Justice system ‘leaving victims at risk from serial rapists’

FALLING conviction rates are putting people at risk from “serial rapists” because attackers are not being deterred, the Victims’ Commissioner has warned.

Dame Vera Baird expressed concern as official figures showed reports of rape had increased as the number of charges brought against attackers fell.

The overall number of reported rapes rose by almost 13,000 to 54,045 in 2017/18, compared with 41,186 the previous year. Some 11,913 attacks were not recorded as crimes, an increase from 8,624 the year before.

The overall charge rate fell in the same period from 6.8 per cent to 4.2per cent, according to data recorded by public bodies and published by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services’ Rape Monitoring Group (RMG).

Referrals to the CPS for a charging decision fell slightly, from 6,606 to 6,012, while fewer suspects were found guilty – 1,062 compared with 1,350 the previous year.

Dame Vera said the Government needed to “act quickly” in its review of how rape complaints were handled to make sure victims received “the justice they deserve”. “The criminal justice system is letting down current victims and creating new victims by failing to tackle potential serial rapists,” she said. “More complainants are coming forward, but fewer cases are being prosecuted and only one in every 50 cases is resulting in a conviction. How can this be justice?

“These figures show that perpetrators can act without fear of being held to account. Many will go on to commit further offences and will only stop when caught.

“We know that nearly four in five victims of sexual assault choose not to report the crimes committed against them. How can we ever give these victims the confidence to report when so few cases ever secure a conviction?”

Dame Vera hit out at the treatment of complainants by police and prosecutors, including failing to update them on investigations or making intrusive demands on their personal data.”

The RMG published the figures to show how cases of rape were dealt with at all stages of the criminal justice system in 2017/18.

Wendy Williams, the RMG chairman, said she hoped the data would “help police, prosecutors, and the entire system, to improve their work to provide justice for victims, convict the guilty and do all they can to prevent this most heinous of crimes”.