SEXUAL OFFENCES HAVE increased by 13.6% over the last two years, according to the latest annual report by the Courts Service.

The report also found that over 50% of the 444 sentences handed down for rape or attempted rape last year were for 10 years or more.

A number of other offences also increased, including drugs, public order, assault, fraud and robbery.

There was also a marked rise in the number of domestic violence applications, with the last seven years seeing applications for domestic violence increasing by 34%.

Over 27,000 new applications were received by the District Court in 2025.

Last year also saw the introduction of Civil Restraining Orders, which can apply to issues such as neighbour disputes, certain family related matters, and cases involving bullying, as well as stalking and harassment. 

In 2025, the District Court made 1,839 such orders.

Courts Service chief executive Angela Denning said of these orders: “Some challenges have been inevitable, as court offices, judges, legal professionals and those involved familiarise themselves with this new complex area of law.

“The level of demand has placed a significant time burden on already busy District Courts.”

Chairperson of the board of the Courts Service Ms Justice Aileen Donnelly also noted the introduction of a juvenile protocol to the Central Criminal Court in 2025. This has the purpose of fast-tracking serious criminal prosecutions involving juveniles.

“Whether a juvenile is a victim of crime, the accused or a witness in criminal proceedings, it is recognised that the experience of criminal trials on juveniles is particularly difficult and detrimental to their wellbeing,” she said.

In the first year of its operation, 16 organisations and agencies in the criminal justice sector signed up to the protocol, and 65 cases were fast-tracked. This reduced waiting times for juvenile cases from 20 to 8 weeks.

But some courts were also clearing cases at a faster rate. Between last year and the previous, the number of cases relating to serious offences that were resolved increased by 6.4%, with 29,611 cases resolved last year. 

The number of cases in some courts have also reduced. In the Circuit Criminal Court, the number of cases on hand has decreased by 18% over the last five years, despite high volumes of new incoming cases.

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

In the civil courts, however, cases have been increasing.  Last year saw around 188,000 new cases being brought to civil courts – a 34% increase over five years.

The rise was more acute in the High Court, which saw nearly 22,000 new cases brought last year, and an increase of 36% in three years. 

There was also a 55.6% increase in the amounts awarded by the High Court last year, which paid out a total of €210 million.