Sheffield Crown Court's case backlog revealed as minister issues shock warning over national picture
“Victims are waiting longer than ever”
The level of Sheffield Crown Court’s current backlog of cases has been revealed as the Courts minister issued a shock warning over the national picture.
Sheffield’s was one of 33 out of 68 Crown Courts in England and Wales to reduce the size of their backlog of cases during the first three months of 2026, new analysis has shown.
The PA analysis of Ministry of Justice figures has shown that the backlog of cases at Sheffield Crown Court, has reduced by 4.7 per cent, going from 1,932 cases to 1,842.
Some 34 courts saw a rise and one saw no change, the data shows.
Nationally, the backlog reached a total of 80,061 cases.
With the caseload projected to hit 100,000 by 2028, deputy prime Minister David Lammy previously described the court system as “crumbling.”
Speaking in Parliament, Mr Lammy announced plans for a major overhaul of the courts system, which includes scrapping jury trials in all but the most serious of cases.
And following the most recent release of figures, courts minister Sarah Sackman told Sky News investment and greater efficiency were "starting to stabilise the backlog - but they cannot reverse it alone".
Ms Sackman added: “We're moving in the right direction, but the scale of the challenge is stark.
“In the most serious cases, victims are waiting longer than ever - and at this pace, it could take nearly 300 years to clear the backlog to pre-pandemic levels.”
Under the Government’s proposals, new ‘Swift Courts’ will see cases with a likely sentence of three years or less heard by a judge alone - estimated to take 20 per cent less time than a jury trial.
Guaranteed jury trials will continue, however, for the most serious and almost all indictable offences – including rape, murder, aggravated burglary, blackmail, people trafficking, grievous bodily harm and the most serious drug offences.
In addition, magistrates will be given the power to hand down longer sentences, of up to 18 months, freeing up crown court time for the most serious offences. This could go up to two years if needed.
Commenting as he announced the proposals to overhaul the current jury trial system, Mr Lammy, who also holds the role of justice secretary, said: “This government inherited a justice system in crisis – victims are waiting far too long to get their case to court, and even more are being let down by a system that allows nefarious defendants to try and game the system.”