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| Victims group calls for rape conviction action |
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| Monday, 23 April 2007 | |||||||
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Victim Support Scotland has called for the next Executive to make the reform of laws keeping the number of rape convictions in Scotland at very low levels a key priority. Victim Support Scotland director of operations Neil Patterson said requirements that all evidence must be corroborated had resulted in a situation where Scotland had an exceptionally low conviction rate for rape. “I think we face a particular challenge in Scotland and it relates to the need to have corroboration for every piece of evidence that is introduced, especially in cases like rape where the defence is one of consent or otherwise. It’s almost impossible to bring that corroborative evidence into play. “There are some serious issues going on out there. Our rape conviction rate is, if not the lowest in the western world, then one of the lowest,” he said. The Scottish Law Commission has previously recommended that corroboration requirements be re-examined and that courts be allowed to take into account the wider circumstance of the offence. Labour is the only of the major parties to have made an express commitment in its manifesto to bring in the recommended changes. | |||||||
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