Average waiting times for rape cases to be resolved in court have reached a record 386 days, according to new figures. This represents a significant increase since the Labour government took office in July 2024, with a 61-day jump in the average duration for adult rape cases to pass through the justice system.
The figures for the second quarter of the current year also show a 22-day increase compared to the first quarter. For cases where a suspect has been charged with rape, the average wait from charge to completion stands at 409 days. This is up from 384 days in the previous quarter and approaches the peak of 416 days seen in the second quarter of 2021, a period affected by COVID-19 pandemic disruptions.
Across all crime types, the average waiting time from charge to case completion was 189 days. This is an increase from 176 days prior to the General Election, though still below the peak of 222 days recorded at the end of 2021.
The overall court backlog has surged by nearly 100,000 cases since the General Election, reaching a record high of over 460,000 cases. As of the end of June, 80,829 cases were awaiting trial in Crown courts, with an additional 380,230 cases in magistrates' courts, representing a 9% annual increase.
These delays occur as the government's plans to address the backlog have faced scrutiny. A proposal to replace jury trials with judge-only trials in thousands of cases annually was recently abandoned by Prime Minister Andy Burnham. However, the government intends to proceed with judge-only trials for complex and lengthy cases, initially focusing on fraud, with concerns raised by the Criminal Bar Association that this could extend to other areas and create a "two-tier justice system."