Mary Creagh welcomes new specialist courts in Coventry

By Rock drum - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21531489

Victims of rape and sexual offences will get the justice they deserve, as their cases take priority and new specialist courts are rolled out across England and Wales, the Prime Minister has announced today. 

Backed by a multi-million-pound cash injection, every Crown Court in England and Wales will get at least one courtroom dedicated to hearing rape and serious sexual offence cases over the next two years, helping to hold more perpetrators to account. 

By transforming how the justice system treats the survivors of some of the most serious crimes, the changes are designed to encourage more victims to come forward. Victims will be provided with private entrances and waiting rooms in courts as well as facilities equipped to pre-record evidence and observe sentencing remotely. Rape and serious sexual offence cases will also now be prioritised, with trials given a fixed date and no longer placed on floating lists which can be moved at short notice and delayed by months. 

For too long, victims of rape and serious sexual offences have felt let down by a system that did not consider their needs for tailored support. In 2025, rape cases took an average of 424 days to complete once they reached the Crown Court, and many victims withdrew before their case was heard. 

Today’s changes will mean victims get better support and face fewer delays, as the government continues to take decisive action to tackle violence against women and girls and deliver the justice that victims deserve. 

The changes announced today will also see all court staff get trauma-informed training and give victims a single point of contact to ensure their needs are met during the court process. The new measures also include a new Rape Justice Taskforce, drawing leaders from across the criminal justice system to tackle the rising rate of postponed rape trials and confront the myths that cause victims to withdraw from their own cases. 

Today’s announcement builds on the Government’s pledge to halve violence against women and girls in a decade and make sure the justice system put victims front and centre. 

Earlier this month, the Prime Minister announced that by the end of 2027, all police forces in England and Wales will have dedicated rape and sexual offence investigation teams, helping to make sure more criminal cases are prosecuted. 

Since coming into office, the government has pledged over £1 billion to support victims of violence against women and girls, announced plans to place domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms across every police force in England and Wales, and is rolling out new Domestic Abuse Protection Orders to provide victims with protection for as long as needed. 

The government has also committed to use every lever at its disposal to drive down the backlog of victims waiting years for justice through the Courts and Tribunals Bill, which is set to return to Parliament in October. 

Mary Creagh, MP for Coventry East, said: 

“Victims of rape and serious sexual offences have felt let down by the criminal justice system for too long. This funding will provide the support that victims deserve. They will deliver courtrooms that are designed to support the people and providing specialist training for staff to handle these cases with care.  

This change will improve our courts, supporting survivors of sexual assault and give them the justice they deserve.” 

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: 

“Prosecution rates for rape remain shamefully low, with many victims waiting years for justice. This is not good enough. That’s why we are making major changes to rebalance the scales of justice and put victims first. This includes rolling out specialist courtrooms for rape and serious sex offences.  

These changes are long overdue and will make a significant difference, but focusing on prosecution alone will not be enough. So, as well as ensuring victims get justice, we will step up action to prevent these horrific crimes from happening in the first place.”