Ministers ‘Ashamed’ And Promise Change As Thousands Of Rape Victims Denied Justice

The government has pledged to reform the way sexual crime investigations are reported after a review found there has been a sharp drop in the number of cases going to court.

The end-to-end Rape Review, which has finally been published after being commissioned two years ago, revealed: "The numbers make for stark reading... Only three per cent of adult rape offences assigned a police outcome in 2019/20 were given an outcome of charged/summonsed.

"This is down from 13 per cent of adult rape offences assigned an outcome in 2015/16.

"Prosecutions and convictions for adult rape have also fallen, by 62 per cent and 47 per cent respectively since 2015/16."

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Senior ministers have said they are ashamed of the findings, adding that victims of rape are being failed. A letter - by home secretary Priti Patel, justice secretary Robert Buckland and attorney general Michael Ellis - reads: "These are trends of which we are deeply ashamed.

"Victims of rape are being failed. Thousands of victims have gone without justice. But this isn't just about numbers - every instance involves a real person who has suffered a truly terrible crime."

It concluded: "We owe it to every person whose life has been changed forever by rape to make these changes happen.

"Now is the time for us to step up, to do better, and to deliver lasting improvements to the way we investigate and prosecute rape so that victims are properly supported and they, and the public, can have confidence that perpetrators of this sickening act will feel the full force of the law."

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There are an estimated 128,000 victims of rape per year in the UK, including attempted rape. Some 43,000 report the crime, a shocking 3,000 are prosecuted and 2,000 end in conviction.

"We know from the detailed work carried out by victims' groups that victims have been treated poorly," the report added.

"Victims who have reported their rapes are frequently informed that their case will not be taken any further, often without being given any detail or explanation of the reasons why, and many are left feeling unable to deal with the stress and psychological toll of this.

"... A big part of the problem, according to our research, is that the system is set up in a way that causes a worryingly high level of victims to disengage from the criminal justice process before justice can be done. In fact, in 57 per cent of all adult rape cases the victim feels unable to pursue the case."

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You can read the full review, and how the government plans to overhaul the way sexual crime investigations are reported here.

Topics: News

Lucy Devine

Lucy is a journalist working for Tyla. After graduating with a master's degree in journalism, she has worked in both print and online and is particularly interested in fashion, food, health and women's issues. Northerner, coffee addict, says hun a lot. Get in touch at [email protected].