London courts have fastest growing case backlog

"The woman said there had been several court cases that spanned nearly a decade, with the longest taking a year to be heard. "In that 12 months, you cannot focus on your life. This takes over your life, especially when it involves children as well," she said. "It makes you feel worthless." She added: "The toll on your mental health is exhausting. It's exasperating. It drains you from living any quality of life.""

"London has the fastest growing backlog of court cases in England and Wales, with some victims waiting years to get justice. Nearly 19,000 criminal cases are outstanding in the capital, figures given exclusively to the BBC's Politics London programme by the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) show. The courts backlog in London rose by 24% in the 12 months to September 2025, the fastest of anywhere in both nations."

"Criminal lawyers have blamed long-term underfunding of the courts system by the government. The Woman's Trust, which provides specialist mental health support for women affected by domestic abuse, said long court delays were discouraging some victims from continuing with cases, even though charges had been brought. Courts Minister Sarah Sackman has acknowledged the impact delays have on victims and said the government was "gripping the crisis" with reforms proposed to speed up the justice system."

London's criminal courts face a rapidly growing backlog, with nearly 19,000 outstanding cases and a 24% rise in the 12 months to September 2025. Some victims wait years for cases to be heard, imposing severe mental-health and life disruptions, particularly for those with children. A long-running domestic abuse case ran multiple proceedings over almost a decade, with one trial taking a year to reach court. The Woman's Trust reports that delays are discouraging some victims from pursuing prosecutions. Criminal lawyers attribute delays to long-term underfunding, while the Courts Minister says the government is proposing reforms to accelerate the system.

Read at www.bbc.com