West Midlands scheme to give sexual offences victims right to case reviews

Victims of rape and serious sexual assaults in the West Midlands are to get the right to have their cases reviewed if charges are dropped.

Under the current system, criminal cases can be stopped if a prosecutor decides there is not a realistic prospect of conviction.

However, a pilot scheme launched this week in the region will allow victims to challenge that decision by asking a different prosecutor to review the material.

The Attorney General’s Office said a criminal case would then proceed if that second prosecutor believed there was enough evidence.

The pilot, which is part of the government’s pledge to halve violence against women and girls, will initially run for six months, with each case evaluated individually before a decision is later taken on the future of the scheme.

The government said it had recognised the need to progress reviews in a way that was also fair to defendants.

It is hoped the project will help improve confidence in the justice system.

“This government is treating violence against women and girls with the seriousness it deserves,” Solicitor General Lucy Rigby said.

“There is much more to do, but this is a further step towards the criminal justice system that victims deserve, and one which will ultimately make Britain’s streets safer.”

Jade Blue McCrossen-Nethercott campaigned for a change after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) dropped her case by offering no evidence in court.

A review afterwards found the prosecution should have gone ahead, but it could not be reinstated.

“I was profoundly failed and let down by how my case was handled, but I’ve since seen people within the CPS who are genuinely working to make it better,” she said.

“I’m hugely excited about what this pilot could mean for victims, and I hope it proves successful enough to be rolled out across the country.”

Angela Sheeran told BBC Midlands Today her daughter Jodie was raped near her home in Stoke-on-Trent when she was 15 years old.

It was reported to the police and a man was charged but the case was dropped the day it was due to go to trial.

Mrs Sheeran said the CPS told her there was a lack of evidence to prosecute the alleged attacker.

She said her daughter turned to alcohol and died at the age of 33.

Mrs Sheeran, who described Jodie as a “bubbly girl”, said: “Had she had her day in court and had her assailant [been] put behind bars, she would still be here, I know she would.”

The CPS apologised for Ms Sheeran’s death and said it had invested significantly in prosecuting complex child abuse cases.

Siobhan Blake, CPS lead for rape and chief crown prosecutor in the West Midlands, said the prospect of cases being stopped could be devastating for victims.

Although requests for a review can currently be made, if the case has already been stopped in court there is nothing that can be done to reactivate it.

“This pilot offers greater reassurance for victims,” Ms Blake said.

“It means that they will be alerted to the prospect of their case being stopped earlier, so that they can ask for a review by a different prosecutor.

“If the original decision is reversed then the case will continue, but even if it can’t, we hope that victims will have more confidence in the process and the earlier scrutiny of our decision making.”

The CPS said the pilot could be rolled out nationwide if it was successful in the West Midlands.