Arrest warrants for court no-shows in England and Wales surge nearly 50% since 2020
Nearly 60,000 arrest warrants were issued for defendants who failed to appear in court in England and Wales last year, a nearly 50% increase since 2020, according to data obtained by Channel 4's Dispatches. More than 30,000 warrants remain outstanding, including over 7,000 issued before 2020, with more than a quarter relating to category A offences such as rape, armed robbery and manslaughter. Former justice secretary Alex Chalk KC described the situation as a "horror show" and said delay in the system gives defendants more opportunity to disappear.
Nearly 60,000 arrest warrants were issued for defendants who failed to appear in court in England and Wales in 2024, a nearly 50% increase since 2020, according to data obtained by Channel 4's Dispatches program.
The figures, based on freedom-of-information requests to 27 of the 43 police forces, recorded 59,153 failure-to-appear warrants issued last year. The actual number is likely higher because three forces did not provide data. More than 30,000 warrants remain outstanding across 40 forces that supplied data, totaling 31,303. Over 7,000 of those outstanding warrants were issued before 2020, meaning the subjects have been on the run for six or more years. More than a quarter of outstanding warrants relate to category A offences — the most serious cases including rape, armed robbery and manslaughter.
Failure-to-appear warrants in crown courts, where the most serious cases are heard, increased 134% from 6,808 in 2020 to 15,963 in 2024. The crown court backlog stood at more than 80,000 cases at the end of 2024, more than double pre-pandemic levels. Data obtained by the Press Association shows 625 crown court trials are not expected to be heard until 2029, and a further 29 are scheduled for 2030.
Former justice secretary Alex Chalk KC said: "The real question is whether the situation is recoverable at all. Delay is toxic. Every prosecutor knows it gives defendants more opportunity to disappear. That's why this is a horror show." Chalk said a crisis had unfolded over the past five years as a result of the Covid pandemic, a barristers' strike, underfunding of courts and a shortage of prison spaces.
The Dispatches investigation tracked down five wanted individuals using open-source intelligence. Ersin Mustafa, formerly on the National Crime Agency's most-wanted list for alleged insider trading, said from North Cyprus: "They know I'm here … the most they've done is send me an email." The NCA has removed Mustafa from its most-wanted list. In response to the program's findings, the NCA said it pursues fugitives "wherever they are in the world" and that "there are no safe havens for criminals."
Rashid Ali, who had been in the UK on a student visa, fled to Pakistan after striking and killing 29-year-old father-to-be Jack Ryan. Ali was found guilty in his absence of death by dangerous driving and sentenced to five years in prison. The filmmakers uncovered that Ali appeared to have returned to the UK unchallenged while having a warrant out for his arrest. Ryan's sister, Ciara, said: "Having been someone that's never been involved with the justice system before, I had a lot of faith in it in the UK. I was a believer in that it worked … [but] it's not working. It hasn't worked for five years for my family."
The Ministry of Justice said bail conditions were a matter for the courts, including the surrender of passports where appropriate, and said it was working on changes to address the crown court backlog. The Crown Prosecution Service said it opposed bail applications if there were substantial grounds to believe a defendant would not attend court, and said it had worked to ensure Ali was held accountable even in his absence.