News

Fall in number of prosecutions and convictions for rape and attempted rape

New figures released by the Scottish Government show a 16% drop in the number of convictions for rape and attempted rape in 2015/16. The number of cases prosecuted has also fallen.

Rape is a crime which can take a great deal of courage to report. It is worrying to such a small proportion of reported rapes and attempted rapes are ever prosecuted. Rape complainers tell us how devastating it can be to be informed that their cases is not going to court. It is no wonder that some rape survivors are turning to the civil courts to seek justice, as we saw yesterday with the very brave action by Denise Clair.

One of the biggest barriers to rape cases reaching court is the requirement in Scots law for corroboration, which disproportionately affects crimes such as rape and domestic abuse. We believe that it is time for the Scottish Government to look again at removing the requirement for corroboration.