UK justice:

Legally, coroners in England and Wales are required to complete inquests within six months of unnatural or unexplained deaths or as soon as they can, given complex interdependencies. Last year, just over half were completed in six months, with 81% within a year and 19% over a year. But the realities of those still waiting are stark.

Crucially, inquests can result in reports on the prevention of future deaths, which often influence policy and institutional change, giving mourning families and friends hope and ensuring that there is a roadmap for change.

Emma said: “Chanté died nine months ago, and we’ve had a PIR. We need another PIR, and so I don’t think her inquest will be for another three to six months at least. The delay means we can’t grieve because our time since she died has been fighting for her still.”

If the six-month deadline looks unlikely, coroners often offer pre-inquest reviews (PIRs) to help manage the timetable. But peeking behind the curtain reveals extended delays for complex cases of up to four years. I reported from London Inner South Coroner’s Court on February’s inquest into the femicide of Natasha Hill, requested in 2022 and completed after seven PIRs.

When asked about this delay, senior coroner Julian Morris said: “The inquest could not take place until all the criminal and domestic independent investigations had been completed. As you will appreciate, once those had been completed, it was then a necessity to arrange additional statements and information to specifically address the issues that a coroner's court must do.”

Inquest delays of over two years in England and Wales quadrupled from 378 in 2017 to 1,760 in 2022. If the COVID-19 pandemic was the straw that broke the camel’s back, cuts to funding for representation at inquests in 2014 were the build-up, grounded in the huge austerity cuts to policing and courts in 2010.

Facing soaring legal costs since the 2014 cuts, family and friends of those lost to unnatural or unexplained deaths are often forced to delay inquests further as they try to raise money to pay for representation. This certainly applies to the Lloyd-Buckinghams.

In January, Courts Minister Sarah Sackman told the BBC: "I'm not sugarcoating this at all. Right now in London, there are victims of crime who are being told that their trial date won't be heard until 2029 and 2030.” The delays are helping fuel David Lammy’s push for a significant reduction in jury trials in England and Wales.

The courts aren’t the only backlogged institution in UK justice, with significant delays reported in policing and forensics. A House of Lords report released in February revealed a digital forensics backlog exceeding 20,000 devices going back years.

In May, Tauseef Awar, ex-leader of the Lewisham Green Party, told me about his 45-minute wait for the police after being mugged. His phone wasn’t recovered, although he tracked it to its location, updating the police the whole time.

An August 2024 report from the Victims Commissioner confirmed that Tauseef isn’t alone, and 73% of victims across England and Wales aren’t confident that reporting a crime would lead to justice.

The Ministry of Justice and the London Metropolitan Police were contacted for comment.

Alex Mayes, Head of External Affairs and Media at the charity Victim Support, said: “Far too often victims face long waits for justice. Delays in the criminal justice system, including to police investigations and waits for trial, can have a devastating impact on victims, causing significant stress and anxiety.

“Victims and bereaved family members often feel like their lives are put on hold and can find it impossible to move forward. Delays also impact access to justice - justice delayed is justice denied. Victims can drop out of the criminal justice process altogether due to long waits, and the quality of evidence can diminish over time.”