Stalking law adds to District Court caseload

The Courts Service has said that an increase in less serious drugs cases and new legislation on civil restraining orders increased the workload of the District Court last year.

The service’s annual report for 2025 shows that there was an 8% rise in less serious drugs cases before the District Court, while the court made 1,839 civil restraining orders in the first full year in which legislation on the issue was operating.

Courts Service chief executive Angela Denning  said that, while often associated with stalking or harassment, the civil-restraint legislation had a much broader application, covering issues such as neighbour disputes, family-related matters outside domestic-violence legislation, and cases involving bullying.

She said that challenges emerged as legal professionals, judges, and court staff became familiar with a “new and complex” area of law.

“The volume of applications has placed considerable demands on already busy District Courts. In response, we initiated a review of processes and supporting information towards the end of the year, with the aim of improving the experience for all those involved,” she said.

Domestic violence

Denning told the launch event that, between 2019 and 2025, annual applications to the District Court for domestic-violence protection increased by almost 7,000. There were 27,429 new applications last year.

“Supporting this area is a key priority within our modernisation programme. Through improved information, redesigned forms and digital services, we are working to make processes more accessible and easier to navigate for court users,” the Courts Service chief stated.

The report shows that new sexual offences increased by 13.6% over the previous two years.

Courts Service board chair Ms Justice Aileen Donnelly said that this might reflect “a greater level of reporting and follow-up of these crimes.

She also said that a 22% fall in road-traffic offences over the last seven years might reflect a change in attitudes among the driving public, with awareness campaigns and enforcement taking effect.

New criminal matters

The report shows that 379,262 new criminal matters were presented to the courts last year – down from the 390,158 new cases in 2024.

While the number of new offences of more serious crime fell slightly to 21,571 last year, the Courts Service pointed out that this remained higher than the 2023 figure of 19,569 offences.

The courts finalised 29,611 cases relating to serious offences last year – up from 27,821 in 2024. The courts body said that the courts had finalised and cleared 22% more serious cases last year compared with 2022.

The Central Criminal Court (CCC) saw trials relating to 1,149 offences last year, with a further 509 offences pleaded guilty to.

New cases received involved 2,506 offences and 476 defendants

Most rape sentences above 10 years

The CCC handed down 444 sentences for rape (including attempted rape) last year, with almost 60% (259) resulting in more than 10 years’ imprisonment.

The Courts Service said that the disposal rate for cases in the CCC had more than doubled over the last five years, helped by additional judges.

The report also said progress was being made in reducing cases on hand in the Circuit Criminal Court  – the figure has fallen by 18% over five years.

The Circuit Court issued 16,068 sentences for more serious crime last year – up from 14,858 in 2024, while the District Court sent 19,047 more serious offences involving 6,784 defendants to the Circuit Court last year.

The number of serious offences sent from the District Court has increased by 13% over the past two years.

Drop in District Court offences

The District Court saw a drop of 7% in the total number of offences listed, while the number of adjournments decreased by 4%.

Drugs accounted for 30,018 new cases before the District Court last year – up 8% from 27,783 in 2024.

Offences involving larceny or fraud and robbery fell slightly last year to 38,219, but have increased by 13% over two years.

Public-order and assault cases have increased by 11% over two years, rising to 48,537 last year.

Road-traffic offences accounted for 175,328 new cases in 2025 – down from 185,578 in 2024. Over seven years, the numbers are down by almost 22%.

The District Court received 3,648 new sexual offences last year – little changed from 2024 but up 13.6% compared with 3,211 in 2023.

Juveniles charges relating to public order fell 14% year-on-year, while those linked to road traffic were down 18.6%.

Civil cases increase 34%

The report shows that civil cases have increased by 34% over the past five years.

There were 188,000 new civil cases last year, compared with 184,000 the previous year.

Most of the increase has come in the High Court, where there were 21,740 new civil cases last year. The court has recorded a 36% increase in such cases over the past three years.

There were 14,661 new personal-injury cases across the courts in 2025 – up from 12,989 in 2024. Last year’s figure is, however, 33% below the pre-COVID level of 2019.

PI awards down 18.5% over two years

The total amount of personal-injury awards in the courts was down 18.5% compared with the 2023 figure.

According to the report, waiting times for judicial-review cases linked to asylum, immigration, and citizenship (AIC) remained stable, despite a 35% increase to 1,082 new cases last year.

The Courts Service said that this was due to additional judicial sittings during the legal terms to manage the increased caseload.