Using specialist courts…

Many barristers are in hope that the government respect and move forward with their promise to open specialised courts for sexual offences and domestic abuse cases. In the 2024 manifesto, Labour explained they would put a specialist court in every Crown Court. They said this would help fast-track rape cases and would act as part of the strategy to tackle violence against women and girls.

The Bar Council and Criminal Bar Associations have suggested amendments to the Courts and Tribunals Bill. This consists of rape, sexual assault and domestic abuse cases to be given priority and be heard in the specialist court by a jury.

They explain that this would directly help the waiting times that victims experience due to the current backlog, and the effects this has, particularly on vulnerable victims. Many have said that the delays in rape cases are nothing to do with the use of the jury. Instead these specialist courts should be relied upon, similar to the ‘nightingale courts’ that were used during the pandemic. It has been noted that this approach has been effective in places such as Preston Crown Court, where the backlog has been brought down by 16%.