Specialist courts are to be rolled out across England and Wales for rape and serious sexual offences (RASSO) cases.
Every Crown court in England and Wales will have at least one courtroom especially set up to hear RASSO cases over the next two years, the government announced yesterday.
The Ministry of Justice said the changes are ‘designed to encourage more victims to come forward’, with new features including providing complainants with private entrances and waiting rooms. Facilities to pre-record evidence and observe sentencing remotely, which are already part of many Crown courts, will also be introduced.
Court staff will also receive trauma-informed training and complainants will have a single point of contact to ensure their needs are met during the court process.
In 2025, rape cases took an average of 424 days to complete once they reached the Crown court. A new Rape Justice Taskforce, made up of ‘leaders from across the criminal justice system,’ will work to mitigate the ‘rising rate of postponed rape trials’ and help reduce the incidence of complainants withdrawing from their own cases.
Prime minister Andy 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. 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.
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‘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.’
Lord chancellor Alex Norris added: ‘Victims of rape and serious sexual offences have felt they’ve been left alone facing the criminal justice system for too long. They have been treated as cases to process and not as people to support. The funding we are announcing today will provide that support that victims deserve – delivering courtrooms that are designed with victim needs in mind and providing specialist training for staff to handle these cases with care.’
Chair of the Bar Council Kirsty Brimelow KC said the scheme should also encompass domestic abuse cases. ‘Specialist courts, unlike the proposals to curtail jury trials, have already been shown to work, so today’s announcement is a move in the right direction,’ she said. 'We would urge the government to also include domestic abuse cases alongside rape and serious sexual offences in this new scheme. The Bar Council has consistently called on the government to honour its 2024 manifesto promise and set up specialist sexual and domestic abuse courts, rather than restrict jury trials.'
Andrew Thomas KC, chair of the Criminal Bar Association, said: ‘For too long, cases of rape, serious sexual violence and domestic abuse have been pushed to the back of the queue. It is practical measures like this which are needed to reduce the effect of court delays. The proposed jury trial reforms have been a needless distraction.
‘This builds on the excellent work done by the judiciary to implement a National Listing Framework, which prioritises cases based on the "human impact" of any delay. The impact on vulnerable victims, witnesses and defendants is finally being recognised.’
Ciara Bergman, CEO of Rape Crisis England & Wales said the measures ‘represent a significant step forward for our justice system’. She added: ‘We’re particularly pleased to see measures that will improve trial efficiency and ensure survivors are better able to participate in, and observe, proceedings. The recognition that suitable separate waiting areas, entrances and exits are essential to prevent survivors from being intimidated and distressed by the presence of perpetrators and their supporters is also significant. This welcome change is both necessary and long overdue.’
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