Specialist Rape Courts Set for Rollout Across England & Wales

Specialist courtrooms to hear rape and other sexual offences will be introduced across England and Wales over the next two years, the prime minister has announced.

The government said each Crown Court will have at least one courtroom dedicated to such cases. It will also allow alleged victims to watch proceedings remotely, and give evidence from a separate room via video link.

Victims will be offered private entrances and waiting areas to separate them from defendants, although the arrangements will depend on the layout of each building.

Separate Evidence, Designed Around Victims

Rape Crisis England and Wales said the plans represented a significant step forward, pointing to reforms the charity has been urging for years.

The charity said the measures reflect the need to ensure courts are fit for purpose and can meet the needs of victims and survivors, which it said is crucial to securing justice. Its chief executive, Ciara Bergman, said the approach should be viewed alongside wider changes needed to make the system work better for those bringing cases.

Low Prosecution and Reporting Rates

The government’s announcement comes as charities have argued that low prosecution rates for sexual offences and delays through the criminal justice process have discouraged some victims from reporting assaults or pursuing cases.

Just 2.8% of rape offences recorded by police led to prosecutions in the year ending March 2024, and were also the crimes that took the longest to investigate, according to the figures cited by the government.

An ONS study using data from 2017 to 2020 suggested only a sixth of rape and attempted rape victims reported to police. More than a third of those who did not report said they believed the police could not help or that the process would be humiliating.

Trauma-Informed Support and Fixed Trial Dates

The justice system changes include training for court staff described as trauma-informed, and the assignment of a single point of contact to each survivor.

The victims minister, Alex Davies-Jones, said the measures were part of efforts to reduce a backlog of Crown Court cases, which stood at 80,098 at the end of March. She said 15,373 of those cases, or 19%, involved sexual offences.

From next month, Davies-Jones said trials will be given fixed dates rather than being placed on floating lists, in a bid to speed up proceedings. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the move would “rebalance the scales of justice and put victims first”.

£23m Rollout Across Crown Courts

The government said the rollout is expected to cost around £23m from the Ministry of Justice budget.

It added that there are 84 Crown Court buildings in England and Wales, containing about 500 courtrooms. Davies-Jones said the aim is that every building will have at least one specialist rape and sexual offences courtroom by 2028.

Where building design prevents upgrades, the minister said staff would be expected to coordinate a trauma-informed approach, including scheduling different arrival times and using separate rooms for giving evidence from victims and defendants.

Backlog Pressure and the Jury Trials Dispute

Davies-Jones said the specialist courtrooms were “isn’t enough on its own” to address the backlog. She said reforms in the Courts and Tribunals Bill are also needed to improve timeliness and effectiveness, and to support prevention.

The Conservatives said the move was “long overdue” but warned against limiting jury trials, another provision in the bill. Nick Timothy, the shadow justice secretary, said victims withdrawing cases because of delays was a “disgrace” and urged Labour to clear the backlog without undermining trial by jury.

Survivors Describe Years-Long Waits

Labour MP Charlotte Nichols, who waived her right to anonymity in March when she spoke in the Commons about being raped, is credited by the government with showing “immense strength and bravery” in calling for changes to the justice system. Nichols said she waited 1,088 days to go to court. She said her attacker was acquitted at Crown Court but later ordered to pay compensation after she won a civil case.

Earlier this year, the government said rape victims would get access to specialist legal advice throughout the criminal justice process. Labour’s 2024 manifesto includes a pledge to halve violence against women and girls within a decade.

Last year, the Salford Survivor Project charity said victims were being “failed by the system” as court backlogs reached a record high, and that long delays were affecting victims’ mental health.

In a separate case reported by BBC News, a woman who said she was sexually assaulted by a taxi driver on her 21st birthday said she dropped the case because of delays. She said she reported the incident in early 2022 and gave evidence in December 2023, but the case was adjourned until September 2024 after the judge fell ill.

META: Specialist Crown Court rooms for rape and sexual offences will roll out across England and Wales, alongside trauma-informed support and fixed trial dates.

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21 September 2026

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