80% of criminal cases dealt with at courts in NI were completed in 408 days
Date published:
New official statistics published today by NISRA statisticians in the Department of Justice present information on the average (measured as the median) time taken for criminal cases in the Crown and magistrates’ courts in Northern Ireland for the year 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.
Key findings:
- The average time taken for a case to be dealt with, at all courts, was 189 days.
- At adult magistrates’ courts, the median time taken for a charge case to be dealt with was 92 days, compared to 223 days for a summons case.
- At youth magistrates’ courts, the median time taken for a charge case to be dealt with was 158 days, compared to 290 days for a summons case.
- The average time taken to complete cases where the main offence was a sexual offence was 630 days.
- The average time taken to complete cases where the main offence was a motoring offence was 152 days.
About the publication
Presents data on the average (measured as the median) time taken for criminal cases in the Crown and magistrates’ courts in Northern Ireland for the year 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025. It measures the time from when the offence was reported to, or detected by, the police.
Further Information
View the full report and associated tables: Case processing time for criminal cases dealt with at courts in Northern Ireland April 2024 to March 2025