Courts across the North West including Manchester Crown Square and Manchester Minshull Street will from today be able to hear Pre-recorded evidence in a move that will mean more victims of rape and sexual violence will be spared the stress of being cross-examined in court
The measure, which has already been successfully introduced in 37 Crown Courts, 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 in a courtroom setting, which many find traumatic.
From today, the measure will be available immediately at ten Crown Courts – nine in the North-West (Bolton, Burnley, Preston, Carlisle, Lancaster, Warrington, Chester, Manchester Crown Square and Manchester Minshull Street) and Swindon Crown Court in the West of England.
This extension means it is now available for victims of rape at 47 Crown Courts, over half of all locations in England and Wales. The Government is committed to rolling it out nationwide by September.
The move follows the successful implementation for vulnerable victims, such as children or those who have limited mental capacity, across the country – with more than 2,500 witnesses having already benefitted from the technology since August 2020.
Victoria Atkins MP, Minister for Tackling Violence against Women and Girls, said:
“We are overhauling the justice system’s response to rape and this measure is key – minimising the stress and trauma faced by victims so they can provide the best possible evidence.
“It adds to the many other steps we are taking, such as recruiting more independent sexual violence advisors, delivering a new Victims’ Bill and improving collaboration between police and prosecutors.
“While there is still much more to do, we are starting to see the results of these efforts with rape convictions increasing by 15 percent over the last quarter, and by more than a quarter since before the pandemic.”
The measure is also 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.
The extension of pre-recorded evidence is a key pledge within the Government’s Rape Review Action Plan. The plan sets out clear actions for the police, prosecutors and courts. These include a new approach to investigations, reducing the number of victims withdrawing from the process, increasing the volume of trials being heard, protecting the public and putting more rapists behind bars.
Earlier this month, 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. This would offer support, such as Independent Sexual Violence Advisors, within the court itself, as well as providing trauma training to court staff. These courtrooms will be set up at Snaresbrook Crown Court in London as well as Leeds and Newcastle Crown Courts.
