Rape conviction rate falls to all-time low

Convictions for reported rape cases have reached an all-time low because of a "culture of scepticism" among the police, according to Home Office research published last night.

The study finds that despite long-running efforts by the government to boost the conviction rate, only 5.6% of reported cases end in the rapist being convicted in court.

This represents a record low, with the conviction rate having fallen from 32% in 1977. While the last two decades have seen a continuing and unbroken increase in the reporting of rapes to the police by victims, it has not been matched by a similar rise in prosecutions or convictions.

The official study, A Gap Or a Chasm?, by researchers at the London Metropolitan University child and women abuse unit, says that part of the reason is that police and prosecutors overestimate the scale of false allegations made by victims.

This is feeding a "culture of scepticism", which in turn leads to poor communication and a loss of confidence between those who complain and the police.

The research says the most recent data from the British Crime Survey suggests that as many as one in 20 adult women have suffered at least one incident of rape since they were 16 and there may be as many as 47,000 such attacks every year.

Women are most likely to be raped by men they know and 50% involve repeated assaults by the same man. It is most likely to take place at home, with only 13% happening in a public place.

The Home Office research shows that of 11,766 allegations of rape made in 2002, only 655 resulted in convictions, and that includes those that were overturned on appeal. In only 258 cases did the rapist plead guilty at trial. The 2002 conviction rate - which is lower for rape than any other violent crime - fell from 6% in 2001.

"This year on year increase in attrition represents a justice gap that the government has pledged to address," says the study.

The researchers tracked 3,500 rape cases through the courts and interviewed 228 rape victims. While they conclude there was some evidence of poor investigation and lack of understanding of the law, the main problem was the culture of scepticism among both the police and prosecutors.

They say that rape is unique because in no other crimes were victims subject to such scrutiny in court or was the defendant so likely to claim the victim had consented to the attack. Between half and two-thirds of all cases are dropped before they come to court.

The reseachers suggest that more women police officers and crown prosecutors could help create a "culture of belief, support and respect" as well as a growing network of sexual assault referral centres and rape crisis centres. The development of "courtroom advocacy that does justice to the complainant's account" would also help.

The Home Office researchers also say that there needs to be an increased recognition of the significance of alcohol in rape and sexual assault, including further work on the extent to which men target unknown women who are drinking and the strategies they use to make contact.

· A Gap Or a Chasm? Attrition in Reported Rape Cases, Home Office research study 293.