Court In Chaos As Criminals Go Free Victims Commissioner Warns As Lawyers Strike

The record backlogs, which already see cases scheduled until the end of 2024, are expected to be significantly worsened by an ongoing strike starting on Tuesday that will stop most court hearings in England and Wales. The Government has refused to negotiate with the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) through two months of escalating action over payments to represent people who cannot afford to pay defense lawyers. Justice Department figures show that for every full workweek criminal lawyers strike, about 1,300 cases, including 300 trials, will be disrupted. The victims’ commissioner for England and Wales warned that increasing “chaos” was causing victims to abandon cases, adding: “Delay is the enemy of justice.” Dame Vera Baird QC told the Independent: “There is no doubt that the criminal justice system is in a terrible state, it is quite broken and the barristers’ strike is something that simply should not be happening. “It will have to be resolved by the government and will add too much to the backlog.” The watchdog said her office had received reports that many victims “simply can’t handle” the delays and uncertainty and are dropping the cases – resulting in prosecutions being dropped. “It’s not just that there’s a long wait, it’s also that chaos around delays, delays, the antiquated nature of cases, representation, admission,” Dame Vera said. “People are taken to court expecting to go into the witness box that day and then sent away. “If you are a victim of rape, domestic abuse or serious violence – a traumatized person, who is afraid to confront your abuser – you would have lost sleep for weeks worrying about going to a public forum to talk about it. You will have worked yourself into this position, only to be pulled aside and told that your case will probably be another year.” Dominic Raab, the justice minister, accused striking lawyers of “holding justice to ransom”, “harming victims” and preventing them from getting justice. But writing in The Independent newspaper, the chief executive of Rape Crisis said the crime had already been effectively “decriminalised” and systemic change was needed. “Many lawyers have expressed to me how much the impact is on them during their strike, but the responsibility for this miscarriage of justice does not lie with them,” said Jane Butler. “They are taking a bold stand to push for change and ensure that victims and defendants of the future have a justice system that works, is intact and effective.” Dame Vera said people’s lives were “on hold” and many traumatized victims did not seek treatment before court cases because they feared the records would be seized by the defense and “turned against them”. Barristers strike: Criminal lawyer says she sometimes earns minimum wage “They need closure and they need justice, they need to end the trauma,” he added. “We’ve had people say, ‘it’s next year, I can’t go through another Christmas with this hanging over me.’ Almost 60,000 court cases are pending in England and Wales, with more than a quarter of these waiting to be heard for more than a year. The figure has been exacerbated by the lawyers’ strike and the Covid pandemic, but a National Audit Office report found it had previously worsened because the government limited the number of “sitting days” courts can operate to save money. Dame Vera said that because there are fixed time limits for pre-trial detention, cases with defendants in prison were prioritized over those in custody. “A big problem with things like domestic violence and rape is that defendants are very rarely in custody, so the vulnerability of their victims is behind the legal obligation to bring someone to court by the end of their time limit,” warned. “There are some very serious offenses with long trials deep in the backlog, while some less serious offenses with short trials may be joined.” Even before the CBA announced its action, the Department of Justice predicted the backlog would be between 17 and 27 percent higher than pre-pandemic levels by November 2024, and could increase further with expected improvements in crime detection by 20,000 additional police officers. On average, it takes one year and two months from the commission of an offense to the completion of a resulting court case – and the number is expected to rise. Competitors take part in the Gravy Wrestling World Championships at the Rose ‘N’ Bowl, Rossendale, Lancashire PA People from the Emancipated Run Crew who organize the carnival parade all in green to remember the 72 people who lost their lives in the Grenfell fire during Family Day at Notting Hill Carnival in London, which returned to the streets for the first time after two years, after it was stopped by the pandemic PA Competitors in the