to be heard, with Sexual offences comprising 5,053 of those long-term backlog cases, up sharply from 3,725 in 2025.
- Overall, there were 80,061 outstanding cases in the Crown backlog at the end of March, while the Ministry reported outstanding cases in magistrates' courts peaked at 370,722, up 11 per cent over the previous 12 months.
- Describing the state of the justice system as "absolutely dire" and "on the brink of collapse," Ministers argued that sweeping reforms were necessary to grip the problem.
- The Government has doubled down on plans to scale back jury trials to overhaul the justice system and cut the rising backlog of cases.
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The number of victims waiting more than a year for their cases to be heard in the UK has reached a record high. The backlog could take almost 300 years to resolve, according to UK Justice Secretary Sarah Sackman.
Court serving Salford sees backlog reduction amid warning of 300-year wait to clear cases
The main crown court serving Salford reduced the size of its backlog of cases during the first three months of the year. Manchester Crown Square cut its backlog between December 2025 and March 2026. It is the main Crown Court for cases from Salford, Manchester, Trafford and Manchester Airport. The release of new analysis detailing the decrease came after a justice minister said it could take “nearly 300 years” to bring the backlog of court cases…
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