A COUPLE of MPs feel it is “deeply worrying” and “unacceptable” that Bradford is facing its biggest backlog of cases for violent attacks as the wait for justice for hundreds of victims continues.

Ministry of Justice data shows there were 213 outstanding cases for alleged violent attacks at Bradford Crown Court at the end of March.

That was a rise of 28% on the 167 at the same time last year, and the highest number since comparable records were first published seven years ago.

The cases were among 1,011 outstanding cases at Bradford Crown Court at the end of March, including 99 relating to alleged sex offences.

1,438 cases were concluded at the court between April last year and March this year, a fall from 1,782 the year before.

The Ministry of Justice said the long delays were brought on by the impact of Covid-19 which led to a limited operation at criminal courts, particularly last year.

However, the Law Society of England and Wales, which represents solicitors, said the pandemic has only compounded decades of underfunding and court closures.

Bradford South MP Judith Cummins bemoaned the lack of funding and is very concerned with the amount of cases that are not being dealt with.

She said: “These figures show that our public services, including our justice system, need investment in order to catch up after the pandemic. It is deeply worrying that justice is been delayed for so many people. It really is the case that justice delayed is justice denied.”

Shipley MP Phillip Davies understands the pandemic played a big part in the delays but knows the backlog needs to be tackled as soon as possible.

He said: “The lockdowns over the last 15 months have had a huge impact on most sectors, and it has caused a massive backlog in the courts. It is absolutely essential that steps are taken to eat into this backlog as such long delays on cases are unacceptable – not least to the victims seeking justice.”

Coronavirus restrictions meant trials could not be held in some court buildings, leading to the opening of 60 Nightingale courtrooms across England and Wales, some based in stadiums, town halls and theatres.

Hearings were also carried out through remote technology, with more than half done in this way between May and December last year

Across England and Wales, 59,500 cases were waiting to be dealt with by crown courts at the end of March, an increase of 45% on the previous year. Of those, 12,700 (21%) involved allegations of violence.

Charities fear delays at courts could stop people reporting crime in future, while legal bodies fear they could even impact the outcome of a trial.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said since April this year, the backlog of outstanding cases at crown courts had started to fall, although the latest figures were unavailable at individual court level.

They said: “Dedicated staff and professionals kept justice moving during the pandemic and thanks to their efforts we are seeing positive results – outstanding cases in the crown court are beginning to drop. Major challenges remain which is why we are investing hundreds of millions to further increase capacity, deliver swifter justice and support victims.”