Section:GDN 1N PaGe:6 Edition Date:190731 Edition:01 Zone: Sent at 30/7/2019 18:15 cYanmaGentaYellowbl
- The Guardian Wednesday 31 July 2019
(^6) National
Only 3% of
rape claims
in London
result in a
conviction
Frances Perraudin
Only 3% of rape allegations in Lon-
don result in convictions, a study has
found, prompting the capital’s vic-
tims’ commissioner to call for an end
to the “excessive intrusion into per-
sonal data” demanded when a person
makes an allegation.
The London rape review, conducted
by the mayor’s office for policing
and crime (M opac) and the Univer-
sity of West London, looked at 501
allegations of rape made across the
city in April 2016.
It found that while 84% of alle-
gations were classifi ed as a crime by
the police, in 58% of cases the victim
withdrew the allegation. Only 6% of
cases reached trial and 3% resulted in a
conviction. The average length of time
from the date of reporting to the trial
outcome was 18 months.
Seven per cent of cases surveyed
were perpetrated by a stranger. Almost
three in fi ve off ences were alleged
to have taken place in a private or
domestic setting and 28% related to
domestic abuse.
The London victims’ commissioner,
Claire Waxman , said there needed to
be drastic improvements in the way
rape victims were treated.
She called for police to undergo
training on how to deal with trauma
victims and for more funding for ser-
vices from central government.
Waxman was appointed as the capi-
tal’s fi rst victim’s commissioner by the
mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, in June
- In 2011 she won a landmark case
to overturn a decision not to prosecute
her stalker and in 2013 she founded
the campaign group Voice4Victims to
work for improved legislation for vic-
tims of crime.
Last week, a Guardian analysis of
recent Home Offi ce statistics revealed
that only one in 65 rape cases reported
to police across the country resulted
in suspects being summonsed or
charged, which represented a steep
decline.
Four years ago one in seven, or 14%,
of cases led to a suspect being charged
or summonsed – a total of 4,908 in
2015-16. Last year fewer than one in
65 reports of rape (1.5%) resulted in
a charge or a summons, for a total of
886 in 2018-19.
The analysis followed controversy
over “ digital processing notices”, in
which police can ask to download the
contents of victims’ mobile phones.
They were rolled out across forces in
England and Wales in April.
Civil liberties organisations have
said they amount to a “digital strip
search”, are unlawful and are “highly
likely to infringe victims’ data pro-
tection and privacy rights”.
Waxman called for an end to “exces-
sive disclosure” of victims’ data,
saying the Crown Prosecution Ser-
vice should request therapy notes only
to show the impact of the crime. She
said the government should fully fund
legal support to provide independent
advice and legal representation, seeing
as victims were “having their credibil-
ity routinely investigated”.
One woman, who did not want to be
named, was raped by a stranger who
was identifi ed eight years later by DNA
evidence after raping again. Despite
having strong DNA evidence from two
attacks, the police still asked her for
extensive records.
“Despite the fact I was raped by
a stranger who was identifi ed many
years later by DNA evidence, I was then
told that in order to charge him the
police would need to go through my
school and university records, med-
ical records and around six years of
therapy notes,” she said.
“This felt so invasive and disturb-
ing, as if rather than assessing the
evidence gathered at the time of the
rape they were evaluating my char-
acter over my lifetime. I felt I had very
little power to object to this as they
warned me missing information could
jeopardise the case.
“The extent to which I was expected
to give my life over for inspection and
judg ment eventually led me to decide
that were the case to go to trial I would
withdraw from the process as I was
terrifi ed of being subjected to further
scrutiny and my life experiences and
private therapy notes being used to
discredit me.”
UK may have far more cases
of Lyme disease than realised
Anna PloszajskiCases of Lyme disease in the UK may be
three times higher than previous esti-
mates, according to research.
After analysing the anonymous
medical records of 8.4 million peoplein the UK , scientists forecast that the
number of diagnoses could top 8,
in 2019, compared with previous esti-
mates of between 2,000 and 3,
annual diagnoses.
Lyme disease is a bacterial infec-
tion that is passed on through being
bitten by an infected tick. The small
spider-like creatures feed off the bloodof animals and are typically found in
dense, moist vegetation.
Lyme disease has many symptoms ,
making it diffi cult to diagnose. Early
symptoms can be similar to those of
fl u, and about a quarter of cases will
develop a circular red rash. Full clinical
diagnosis requires a blood test.
If caught early, most cases can be
successfully treated with antibiotics
within four weeks, but the infection
can lead to permanent damage to the
joints and nervous system.
Dr Victoria Cairns, the lead author
o f the study , said she hope d the newdata would encourage the public to
take more preventive measures, and
bring about faster diagnos es.
Lyme Disease UK suggests ways to
avoid being bitten, including insect
repellent, avoiding walking through
long grass, and checking for ticks on
your body, as well as using tick pre-
vention on pets. If you fi nd a tick, use
tweezers to pull it off , trying not to
squeeze its body ; clean the area with
antiseptic ; put the tick in a zip-lock bag
so it can be tested ; and if you notice a
rash or become unwell , see your GP
immediately and raise your concerns.▲ A sheep tick, Ixodes ricinus,
which can transmit Lyme disease501
The number of allegations of rape
made in London in April 2016. Police
classifi ed 84% of them as a crime6%
The proportion of cases that reached
trial, with the outcome 18 months
after the date of reporting, on averageРЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS
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