- Mayor urges the Justice Secretary to tackle the strain on the justice system as victims wait up to five years to get a court date
- Support services are stretched to capacity with the London Survivors Gateway temporarily stopping new referrals and London Rape Crisis Centres unable to add to their waiting lists for counselling
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today called on the Government to take urgent steps to support victims of rape and sexual offences as the crisis in the justice system is putting an increased strain on support services.
The Mayor has called for Justice Secretary Dominic Raab to take action to tackle the severe court backlogs that have contributed to support services being stretched to the limit. Earlier this month, the London Survivors Gateway temporarily stopped taking new referrals and some London Rape Crisis Centres have been unable to add to their waiting lists for counselling.
In a letter to the Justice Secretary today, the Mayor highlights that at the end of March there were nearly 16,000 outstanding cases in London’s Crown Courts and nearly 73,000 in Magistrates Courts with victims and survivors in in the capital waiting for up to five years to get a court date.
These delays, combined with an increase in sexual offences of 35 per cent in the last year, are putting stretched support services in an impossible position, as more people are looking for help and existing clients are requiring support for extended periods of time.
The Mayor is doing everything he can to support efforts to improve services for victims and survivors of rape and sexual assault and has overseen more than £100m in investment in tackling violence against women and girls, but the Government needs to act urgently to tackle the court backlog and address the capacity issues in the support services.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I am hugely concerned about the impact that the crisis in our justice system is having on survivors of rape and sexual offences in our city.
“It is unacceptable that victims and survivors are waiting up to five years to get a court date and now vitally important support services are being stretched to breaking point.
“This is exacerbating trauma, leaving vulnerable people feeling isolated and increasing the likelihood of victims withdrawing from the justice system altogether. We’re doing all we can from City Hall but we urgently need the Government to step forward and take steps to tackle the court backlog and ensure that support services are able to help Londoners in their time of need.”
London’s Independent Victims’ Commissioner Claire Waxman OBE said: “The criminal justice system has been chronically underfunded for more than decade and its now struggling to deliver justice. Victims are already having to wait years for their day in court, and now they are having difficulties accessing vital support services. I’m deeply concerned for the wellbeing and welfare of victims and it’s vital that swift action is taken to ensure they are supported.”
Andrea Simon, director End Violence Against Women Coalition, said: "We are seeing a growth in what was already an unacceptable backlog in the courts, meaning rape survivors commonly wait years for their cases to get to trial. But problems in the criminal justice system are not confined to court delays, rape prosecution rates remain at some of the lowest ever levels, and survivors describe being harmed by a system that treats them like the one under investigation.
"Demand for trauma informed counselling and therapy services provided by rape crisis centres and specialist services run 'by and for' Black and minoritised women and other marginalised survivors far outstrips the insecure and inadequate funding on offer for these lifesaving services.
"Whether survivors choose to engage with the justice system or not, they must be able to access the support that is right for them. This deserves urgent prioritisation at every political level. No rape survivor should have to be turned away when they seek help and no rape survivor should have to wait five years for the person who harmed them to face trial."
Notes to editors
The full text of the letter:
Dear Secretary of State,
I am writing to raise urgent concerns about the support available to survivors of rape and sexual offences and the strain being put on both survivors and support services due to the crisis in the justice system. I am asking you to take urgent steps to tackle the backlog of court cases and provide additional capacity to these struggling support services.
The latest Office for National Statistics release on Crime in England and Wales in the year ending March 2022 revealed that nearly 195,000 sexual offences were recorded by the police nationally - the highest on record and a 31.6% increase on the previous year. In London, police recorded more than 25,000 sexual offences – an increase of 35% on the previous year. 9,245 of these reports were for rape - a 24% increase on the previous year.
Court backlogs remain a persistent problem. At the end of March there were nearly 16,000 outstanding cases in London’s Crown Courts and nearly 73,000 outstanding in the city’s Magistrates Courts. The ongoing strike action by the Criminal Bar Association is adding still more delays. We have victims and survivors in London waiting for up to five years from when they first reported to get a court date. Victims are also regularly finding out at the last moment that their case is not going ahead, with cases relisted for many months in the future. These agonising waits for court and last-minute changes are causing untold damage to victims’ mental health and increase the likelihood of them withdrawing from the system altogether.
This increase in demand coming into the system and the continued delays in cases reaching a conclusion is putting support services in an impossible position, with more people looking for help and existing clients requiring support for extended periods of time.
As a consequence, the London Survivors Gateway has had to close to new referrals temporarily this month due to the sheer volume of cases and the length of time victims are waiting for their cases to be heard. Some London Rape Crisis Centres have also had to close their waiting lists for ISVAs and Sexual Violence Counselling. I cannot overstate the impact this is having on victims and survivors of rape and sexual assault, exacerbating existing trauma and leaving vulnerable people feeling isolated.
Equally, it is taking its toll on the passionate and dedicated people working to support them. They are having to make difficult choices daily and are having to turn away victims in desperate need of help. This is not just a London issue – colleagues in other areas and in national services report similar levels of demand.
Sadly, this is just the latest symptom – on top of appallingly low conviction rates and declining victim satisfaction - of a justice system in crisis from end-to-end.
I am doing everything I can to support efforts to improve service for victims and survivors of rape and sexual assault. Since taking office, I have overseen more than £100m in investment in tackling violence against women and girls. This funding is working to save lives and increase capacity in services. Through my oversight of the MPS and supported by the excellent work of London’s Victims’ Commissioner, Claire Waxman, we are pressing for improvements in the police investigation of these offences, most notably through Operation Soteria.
However, there are limits to my powers and responsibilities to address the wider systemic problems driving this crisis in victim support. I welcome the Government’s recent announcements on increased investment and support for victims and survivors of these crimes, and I hope the next Prime Minister and their Cabinet will maintain the ambitious commitments made to rape survivors following the Rape Review – including everyone having an ISVA and having timely access to support services. These promises can only be realised with a clear plan for delivery and within the context of a stable and efficient justice system.
It is imperative that victims and survivors do not become collateral damage during this period of political instability and the change from one government to the next. Victims and support services simply do not have time to wait for the next Prime Minister and Cabinet to be appointed. In the immediate term, I am asking you as Justice Secretary to take urgent steps to tackle the backlog of court cases and provide additional capacity to struggling support services. Funding and resources should be made available for a dedicated Nightingale court focused on clearing the most vulnerable and longest-standing cases. Case progression officers would be required to help identify the cases and work with Judiciary to get them relisted. Emergency funds to increase the rates of pay for therapists and counsellors should be granted to help support services to attract additional freelance capacity which is currently being lost to private practice.
In the longer term, I also ask that you prioritise addressing the underlying capacity issues that are exacerbating this crisis facing support services. That includes investing enough so they can pay their staff competitive salaries, employ enough people to cut down waiting lists and develop a sustainable workforce for the future. These services are vital to helping victims engage with the justice process, which ultimately ensures dangerous perpetrators are put behind bars.
London, as ever, stands ready to engage with and assist however possible all efforts to improve the service provided to victims of crime. I look forward to hearing from you on these points, and to continuing this vital work on behalf of the people we serve.
Yours sincerely,
Sadiq Khan
Mayor of London