Domestic abuse victims wait five times longer for verdicts since 2019 – figures

Domestic abuse victims are waiting more than five times as long for a court verdict as they were five years ago, figures have shown.

Figures released by the Scottish Government show the median wait between an offence being reported and a verdict being reached rose to 632 days in 2024/25.

The figure is a dramatic increase from the 114 days in 2019-20, with waiting times increasing every year since then.

Scottish Labour said the figures show victims are being “let down” by the justice system, with more than one in ten cases now taking more than five years to conclude.

It comes at the same time as figures show the clear-up rate for domestic abuse fell over the last year, with more than three in 10 (30.9%) cases not cleared up in 2024-25.

The figure is slightly lower than the 31.1% in 2019/20 but higher than the 26.2% in 2023/24.

Figures released last week showed that the number of domestic abuse incidents recorded by the police rose for the second year in a row.

Police Scotland recorded 64,967 incidents of domestic abuse in 2024-25 – with the total up by 2% from 63,867 the previous year.

Pauline McNeill, Scottish Labour’s justice spokeswoman, said: “Domestic abuse is on the rise but women are being let down by a justice system that cannot cope.

“Fewer cases are being cleared up by our overstretched police service, while delays in courts mean domestic abuse victims are being left in limbo for months and years on end.

“Violence against women is reaching crisis point and we need a justice system that can confront this issue.

“The SNP must support frontline policing, tackle the backlog in our courts and tackle violence and misogyny right across society.”

Minister for victims Kirsten Oswald said: “Domestic abuse is abhorrent and has a devastating impact on those affected. We have made changes to the justice system to make it easier to report incidents and legislated to give police, prosecutors and the courts greater powers to tackle domestic abuse crimes.

“To tackle violence against women, the Scottish Government has increased funding by £1.1 million extra this year, bringing the total amount delivered through the Equally Safe Fund to almost £23 million.

“This gives organisations the stability and greater certainty they need to plan ahead, retain specialist staff and sustain their vital services.

“Scottish courts have taken targeted action to address pressures in the most serious cases and shift resources to where demand is greatest.

“A standalone Sexual Offences Court is also being established to provide a more sustainable model for managing serious cases and reduce pressure across the wider system.

“These changes will improve efficiency, reduce delays and free up court capacity for the most serious cases which will have a positive impact on the movement of cases through the court system.”