“Christina’s story, I’m afraid, is not unfamiliar. The mental torture that victims are living as they wait for their day in court is all too real.”
Sarah Sackman MP, Courts Minister
Survivors of domestic abuse are being subjected to known and acknowledged mental harm as a result of prolonged court delays, according to the Courts Minister, after Woman’s Trust was featured on a BBC programme outlining the trauma.
Speaking on Politics London on BBC One on Sunday, Sarah Sackman MP, said the psychological damage caused by lengthy waits for justice is undeniable.
“The mental torture that victims are living as they wait for their day in court is all too real.
“What we do need to listen to is the voices of victims that we heard on that piece there.
“I hear from victims, I speak to them every day. They struggle to hold down a job, they struggle to move on in their life. And as things stand, I cannot say, in all fairness, that the system is there serving them and that is what we have got to change.”
She added that many survivors ultimately withdraw from proceedings because they can no longer endure the strain.
The comments came after a filmed report featuring Woman’s Trust clients, including Christina* and a mother, and its Head of Therapeutic Services, Sona Barbosa, examined the impact of proceedings on survivors’ mental health.
The charity is calling for Government funding for immediate specialist mental health support for survivors throughout the legal process. Too often this support is denied through long waiting lists and a lack of dedicated funding.
It has written to Ministers calling for it to be prioritised within the Health Strategy, alongside dedicated funding of £27 million per year.
The programme highlighted London’s rapidly growing backlog of cases – now standing at around 19,000 outstanding cases, the fastest-growing in England and Wales – with victims waiting months and, in some cases, years for their cases to be heard.
While outlining government investment in courts, legal aid and victim support services, the Minister conceded that the system is currently failing those it is meant to protect and said their work to speed up the process would ultimately help survivors.
“What is not fair is what is happening right now,” she said. “Victims are walking away, criminals are escaping justice, and survivors are not getting their day in court.”
In the clip played to the panel, Christina, a survivor of domestic abuse for more than 23 years, described how nearly a decade of court proceedings dominated every aspect of her life.
She said. “The toll on your mental health is exhausting – it drains you from living any quality of life.”
Christina was supported by Woman’s Trust through counselling. But the charity has twice as many survivors as it has funding for, with at least 1 in 2 women referred to us not able to get the vital help they need.
Another survivor supported by Woman’s Trust, a mother involved in ongoing family court proceedings, spoke about losing full-time care of her child a year ago while the case continues. During the process, her autistic son became suicidal and required medical help. Despite this, the court made no findings of harm and he was still removed from her care.
“It puts my son in a constant state of anxiety and confusion – and myself as well,” she said. By the time a final decision is reached, the case will have taken at least 15 months.
Sona Barbosa told the programme that prolonged court proceedings leave survivors trapped in ongoing fear and anxiety, unable to begin recovery. She called for urgent access to specialist counselling and mental health support for women to survive the trauma.
Presenter Samantha Simmonds noted that delays are affecting both criminal and family courts, with particularly poor performance in London and the South East. Shortages of district judges and social workers are compounding the problem in family courts.
Jason Lartey, President of the London Criminal Courts Solicitors’ Association, speaking on the show, said the crisis was the result of “years of underfunding and neglect” across the justice system. He pointed to cuts to legal aid, staff shortages, inefficient outsourcing, and court closures as key drivers of the backlog.
Responding to concerns that victims are being advised not to report crimes because of delays, the Minister acknowledged the seriousness of the situation.
“I hear stories of people being told to walk away and not bother reporting because of the mental torment these delays cause,” she said.
She admitted that some victims in London are currently being told their trials will not be heard until 2029 or 2030.
The full interview featuring Woman’s Trust can be watched on BBC iPlayer (at 10 minutes) Politics London – BBC iPlayer
Read the BBC story.
*Name changed to protect identity.
