Friday February 9, 2007
Guardian
Juries must not carry the can for the low rape conviction rate (Why is rape so
easy to get away with? G2, February 1). The police either don't gather the
evidence, or they lose it or misinterpret it. The CPS don't think about what
might be useful and seem more eager to drop rape cases than to prosecute them.
The victim is herself put on trial, but without the safeguards defendants are
entitled to. The prosecutor has never met her before the trial, does nothing to
establish her credibility or to defend her, even from evidence about her sexual
history which recent laws should have banned. Judges should provide balance and
protect the jury from misinformation and misunderstanding; instead they pander
to the jury's prejudices. Their directions and summing-up often display sexism
and other prejudices. If police, prosecutors and judges were made to apply the
law in a caring and non-sexist way, the conviction rate would soon go up.
Nina López
Legal Action for Women
Lisa Longstaff
Women Against Rape