Specialist rape courts for England and Wales - Burnham

Specialist courts to deal with rape and sexual offences will be rolled out across England and Wales, UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced.

Every Crown Court will have at least one courtroom dedicated to hearing such cases set up in the next two years, officials said.

Victims will be offered a private entrance and private waiting room to keep them away from the defendant, which they already have a right to request but currently depends upon availability.

Court staff will also be given "trauma-informed training" with a single person of contact assigned to each survivor.

From October, trials will be given a fixed date rather than placed on floating lists in what the Mr Burnham described as an effort to "rebalance the scales of justice and put victims first."

In its announcement, the government credited Labour MP Charlotte Nichols' "immense strength and bravery" in speaking publicly about being raped and calling for changes to a backlogged system.

'Important milestone'

In March, Ms Nichols waived her automatic right to anonymity in a powerful Commons speech during which she lamented having to wait more than 1,000 days to go to court.

She said the changes promised were a "hugely important milestone" which would help improve the experience of those who are "all too often retraumatised by seeking justice."

"I’m proud that substantive meaningful change has come from waiving my anonymity to speak about my own experiences, and I can’t tell you how much the support of the Prime Minister and Lord Chancellor means to me, as I know the difference these measures would have made for me and for so many of the survivors I have worked with in recent years," Ms Nichols said.

Changes long overdue

Mr Burnham said: "For too long, victims of rape and serious sexual offences have felt let down by our justice system. Prosecution rates for rape remain shamefully low, with many victims waiting years for justice.

"This is not good enough. That’s why we are making major changes to rebalance the scales of justice and put victims first. This includes rolling out specialist courtrooms for rape and serious sex offences.

"These changes are long overdue and will make a significant difference, but focusing on prosecution alone will not be enough. So as well as ensuring victims get justice, we will step up action to prevent these horrific crimes from happening in the first place."

Rape Crisis England and Wales welcomed the measures as a "significant step forward for our justice system" that would bring into force a number of reforms the organisation has been calling for over many years.

Chief executive Ciara Bergman said: "Taken together, they reflect the urgency of ensuring that courts are fit for purpose and properly meet the needs of victims and survivors, which is crucial to securing justice."

The Conservative Party said tackling delays to criminal rape trials was "long overdue" and pushed Labour to commit to scrapping plans to restrict jury trials more widely announced under Sir Keir Starmer’s government.

Shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy said: "The fact that victims have been withdrawing their cases because they have taken too long has been a disgrace.

"Labour need to get courts sitting throughout the year, end the delays and clear the backlog – not undermine our right to a trial by jury."

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can access helplines here.