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The Prime Minister has announced that over the next two years, specialist courts dedicated to handling cases of rape and other sexual offences will be established throughout England and Wales. Each crown court will be equipped with at least one courtroom specifically designed for such cases. Additionally, alleged victims will have the option to observe proceedings remotely and provide evidence via video link from a separate room. Where possible, arrangements will also be made to offer private entrances and waiting areas for victims, aiming to keep them separate from defendants, although this will depend on the layout of individual court buildings.
Rape Crisis England and Wales welcomed these developments as a “significant step forward,” highlighting that the reforms respond to long-standing calls from the charity. Ciara Bergman, the charity’s chief executive, emphasized, “Taken together, they reflect the urgency of ensuring that courts are fit for purpose and properly meet the needs of victims and survivors, which is crucial to securing justice.” The introduction of these specialist courtrooms is part of a broader strategy to address complaints from charities concerning low prosecution rates and lengthy delays in sexual offence cases, factors that have discouraged many victims from pursuing justice.
Recent statistics underline the severity of the problem: only 2.8% of recorded rape offences resulted in prosecution in the year ending March 2024, with these cases taking the longest to investigate. An earlier study by the Office for National Statistics revealed that just one in six victims of rape and attempted rape reported the assault to police, with over a third citing concerns that police would be unhelpful or that the reporting process would be humiliating. Victims Minister Alex Davies-Jones noted that these new measures form part of the government’s effort to tackle a Crown Court backlog totaling 80,098 cases as of March, with sexual offences accounting for 19% of this figure.
Alongside the physical provision of specialist courtrooms—planned for all 84 crown court buildings including approximately 500 courtrooms by 2028—other measures will be introduced. These include trauma-informed training for court staff and assigning a single point of contact to support each survivor throughout the process. Starting next month, trials will be allocated fixed dates instead of floating lists, an approach described by Prime Minister Andy Burnham as aiming “to rebalance the scales of justice and put victims first.” In situations where building design restricts courtroom modifications, staff will coordinate trauma-sensitive approaches by managing victim and defendant schedules and spaces separately. The plans follow the advocacy of Labour MP Charlotte Nichols, who bravely spoke about her own experience with a rape case delayed for over 1,000 days, underscoring the urgent need for change within the justice system
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