Victims of crime in the South West are having to wait a year and a half to get justice, a study of the Western Circuit has found, with the delay now four months longer than in 2014.

‘This Doesn’t look like Justice’, a report written by the leader of the Western Circuit Kate Brunner QC, said ‘in the last five years the brakes have been put on the wheels of justice’. According to the study, 'the “start to finish gap” between an alleged offence being committed and end of proceedings in the Crown court is climbing steeply. Witnesses in some courts in the South West are now having to wait almost two years after the alleged offence before they give evidence.’

A victim of crime in the South West in 2019 had to wait an average of 18 months after the offence before their case was concluded in the Crown court, and 'significantly longer' if the case went to trial, according to the report. In 2014, the process took around 14 months.

Using local court data, the report also found that listing delays on the Western Circuit in January for an average three-day trial of a defendant on bail ranged from five months in Bristol to nine months in Exeter.

Brunner QC blamed reduced court sitting days and courtroom closures – particularly in small court centres – for the delays. ‘Despite the Ministry of Justice’s claim that waiting times are decreasing, anecdotal evidence has been building up of a chaotic situation on the ground, particularly in smaller court centres, with trials being listed months into the future, trials being vacated at the last minute, and judges and court staff placed under untenable pressure,’ she said.

Amanda Pinto QC, chair of the Bar Council, said: ‘The problems highlighted by the Western Circuit are by no means confined to one region. This is a national issue which is fast becoming a national crisis…The many months of delay and the false starts in hearing cases, are undermining effective access to justice for all those caught up in the criminal courts.’