Conviction Rates for Sexual Offences

There is a backlog of rape and sexual offences cases in the Crown Courts in England and Wales.

According to statistics published by the Ministry of Justice in December 2023, there were over 66,000 outstanding cases in English and Welsh Crown Courts, of which, as you say, almost 10,000 concern charges of rape or another serious sexual offence. This is the highest figure since records began almost a decade ago in 2014.

I believe that Ministers should focus on tackling these backlogs, but it remains to be seen whether the funding and other steps they have announced will be enough. I will continue to monitor developments on this matter very closely.

I note that Max Hill KC, who headed the Crown Prosecution Service from 2018 until last year, has stated that this backlog will continue for some time. I am therefore very concerned the Government is failing to address this problem.

It is a basic requirement in a democracy that justice is delivered, and the law enforced, in a timely way. I worry that people have lost faith in the system given that it takes longer than ever to go to trial in some of the most serious offences, including rape.

More widely, I take the view that backlogs are not the only problem with the way that the Criminal Justice system works at present. I am also concerned that the Criminal Justice Bill, does not go far enough in its measures to address the problem of violence against women and girls. In my view, there needs to be rape investigation units in every police force, domestic abuse experts working with 999, and other measures so that the Police can better identify and go after the most dangerous repeat abusers and rapists to get them off our streets.