Sexual assault cases constituted almost half of criminal matters awaiting trial in the District Court last year, while the number of people seeking compensation in the Supreme Court for institutional abuse has risen sharply, the state’s top judge says.
In a speech last night to mark the law term opening, NSW Chief Justice Andrew Bell gave an overview of the courts’ work. He told the gathering that almost 50 per cent of pending criminal trials in the District Court last year were sexual assault matters, “up from 32 per cent in 2016”.
“The complexity of sexual assault trials has also resulted in an increase in the average trial duration in Sydney from 11.79 days in 2016 to 14.42 days in Sydney in 2022,” Bell said.
Bell said the work of the District Court would “no doubt” increase after new laws criminalising coercive control in the state, passed by state parliament in November, commenced in 2024.
Bell said civil claims filed in the Supreme Court for compensation arising from institutional abuse had “exploded, with over 1600 cases [filed] … since detailed monitoring commenced in 2016”.
Of the 571 sexual assault trials filed in the District Court in 2021, 284 involved child sexual assault.
Source: 12ft