Rape Victims Privacy Rights 2024-02-20
2024-02-20
TAGS
Response quality
Questions & Answers
Q1
Partial Answer
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Context
The question addresses concerns about privacy violations for rape victims during legal proceedings.
What steps his Department is taking to protect the privacy rights of rape victims in criminal justice processes. Recently, I was able to visit the Gwent rape investigation unit and see what an excellent job the police officers there are doing. However, can the Minister explain why the Government thought it was appropriate to boast about the so-called progress on the rape review when the proportion of cases being charged has halved since 2016, and the key adviser quit because of the lack of drive to improve outcomes for victims?
I have also heard very good reports of the work that Gwent police are doing, so I am glad to hear what the hon. Lady says. We are prosecuting more rape cases than we were in 2010. Conviction rates are higher, and perpetrators are going to prison for almost 50% longer than they were in 2010; the average sentence increased from six and a half years to nine and a half years. Last week we announced the appointment of Professor Katrin Hohl, who pioneered Operation Soteria which has transformed police investigation and prosecution of rape.
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Assessment & feedback
Explained overall progress but did not address specific resignation or halving of charging rates directly
Response accuracy
Q2
Direct Answer
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Context
The question arises from a constituent's experience where her counselling and therapy records were used against her during legal proceedings, causing significant distress.
My constituent had all her counselling records used against her in a harrowing trial that she said was worse than the crime itself. Will the Victims and Prisoners Bill be sufficiently amended so that medical and social services records are not used against victims in court, and family courts are not used to perpetuate such abuse against the victim, particularly with the use of the term “parental alienation”?
New regulations under the Victims and Prisoners Bill will create a code of practice for all third-party requests including counselling, therapy, and medical notes. The Crown Prosecution Service has pre-trial therapy guidelines to prevent delays in victim therapy due to criminal investigations.
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Assessment & feedback
Response accuracy
Q3
Partial Answer
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Context
Concerns about the adequacy of government's claim of progress on the rape review when statistics show a decline in cases being charged.
Recently, I was able to visit the Gwent rape investigation unit and see what an excellent job the police officers there are doing. However, can the Minister explain why the Government thought it was appropriate to boast about the so-called progress on the rape review when the proportion of cases being charged has halved since 2016, and the key adviser quit because of the lack of drive to improve outcomes for victims?
We are prosecuting more rape cases than we were in 2010. Conviction rates have increased, and perpetrators receive longer sentences; the average sentence rose from six and a half years to nine and a half years. Last week we appointed Professor Katrin Hohl as an independent adviser to lead on Operation Soteria.
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Assessment & feedback
Did not address specific resignation or reduction in charging rates directly, only overall trend.
Response accuracy