In November, the chief inspector of the Crown Prosecution Service and Serious Fraud Office, Anthony Rogers, said the backlog of cases in crown courts in England and Wales could hit 100,000 unless radical action was taken to overhaul the criminal justice system.
Guilty pleas for sexual offences have dropped from 44 per cent to 35 per cent and the figure for adult rape has gone from 24 per cent to 14 per cent.
This means victims of serious crimes including rape face years-long waits for trials, while less serious crimes are bumped ahead in the queue.
The Lady Chief Justice said delays were “toxic to the administration of justice”, causing victim drop-out, evidential issues and difficulties for barristers who cannot be paid for their work until cases end.
The Victim Support charity called for the use of floating trials, which are more likely to be rescheduled at the last minute, to be stopped for cases where victims have suffered serious harm, including sexual offences.
