Court reforms seek to lessen victims’ trauma

New court procedures have been introduced to lessen the trauma faced by victims of serious crime in trials.

The reforms aim to speed up the system and deal with legal problems that cause repeated delays to trials.

Rape Crisis Network Ireland welcomed the pilot pre-trial procedures and said they could reduce the “unacceptably high” waiting time of more than 16 months between a case being sent for trial and the trial actually starting.