Nick Timothy MP@NJ_Timothy · Feb 16, 2026

We are about to lose a vital source of information about the worst crimes imaginable. From the rape gangs and migrant…

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Summary

A thread argues that the Labour government is ordering the deletion of Courtsdesk, a vital archive of court records that journalists have used to expose criminal justice system failures, including rape gangs, migrant offender patterns, and institutional safeguarding issues. The author contends this destruction of transparency comes at a critical time as a national inquiry into rape gangs is about to begin.

Summarized by ThreadOut AI from the full thread. May miss nuance — read the thread below.

#1
We are about to lose a vital source of information about the worst crimes imaginable. From the rape gangs and migrant offenders, journalists have used Courtsdesk to expose what is really going on. But Labour are deleting the archive. 🧵 whatlaboursaid.com/stop-the-groom…
#2
Before Courtsdesk, the public information about criminal hearings was inaccessible and unreliable. Official court listings matched reality just 4.2 per cent of the time. Two-thirds of courts routinely heard cases the media never knew about. thetimes.com/article/09cdee…
#3
Courtsdesk allowed journalists to track cases by offence and study data across the entire country. Without it, so many stories would never have been told. Here are just some examples of how Courtsdesk helped journalists to uncover in the criminal justice system:
#4
Hundreds of asylum seekers in taxpayer-funded hotels were charged with rape, robbery, and GBH. Only by searching court records systematically could journalists reveal the scale of offending hidden from the public eye. thesun.co.uk/news/35899023/…
#5
Thirty paedophiles were caught with the most disgusting category of child abuse images and walked free without serving a single day in prison. This pattern only emerged when journalists could search and collate sentencing data. thesun.co.uk/news/31075489/…
#6
An immigrant was jailed for raping a teenage girl in an alley. Originally spotted through Courtsdesk's listing system, this is the kind of case that would have gone unreported when journalists had to physically attend every court. thesun.co.uk/news/37311191/…
#7
A prison officer jailed for having sex with an inmate in the prison prayer room. Yet another Courtsdesk spot. These cases matter because they reveal systemic failures in institutional safeguarding. thesun.co.uk/news/37961376/…
#8
A conman was caught sitting other people’s theory driving tests for cash. This fraud case highlighted broader issues with test security and was found through systematic court monitoring. thesun.co.uk/news/35521204/…
#9
A convicted stalker offended again while waiting months for an electronic tag. The Times exposed this systemic failure through Courtsdesk, revealing dangerous delays in monitoring high-risk offenders. thetimes.com/uk/law/article…
#10
People were dragged through the courts for breaking Covid rules five years after the pandemic ended. Without systematic tracking, journalists could not have revealed this absurdity. telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/04/0…
#11
The failing justice system let migrant sex offenders walk free. These patterns can only be spotted when journalists can search across jurisdictions and track different outcomes. telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/11/0…
#12
Last year the Telegraph reported that only five people had been convicted of piloting migrant boats this year. The paper used Courtsdesk to expose the Government’s pitiful efforts “to smash the gangs”. telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/04/0…
#13
These are not just individual cases. They are patterns of behaviour and dysfunction. Courtsdesk allowed journalists to lift the lid on the criminal justice system. But they will not be able to carry on this work if Labour have their way.
#14
The Ministry of Justice has ordered Courtsdesk to delete its entire archive. When Courtsdesk asked for the matter to be referred to the Information Commissioner, no referral was made. They wrote sixteen times asking to discuss it. Labour’s response? Delete everything.
#15
Just look at the rape gangs scandal. It exploded once journalists could access court reports systematically. Half a million weekend cases were heard with zero press notification. Courtsdesk changed that. Now Labour wants this to stop.
Nick Timothy MP@NJ_Timothy · Feb 12, 2026
Why is David Lammy deleting court archives? We need them to stop the rape gangs.
#16
Labour are ordering deletion of the archive weeks before a national inquiry into the rape gangs begins. If they supported transparency, they’d preserve the archive and improve this system. Instead, they are destroying it. The message is clear. whatlaboursaid.com/stop-the-groom…