Court backlogs for rape and sexual offences hit record high with ‘devastating’ waits for justice

The stark figures coincide with the scathing Casey report into policing, which found officers had failed to protect women

Rape Crisis warns that court delays are damaging the ‘mental wellbeing’ of victims (Getty/iStock)

Court backlogs for rape and sexual offences have hit a record high, with the most desperate victims driven to suicide by “devastating” waits for justice.

The logjam of cases in the crown courts surged to 7,859 sexual offence cases and 1,851 adult rape cases by September 2022, according to the latest Ministry of Justice data.

The stark figures coincide with a scathing report into policing, which found that officers had failed to protect women. Rape cases were dropped because DNA evidence was ruined when it was stored in “over-stuffed, dilapidated or broken fridges and freezers” used by the Metropolitan Police.