Victims bear the brunt of 'awful' court delays

"I never imagined it would be this bad. It's just unbelievable," said Georgia, from West Sussex, who was sexually assaulted in Hampshire and experienced "multiple" delays and postponements after her abuser's case came to court this year.

"No one cared. That's what it felt like," she said, describing the "awful" emotional toll the process had on her.

Georgia is one of hundreds of thousands of victims, witnesses and defendants suffering the consequences of record court delays, which the Law Society said exposes a "deepening crisis" in the criminal justice system.

The government acknowledged that victims are "waiting far too long for justice" and said reducing the court backlog is "a priority".

It was in 2023 that Georgia woke suddenly at a friend's flat in Southampton, to find she was being sexually assaulted.

The trauma has been long-lasting. Yet after a successful police investigation she said her journey through the court system felt as if she had been plunged into a second ordeal.

"The police were great, they couldn't do enough to help me, whereas in the court system I just felt like an inconvenience," she remembered.

"Even now that the court process has come to an end, it doesn't feel like I've had closure because of how awful it was."

Her abuser was due to enter a plea at Southampton Magistrates' Court at the end of March this year, but Georgia was told afterwards the hearing had to be adjourned because the defendant had not turned up.

He was not at the postponed hearing in April either, nor the next one in May, although his solicitor attended and asked for another adjournment.

"At first I was disappointed and really emotional about it. Then it got more frustrating," said Georgia, who had taken the day off work each time because she was worried about how she might feel afterwards.

It wasn't until the 25 June that the defendant, Zac Howard, a student from Stevenage, appeared before magistrates and pleaded guilty to sexual assault.

He also pleaded guilty to voyeurism as Hampshire police discovered he had filmed the assault.

His case was then moved to Southampton Crown Court for sentencing the following month, which Georgia was determined to attend so she could read out her statement about the impact his crimes had had on her.

But, after travelling from West Sussex and staying overnight in a hotel, it was not until she arrived at court on the day that she was told it had been postponed again because of an admin error.

"I'd made myself ill worrying about it because I hadn't seen him since the incident," she recalled, "I remember throwing up in the morning and then to be told you need to go home and come back again, I was fuming by the end of it."

Even on the day sentencing finally took place in August, Georgia was shocked to find that despite her carefully considered victim statement being approved by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), large sections had been crossed out in red ink.

The judge felt they lacked relevance and Georgia was particularly upset that he had removed a section about how the numerous court delays had impacted her because: "It's called a victim impact statement and that had an impact on me," she exclaimed.

The judiciary does not comment on individual cases and the CPS said the statement changes were a matter for the court.

Although the delays Georgia endured were not the responsibility of the CPS, the prosecutor sent her a letter of apology which also thanked her for her bravery and commitment to the justice process.

A CPS spokesperson told the BBC: "We recognise the courage it takes for victims to come forward and we take any concerns about their experience seriously."

Speaking in Southampton, Law Society president, Mark Evans, said the "whole system is failing" and the crisis is compounded by staff shortages, crumbling buildings and inefficiencies.

He said Southampton Crown Court's backlog has increased by around two thirds over the last ten years and in magistrates' courts across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, open cases have more than tripled.

He urged the treasury to make a long-term investment in the justice system to reverse decades of underfunding, rather than relying on short-term "piecemeal reforms" that would have little lasting impact.

Nationally, the backlog is widely attributed to the combined effects of Covid-era court closures, rising case volumes, shortages of judges and lawyers, barristers' strikes, and an increasing number of complex criminal cases.

The latest Ministry of Justice data reveals a record 80,829 cases waiting to be dealt with in Crown Courts across England and Wales at the end of June 2026.

In magistrates' courts, the number of outstanding cases reached 380,230, a 9% increase on the previous year, which the Magistrates' Association described it as a "tragedy" for victims, witnesses and families.

A government spokesperson said: "We inherited a court system in crisis and victims waiting far too long for justice. That's why the Lord Chancellor has made it a priority to reduce the backlog and enable victims to have their day in court faster.

"We're making the system more efficient and delivering record financial investment."

Justice secretary Alex Norris MP said last week that his proposed government reforms would see the backlog start falling "in this Parliament", but would not say by how much.

He added that "over the next decade" it will fall "significantly".

MPs are due to debate and vote on further changes to the Courts and Tribunals Bill later.

Zac Howard, 25, from Stevenage was sentenced to one year imprisonment for sexually assaulting Georgia and two months for voyeurism.

To her dismay both sentences were suspended for two years, although Howard must attend rehabilitation classes, carry out 150 hours of unpaid work and will be on the sex offenders register for 10 years.

A five year restraining order forbids Howard from contacting Georgia and from entering the West Sussex town where she lives.

Despite her court delay ordeal, Georgia stressed she does not regret pursuing justice, as she felt compelled to try to prevent other women from suffering similar sexual abuse.