28 January 2026
Victims of crime are to be given free access to transcripts of Crown Court sentencing remarks, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has confirmed
Currently, the fee for this ranges from about £40 to several hundreds of pounds, and victims can find it distressing to face a perpetrator in court. The abolition of the fee, announced last week, was a Leveson Review recommendation.
Claire Waxman, victims’ commissioner, said: ‘For too long, victims have been left in the dark about what happened in their own cases, facing unnecessary hurdles and unfair costs just to understand how the sentence was reached.
‘We must also go further: I want open justice for all victims—including free access to judges’ summing-up in acquittals and an extension to magistrates’ courts—so every survivor can get the closure they deserve.’
