Something has gone seriously wrong in the criminal justice system when it comes to rape, according to a major government report.
Senior ministers say they are deeply ashamed that there has been a sharp drop in the number of cases brought to court in just five years.
The government has vowed to review the way sex crimes investigations are conducted after victims, mostly women, complained that they were digitally “strip searched”, forced to hand over phones, having seen their personal life disrupted and their credibility questioned.
The report details how the case is often damaged during the police investigation, ensuring the victim will never see justice.
The government’s end-to-end rape review, which covers England and Wales, says: “The numbers are startlingly read … Only 3% of adult rape offenses that resulted in to a police result in 2019/20 were charged / summoned.
“This is down from 13% of adult rape offenses that were scored in 2015/16.
“Prosecutions and convictions for adult rape have also declined, by 62% and 47% respectively since 2015/16.”
In a letter signed by the Minister of the Interior Priti PatelJustice Secretary Robert Buckland and Attorney General Michael Ellis say, “These are trends we are deeply ashamed of.
“Rape victims are abandoned. Thousands of victims are without justice.
“But it’s not just about numbers – each case involves a real person who has suffered a really terrible crime. “
Priti Patel admitted to being “deeply ashamed” of the findings of the review
It is estimated that there are 128,000 rape victims (including attempted rape) per year.
Only 43,000 report the crime to the police, 3,000 pitiful people are prosecuted and only 2,000 are convicted.
The government has promised “sweeping reforms” to increase the number of rape cases brought to court while strengthening support for victims.
It aims to restore the volumes of cases ranging …
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Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2021-06-17 19:30:00
