Conviction rates for prosecutions relating to violence against women and girls appear to have increased, according to a new report from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
The report, which covers 2012 to 2013, reveals that:
- three out of four cases of violence against women and girls resulted in convictions;
- there were convictions in 63.2% of rape prosecutions and 74.3% of domestic violence prosecutions;
- in domestic violence cases the proportion of guilty pleas rose to 68.5% of all cases charged, which means that 92% of convictions are now the result of guilty pleas;
- there was a decrease in the number of cases charged that were unsuccessful due to victim issues (down from 13.5% to 13.2% in 2012-13);
- there was an increase in the proportion of rape cases referred to the CPS by police that were charged (up from 42.1% to 47.2% in 2012-13);
- there was an increase in convictions in forced marriage cases - up to 90.6% from just 54.8% in the previous year; and
- there was an increase in convictions for honour based violence - up to 63.0% from 50.0% in the previous year.
The CPS puts the increase in convictions down to changes in its approach to prosecuting these type of offences.
In particular, it points to new interim guidance on dealing with child sexual abuse. This focuses on better understanding of victims' vulnerabilities and credibility - and is currently the subject of a public consultation. See our earlier blog post for more details.
Other factors that have had an impact on the conviction rate include:
- The establishment of a national panel to reconsider previous child sex abuse cases, and a national network of specialist prosecutors;
- An action plan on tackling female genital mutilation;
- Dedicated Rape and Serious Sexual Offence Units being rolled out in every CPS area;
- A joint CPS and police checklist for charging domestic violence issued to police and prosecutors;
- The delivery of training to nearly 900 specialist rape prosecutors;
- The holding of a national scrutiny panel on teenage relationship abuse, to look at dispelling myths associated with such cases; and
- Greater understanding of the reasons and rarity of false rape and domestic violence allegations.
If you are facing a sexual offence allegation you will need mature, first class specialist sex crimes defence lawyers to provide you with the necessary legal advice, skills, representation and support.
These cases require careful, thorough investigation and preparation. You will need lawyers who are pro-active, tenacious and discreet, and whom are as experienced as the prosecuting teams that you are facing.
Contact Lewis Nedas’ Criminal Lawyers in London
We can help. For specialist legal advice please contact our solicitors Jeffrey Lewis or Siobhain Egan on 020 7387 2032 or complete our online enquiry form here.
This blog post is intended as a news item only - no connection between Lewis Nedas and the parties concerned is intended or implied.
