Trial delays add to trauma of crime victims Sonya Ryan says victims of crime are further traumatised by having to wait too long for cases to come to trial. Picture: Simon Cross Source: adelaidenow JUSTICE campaigner Sonya Ryan has joined the fight against delays in criminal trials after nearly 100 court cases were put off last year because a judge or courtroom could not be found within the cash-strapped system. Ms Ryan, who started the Carly Ryan Foundation in 2010 after the murder of her daughter Carly, said she had to wait three years for a trial and wanted other families to be spared this trauma. She was speaking after the release of secret Courts Administration Authority documents, obtained through the Freedom of Information Act by Family First MLC Dennis Hood, which revealed there were delays in 95 District Court trials in 2011-12. Up until February this financial year, another 53 District Court trials had been delayed because no judge or courtroom could be found. "You have to remember these families (of victims) are traumatised to their very core and then they have to cope with the processes of the court system, which can make it a drawn-out and even more painful and harrowing experience," Ms Ryan said. The crime itself creates huge upheaval, but then to experience these delays makes a terrible situation 20 times worse. A further 12 civil trials were delayed because a judge or courtroom was not available in the 18 months prior to February this year. The State Government plans to allow magistrates to hear more serious cases to ease the workload of the District Court, but critics say this will simply shift the problem. Commissioner for the Victims of Crime Michael O'Connell said delays were "a vital concern for victims." "Court delay distresses many victims," he said. Some can become anxious, even disillusioned, with the criminal justice process. John Coory, whose son Elliott Stapleton-Coory was killed by a dangerous driver in 2008, said court delays could be devastating for the families of victims. "There needs to be better communication, because while we understand there can be delays to deal with, the death and ... aftermath can be made far worse by a bureaucratic blunder," he said. Law Society president John White said the number of vacated criminal trials in the District Court was concerning, and pointed to a "severe lack of resources."