NEWPORT Crown Court was facing a backlog of more than 100 cases at the end of June, Ministry of Justice figures show.

The Law Society of England and Wales has warned trust in the criminal justice system is in "jeopardy", with victims of even the most serious crimes facing long waits to get their case before a court.

The latest figures came ahead of the vote by criminal barristers across the country to end strike action and accept the Government's pay offer.

The Criminal Bar Association (CBA) announced the results of the ballot on Monday, October 10.

Ministry of Justice data shows there were 103 outstanding cases at Newport Crown Court at the end of June.

That was a decrease from 109 at the end of March, and 115 at the same point last year.

But despite the decline, uncompleted case numbers are ​91 per cent higher than they were prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In June, 2019, there were 54 cases outstanding at Newport Crown Court.

Of the cases outstanding at the end of June, 32 related to alleged violent attacks and 13 were for sex offences, including three alleged rapes.

Stephanie Boyce, president of the Law Society, which represents solicitors, said the national backlog of criminal court cases has left victims and defendants facing "unacceptable delays".

She said: “The criminal justice system has been devastated by years of underfunding and cuts and there are not enough judges, barristers and solicitors to cover all the cases.

“Trust in the system is in real jeopardy and a system collapse would embolden criminals.

“You cannot fix the problems in the system unless you fund all parts of it effectively."