Sadiq Khan grilled by LBC caller on London knife crime

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Nearly 1.2 million violent crimes in the 12 months to March were unsolved due to a lack of evidence, a Home Office report says. More than 800,000 cases were shelved as the victim did not give evidence – that is up from 436,413 in the year to March 2017. From 1,679,290 offences of violence against a person, only 139,805 resulted in a charge. Analysis by the Daily Express today reveals 48.1 percent of violent offence cases (807,515) were closed without a prosecution as the victim did not want to continue.

When they backed cases, 372,702 (22 percent) still stayed unsolved.

Some 42 percent of sexual offence cases (58,879) were closed without a charge when victims did not support action.

While 27 percent (37,584) ended prior to court when they did back it.

Top lawyer James Mulholland QC, the chairman of the Criminal Bar Association, said last night: “Many allegations of physical violence often occur within a domestic setting.

“Any increase in victims not supporting action after plucking up courage to come to the police speaks to a wider degeneration of public faith in a criminal justice system being able to carry out its core principle – to prevent harm to all.

“There is an unacceptable rise in all criminal cases, but particularly rape and violence to the person allegations, that fall apart.” He blamed “a lack of prosecution resources and delays of years”.

Campaigners warned that victims are left feeling suicidal by waiting for as long as four years.

While Victims Commissioner Dame Vera Baird claimed it will take the Government 17 years to hit its target of restoring rape prosecutions to 2016/17 levels.

The Home Office admitted to a “lengthening of the criminal justice process as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic”. The department report reveals: “The proportion of offences that were closed as a result of ‘evidential difficulties’ increased from 35 percent to 40 percent.”

Rachel Almeida, assistant director at charity Victim Support, said: “Victims who were only waiting months to get justice, are now waiting up to four years.”

Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) figures yesterday showed rape charges increased by almost five percent in the year, but there were 330 fewer convictions due to court closures during the first coronavirus lockdown.

Dame Vera said the Government’s recent rape review set a target to return to levels of charges recorded in 2016/17. She continued: “The CPS data reveals in stark terms just how far they have to go to meet this
ambition and live up to their promises to victims.”

In the year to March, police referred 3,539 cases to prosecutors for a charging decision – a 29 percent rise on the previous 12 months. The CPS pressed charges in just 88 more cases than in 2019/20.

Dame Vera said that only 1,955 allegations resulted in a charge “and in the year to March 2021, we saw just 1,109 rapists convicted.

“Faced with these odds, it is perhaps no wonder why many, too many [victims], decide to not come forward.

“At this current rate…it would take more than 17 years for charging to reach the level we last saw in 2016/17.”

Max Hill QC, the Director of Public Prosecutions, said: “We are working with partners across the criminal justice system to reduce the backlog.

“We are also continuing our ongoing efforts to improve every aspect of how offences of violence against women and girls are handled – and reduce the unacceptable gap between reports of these devastating crimes and victims seeing justice.

“There is still a long way to go but we are beginning to see some progress in the number and proportion of rape cases being charged, which should in time see more rapists held accountable.

“We strongly empathise with the torment domestic abuse victims and their families have suffered during the pandemic and the CPS is prioritising measures to better protect them.”

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Comment by Rachel Almeida

Long waits for trial have been a major issue for many years, yet only gained sufficient attention when the country went into its first national lockdown.

Victims who were only waiting months to get justice, are now waiting up to four years. They also face increased uncertainty, with cases being rescheduled multiple times.

Our report, Crime and Covid-19, revealed that the impact on victims and survivors has been significant.

Delays not only make victims feel that their life has been put on hold, but it can have a detrimental effect on their mental health and well-being, and their safety.

Many victims, including bereaved family members, have told us that they cannot move on and are in “limbo” until the trial has concluded.

Others have told us that they had been feeling suicidal because they have struggled to cope with the uncertainty and anxiety around the trial.

We found that delays affect victims’ confidence in the criminal justice system and could deter them from supporting investigations or engaging with the process altogether.

It is sadly not surprising that the Home Office has seen more victims withdrawing their support for prosecutions.

It is also a huge cause for concern that two in five crimes are left unsolved.

These figures are discouraging, particularly for those impacted by high harm crimes. We see thousands of victims, particularly women survivors of sexual violence and abuse, who are scared to report incidences to the police because they fear that they won’t be believed or treated with dignity.

The Government and justice system must ensure that victims have confidence that they will be supported and get the justice they deserve.

This starts with a system-wide, societal change – a shift from the “victim blaming” culture and poor treatment that have only contributed to dismal justice outcomes.

We urge the Government to take significant action now to address the epidemic of offending, ensure victim services receive sustainable funding and reduce the backlog of cases to prevent victims and survivors from losing total confidence in the criminal justice system.

• Rachel Almeida is the Assistant Director at independent charity, Victim Support

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