Ellie Reeves comments on Rape Crisis report on the devastating impact of record court delays on sexual violence survivors

Ellie Reeves MP, Labour’s Shadow Justice Minister, commenting on a Rape Crisis report into the devastating impact of record court delays on sexual violence survivors, said: 

“After 13 years of failure, the Conservatives are missing in action in the fight to tackle violence against women and girls.  

“The number of CPS staff and courts has fallen since 2010, and the Government has left the system powerless to deal with the largest courts backlog on record. Rape survivors are now denied justice for years, with a fraction of the number of rapists being punished.  

“Labour has made it a national mission to halve levels of violence against women and girls. We will speed up justice for victims by opening specialist rape courts to fast track these cases and increase the number of prosecutors to put rapists behind bars. That’s how we will prevent crime, punish criminals, and protect communities.”