Diane lost her husband to a reckless driver — and the long wait for justice was nearly just as agonizing.

Published: 07 August ‘2025. The English Chronicle Desk

When Diane Gall’s husband Martyn set out for a morning bike ride on a chilly November day in 2020, it was supposed to be a simple, routine outing. Instead, it became a day that changed her family’s life forever. A reckless driver ended Martyn’s life in an instant—yet the pain of his death was only the beginning. What followed was a nearly three-year wait for justice that tested the resilience of Diane and her daughters and revealed deep cracks in the very system meant to protect victims.

The Gall family’s story is not an isolated tragedy—it is a mirror reflecting the disarray of the UK’s criminal justice system. Their case was delayed time and time again, often without notice, and Diane describes the emotional toll as a never-ending cycle of retraumatisation. “You just honestly lose faith in the system,” she says, her voice heavy with the weight of frustration. “There’s a system that should protect victims, but the constant delays—it takes everything out of you.”

Martyn’s case was first scheduled for trial in April 2022, but it was cancelled on the very day it was meant to begin. The date was pushed four months later, only to be cancelled again due to the nationwide barristers’ strike. Another delay followed in November, before the trial finally went ahead in June 2023. During each postponement, the family was forced to relive the pain, preparing emotionally only to be cast back into limbo.

Their struggle sheds light on a broader crisis. As of March 2025, nearly 77,000 cases are waiting to be heard in Crown Courts across England and Wales. Victims, witnesses, and defendants alike are caught in a gridlocked system that appears to be collapsing under its own weight.

In response, the government commissioned a review led by Sir Brian Leveson, which suggested radical reforms, including a new “Intermediate Court” division and the possibility of judge-only trials. These proposals, however, have stirred significant unease within the legal community. An exclusive Sky News survey of 545 criminal lawyers, conducted in partnership with the Law Society, found 60% believed such a court tier would do little to alleviate the backlog. More alarmingly, 73% expressed concern that removing juries from certain trials could compromise justice altogether.

Legal professionals like Stuart Nolan, chair of the Law Society’s criminal law committee, argue that structural changes without adequate investment are futile. “It’s like moving deck chairs on the Titanic,” he remarked bluntly. “We need more than reshuffling—we need proper resources and trained staff, which cannot be achieved overnight.”

Chloe Jay of Shentons Solicitors echoed similar fears, pointing to the essential balance within the current court system—where juries deliberate on facts, and judges on law. Removing juries, she warned, risks undermining this foundational separation and the overall quality of justice.

More troubling are concerns about potential bias in judge-only trials, especially for defendants from minority backgrounds. Casey Jenkins, president of the London Criminal Court Solicitors’ Association, warned that such changes could strip away the impartiality that jury trials afford: “A jury is a safeguard against professional judicial decisions. It’s a fundamental right.”

Instead, lawyers are leaning towards moving more cases—such as dangerous driving, possession of offensive weapons, and theft—to magistrates’ courts. But even this measure, critics argue, must be backed by holistic reform.

Richard Atkinson, president of the Law Society, delivered perhaps the most dire warning, stating that the justice system is as vital as healthcare and education. “If it crumbles, there will be catastrophic consequences.”

The government, for its part, says it is aware of the scale of the crisis. Courts and Legal Services Minister Sarah Sackman KC MP admitted to inheriting a system under intense pressure and promised “bold and ambitious” changes. “We’ve already boosted funding in our courts system,” she said, “but the only way out of this crisis is long-term reform. I won’t hesitate to act.”

But for victims like Diane Gall, these promises must translate into real change—not just words. Her husband’s killer was eventually convicted, but the experience left lasting scars. “You feel like a cog in a big wheel that’s completely out of your control,” she said. “Because you know—justice delayed is justice denied.”

In the end, Diane’s voice stands as a powerful reminder: in every statistic, in every courtroom delay, there are real people with shattered lives waiting—not just for justice, but for recognition, support, and reform that truly addresses the depth of their suffering.