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Harriet Harman today promised a “systematic” review of the way that rape cases are dealt with as she launched a new bid to raise the conviction rate for sex attackers.
The new analysis, which has been partly prompted by two recent cases in London in which rapists were allowed to remain free for years, will examine how allegations are handled from the moment a woman reports an incident through to any court action that might result.
It will focus in particular on the way that victims are treated by police, prosecutors and others in the criminal justice system and assess whether anything further can be done to make it easier for them to give crucial evidence.
The review will also look at public attitudes to rape, and how they might affect juries' decisions, and at the reasons why a significant number of cases in which an attack is judged likely to have occurred fail to result in a conviction.
The new drive, which Ms Harman said was intended to “fairly” raise the conviction rate, follows the convictions earlier this year of two prolific rapists, cab driver John Worboys and Kirk Reid, who had been allowed to prey on women for years because of police failures.
Worboys, 51, from Rotherhithe, was convicted of one rape, five sexual assaults, one attempted assault and 12 drugging charges after being found guilty of assaulting a series of women in the back of his cab. It emerged at his trial that he had been allowed to remain free despite being arrested on suspicion of sexual assault several months before he was eventually caught.
Reid, 44, of Colliers Wood, was convicted of two rapes and 24 sexual assaults, but is believed to have been responsible for at least 71 attacks across south London. He too escaped detection earlier because of a police blunder, in this case the failure of officers to take a DNA sample, which would have linked him to two attacks, when Reid was arrested several years previously for indecent assault.
Announcing the review today, Ms Harman, the Minister for Women and Equality, Ms Harman said: “Convictions for rape have increased 50 per cent since 1997, but with less than seven per cent of reported rapes leading to a successful prosecution we clearly must do more.
“Many more women are reporting rapes, but the Reid and Worboys cases show that despite this these men were getting away with it time and time again.
“So I am concerned that we must have a systematic examination of the way rape complaints are handled: the Stern Review will help identify good practice and where those failures are happening so that we can take action.”
Home Secretary Alan Johnson, whose department will participate in the review, added: “Rape is an appalling crime which has a horrendous impact on victims.
“Recent cases highlight how important it is that every police force is consistent in its approach.”
The new review will be conducted for Ms Harman by Baroness Stern and its conclusions are expected to be published next year.
Reader views (6)
Please don't stop there Ms Harman.
Call for a review into what is happening, in practice to child abuse reports made to the relevant authorites.
The number of IDENTFIED child abusers who are not being proseuted and who never see the inside of a court is astounding.
Giving cautions to IDENTFIED child abusers does not and will not stop them further abusing children.
The crimes of rape and child abuse are being very badly treated....BY LAW.
- Darnthesafetynet, London W11 1NR, 23/09/2009 08:48
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As soon as I noticed the Harperson name I stopped reading.
Sorry! I cannot comment on some drivel inspired by a parasite.
- Reuben Camara, Morecambe Compound, EUSSR, 22/09/2009 22:28
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Alan, carlisle uk - sensible post. You realise that means you'll be considered insensitive and soft on rapists by the more aggressively Harmanoid of woman-kind now, don't you? Sensible, realistic, considerate - not allowed, old boy! Many already think that of me though, so I have no hesitation in stating that I agree 100%.
- Rogan, Irving, 22/09/2009 19:34
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Aha! Hattie Hatemen on the Rape bandwagon..
I can see the headlines already. 'NuLabour creates a new law making drivers responsible for all cycling and pedestrian accidents irrespective of who is really at fault, and all men will be guilty of rape whether or not the women is a gold-digger, wolf-crier, money-grubber.
I love NuLabour they put the mental into fundamental.
- Chris Williams, Cardiff, 22/09/2009 17:23
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The reason the conviction rate is low is that Harman's government insists the CPS prosecutes in cases that are unwinnable under British law.
Most rape cases do not involve a stranger attacking a woman in an alley, they involve people who know each other and copious amounts of alcohol / drugs - and they come down to the word of a woman saying she didn't give consent against a man saying she did. There is rarely sufficient proof that the woman is telling the truth, hence the man has to be acquitted. How does Harman propose to raise the conviction rate? By taking away the presumption of innocence?
The sensible thing would be to stop prosecuting in cases that can't be won, and perhaps spending the money on making women more aware that most rapes are linked to alcohol and drug abuse. However feminists like Harman tend to go ballistic over either suggestion, since the first means letting men off without trying and the second means implying some of the blame falls on women.
But otherwise what are you practically going to do, that doesn't involve the certainty of sending innocent men to prison?
- Kevin T, Beckenham, Kent, 22/09/2009 16:57
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Whilst agreeing with the argument that rape is a heinous offence, why oh why is this government trying to raise the conviction rate? They are doing the same for alleged 'Honour' crimes. Is this because they now wish to show that they are convicting more people to show Joe public that they are tough in crime. Surely if two people were "allowed to prey on women for years because of police failures" then why are the police superintendants still in their jobs, as it is their failure to ensure that their detection methods are, to use their own jargon, ROBUST. To use these two cases where rapists were at large for years to prompt a cry for more convictions is totally and utterly wrong. Shouldn't inspector Knacker improve his methods of detection?
While I am at it can we also have a minister for men and equality!!, because we are not being treated equally.
- Alan, carlisle uk, 22/09/2009 16:00
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