Rape: Trials

(asked on 6th March 2018) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

What steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of prosecutions of rape which collapse due to a failure to disclose evidence; and what support his Department provides to the alleged victims in such cases.


Answered by
Lucy Frazer Portrait
Lucy Frazer
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
This question was answered on 15th March 2018

This is an issue that the Government takes extremely seriously. The Attorney General is leading a wide-ranging review of disclosure procedures that aims to report in the summer.

On 26 January the Crown Prosecution Service and National Police Chiefs’ Council published their joint National Disclosure Improvement Plan. The police and Crown Prosecution Service have reviewed all live rape and serious sexual offence cases, to provide assurance that disclosure is being handled appropriately.

My Department is providing £12.5m in funding for services for victims and survivors of sexual violence. This includes £7.2m of funding for rape support services. Where proceedings are discontinued or no evidence offered, the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime requires the CPS to explain to complainants why this has happened. The CPS must also inform complainants of how they can seek a review under the Victims’ Right to Review Scheme.

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