Victims of crime face delays of nearly three years for justice in the most serious cases, including murder and rape, as court backlogs continue to grow.
Official figures reveal the typical time from offence to verdict in the High Court has risen to 1,032 days, almost double the 520 days recorded before the Covid pandemic.
New data also shows rising pressure on the system, with scheduled High Court trials reaching 743 in March and climbing to 818 by June.
That compares to the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service’s (SCTS) original projection of 390.
The figures come amid growing concern over the wider impact of delays across the justice system, with officers routinely cited to give evidence in trials that often do not go ahead.
SCTS officials said they remain focused on reducing delays, but warned a sharp rise in serious High Court cases is putting extra pressure on a system already stretched to capacity.
The Scottish Conservatives claimed ministers have chronically mismanaged the courts, causing mounting delays and a “shameful betrayal” of victims.
Liam Kerr, Scottish Conservative justice spokesperson
Liam Kerr, the party’s justice spokesperson, told 1919: “These damning figures highlight that the SNP is failing miserably to clear the horrendous backlogs in Scotland’s courts.
“Thanks to the nationalists’ chronic mismanagement of Scotland’s courts, we are still miles away from hitting pre-pandemic backlog levels, despite what was predicted during the Covid period.
“SNP cuts to the justice budget and its failure to get funding to the front line are inevitably leading to mounting backlogs in the system – and that’s a shameful betrayal of victims, because justice delayed is justice denied.
“Even victims of the most serious crimes are being betrayed by SNP ministers, as they now have to wait over 1,000 days on average for a verdict in High Court cases.”
Elsewhere in the system, sheriff solemn cases, covering serious crimes such as assault and drug offences, now have a typical wait of 564 days, nearly twice the 283 days recorded in 2020/21.
Scheduled sheriff solemn trials have risen to 1,004, more than double the forecast of 500.
Summary cases, including common assault, domestic abuse, crimes of dishonesty and motoring offences, are also facing delays.
Figures from March this year show more than 20,600 cases still waiting, nearly 50 per cent higher than predicted in 2021.
Last year, 1919 revealed that more than 500 police officers were being cited to court each day, costing Police Scotland an estimated £22.5 million in lost productivity, with only a fraction ever called to give evidence.
The Scottish Police Federation has warned that delays and collapsed trials are wasting valuable resources and draining frontline capacity.
The SCTS told 1919 it predicted in December 2021 that the backlog caused by the Covid-19 pandemic would be cleared by 2026.
Since then, scheduled trials have fallen from more than 43,000 in January 2022 to under 18,000 by June 2025, the lowest figure since 2018/19.
“We remain conscious of the impact delays in the criminal justice system have on victims and witnesses”
Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service spokesperson
But rising serious High Court cases are straining capacity, with 818 trials scheduled as of June.
The SCTS also updated its 2024 forecast to reflect a substantial increase of nearly 40 per cent in indictments this year.
A spokesperson said: “We remain conscious of the impact delays in the criminal justice system have on victims and witnesses.
“That is why our focus has been on striving to reduce the number of cases in the system and the length of time people wait for the outcome of a case.
“This is the new reality facing the courts and means comparisons with pre-Covid levels are not comparing like with like.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Scotland is the only part of the UK to have successfully brought court backlog levels back down to below Covid levels – a testament to our comprehensive approach and substantial investment in recovery funding of over £201 million since 2021, which includes £20.3 million to the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service in 2025/26.
“This trend is continuing and we remain committed to supporting justice partners to maintain this progress.”