Specialist courts handling rape and other sexual offences will be established throughout England and Wales over the next two years, according to an announcement by Prime Minister Andy Burnham. Each crown court is set to feature at least one dedicated courtroom designed to better serve survivors.
The initiative, funded from the Ministry of Justice budget with an estimated cost of £23m, includes several key reforms. Victims will benefit from private entrances and separate waiting areas to avoid contact with defendants. Court staff will receive trauma-informed training, and each survivor will be assigned a single point of contact. Additionally, trials will move away from floating lists and instead be given fixed dates starting next month.
Burnham described the changes as long overdue, noting that prosecution rates for rape remain unacceptably low and many victims endure years of waiting. “For too long, victims of rape and serious sexual offences have felt let down by our justice system,” he said. He emphasized that while securing justice for victims is critical, the government must also focus on preventing these crimes from occurring in the first place.
The announcement follows the public testimony of Labour MP Charlotte Nichols, who waived her right to anonymity in March to share her experience of waiting more than 1,000 days for her case to go to court. Nichols, who was raped, criticized former Justice Secretary David Lammy for using crime victims to push through reforms that would limit jury trials to cases carrying sentences of three years or more. Her attacker was acquitted at crown court but later ordered to pay compensation after Nichols won a civil case.
Ciara Bergman, chief executive of Rape Crisis England and Wales, welcomed the plans as a “significant step forward.” She stated that the measures address reforms the charity had advocated for years and reflect the urgency of making courts fit for purpose for survivors.
The Conservatives also acknowledged the need for reform. Shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy called the tackling of trial delays “long overdue” but urged the Labour government to scrap plans to restrict jury trials. He argued that the current system has caused victims to withdraw cases due to prolonged waits, calling it a disgrace.
Last year, the Salford Survivor Project highlighted that record-high court backlogs were severely impacting victims’ mental health. One victim told BBC News she dropped her case against a taxi driver after delays stretched from her report in early 2022 to an adjournment in September 2024, citing the desire not to suffer further trauma.
The changes align with Labour’s 2024 manifesto pledge to halve violence against women and girls within a decade. The Crown Prosecution Service noted that without witness testimony, cases often fail due to insufficient evidence, underscoring the importance of timely proceedings.
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