Georgia EadieWest of England
A woman who says she was sexually assaulted by a taxi driver on her 21st birthday has said she feels “let down” by court delays.
Sarah, not her real name, reported the incident when it happened in early-2022 and gave evidence in court in December 2023. However, the case was adjourned until September 2024 when the judge fell ill.
“I made the decision, even though I hate the statement, to drop the case,” said Sarah, from Gloucestershire. “I couldn’t let this hurt me further.”
The Crown Prosecution Service said, without Sarah’s testimony, the case was dropped due to insufficient evidence. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said it was looking at major court reforms to tackle delays.
Sarah said she was left in tears and feeling “very hurt” when she was told the case had been adjourned and she would have to give evidence again two-and-a-half years after the alleged attack.
Sarah’s mother and ex-partner had also given evidence and testimony before the judge became unwell.
“All of this pain, this humiliation, nearly two years of my life being constantly stressed. [It was all] for nothing,” Sarah said.
She added she felt she could not give evidence at a new trial due to the significant toll the process had already taken on her mental health.
Sarah said she now wanted to share her experience to warn others about the challenges of the court process.
‘Gut-wrenching’
Alex Wood, senior mental health specialist and independent sexual violence advisor in Bristol and South Gloucestershire, offers support for victims.
She said cases “very rarely run smoothly and most have to wait several years before they get to trial”.
She described delays as “devastating” and “gut-wrenching” for her clients, and said it is sometimes “just too much for people”.
It is not only victims who are impacted by court delays, those accused of crimes also have these cases hanging over them for years.
According to the latest MoJ figures there were more than 13,000 sexual offences waiting to be tried at crown courts across the country as of June.
Charity Rape Crisis updated a report into the impact of court backlogs on victims of sexual offences in September and said the number of cases waiting to go to court had risen by 40% in the past two years.
An MoJ spokesperson said it agreed victims “are waiting far too long” for their cases to reach court and are “often giving up before they get justice”.
The spokesperson blamed “the record and growing courts backlog we inherited” for the delays.
“We are looking at major reforms of the courts system to tackle delays and are funding crown courts to hear cases at record levels,” they added.
If you have been affected by issues in this story and would like support, you can find organisations which offer help and information at Action Line.