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Rape convictions in London fall despite rise in reported attacks
Martin Bentham, Home Affairs Editor15 Dec 2009
The number of rapists convicted in London last year fell by 12 per cent as fewer cases were brought to court, official figures revealed today.
Prosecution statistics show that 340 offenders were either found guilty or admitted rape during the 12 months to the end of March this year.
That was 47 fewer than the same time last year and comes despite separate Met figures showing a significant rise in rape offences since 2008. Figures released earlier this year show 2,188 offences were reported last year — a seven per cent rise on the previous annual total.
The new statistics, in a Crown Prosecution Service report on violence against women, will heighten concerns about the way rape attacks are dealt with in the capital following several high-profile police failures.
Black cab driver John Worboys, 51, was jailed in March for a string of sex attacks on passengers. Police missed an opportunity to end his offending in July 2007 when he was arrested in connection with an attack on a 19-year-old girl. Kirk Reid, 44, also managed to evade detection for six years while carrying out an estimated 71 crimes.
Today's report stresses that rapes remain “the most challenging” of violence against women cases and says the most common reason for an unsuccessful prosecution is the difficulty of proving the absence of consent.
As a result of this, and factors such as victims' retracting their complaint or contradictory evidence, the number of convictions nationwide remained virtually static at 2,018 last year, just three down on the previous year.
But the report shows in London 127 fewer cases were brought to court and 47 fewer convictions during the 12 month period from the start of April last year. The conviction rate among the 724 cases that were prosecuted was 47 per cent which remains one of the lowest in the country.
Only Leicestershire, Cumbria and Bedfordshire recorded a lower score, while Greater Manchester had a 60.9 per cent success rate and West Yorkshire achieved 65.4 per cent.
In the capital the low conviction rate means 384 people prosecuted for rape last year were cleared or saw the case against them abandoned before going to a jury, adding to the 464 unsuccessful prosecutions 12 months earlier.
Further figures state the proportion of cases which are charged after coming to prosecutors rose last year to 39 per cent but today's report concedes that this is still “low”.
Reader views (2)
In rape cases the womans testimony is always considered to be above that of a mans.
- Chris, Rocester, 15/12/2009 10:47
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Why do the figures not include false, malicious prosecutions, or those where an innocent person commits suicide, after which the false allegations against him are withdrawn?
- Mrs. Irene Smith, St. Helens, 15/12/2009 10:32
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