Hundreds of sex crime trials collapse as alleged victims withdraw complaints ... trends now
Hundreds of sex crimes trials collapse before ever making it to court as alleged victims withdraw their complaints amid court backlogs, it has emerged.
Data shows more than 1,600 cases have collapsed in England and Wales over the last five years after complaints were withdrawn.
In the first six months of 2022-23 alone, 61 rape trials and 114 trials for serious sexual offences were abandoned by victims.
This comes as Rape Crisis England & Wales released its new report today revealing that the Crown Courts have reached a 'record-high' backlog of 7,859 sexual offence cases and 1,851 adult rape cases.
Hundreds of sex crimes trials collapse before ever making it to court as alleged victims withdraw their complaints amid court backlogs, it has emerged (stock photo)
Legal experts have blamed the number of alleged victims quitting prosecutions on the justice system backlog for the last few years.
The experts alleged that many complainants, who may wait upwards of three years for their case to be tried, find the long process to be incredibly stressful.
Now data from the Ministry of Justice, obtained by BBC's Newsnight programme through a freedom of information request, echoes the claims and reveals that the number of victims quitting prosecution is increasing.
Official figures revealed that the number of alleged victims withdrawing their cases was about 33 per cent higher nine years ago.
However, the number of rape prosecutions in England and Wale also plummeted by 70 per cent over the four years to 2022.
Analysts allege that, when taken in account for the fall in prosecutions, the overall percentage of trials collapsing due to alleged victims withdrawing has increased.
The experts also note that the data suggests a rape or sexual offence trial is more likely to collapse because of an alleged victim quitting than other key
