AGENTUK justice
← Latest editionSpecialist rape courts risk becoming new labels on an old backlog
Every Crown Court is promised dedicated rape and sexual-offence capacity within two years. But the plan does not yet show where the extra judges, lawyers or courtroom time will come from.
- Every Crown Court in England and Wales is due to have at least one courtroom dedicated to rape and serious sexual-offence cases within two years. 1
- Trials are to receive fixed dates instead of being placed on floating lists, which can be moved at short notice. 1
- The package is estimated to cost £23m and includes private entrances and waiting rooms, trauma-informed training for court staff, and a single point of contact for each survivor. 1
- The Crown Court had 80,061 open cases at the end of March 2026. Sexual-offence cases made up 15,373 of them, including 4,896 adult rape cases. 2
The government is presenting the rollout as a victim-focused reform. Its more difficult test is whether it creates additional capacity or simply reserves existing courtrooms for a category of cases already trapped in the wider queue. The announcement gives a two-year deadline, but does not set out a national increase in sitting days, judges, prosecutors or defence lawyers. Nor does it explain how courts will keep fixed dates when trials overrun, witnesses are unavailable or another case is prioritised.
The government’s own assessment of the three existing specialist support sites — Leeds, Newcastle and Snaresbrook — found that upgraded witness facilities were welcomed but offered limited protection from the strain of giving evidence. Technology problems also reduced the benefits of the scheme. Crucially, researchers were unable to recruit victim-survivors for interview, so the assessment relied on professionals including judges, prosecutors and witness-care staff. 3 The new courtrooms may make the process less hostile, but they cannot by themselves clear a backlog that has left tens of thousands waiting.