The Law Commission has today published proposals for reform of sexual offences prosecutions.
Every year in England and Wales, around 128,000 adults – over 90% of them women – report to the Crime Survey of England and Wales that they are victims of rape or attempted rape. The trial process is an integral step to accessing justice.
As part of its 2021 End-to-End Rape Review, the Government asked the Law Commission to examine the law relating to the use of evidence in sexual offences prosecutions. While progress has been made, evidence shows that the criminal justice process for rape and serious sexual offences is still flawed, and more can be done to ensure sexual offences are tried justly, without traumatising complainants.
For anyone interested you can read the full brief and how to respond here https://www.lawcom.gov.uk/views-sought-on-proposals-to-counter-effects-of-rape-myths-in-sexual-offence-trials/
The Law Commission is seeking responses to its consultation paper by 29 September 2023. We welcome responses from anyone affected by, or with knowledge of, the issues covered; including those who have experienced sexual violence or support people who do, and those who have experience of the criminal justice system in sexual offending.