U.K. government apologizes to rape victims, says legal system ‘failed’ them
By Karla Adam,
Leon Neal Getty Images
LONDON — The British criminal justice system has “failed” rape victims, a major report released on Friday concludes, leading top officials to say they were “deeply ashamed” and vowing to implement reforms to ensure justice for victims of sexual violence.
“Victims of rape are being failed,” Justice Secretary Robert Buckland, Home Secretary Priti Patel and Attorney General Michael Ellis wrote in an introduction to the report.
Since 2016, prosecutions have fallen by 62 percent and convictions by 47 percent, according to the report. During that same time period, the number of reported rapes has almost doubled.
The recent sexual assault and killing of Sarah Everard, a 33-year-old marketing executive, has galvanized public interest in gender-based violence. A police officer recently pleaded guilty to raping and kidnapping Everard and admitted responsibility for her death.
The reasons for the decline in prosecutions of rape are “complex and wide-ranging,” the government says. The report cited the increased demands for digital data, investigative delays, “strained relationships” within the justice system and “inconsistent” support for victims. It also acknowledged that victims have said that the process can be distressing and that they feel disbelieved and judged.
In the long-anticipated report, the government promised to overhaul the system. It said it would publish regular “scorecards” to monitor “progress against key metrics including timeliness, quality and victim engagement in each part of the system.” The report also set a goal of increasing the number of cases going through the courts.
Victims groups welcomed the government’s apology but said the proposals lacked urgency, detail and funding.
Dame Vera Baird, victims commissioner for England and Wales, said there was a “mountain to climb” in restoring victim confidence.
The government set out new recommendations Friday, including putting more emphasis on suspects’ behavior.
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“Too often rape victims feel like they are the ones being investigated and do not feel believed,” the report said. Going forward, police will place a greater focus on “suspect behavior and offending patterns,” to “help ensure decision-making is based on evidence, rather than subjective judgments of victim credibility.”
Among the “sweeping reforms,” as the report put it: The government said victims would no longer be subjected to a “digital strip search” that required them to hand over their phones to investigators who would then download all communications — whether pertinent to the rape allegations or not. The report recommended returning phones after 24 hours and directed investigators to download only data relevant to the case. Victims should also receive better support during investigations and be more informed about their rights, the report said.
The report also recommends extending a pilot program that has allowed victims to prerecord their evidence and cross-examination early on, sparing them the trauma of facing their attacker in court months or years down the road.
Sarah Crew, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for adult sex offenses, was cited in the report for her “pioneering” work. She emphasized the “need for transformation” in the way the United Kingdom handles rape prosecutions.
When an attack is reported, she said in an interview, “let’s not focus on what women and girls need to do to protect themselves. Let’s focus on the people who did it, how they operate.”
“The switch I’m trying to flip” in the force’s work on rape, she added, is “to not try to focus on consent.” Instead, she said, “let’s take the view that a perpetrator is exploiting a vulnerability of someone.”
For many woman in Britain, the revelations in the report are all too familiar.
Sarah, a 40-year-old mom, asked that her last name not be used, because she is still in hiding from her ex-partner, who she says repeatedly raped and choked her. She said she welcomed the announcement that police will place more of an emphasis on suspect behavior. That was not her experience, she said.
She said that a year ago, she provided police with video evidence, a witness statement from her 16-year-old daughter and a mobile phone with threatening text messages from her former partner. A few days ago, she was told a senior investigating officer decided there was not enough evidence to prosecute. She is unsure why and plans to appeal.
“It’s was all about me, and that’s been one of the most annoying things,” she said of the investigation. “They did one interview with him, let him go, and then keep coming back to me, when they could have dug into his past, seen that previous women have come forward.”
“I’m sitting in the house scared,” she said, “while he’s wandering around doing whatever he fancies.”
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