Specialist courtrooms to prioritise rape cases

At least one courtroom at every Crown Court is to be dedicated to these cases in the next two years, with trials given a fixed date rather than being placed on floating lists. In 2025, rape cases took an average of 424 days to complete once they reached the Crown Court, with many victims withdrawing before their case was heard.

Private entrances, exits and waiting rooms will be provided for victims to protect them from defendants and their supporters—currently, victims can request this but provision is subject to availability. Each courtroom will be equipped for pre-recorded evidence and for sentencing to be observed remotely.

All court staff will be given trauma-informed training, and one staff member will be assigned to each victim to act as a single point of contact.

Kirsty Brimelow KC, chair of the Bar, said: ‘We are pleased the government has taken a new approach to reduce court delays and deliver timely justice for victims, complainants and defendants.

‘Specialist courts, unlike the proposals to curtail jury trials, have already been shown to work so [this] announcement is a move in the right direction. 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.’

The government’s announcement meets a manifesto commitment to establish specialist courts to fast-track rape cases. Last year, as part of the government’s End-to-end rape review, the Law Commission published recommendations for specialist sexual offences courts within existing court buildings.

The Courts and Tribunals Bill, which reduces the use of juries, is due to return to the House of Commons for its report stage in October. An amendment to the Bill to introduce specialist sexual offences courts was rejected at committee stage.