Cases in the court increased by eight and a half per cent between January 1 and March 31, 2026, reaching a new high of 2,172 active cases.
In the space of two years, the number of cases waiting to be heard at Woolwich Crown Court has almost doubled – in March 2024 there were 1,237 active cases.
Woolwich Crown Court is the primary court for serious criminal cases committed in Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich and Lewisham.
It also frequently serves as the venue for terrorism-related trials due to its position right next to high-security HMP Belmarsh.
Of the 68 crown courts in England and Wales, 33 recorded a drop in the number of open cases between January and March 2026.
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Sarah Sackman, a justice minister, said it could take “nearly 300 years” to clear the current backlog nationally without major reforms to cut jury trials.
Ms Sackman issued a warning after MoJ figures showed record numbers of victims are waiting more than a year for their case to be heard by crown courts in England and Wales, with nearly a quarter of these being for sex crimes.
Overall, there were 80,061 outstanding cases in the crown court backlog at the end of March.
Outstanding cases in magistrates’ courts also peaked at 370,722 at the end of March, up 11 per cent on the previous 12 months (323,194).
Has your case been delayed? Contact Josh.Bolton@newsquest.co.uk
