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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent

Backlog of adult rape cases in courts in England and Wales hits record high

Kirsty Brimelow protests with other barristers in Manchester outside Manchester crown courts
Kirsty Brimelow KC: ‘Sexual offences cases remain a poignant example of the crisis in the criminal justice system.’ Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian

The backlog of adult rape cases in crown courts in England and Wales has risen to almost four times the level it was in 2019.

There was a record backlog of 2,210 adult rape cases in the first quarter of the year, compared with 576 in the equivalent period four years ago, according to analysis by the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) of official statistics published on Thursday.

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