Ease court ordeal for rape victims, says DPP

MORE RAPE victims should be allowed to pre-record evidence to avoid coming to court for trial, the Director of Public Prosecutions has said.

Police and prosecutors faced criticism earlier this month after it was revealed that just 1.4 per cent of recorded rape cases ended with a prosecution in the year to March. Max Hill said that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) will use a five-year strategy to improve figures and that he wants to see the right to prerecord evidence expanded.

Victims who do need to attend court may get a “digital walkthrough” of the process so that they know what to expect.

“In some cases you can streamline the process by prerecording the evidence that a witness will give in a police recorded video interview and then through cross-examination by advocates on a date before the trial so that the victim doesn’t need to attend trial,” he said. “I do think there’s a need for us to look again at those provisions, and to broaden the number of categories of people who should be entitled to submit to prerecorded cross-examination rather than waiting a long time in order to attend trial.”

He said such a move also had the potential to help deal with a backlog of cases in the system due to reduced activity in the courts during the pandemic.

Mr Hill said the proportion of rape cases leading to a prosecution remained low as the country entered lockdown, but it had risen in recent months.

The CPS strategy, which was published today as its latest rape and sexual offence prosecution figures were also due to be released, includes a joint action plan with police and giving officers legal advice early in investigations.