Some 5,121 crown and magistrates court cases are waiting to be seated in the county, it has emerged.

Figures released from the Kent Police and Crime Commissioner's office show crown trials delayed until November 2023 and magistrates' into February 2023.

It comes after many jury trials were suspended during the Covid pandemic, and amid an ongoing national barrister strike.

Kent's Police and Crime Commissioner, Matthew Scott, says courts are "prioritising" cases based on their seriousness, due to the high backlog, which will lead to some trials getting an earlier hearing.

Canterbury city councillor Ashley Clark, a former Kent Police officer, says the delays faced by victims are "unacceptable" as he called for a "fast-track" process to speed up the way justice is carried out.

In relation to sexual offences, Cllr Clark warned that some women and girls have been waiting "three years" before matters get to trial.

He said: "Justice delayed is justice denied. Getting offenders of violence offences up before the courts quickly, can have a telling effect on local communities and the night time economy."

In response, Mr Scott says the courts, police and crown prosecution service (CPS) are doing "everything they can" to bring the caseload down at the Kent and Medway Police and Crime Panel last week.

Serious criminal cases, such as murder, rape and robbery, are dealt with in the crown courts, while, magistrates' deal with lower level crimes, such as anti-social behaviour and driver disqualifications.

Kent has two main crown courts in Maidstone and Canterbury, along with a small number of cases in Dartford being heard at Woolwich Crown Court and a temporary Nightingale Court in Maidstone.

Two new crown court judges have been hired in Kent to help reduce the major backlog, one replacing a retired judge in Maidstone and an extra position created in Canterbury.

Mr Scott says the new judges have made little difference as some cases have not been able to sit amid the national barrister strikes.

'Justice delayed is justice denied. Getting offenders of violence offences up before the courts quickly, can have a telling effect on local communities and the night time economy'

Criminal barristers in England and Wales have been taking part in a continuous walkout this year, after their row with Whitehall over legal aid fees and conditions intensified last month.

This, along with the postponement of trials during the coronavirus pandemic, has increased the wait time for victims and defendants.

On September 27, Mr Scott said: "The extra judges would have yielded some benefit if they had all had the capability to sit, however we will need to watch the impact of those defence strikes.”

Early guilty pleas are helping in terms of the amount of time it takes to reduce wait times, he later said. It takes about 28 days for cases to initially get to magistrates court.

On crown courts, Mr Scott added: "We remain in a weak position when it comes to the crown court backlog.

“It is still far above pre-pandemic levels. We had a backlog before the pandemic, but it remains over 80% higher than the pandemic.

“We also have the increased pressure of defence barristers going on strike."