THE government must urgently support victims of rape and sexual offences as the crisis in the justice system is putting an increased strain on support services, campaigners warned today.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has called for Justice Secretary Dominic Raab to take action to tackle the severe court backlogs that have contributed to support services being stretched to the limit.

In March, there were nearly 16,000 outstanding cases in London’s crown courts and nearly 73,000 magistrates’ courts, with victims and survivors in the capital waiting for up to five years to get a court date, according to official data.

Delays, along with an increase in sexual offences by 35 per cent in the last year, are putting stretched services in an “impossible position” as more people are looking for help and existing service users are requiring longer support, Mr Khan said in his letter to Mr Raab.

Earlier this month, the London survivors gateway temporarily stopped taking new referrals and some London rape crisis centres have been unable to add to their waiting lists for counselling.

London’s Independent Victims’ Commissioner Claire Waxman OBE said: “The criminal justice system has been chronically underfunded for more than [a] decade and it’s now struggling to deliver justice.

“Victims are already having to wait years for their day in court, and now they are having difficulties accessing vital support services.

“I’m deeply concerned for the wellbeing and welfare of victims and it’s vital that swift action is taken to ensure they are supported.”

End Violence Against Women Coalition director Andrea Simon said that the problems were not confined to court delays: “Rape prosecution rates remain at some of the lowest ever levels, and survivors describe being harmed by a system that treats them like the one under investigation.

“Demand for trauma-informed counselling and therapy services provided by rape crisis centres and specialist services run ‘by and for’ black and minoritised women and other marginalised survivors far outstrips the insecure and inadequate funding on offer for these lifesaving services.

“Whether survivors choose to engage with the justice system or not, they must be able to access the support that is right for them.

“This deserves urgent prioritisation at every political level.

“No rape survivor should have to be turned away when they seek help and no rape survivor should have to wait five years for the person who harmed them to face trial.”