Specialist courtrooms designed to prioritise cases of rape and other serious sex offences are to be introduced across England and Wales. The changes, welcomed by campaigners, aim to encourage more survivors to come forward.
The new facilities will feature private entrances and waiting rooms, as well as equipment for recording evidence in advance and observing sentencing remotely. A multimillion-pound cash injection is intended to ensure every crown court in England and Wales has at least one such room within two years.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) announced that rape and serious sexual offence cases will also be prioritised more widely in courts. These trials will be given a fixed date, preventing them from being moved at short notice and delayed.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham stated that victims of rape and serious sexual offences have felt let down by the justice system, noting that prosecution rates for rape remain "shamefully low". Labour MP Charlotte Nichols, who previously spoke about her own experience of waiting 1,088 days for her case to reach court, welcomed the announcement as a "hugely important milestone".
However, Victims Commissioner Claire Waxman warned that the crown court backlog of rape and sexual offence cases is "significantly worse" than in 2021, stating that specialist courts alone may not be enough to tackle the scale of delays.
Further measures include new trauma-informed training for court staff and a pilot scheme offering victims a single point of contact. Additionally, £43m will support survivors through the national rape and sexual abuse support fund over the next two years.