The latest statistics can be found online here: Criminal court statistics
quarterly: October to December 2025 - GOV.UK
Minister for Courts and Legal Services, KC, said:
“With a record-breaking backlog of over 80,000 cases,
the Crown Court is on the brink of collapse. The scale
of this crisis has left victims bearing the brunt of years of
neglect, facing devastating delays.
“Through pragmatic reform, historic investment and increased
efficiency, we are pulling every lever at our disposal to drive
down the backlog. Victims have waited long enough – and we will
deliver the swift, fair justice they deserve.”
Guidance:
- The Crown Court caseload has increased
to 80,203 cases in December, up 8% on the
previous year.
- Time from receipt at the Crown Court to completion for rape
cases took an average of 429 days.
The Government has taken immediate action to deliver swifter and
fairer justice, including:
-
- Investing up to £92 million more per year for criminal
legal aid solicitor fees and up to £34m more a year for
criminal legal aid advocate fees.
- Removing the financial limit on Crown Court sitting days,
so it can hear as many cases as possible to speed up justice
for victims.
- Increasing magistrates' courts' sentencing powers from 6
to 12 months so that Crown Court time can be reserved for the
most serious and complex cases.
- However, incoming demand is so high that even sitting at
record levels will not on its own reduce the outstanding
caseload. Only by pulling every lever we have, investment, reform
and efficiency, can we turn the tide on the backlog and begin to
deliver justice for victims.
- Everyone has, and will always have, the right to a fair
trial. But there is no right to trial by jury and over 90% of all
criminal cases are already heard, fairly, without a jury, by
magistrates.
- This is not a radical departure from existing practice. In
our magistrates' courts, District Judges already determine guilt
sitting alone in thousands of similar cases every year.
