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The Ministry of Justice plans to establish specialist rape courtrooms in every Crown Court across England and Wales within two years. Victims will receive dedicated private entrances and waiting areas, along with trauma-informed training for court staff and a single point of contact assigned to each survivor. The initiative is expected to cost around £23 million and aims to provide fixed trial dates starting from October, as part of broader efforts to improve the justice system's treatment of rape victims. Shadow Justice Secretary Dawn Butler emphasized the need for these changes to rebalance the scales in favor of victims and prevent further traumatisation during legal proceedings.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-21,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced plans to roll out dedicated rape courts across all 29 Crown Courts in England and Wales within the next two years. Each court will have at least one courtroom specifically for handling cases of rape and serious sexual offenses, providing victims with a private entrance and waiting room separate from defendants. The initiative aims to reduce trial delays by assigning fixed dates instead of placing cases on floating lists. Trauma-informed training will also be provided to court staff, ensuring victims have a single point of contact throughout the process. Estimated costs for these measures are around £23 million from the Ministry of Justice budget. This move follows Labour MP Charlotte Nichols’ public speech in March where she waived her right to anonymity to advocate for changes, highlighting the need for reform to better support rape survivors and "rebalance the scales of justice."
Written for “Rape Courts Initiative England Wales” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 5 other(s) covering the same event.
Every Crown Court will have at least one courtroom dedicated to hearing such cases set up in the next two years, officials said.
asserted
officials → have → years
Victims will be offered a private entrance and private waiting room to keep them away from the defendant, which they already have a right to request but currently depends upon availability.
asserted
they → offer → availability
Court staff will also be given “trauma-informed training” with a single person of contact assigned to each survivor as part of the package of measures are expected to cost around £23 million from the Ministry of Justice budget.
asserted
staff → give → budget
From October, trials will be given a fixed date rather than placed on floating lists in what the Prime Minister described as an effort to “rebalance the scales of justice and put victims first.”
asserted
Minister → give → victims
She said the changes promised on Monday were a “hugely important milestone” which would help improve the experience of those who are “all too often retraumatised by seeking justice.”
asserted
who → say → justice
“I’m proud that substantive meaningful change has come from waiving my anonymity to speak about my own experiences, and I can’t tell you how much the support of the Prime Minister and Lord Chancellor means to me, as I know the difference these measures would have made for me and for so many of the survivors I have worked with in recent years
asserted
I → ’m → years
,” Ms Nichols said.
asserted
Nichols → say → ?
The pledge is one in a series of announcements aimed at tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG), which Labour promised in its 2024 manifesto to halve within a decade.
asserted
Labour → aim → decade
Mr Burnham said: “For too long, victims of rape and serious sexual offences have felt let down by our justice system.
asserted
victims → say → system
Prosecution rates for rape remain shamefully low, with many victims waiting years for justice.
asserted
victims → remain → justice
That’s why we are making major changes to rebalance the scales of justice and put victims first.
asserted
we → ’ → victims
This includes rolling out specialist courtrooms for rape and serious sex offences.
asserted
This → include → rape
“These changes are long overdue and will make a significant difference, but focusing on prosecution alone will not be enough.
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focusing → make → prosecution
So as well as ensuring victims get justice, we will step up action to prevent these horrific crimes from happening in the first place.”
asserted
we → ensure → place
Rape Crisis England and Wales welcomed the measures as a “significant step forward for our justice system” that would bring into force a number of reforms the organisation has been calling for over many years.
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organisation → welcome → years
Chief executive Ciara Bergman said: “Taken together, they reflect the urgency of ensuring that courts are fit for purpose and properly meet the needs of victims and survivors, which is crucial to securing justice.”
asserted
which → say → justice
The Tories said tackling delays to criminal rape trials was “long overdue” and pushed Labour to commit to scrapping plans to restrict jury trials more widely announced under Sir Keir Starmer’s government.
asserted
tackling → say → government
Shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy said: “The fact that victims have been withdrawing their cases because they have taken too long has been a disgrace.
“Labour need to get courts sitting throughout the year, end the delays and clear the backlog – not undermine our right to a trial by jury.”
asserted
courts → say → jury
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