Sadiq Khan warns record court backlog has stretched London’s victim support services to ‘breaking point’
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has called on the UK government to take urgent action to tackle the court backlog, after warning the capital’s victim support services are “being stretched to breaking point”.
In a letter to Justice Secretary Dominic Raab, the Mayor of London said delays of up to five years for rape and sexual assault trials are “exacerbating trauma” and “increasing the likelihood of victims withdrawing from the justice system altogether,” as he called on the government take urgent steps “to tackle the court backlog.”
Khan warned that the court delays, paired with a 35 per cent increase in the number of sexual offences, are putting the capital’s “stretched support services in an impossible position,” that has seen London’s rape crisis centres forced to turn away new referrals.
“We’re doing all we can from City Hall but we urgently need the Government to step forward and take steps to tackle the court backlog and ensure that support services are able to help Londoners in their time of need,” Khan said.
The call comes as there are currently almost 16,000 cases waiting to be heard in London’s Crown Courts and nearly 73,000 cases waiting to be heard by London magistrates. The record backlog as shortages of barristers and solicitors, Covid, and cuts in the criminal justice system have seen the backlog soar.
The ongoing criminal barristers’ strike has also impacted more than 1,000 cases since members of the Criminal Bar Association voted to strike over legal aid fees last month.
London’s Independent Victims’ Commissioner Claire Waxman OBE said: “The criminal justice system has been chronically underfunded for more than decade and its now struggling to deliver justice. Victims are already having to wait years for their day in court, and now they are having difficulties accessing vital support services.”
Andrea Simon, director End Violence Against Women Coalition, said: “We are seeing a growth in what was already an unacceptable backlog in the courts, meaning rape survivors commonly wait years for their cases to get to trial.”