NEWS & VIEWS

 

RCEW launch their Living in Limbo report

18/11/2025

 

A record number of rape and sexual offence trials face delays and unacceptable waiting times, new research reveals.

 

Survivors of rape and other sexual offences are increasingly likely to face longer waiting times and last-minute delays before their case is heard in court, according to a research report released today by Rape Crisis England & Wales (RCEW).

 

The report, Living in Limbo, is the second one of its kind from RCEW and builds on the latest government data showing that there are now 13,238 sexual offence cases awaiting trial in Crown Court backlogs - a 66% increase since their first report, Breaking Point, was finalised in 2022.

 

Survivors of adult rape are currently made to wait an average of 499 days before the Crown Court will hear their trial in cases where a defendant has not been remanded. This is 192 days longer than parties will wait in all other offence types.

 

Data obtained by RCEW via Freedom of Information requests reveals that the number of rape trials effectively heard in the Crown Court decreased by 71% between 2015 and 2023 – a total of 4,684 fewer cases. However, in that same period, the proportion of rape trials that were delayed at least once increased by 18%.

 

FOI data also show that 1 in 3 rape trials were delayed in 2024, compared to 1 in 10 in 2015. The report features the experiences of survivors who have seen their case postponed up to six times in the Crown Court.

 

#LivingInLimbo