# A rape case courtroom in every Crown Court

> “Backed by a multi-million cash injection, every Crown Court in England and Wales will get at least one courtroom especially set up to hear rape and serious sexual offence cases over the next two years, helping to hold more perpetrators to account.”
>
> — HM Government; Press release (Ministry of Justice), 15 October 2026

- **Status:** Promised
- **Status ladder:** Promised → In plan → Legislated → Funded → Delivering → Delivered
- **Policy area:** [Police, courts, prisons](https://ledgergov.uk/promises/area/police-courts-and-prisons)
- **Speaker:** [HM Government](https://ledgergov.uk/actor/hm-government)
- **Made on:** 15 October 2026
- **Where:** Press release (Ministry of Justice)
- **Deadline:** 15 October 2028
- **Cost a year:** No costing published
- **Who it affects:** Victims of rape and serious sexual offences, and every Crown Court in England and Wales
- **When:** Over the two years from 15 October 2026
- **Paid for by:** Not stated when it was announced
- **Quote source:** https://www.gov.uk/government/news/victims-of-abuse-to-be-better-supported-by-their-community (checked word for word at its source on 18 October 2026; Open Government Licence v3.0)
- **Last updated:** 19 October 2026
- **Card:** https://ledgergov.uk/promise/uk-rape-courtroom-every-crown-court-2028

## Where it stands

The commitment is in the further information of a release launching the Respond strand of the government's ENOUGH campaign on violence against women and girls; the release says it is backed by a multi-million cash injection. The two years are read from the release's date, 15 October 2026. The government's response to the Independent Review of the Criminal Courts (12 October 2026) says £23 million has been announced for specialist courts for rape and sexual offences in the Crown Court. The card moves when the government reports courtrooms set up.

## Timeline

- 15 October 2026, Promised: The government says every Crown Court in England and Wales will get at least one courtroom set up to hear rape and serious sexual offence cases within two years
- 15 October 2028, Deadline (to come): A courtroom for rape and serious sexual offence cases due in every Crown Court by October 2028

## About the cost

The release says a multi-million cash injection; it gives no figure.

## Sources

- [Ministry of Justice press release, 15 Oct 2026: Victims of abuse to be better supported by their community](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/victims-of-abuse-to-be-better-supported-by-their-community)
- [Ministry of Justice, 12 Oct 2026: Government response to the Independent Review of the Criminal Courts](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-response-to-the-independent-review-of-the-criminal-courts/government-response-to-the-independent-review-of-the-criminal-courts)

## Checks

- Verified by Pavel Guzhikov, checked by AI Journalist; approved on 19 October 2026.
- Checked by AI Journalist (automated) on 18 October 2026.

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