The criminal cases backlog has grown again, the latest government figures show
According to HM Courts & Tribunals Service statistics for February, published last week, outstanding cases in the magistrates’ courts increased to 383,972, up from 337,481 last February, while the Crown Court backlog rose to 66,842 cases, compared to 60,275 last February.
Law Society president Nick Emmerson said: ‘The government’s target of cutting the Crown Court backlog to 53,000 looks fanciful. There aren’t enough judges and lawyers to cover the cases.’
Emmerson called for more funds, which he said would lead to more cases being prepared early, leading to earlier guilty pleas or dropped cases where a valid defence exists, ‘thus reducing the demand on the court system for contested trials’.
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