{"id":203857,"date":"2023-04-20T16:12:21","date_gmt":"2023-04-20T16:12:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/?p=203857"},"modified":"2023-04-20T16:12:21","modified_gmt":"2023-04-20T16:12:21","slug":"devastating-toll-of-londons-court-delays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/devastating-toll-of-londons-court-delays\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Devastating\u2019 toll of London\u2019s court delays"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n
<\/p>\n

\n
Victims, witnesses and defendants are waiting years for justice<\/a> as London<\/a>\u2019s courts<\/a> are weighed down by a quarter of the national criminal case backlog, new figures reveal. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The number of cases waiting to be heard has nearly doubled across England and Wales in the past four years, thanks to funding cutbacks, the pandemic and a feud between barristers and government<\/a> over legal aid rates. In London, fresh data shows the capital\u2019s crown courts are dealing with more than a quarter of the 60,898 backlog, compared with a 20 per cent share four years ago. <\/p>\n

The average time between a crime happening and justice being served is now over a year \u2014 for the first time in a decade. Trials are being farmed out to courts in Winchester and Swansea in a bid to combat London\u2019s backlog, while three Nightingale courts remain open to take on extra cases. <\/p>\n

However, Kirsty Brimelow KC, chairman of the Criminal Bar Association, hit out at the \u201cdevastating waste of money\u201d when trials cannot happen due to a lack of lawyers. \u201cIt is devastating to complainants, victims, witnesses, and defendants,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The impact on those caught up in the criminal justice system in London is clear to see on a daily basis, as judges make routine apologies for delays of a year or more, while barristers tell victims and defendants to prepare themselves for a long wait. <\/p>\n