Backlog of Leeds Crown Court cases falls slightly but government under attack for bleak overall stats

New figures show backlogs have grown to 66,547, an increase of three per cent on the previous quarter and the highest crown court outstanding caseload on record. Outstanding cases, where individuals have been remanded in custody for more than two years, have also risen to 1,063, while 17,790 crown court cases had been outstanding for a year or more.

However, figures from the Ministry of Justice suggest waiting cases at Leeds Crown Court are down slightly, to 2,012 – which is a reduction from the the same time in 2022, when they sat at 2,036.

But overall, The Law Society says the gap between spiralling numbers waiting in the queue and the UK government’s own “unambitious” target of reducing the crown court backlog to 53,000 by March 2025 continues to widen.

President of The Law Society of England and Wales president Nick Emmerson said: “The criminal justice system is withering at the root due to decades of underinvestment and the government’s failure to tackle the crisis. Delays are being compounded by a chronic shortage of lawyers and judges, overrun prisons and courts in disrepair. The increase in the number of people on remand for long periods awaiting trial is extremely concerning.

“Criminal-defence solicitors are crucial to help tackle the huge backlogs in our courts, but they are becoming more and more scarce as the work is not financially viable. The existing lack of court staff overall is exacerbating the crisis. The fundamental right to access to justice is at stake without urgent investment into criminal justice.”