Courts Service deals with a rise in new sexual offences cases

By Cillian Sherlock, PA

The Courts Service dealt with an increase in new sexual offences, as well as a rise in public order and assault cases last year.

Meanwhile, cases involving larceny, robbery and fraud showed a 15.3 per cent increase year-on-year.

The figures are contained in the Courts Service’s 2024 annual report which was presented to Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan on Monday.

When compared to 2023, road traffic offences showed an increase of 8.6 per cent in 2024, although this was an 18 per cent reduction over six years.

Public order and assault cases showed an increase of 9.6 per cent year-on-year, while new sexual offences rose by 13.67 per cent.

There was a 45 per cent increase in applications for supervision and care orders for children over two years.

The report says that 62 per cent of the 434 sentences handed down for rape, including attempted rape, ranged from 10 years to life imprisonment.

Drugs cases in the district courts reduced by 16.5 per cent over six years.

Meanwhile, some 390,158 new criminal matters were presented to the courts last year, representing an increase of 6.3 per cent on 2023.

A total of 356,045 cases were finalised, an increase of 5.2 per cent year-on-year.

The number of new offences of more serious crime increased from 19,569 offences in 2023 to 22,822 in 2024.

Likewise, at district court level, the numbers of less serious cases coming to court increased by 6.5 per cent up to 350,852.

In total, the district court received 25,270 new applications for protections under domestic violence legislation last year – roughly the same as 2023.

A new Planning and Environment Court division of the High Court was formally launched in December 2023, completing its first full year in 2024.

This court deals with cases involving commercial planning and strategic infrastructure and will replace those that were previously sent to the Strategic Infrastructure list.

Compared to the 108 cases in the Strategic Infrastructure list from 2023, the number of planning and environment cases increased 96 per cent to 241.

Courts Service chief executive Angela Denning said that new legislation impacts could provide challenges for the system, staff, judiciary and legal practitioners.

“Such complex legislation is particularly challenging when the demand is strong from commencement, for example with the Civil Orders against Relevant Conduct – commonly known as stalking or restraining orders – introduced in September 2024.”

In the first four months of operations, district courts saw 314 applications for restraining orders.

From that, 133 full restraining orders were granted, while 107 interim orders were granted.

The chairwoman of the board of the Courts Service, Ms Justice Elizabeth Dunne, said: “This report reflects an ever-busy time for the courts.

“It gives a snapshot of the many areas of activities in many areas, showing improvements in the way matters are dealt with, together with changes in some areas of work such as reductions in some case types and increases in others on a year-on-year basis.”

She said: “The courts deal with whatever matters are presented to them, and it is very much a reflection each year of what is happening in society: what it is people are experiencing who have to take an action, respond to one, or who come before the courts as witnesses, victims and accused in criminal proceedings.”

There were 12,989 new personal injury cases last year across the courts in 2024, down from 13,434 in 2023.

There was a reduction in the amounts awarded, down from €256 million to €135 million in the High Court.

At circuit level, awards dropped from €16 million to under €13 million, while district court awards dropped from €2.2 million to €1.5 million.

In total, the level of awards for personal injury reduced across the courts by more than 45 per cent last year compared to 2023.