THERE is a backlog of hundreds of cases at Dorset's only Crown Court, figures show.

Ministry of Justice data shows that there were 396 outstanding cases at Bournemouth Crown Court at the end of June - the latest month for which figures are available.

That is significantly down on the same time last year when there were 612 outstanding cases.

Of the cases outstanding at the end of June, 112 (28%) related to alleged violent attacks and 57 (14%) were for sex offences, including 11 alleged rapes.

Dorchester Crown Court closed in September 2016 after reportedly being used for "just over a third of its available hearing time".

Diana Fawcett, chief executive of the charity Victim Support, said: “Long waits for trial cause immense stress and misery for victims. Sadly, wait times for court are only part of the problem – many people have already waited years from reporting the crime to the police to their case reaching the courts.

“This a particular problem for victims of sexual violence – our case workers are supporting victims who have been waiting upwards of five years to have their cases heard."

Across England and Wales, 59,700 cases were yet to be concluded at the end of June – up 2% from March, and a rise of nearly three-quarters compared to June 2019, when 34,500 were outstanding.

The latest figures came ahead of this week's vote by criminal barristers across the country on whether to end indefinite strike action – launched over issues around legal aid fees and conditions – following a pay offer from the Government.

Criminal barristers in England and Wales have been taking part in a continuous walkout after their row with the Government over fees intensified.

Members of the Criminal Bar Association are set to vote this week on whether to end strike action after being offered “a comprehensive package” including a 15% fee increase for new and existing cases, with a decision due on Monday, October 10.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “Restoring the swift access to justice victims deserve is our absolute priority and we are spending almost half a billion pounds to reduce wait times, as well as boosting funding for victim support to £460 million over the next three years.

“On top of this, the Government has deployed a range of measures – including unlimited sitting days, Nightingale courts and increasing magistrate sentencing powers – that has so far reduced the backlog in the Crown Court by over 2,000 from its pandemic-induced peak and seen magistrates cases return to pre-pandemic levels.”