Sheffield Crown Court backlog rises above national average as national wait hits record high
Sheffield Crown Court backlog has risen
Sheffield Crown Court’s backlog has risen to almost 1,900 cases as the national wait hits a record high.
Almost 1,900 criminal cases are waiting to be dealt with at Sheffield Crown Court, with the backlog rising by 37 cases in just three months.
There were 1,884 open cases at Sheffield Crown Court at the end of June, compared with 1,847 at the end of March – a two per cent increase, according to the latest Ministry of Justice figures.
Across England, Crown Court backlogs increased by an average of around seven cases per court over the same period.
Sheffield's increase was therefore substantially above the average, although it was not among the largest increases recorded - sitting around the middle of the table nationally.
Of 68 Crown Courts across England and Wales, 27 recorded a bigger percentage increase in their backlog than Sheffield, while 39 recorded a smaller increase or saw their backlog fall.
The figures come as the overall Crown Court backlog has reached a record 80,829 open cases across England and Wales.
But just down the M1 at Derby Crown Court, the figures show a different picture.
Derby's backlog fell by 58 cases, from 1,109 in March to 1,051 in June – a 5.2 per cent reduction.
That means Derby had 833 fewer open cases than Sheffield at the end of June, despite having recorded a significantly larger caseload at the start of the three-month period.
Across Yorkshire, there was a mixed picture.
Sheffield's backlog remains substantially higher than York Crown Court, where 457 cases were open at the end of June, versus Sheffield’s 1,884.
However, while Sheffield's cases increased by 37, equating to a two per cent increase, York’s increase of 34 cases meant an eight per cent increase overall.
In West Yorkshire, Leeds Crown Court reduced its backlog by 25 cases, from 2,142 to 2,117(1.2 per cent fall) while Bradford Crown Court saw its backlog rise by 35 cases, from 1,624 to 1,659.