Demand to axe ‘not proven’ verdicts

RAPE Crisis Scotland has reiterated calls for the not proven verdict in Scots law to be abolished after new figures revealed almost a quarter of rape and attempted rape cases resulted in that outcome.

There were 300 prosecutions for rape or attempted rape in 201920, in which 130 culprits were convicted, down from 142 the year before.

But 74 of the accused (24.7 per cent) were acquitted with a not proven verdict that is unique to Scots Law.

The figures were published in the Scottish Government’s annual Criminal Proceedings in Scotland report.

It also showed there was a decrease of 2% in the number of convictions for all sexual crimes, down from 1,224 in 201819 to 1,204 last year.

Convictions for rape and attempted rape decreased by 8% to 130 in 2019-20.

The number of alleged incidents dropped slightly, from 2,426 to 2,343.

Chief executive of Rape Crisis Scotland, Sandy Brindley, called for “bold action”.

She said: “It is clear that the Scottish criminal justice system is failing the vast majority of people in Scotland who have been raped. Rape already had the lowest conviction rate of any crime type, to see it fall further, to only 43% of cases which make it to court, is alarming.

“Almost a quarter of rape trials end in the not proven verdict, which used disproportionately in rape cases.

“Political parties, including the SNP, need to follow through on their commitments during the election campaign to remove this confusing and redundant third verdict.”