Minister: 'I wouldn't blame crime victims for giving up

COURTS minister Sarah Sackman says she "wouldn't blame" victims who choose to walk away from the criminal justice system instead of waiting years for a trial.

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Courts minister Sarah Sackman

(IAN VOGLER/DAILY MIRROR)

The Government is planning to scale back the right to jury trial in reforms designed to stop the court backlog spiralling out of control any further.

Some trials in London are already being set for 2030 and the Ministry of Justice predicts that the Crown Court backlog currently around 80,000 cases is expected to rise to more than 100,000 cases next year.

Pointing to a graph depicting the growing backlog, which she called the "line of doom," Ms Sackman said the open caseload would reach 200,000 cases by 2035 if there was no reform.