- Measure aims to reduce trauma for victims and witnesses to
help them give their best evidence
- Government delivers on pledge to ensure this vital measure is
available across the country
The Government has today (26 September) delivered on its pledge
to ensure this vital measure is available nationwide to boost
rape convictions and ensure better support for victims.
The tool allows victims and witnesses of crimes such as rape and
modern slavery to have their cross-examination video-recorded and
played later during trial. This is subject to a successful
application to the court.
The recording takes place as close to the time of the offence as
possible, while memories remain fresh, and helps victims avoid
the stress of giving evidence under full glare of a live trial
setting, which many find traumatic.
From today, the measure will be available at a final 20 Crown
Courts in Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, East Anglia, Essex,
London and the South East, and marks the completion of national
rollout.
The move follows the successful implementation for vulnerable
victims, such as children or those who have limited mental and
physical capacity, across the country – with more than 3,000
witnesses having already benefitted from the technology since
August 2020.
Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary said:
We’re overhauling the entire response to rape – boosting support
for victims so that more cases come to court and more rapists are
put behind bars.
Today we have delivered on our pledge to roll out pre-recorded
evidence to every Crown Court in England and Wales, sparing
victims of this awful crime the additional trauma of testifying
under the full glare of a courtroom.
The successful rollout of pre-recorded evidence meets a key
pledge within the Government’s Rape Review Action Plan which sets
out clear actions for the police, prosecutors and courts. These
include a new approach to investigations in order to reduce the
number of victims withdrawing from the process and increase
the number of cases reaching court.
The measure is designed to maintain a defendant’s right to a fair
trial and any decision to pre-record evidence is made by a judge
on a case-by-case basis. Following today’s completion of
national rollout to Crown Courts, the Government has announced
that it will be piloted for children and vulnerable adult
witnesses for all offences at Leeds Youth Court, considering how
it could be used more widely in trials of under 18s.
In June, the Government published the latest Rape Review Progress
report and committed to piloting specialist rape support in three
courtrooms as recommended by the Joint Inspectorates of the CPS
and Police. These courts offer support such as Independent Sexual
Violence Advisors within the court itself as well as trauma
training to court staff and are being set up at Snaresbrook,
Leeds and Newcastle Crown Courts.
Notes to Editors
- This final phase will include:
- Amersham, Aylesbury, Basildon, Cambridge, Canterbury,
Chelmsford, Guildford, Hove Trial Centre, King’s Lynn, Lewes,
Norwich Combined Court Centre, Peterborough Combined Court
Centre, Reading and Southend in the South East;
- Croydon, Snaresbrook, Southwark, the Central Criminal
Court, the Inner London Sessions House and Woolwich.
