Ten cases a day – how ‘blitz courts’ could tackle the Crown Court backlog

Ten cases a day – how ‘blitz courts’ could tackle the Crown Court backlog

At Nottingham Crown Court, a man faced the bench with a neutral face. He had shared explicit photos of his genitals with a 13-year-old girl and possessed nearly 200 suggestive images of children. The judge, addressing him as a “depraved individual,” imposed a two-year suspended sentence. Additionally, he was mandated to complete 118 unpaid community service hours and remain on the sex offender register for a decade. A woman nearby listened quietly, her eyes glistening as she tried to hold back emotion. The hearing lasted 45 minutes.

Following this, the judge considered another case involving a man who had sent a 14-year-old girl explicit photos and solicited her for sexual activity. The defendant, then 27, was apprehended by a paedophile-hunting organization after planning to meet the girl outside an Asda store. His sentence mirrored the prior case. Typically, I attend court for a single proceeding, but today marked a departure. These were the initial cases Judge Michael Auty KC would address in the coming five hours.

Nottingham is among a select group of crown courts implementing “blitz” hearings, designed to expedite dozens of cases daily. Similar programs are active in London, the North East, and the North West of England. The initiative is set to expand to more courts in England and Wales, including London’s Old Bailey. The objective is to prioritize cases on a “fast track.” Blitz courts handle trials, sentencing, and appeals, streamlining proceedings to combat delays.

While it’s rare for a judge to handle such a high volume in one day, the government aims to leverage this model to alleviate the system’s overwhelming caseload. Nottingham’s blitz sessions occur biweekly. Cases are grouped by similarity, allowing efficient use of time. On the day I observed, the judge delivered ten sentences, four related to sexual offenses. The concept isn’t novel; blitz hearings have been used before, like during the 2011 summer riots, to manage large numbers of public disorder cases swiftly.

This month, the government is broadening blitz court usage as part of a larger strategy to reduce backlogs. Funding of £2.7bn for courts and tribunals this financial year—up from £2.5bn previously—supports the initiative. Currently, around 80,000 cases await resolution in crown courts, with numbers doubling since the pandemic. The backlog is projected to surpass 100,000 by year’s end and could reach 200,000 by 2035 if reforms aren’t enacted.

Victims, some informed their cases may not be resolved until 2030, express frustration with the prolonged wait. Starting April, the Central Criminal Court will use two chambers for blitz sessions, focusing on assaults against emergency workers. Over 600 such cases remain unprocessed. In Nottingham, the cases continued. Next was a married man with five children, accused of distributing intimate images of a Muslim woman he had sexual relations with and attempting blackmail. He threatened to reveal her naked photos to her family in a hotel room unless she agreed to continue sleeping with him.

“You are 44 years old,” the judge remarked. “These offenses are mean, manipulative.” After sentencing him to two years in prison, the judge added: “You’ve escaped jail by the skin of your teeth.”

Throughout the day, the judge also addressed drug-related charges, public disorder, and theft. While speaking to both prosecution and defense lawyers, Auty KC noted that some cases could have been resolved earlier in magistrate courts, leading to quicker resolutions and less strain on the system. Advocates for blitz courts argue that this approach enables faster processing, earlier plea deals, and better community rehabilitation opportunities for offenders, freeing up prison resources.