Crime victims facing 'inhumane' waits for justice with thousands of trials listed for 2028 - and some slated for 2030
Victims are facing an "inhumane" wait for justice due to massive court backlogs across the country including in Shropshire, it has been claimed.
New figures show that more than 2,600 trials at crown courts in England and Wales are not due to be heard until at least 2028 – including 29 trials listed to begin as far ahead as 2030.
Across the country the backlog includes 206 rape trials that are not listed to start until 2028, while four will not get under way until 2029.
In the West Mercia region, which includes Shropshire's Shrewsbury Crown Court, the overall courts system backlog stands at 1,601 cases according to the area's police and crime commissioner John Campion.
Shrewsbury Crown Court has been listing some trials for 2028 for some time, including cases involving sex offences against children and death by dangerous driving.
The court's resident judge, Anthony Lowe, has previously bemoaned the delays and has urged defendants to raise the issues with their MPs.
Speaking during a case last year he told one defendant: "If you think that’s totally unacceptable, which you may think it is, I suggest you have a word with your local MP so people understand how bad the backlog is, and maybe something can be done about it.”
Victims’ Commissioner Claire Waxman has described the waits across the country for victims as “inhumane”, adding there is evidence of court delays causing marriages to break down, people to lose their jobs, or the onset of physical conditions such as a vomiting syndrome from the stress.
Ministers introduced legislation to Parliament on Wednesday (February 25) to overhaul the courts system, in a bid to tackle a record backlog of nearly 80,000 crown court cases. Unlimited court sitting days will also be funded and so-called 'Blitz courts' set up to speed up the justice system.
The figures have been obtained from a Freedom of Information request to the Ministry of Justice and are a snapshot of the court listings as of January 29, 2026.
They show 25,551 trials are listed in crown courts in England and Wales for this year, with 7,633 set for 2027, 2,039 for 2028, 625 for 2029 and 29 for 2030.
