Sadiq Khan urges ministers to address ‘severe’ court backlog and lack of therapy for rape victims

Exclusive: ‘Agonising waits for court and last-minute changes are causing untold damage to victims’ mental health,’ warns London mayor

In an open letter addressed to Mr Raab, Mr Khan warned the justice system was ‘in crisis from end-to-end’ – with these issues exerting growing pressure on support services (PA Wire)

London’s mayor has demanded the government urgently address the “severe” court backlog as he warned that services to help rape and sexual assault victims were “stretched to breaking point”.

Sadiq Khan urged the justice secretary, Dominic Raab, to introduce measures to address the court backlog and help overcapacitated services that provide sexual violence survivors with therapy and other help.

In an open letter addressed to Mr Raab, shared exclusively with The Independent, Mr Khan warned that the justice system was “in crisis from end to end” – with these issues exerting growing pressure on support services.