Jess Brown-Fuller calls for Chichester Crown Court to be reinstated

Jess Brown-Fuller MP has written to the Secretary of State for Justice, David Lammy, calling for the reopening of Chichester Crown Court, which closed in 2018.

Since 2021, the Crown Court has been operating as a Nightingale Court to help deal with the case backlog, but there is currently no long-term certainty over its future.

Jess previously raised the matter in 2024 and again in September 2025, highlighting the need for additional Crown Court capacity to ensure timely delivery of justice. As of June 2025, the court backlog stood at 78,000 cases, which Jess has described as an “abysmal position”.

Due to cases being transferred from Guildford, defendants appearing at Chichester’s Nightingale Court are being brought from prisons as far away as HMP Wandsworth and HMP Wormwood Scrubs, a situation which Jess has described as a “logistical nightmare” that “wastes resources and precious court time.”

In her letter, Jess emphasised that Chichester has the existing infrastructure to support a permanent Crown Court. The building stands alongside a former Magistrates Court, closed in 2016, that could become a family court, whilst Chichester Custody Centre, closed in 2018, could house defendants awaiting trial.

Jess wrote:

“The decisions that led to this predicament represent the complacent, backwards looking thought process of a Conservative government who left the justice system on its knees.”

“I hope you will consider the situation and be prepared to meet with me to discuss the issue further, as Chichester is ready to support the shared ambition to reduce the court backlogs and get justice for victims and survivors.”  

Jess' letter to the Secretary of State for Justice