Marked decline in number of rape cases coming before courts

THERE has been a steady drop in the number of rape cases getting to court in the past five years.

Only 52 new rape cases went before the Central Criminal Court last year. Latest statistics produced by the Courts Service show that 130 new cases went for trial in 1999; 113 in 2000; 92 in 2001 and 82 in 2002.

The statistics also show that 100 cases were completed last year, a figure that has been increasing since 1996 when the number of new cases coming before the courts, at 48, was the same as the number disposed of.