Wiltshire charity 'not surprised' at backlog of domestic violence court cases
The time between charge and an outcome has almost doubled since 2018
A domestic violence charity in Wiltshire says it's not surprised at figures that expose the length of time abuse survivors are waiting for a justice sector outcome.
Data from the CPS reveals that since 2018, the time it takes for an outcome to be reached, from the point of charging a person, has almost doubled.
In 2018, cases took an average of 85 days to reach a verdict, with the latest figures for 2023 showing that's swollen to 156 days.
FearFree CEO, Debbie Beadle, told Greatest Hits Radio that going through a criminal case is a "horrendous, scary process", which can hold survivors back from recovering.
She told us that it has a major impact on the survivors wellbeing.
"The fact that you've had the courage to come forward and speak out against somebody that's harming you and then have to wait months and months and months knowing that they know that you've spoken out," Debbie said.
She added that people the charity supports are left looking over their shoulder, wondering if their perpetrator is going to appear.
It can influence a person's work life too, with court cases requiring time off work and child care provision, which can leave the survivor out of pocket and needing to disclose to their bosses why they need the time off.
Debbie said: "They may be asking questions why you're having time off work, and again, it may be seen as a performance issue rather than this is somebody that needs support."
The proposed Safe Leave bill would allow survivors up to 10 days of paid leave to deal with the challenges of escaping abuse.
Debbie told us that the emotional toll of a court case can be difficult and adds stress to an already tricky situation.
"It really delays their recovery," she said, "Often, people can't move on until they've got that justice or until they feel safe or that they know that the perpetrator is behind bars."