Long waits for justice in fraud cases in Avon and Somerset

Potential victims of serious fraud are waiting more than six months for cases to be concluded in Avon and Somerset, figures show.

The Law Society has said the complexity of fraud cases combined with backlogs across the legal system could be behind the long waits.

Figures from the Ministry of Justice show the median wait for 34 outstanding fraud cases in Avon and Somerset was 33 weeks.

Across England, the median waiting time for outstanding cases is 44 weeks – the longest of any major crime category.

In addition, 312 cases have been outstanding for two years or more – including two in Avon and Somerset.

In 2019, there were just 68 such cases across the country.

"The long waiting time for fraud cases to come to trial may in part be due to the complexity of the cases, especially as they often involve a number of defendants," said Law Society president Lubna Shuja.

"Such cases often are long trials which require weeks of court time. This means they are more difficult for listing officers to schedule.

"They inevitably take longer to reach trial than simpler, single defendant cases might, especially now with the huge backlogs in the criminal courts."

For England as a whole, serious fraud cases took just over a year to be completed after a charge was first raised – having taken less than six months at the same point in 2019.

Ms Shuja continued: "We must remember though, that fraud cases can involve many victims as well as defendants. It is vital that those victims also get justice in a timely fashion, and are not just left at the back of the ever-increasing queue of cases waiting to be dealt with."

In June 2019, the median wait for outstanding serious fraud cases in England was 14 weeks – while in Avon and Somerset this was 12 weeks.

Fraud has been under greater scrutiny in recent years, as figures suggest the number of offences has increased over the past decade. The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau registered more than a million cases of fraud in the year to March.

However, given only the most serious cases reach the Crown Court, it is difficult to tell whether this is contributing to a backlog in cases. Minor cases are instead generally dealt with by magistrates.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "People who break the law must face justice, and more criminal cases are now reaching the Crown Court than at any point over the last two years."

"We are letting our courts run at full throttle – lifting the cap on the number of days courts can sit for a third year, recruiting more judges, and investing more in our courts, including in Magistrates’ courts where more than 90 per cent of criminal cases are dealt with," they added.