Specialist courts for rape cases to be rolled out across England and Wales
Victims will have a private entrance and a private waiting room to separate them from defendants.
The UK government plans to introduce specialist courts for rape and other sexual offences across England and Wales over the next two years, according to Prime Minister Andy Burnham. Each crown court will have at least one dedicated courtroom for such cases, offering victims private entrances and waiting rooms. The initiative, costing around £23m, aims to enhance the justice system by providing trauma-informed training for court staff, assigning a single point of contact to each survivor, and setting fixed trial dates.
Rape Crisis England and Wales hailed the measures as a significant step forward, addressing reforms requested for years and reflecting the urgency of meeting victims' needs. The charity's chief executive, Ciara Bergman, emphasized that courts must be fit for purpose and properly meet victim requirements for securing justice. The government's changes follow Labour MP Charlotte Nichols' public disclosure of her rape ordeal, which exposed the lengthy delays she faced in the justice system.
Under the new measures, trials will no longer be placed on floating lists, aiming to rebalance the scales of justice and prioritize victims. Critics, such as the Conservatives, argue that while the reforms are long overdue, they should not undermine the right to a trial by jury.
Written by urgent.news from BBC News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
