Guilty verdict in just 10% of rape cases

A TOP level Government strategy was demanded last night to help rape victims through the ordeal of taking attackers to court as figures revealing the “appallingly” low level of convictions for the crime provoked outrage.

Less than one in five rapes reported to garda ends in court action and fewer than one in ten results in a guilty verdict, figures reveal.

However, campaigners say this only hints at the problem as they estimate just 10% of rapes come to garda attention.

Analysis of garda figures by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show that for 2003, 328 allegations of rape were recorded which led to 32 convictions.

By 2006, the last year investigated by the CSO, the 378 reported rapes led to seven convictions, however the outcome of some of the proceedings were pending.

The 10% conviction rate for 2003’s reported cases is dramatically below that of other crimes. Similar rates for murder and manslaughter are 50% and 86% respectively, and almost half of those found in possession of drugs for sale or supply are convicte.

A Rape Crisis Network Ireland (RCNI) spokesperson said victims were left traumatised by the way their cases were handled by the legal system and often felt they had no choice but to walk away.

“With only about 10% of rapes even being reported the reality is far more worrying than even these figures suggest.

“We need a national rape strategy from the Government to ensure that victims feel they will be listened to.

“This needs to look at the training given to gardaí and the nature of the legal process. It can take up to three years for cases to come to court and the strain on victims in that time is enormous.

“There is also a problem with the public perception of rape, with many people still believing what a victim was wearing at the time is a factor. We need an advertising campaign to get rid of those kind of prejudices.

“We need to look at how the Director of Public Prosecutions decides which cases to pursue and why because that is a major factor in the low number reaching court,” said a RCNI spokesperson.

Labour justice spokesman Pat Rabbitte also expressed concern.

“It may well be that many women are deterred from prosecuting these cases because of the process they are put through. At the same time we have to balance this with the right of the accused to get a fair trial.

“This does seem an appalling and worrying level of convictions,” he said.

Nearly 2,000 allegations of sexual assault were reported in 2003, leading to 422 convictions. In 2006, 1,442 allegations were made.