PLYMOUTH is in the grip of a legal crisis with a backlog of more than 500 cases waiting to be heard in the city’s crown court.
Victims, witnesses and defendants can find themselves waiting years for their day in front of a judge, with the Law Society blaming a shortage of defence solicitors and the Government’s failure to invest in court buildings or raise legal aid rates.
Lubna Shula, president of the Law Society in England and Wales, told The Herald the crisis was acute and getting worse. On a visit to meet lawyers and students in the city she said “This has led to a massive backlog in the crown courts at the moment.”
Ms Shula said most recent figures from the Ministry of Justice reveal that in Plymouth, between October and December 2022, there were 516 crown court cases, waiting to be heard. She said: “That’s a backlog waiting to be dealt with. It’s going up and up.”
The Plymouth backlog has gone up by 13% from the 410 in the same period a year earlier, she said, and is among 62,000 outstanding cases across England and Wales. In Devon there were 61 outstanding rape cases alone in December 2022, a 97% increase on the 31 waiting for trial a year earlier.
“It impacts on witnesses, victims as well as defendants,” Ms Shula said. “They are in limbo, and it affects their families as well.”
Denne historien er fra June 29, 2023-utgaven av The Herald.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra June 29, 2023-utgaven av The Herald.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS
HATCH BENEFITS FROM THE MISFORTUNE OF TEAM-MATES
Randell relishing his new role for Pilgrims
MIDFIELDER IS LEARNING A LOT UNDER HEAD COACH ROONEY
McPhee delighted with the response of Parkway players
IT was the former Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, who famously said that a week is a long time in politics.
Making a song and dance of it
JOAQUIN PHOENIX AND LADY GAGA UNITE FOR A JOKER SEQUEL WHICH DITCHES THE FIRST FILM'S BLOOD, GORE AND ACTION FOR A MORE MELODIC APPROACH
Historic 'house of pleasure' is to be restored
A GEORGIAN 'pleasure house' in the grounds of Mount Edgcumbe Country Park is to undergo a restoration and revival.
Law change plan for assisted dying
PROPOSALS to change the law to give terminally ill people \"choice at the end of life\" are to be introduced in Parliament this month.
Jenrick claim blasted
SAS: Who Dares Wins star Mark \"Billy\" Billingham has said Robert Jenrick's claim that the special forces are \"killing rather than capturing\" terrorists is \"absolutely ridiculous\".
Israeli order to evacuate
THE Israeli military yesterday ordered the evacuation of villages and towns in southern Lebanon that are north of a United Nationsdeclared buffer zone established after the 2006 war.
Prison sentence for sex offender
INDECENT IMAGES OF CHILDREN DISCOVERED
MP to join Warrior Women Walk
EVENT SUPPORTS DOMESTIC ABUSE VICTIMS