Court backlog breaks record

HM Courts and Tribunal Service data released last week show 65,004 cases were outstanding in the Crown Court in August, up from 60,580 in August 2022. The backlog in the magistrates’ courts also rose, to 353,700 in August from 343,842 in August 2022.

Nick Emmerson, Law Society president, said: ‘Our courts are so overwhelmed with cases that victims and defendants are having to wait years for cases to come to trial. There aren’t enough judges and lawyers to handle the number of cases in the system, and the court estate is crumbling. The only answer is urgent investment across the whole criminal justice system.’