US EditionLammy accused of twisting rape case figures to justify jury plan
Senior barristers dispute David Lammy's 60% dropout claim in rape cases, citing an 8% post-charge withdrawal rate and warning of justice risks from proposed court reforms.
- On Saturday, senior barristers accused David Lammy, justice secretary and deputy prime minister, of misrepresenting rape attrition figures, challenging his repeated 60 per cent victim dropout claim in public and Labour briefings.
- CPS figures show a different picture, with prosecutions falling away due to witness attrition around 8 per cent on average for the past year, while Sir Brian Leveson’s 20 per cent estimate carries very high uncertainty.
- Backlog figures show court backlog surpassed more than 360,000 at June's end, rising over 70,000 since last July, while prison escort services caused 75 trial cancellations in the first six months of 2025.
- Lammy will have to answer the justice committee this month and faces backlash from up to 60 Labour MPs, including Angela Rayner, after a parliamentary committee demanded modelling on Thursday.
- Leading KCs warned that the 'swift courts' proposal moving half of crown court cases without juries and increasing magistrates' sentencing to 18 months risks more miscarriages of justice.
5 Articles
5 Articles
David Lammy has become Keir Starmer's scapegoat
David Lammy, Labour’s new Justice Secretary, is living dangerously. The leak of plans for an overhaul of the jury system to expedite court cases and address years of under-investment and delays has drawn an unforgiving spotlight onto his argument and political modus operandi. It has detonated a powerful backlash from senior barristers who have accused Lammy of misrepresenting the statistics about rape cases collapsing in a bid to push through hi…
David Lammy accused of distorting rape case data in 'cynical' attempt to justify jury trial reforms
Senior barristers have accused Justice Secretary David Lammy of distorting figures on collapsed rape cases to justify reforms that would halve the number of jury trials.Mr Lammy has suggested several times that 60 per cent of victims withdraw from cases due to delays in the court system.However, figures show the vast majority of rape cases never reach the courts because of policing delays, and only 8 per cent of victims pull out once a charge is…
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