Record number of victims and witnesses pulling out of trials due to court delays - Ellie Reeves

Ellie Reeves MP, Labour’s Shadow Solicitor General, responding to recent figures that a record number of victims and witnesses have pulled out of trials due to court delays, said:

“This Tory government is letting victims down on every front.

“With over 54,000 outstanding cases in our crown courts and victims of rape being left for over two years to wait for their court date, victims have been abandoned by this government on their quest for justice.

“The Government needs to increase the amount of nightingale courts to tackle the backlog and ensure that the criminal justice system will be there for us when we need it.”

Ends

Notes to editor:

• CPS figures show in the three months to June 30, 1,292 cases ended in no conviction due to 'complainant issues'. This rose 79 per cent to 2,308 in the quarter to September 30 https://www.cps.gov.uk/publication/cps-data-summary-quarter-2-2020-2021

• Prosecutors have seen a 79 per cent rise in legal proceedings ending with no conviction due to the withdrawals.

• Analysis of data shows four times as many trials are being postponed every week than are going ahead. With some court dates for rape victims being pushed back to 2023.