Crown court backlog hits new levels

THE crown court backlog in England and Wales has risen to a new record high, passing 75,000 cases for the first time.

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Data published on Thursday shows the open caseload stood at 76,957 at the end of March this year, up from 74,592 at the end of December 2024.

This is also up 11% from 69,021 a year earlier, according to Ministry of Justice figures.

Some 18,093 cases had been open for at least a year at the end of March, up from 16,184 a year earlier and the highest since current data began.

Open caseload refers to the number of outstanding cases.