After sustained pressure from our team, the government has announced extra funding for an additional 1,250 Crown Court sitting days, potentially helping more survivors get the justice they deserve sooner – but this alone won't solve the crisis.
On Wednesday 1 October 2025, it was announced the Crown Court would sit for an extra 1,250 days next year, to a total of 111,250 sitting days, meaning more trials can be heard and more perpetrators can be brought to justice. The backlog of sexual offence cases is currently at an all-time high, with over 13,000 sexual offence cases awaiting trial.
Adult rape survivors wait an average of 417 days between an offender being charged and the case being completed in the Crown Court, which is on top of the years they can wait for a police investigation to be concluded
We're pleased to see that after sustained pressure from Rape Crisis England & Wales, the government is introducing extra sitting days to address the Crown Court backlog – but to solve this crisis, more must be done.
More sitting days alone won't cut the backlog
It is all too common for sexual violence survivors to be made to wait years or longer for their case to be heard, denying them the justice they need to recover and move on. Many are kept in the dark throughout the process, with trial dates cancelled at the last minute, leaving them feeling abandoned with devastating effects on their mental health.
There is currently a shortage of barristers willing to take on RASSO (rape and serious sexual assault) cases. This is due to issues around pay, working conditions and capacity, which result in lengthy delays and trials being frequently adjourned at the last minute. Sexual offence cases are also suffering from delays because of poor listing practices within the Court and crumbling Court buildings.
The impact this can have on survivors of sexual violence and abuse cannot be overstated.
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy has acknowledged that additional sitting days will only scratch the surface, saying: “We know there is more to do, and generational reform that cannot wait, but this investment will help ease the torment and bring swifter justice to many more victims."
We need decisive action, not piecemeal tinkering
In 2023, we made urgent recommendations to the government aimed at improving the experience of sexual violence survivors caught in the Crown Court backlog. We reiterate these calls today:
- Survivors should have their cases fast-tracked through specialist sexual offence courts, assisted by trauma-informed staff
- Inefficient and unreliable listing practices in sexual offence cases should be ended, with all cases given priority fixed trial dates
- The Courts should be overseen by a reinstated independent inspectorate
- Judge-only sexual offence trial pilots should be implemented to reduce costly delays.
- The government must step in to help incentivise more barristers to take on RASSO cases
"Action in this area cannot be piecemeal," says RCEW's Head of Policy and Public Affairs Maxime Rowson. "There exists an interlinking network of issues that must be addressed comprehensively for any progress to be made. The time for tinkering with issues in silo, such as the number of funded court sitting days, is long past."