Dorset LJA
Magistrates' courts (local justice area) · HMCTS region: South West · Local criminal justice area: Dorset LCJB
2,973
Open (outstanding) cases, end of June 2026
-10.6% vs Jun 2024 (3,327)
2,562
New cases received, Apr–Jun 2026
Disposals in the same quarter: 2,483
31.2%
Ineffective trial rate, 2025
Trials that couldn't go ahead on the day
Caseload, last 2 years (quarterly)
Tap the chart for a share image ↗ · figures in the table below
| Quarter ending | Receipts | Disposals | Open at end |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2024 | 3,623 | 3,925 | 3,010 |
| Jun 2024 | 3,325 | 3,007 | 3,327 |
| Sep 2024 | 3,986 | 2,984 | 4,329 |
| Dec 2024 | 3,286 | 4,005 | 3,611 |
| Mar 2025 | 2,859 | 2,545 | 3,924 |
| Jun 2025 | 2,687 | 2,719 | 3,892 |
| Sep 2025 | 3,044 | 3,296 | 3,640 |
| Dec 2025 | 3,069 | 3,509 | 3,201 |
| Mar 2026 | 3,174 | 3,480 | 2,895 |
| Jun 2026 | 2,562 | 2,483 | 2,973 |
Source: Criminal court statistics quarterly: April to June 2026 — Transparency files (csv) (MoJ, released 24 September 2026) · All case types incl. Single Justice Procedure; figures are for the whole local justice area (MoJ does not publish by individual magistrates' courthouse)
Trials listed
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| Period | Effective | Cracked | Ineffective | Vacated | Ineffective rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 195 | 156 | 151 | 381 | 30.1% |
| 2025 | 265 | 218 | 219 | 272 | 31.2% |
| Jan–Jun 2026 | 151 | 129 | 172 | 70 | 38.1% |
Source: Criminal court statistics quarterly: April to June 2026 — Transparency files (csv) (MoJ, released 24 September 2026) · Trials data tool (trials_2026Q2.csv). Ineffective rate = ineffective ÷ (effective + cracked + ineffective), MoJ definition; vacated trials excluded.
Waiting times and pleas (Dorset LCJB, area level)
MoJ publishes these for the local criminal justice area, not for each court.
| Measure | Earliest | Latest |
|---|---|---|
| Magistrates: median days, charge to completion (excl. SJP, year) | 64 days (2024) | 62 days (2025) |
Source: Criminal court statistics quarterly: April to June 2026 — Transparency files (csv) (MoJ, released 24 September 2026) · Crown Court open-case age, timeliness and plea-rate data tools; magistrates’ timeliness data tool
Not published at court level
- Convictions, sentence types and custody rates for this court — see national figures on Sentencing and Search
- Court address and opening times — see GOV.UK Find a court or tribunal
- Individual cases, hearings or names — never shown on Court Day UK
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