'All the stress was for nothing': Woman drops sex assault case after court delays

A woman who was sexually assaulted by a taxi driver on her 21st birthday has said she was let down by court delays. Sarah, not her real name, first reported the incident in early-2022 and testified in court in December 2023. Nonetheless, the trial was postponed until September 2024, when the judge became ill.

I made the decision, even though I dislike the word,

Sarah, a Gloucestershire woman, said. I couldn't let this hurt me further.The Crown Prosecution Service said that without Sarah's testimony, the lawsuit was dismissed due to insufficient evidence. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said it was considering major court reforms to combat delays.

When she was told the trial had been postponed and she would have to appear again two-and-a-half years after the suspected assault, Sarah said she was left in tears and feeling very sad and that she would be required to testify again two and a half Before the judge became sick, Sarah's mother and ex-partner had also testified and testified.

All of this pain, this humiliation, has been plaguing for nearly two years of my life. [It was all] for nothing,

Sarah said. She said she felt she could not testify at a new trial due to the significant toll the procedure had already taken on her mental stability. Sarah said she now wanted to tell others about the court process's dangers.

'Gut-wrenching'

Victims are offered by Alex Wood, a senior mental health consultant and independent sexual violence advisor in Bristol and South Gloucestershire. Really rarely run smoothly, she said, and most people have to wait several years before going to court. She referred to delays as devastating and gut-wrenching for her clients, and that

too much for people. It is not just victims who are affected by court delays, but those who have been accused of crimes have been following these cases for years. According to the most recent MoJ reports, more than 13,000 sexual offences were pending to be heard in crown courts around the country as of June. In September, the number of cases waiting to go to court had increased by 40% in the last two years, according to a charity Rape Crisis's study into the effects of court backlogs on victims of sexual assault victims. According to an MoJ spokesperson, victims

are waiting much too longfor their cases to hear court, and they areoften giving up before getting justice. The delay was attributed to

the track and increasing court backlog we inherited

for the delays, according to the spokesperson.

We're looking at major reforms of the judiciary system to combat delays and increase crown court hearings at historic highs,

they said. If you have been affected by the issues in this story and would like assistance, you will find organisations that can help you with your queries at BBBC Action Line. Follow BBC Gloucestershire onFacebook,XandInstagram. [phone redacted]: Send your story suggestions to us by email or viaWhatsApp.