South Yorkshire's most senior judge reveals 'enormous' backlog of cases at Sheffield Crown Court
A judge has laid bare the extent of the backlog at Sheffield Crown Court, where the number of open cases is said to have risen by around 146 per cent since 2019.
Across England and Wales, the Crown Court backlog has hit almost 80,000, with tens of thousands of victims of crime waiting for justice, the Ministry of Justice said this month.
With the caseload projected to hit 100,000 by 2028, deputy prime Minister David Lammy has 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.
Now, The Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC, has detailed how the “intense pressure” on the courts system is affecting Sheffield Crown Court.
Speaking yesterday (December 23, 2025) - the last sitting Crown Court day of 2025 - Judge Richardson made the remarks as he fixed a trial date for 19 months’ time.
“There is intense pressure on the criminal courts in this country,” Judge Richardson told a defendant.
He continued: “As an example, the picture in 2019 - before the pandemic - at any one time at this Crown Court there were approximately 650 cases in various stages. That was the workload.
“People who were to stand trial, if they were on bail, would have their case listed within approximately six to 12 months. It was exceptional for it to go to the 12-month marker.”
“Now, there are approximately 1,600 cases in the system at this Crown Court, there are basically 1,000 more cases. It’s an enormous increase in the volume of work and number of cases...very often involving sexual violence, violence and the like.”
Judge Richardson explained that while the number of cases has risen sharply by around 1,000 - marking an increase of approximately 146 per cent since 2019 - Sheffield Crown Court “effectively still has the same number of courtrooms” where cases can be heard.
“That’s why people have to wait. It’s as simple as that. I wish it were otherwise, I dislike it intensely, telling people they must wait 18 months for their trial.
“It’s not fair on anyone, it’s not good, but that is simply the reality of the situation.”
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.
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.
“The crumbling system we inherited has resulted in a crown court backlog of nearly 80,000 and rising. Justice delayed is justice denied.
“This is not acceptable...I have set out a bold blueprint for a modern justice system that works for – not against – victims – one that is faster, fairer and finally capable of giving brave survivors of crime the justice they deserve.
“These reforms are bold and it will take time to turn the tide on the rising backlog, but these measures are necessary to tackle the emergency in our courts. We are putting victims before tradition for tradition’s sake and fairness before those who want to game the system.”