bog section during the Rude Health Bog Triathlon in Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales PA British Prime Minister Boris Johnson meets patient Rita Thompson after total hip replacement during a visit to South West London Orthopedic Center Getty Finney Harrod receives his GCSE results at Norwich School, Norwich, Norfolk PA A young girl pays her respects at Kingsheath Avenue, Knotty Ash, Liverpool, where nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel was fatally shot on Monday night. PA Florists prepare the entrance to 10 Downing Street with flowers in the national colors of Ukraine in London AP 17-year-old pilot Mack Rutherford lands at Biggin Hill Airport, Westerham, Kent, as he continues his quest to break the Guinness World Record for the youngest person to fly solo around the world in a small plane. PA Members of the Unite union queue at one of the entrances to the port of Felixstowe in Suffolk, Britain’s biggest and busiest port, after they backed industrial action 9-1 in a pay dispute PA A young girl dances in Belfast city center during the first Carnival Mela, in which participants from more than 20 different cultural groups wear traditional costumes to celebrate Northern Ireland’s cultural diversity PA Commuters queue for buses outside Victoria Underground station, which is closed due to the strike Getty Pupils celebrate their A level results at Norwich School, Norwich PA Rishi Sunak looks at a Ukrainian-supplied NLAW anti-tank launcher during a campaign visit to the Thales Defense System factory in Belfast as part of his campaign to become Conservative Party leader and the next Prime Minister PA Protesters gather outside Perth Concert Hall in Scotland, where Conservative leadership candidates Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak are set to take part in a rally PA A van from removals, storage and delivery company Bishop’s Move outside Downing Street, London PA A section of a £45m furnace crosses the central reservation as it moves along the M53 which was closed between junction 5 at Hooton and junction 10 for Cheshire Oaks, to accommodate abnormal cargo heading for Essar’s Stanlow refinery PA Dry grass in Eastville Park, Bristol. The Met Office has issued an orange extreme heat warning covering four days from Thursday to Sunday for parts of England and Wales PA Dust from a quarry behind a balloon flying at the annual Bristol International Balloon Fiesta Reuters Aung-Bo, a 21-year-old Asian elephant is cooled off by a keeper at Chester Zoo during the heatwave Getty A tanker from Thames Water is providing a temporary water supply to the village of Northend in Oxfordshire, where the water company is pumping water into the supply network following a technical problem at Stokenchurch Reservoir PA Pupils (from left) Sophie Thwaites, Aaliyah McLaine, Michael Stewart, Aaron Boyack and Claire McNab at Auchmuty High School in Glenrothes, Fife, check their results as secondary school students across Scotland find out their exam results PA Team England’s James Willstrop and Declan James compete with Team England’s Adrian Waller and Darryl Shelby during the men’s doubles squash gold medal match on the final day of the Commonwealth Games Getty England’s Ojie Edoburun wins gold in the men’s 4×100 relay on day 10 of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham EPA People walk on dry ground in Greenwich Park in London EPA England’s Anthony Harding and England’s Jack Lowher compete to win the gold medal in the men’s synchronized 3m springboard diving final on day eight of the Commonwealth Games at the Sandwell Aquatics Center in Birmingham, central England AFP/Getty The Top Secret Drum Corps from Switzerland during rehearsal work for this year’s Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, entitled Voices, at Redford Barracks, Edingburgh PA England’s Emily Campbell celebrates after winning gold in the women’s 87+kg weightlifting at the Commonwealth Games Getty Circus company Lost in Translation show off some tricks on top of Edinburgh’s Calton Hill Getty England players celebrate during a victory party in Trafalgar Square in central London AFP/Getty England striker Chloe Kelly celebrates after scoring her team’s second goal during the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 soccer final between England and Germany at Wembley Stadium AFP/Getty People during the Belfast Pride parade which returns to the city for the first time since the pandemic PA Maxwell Tall, 2, cries as Mayor of London Sadiq Khan speaks to the media during a visit to community group Mums for Lungs in South Woodford, London, to coincide with the final day of the ULEZ extension consultation and publishing new air quality data PA Liz Truss during a visit to a broadband exchange in Leeds as part of her Conservative leadership campaign…