Rape is becoming ‘decriminalised’ in UK, sexual assault victim argues, as she calls for justice system reform

The UK's "abysmally" low conviction rate for rape means that the offence is effectively becoming "decriminalised", a sexual assault victim has argued.

In 2019, Dawn Carrington reported to police that she had been raped. She thought that building up the courage to tell officers what had happened would be the most daunting part of the process, but what followed was "more traumatic than she ever could have imagined".

"I underwent hours and hours of testing in a rape crisis centre," she told NationalWorld. "I took part in a lengthy video interview where I had to recount every last detail of my experience. I handed over my phone, I gave them my medical records.

"My body and my belongings were treated as a crime scene. It made me feel as though I was the one being investigated... like I was the suspect," Dawn explained. "The focus was on me and my character, rather than on the perpetrator and what he did to me."

When police officers eventually brought Dawn's alleged rapist into the station, (something which took several months as they had initially been unable to locate him), Dawn hoped it meant some form of "justice" would be delivered. But her alleged attacker was never charged.

Dawn's faith in the criminal justice system was then only further "shattered" when she received a response to her report of child sex abuse, which she had "gathered the courage" to file at the same time as the report of rape. To her dismay, despite previous women having taken the same man to court, her alleged abuser was also not charged.

Explaining the impact this has had, Dawn said: "Rape is a crime that is so severe that it messes you up beyond comprehension. So when you have been brave enough to report it, and then you are put through the further trauma of documenting your experience, and then you don't even get a charge or a court date, let alone a conviction? It is a truly gut-wrenching thing to happen to you."

Dawn is calling on the Ministry of Justice, as well as the newly-appointed Victims' Commissioner Baroness Helen Newlove, to "reform" the UK's justice system, so that "if something awful happens to your daughter, sister, mother, friend... you can be confident that the person who did that to them will be taken off the streets."

According to charity Rape Crisis, between June 2022 and June 2023, charges were brought in just 2.2% of rape cases in England and Wales, and convictions were even rarer. For Dawn, ministers should tackle this both by "transforming the reporting process", and by introducing "specialist courts" to deal with rape and sexual assault cases.

"People who have been raped are treated as the suspect not the victim," Dawn said. "You don't see someone who is the victim of a burglary being asked for their text messages with friends to prove they are 'trustworthy'.

"It's not about proving that this happened to them. Instead, it's about investigating the perpetrator. Why don't rape cases follow this same pattern? Why are rape victims treated differently?"

On specialist courts, Dawn explained: "Currently, rape victims and survivors do not get a fair trial at the hands of a public jury. Because there are simply too many rape myths and misconceptions out there. We need special, educated courts to ensure a fairer system for victims."

Dawn's calls come just a few weeks after the Ministry of Justice appointed a new Victims' Commissioner. Baroness Newlove is set to serve a one-year term after previously holding the role between 2013 and 2019, in what was widely regarded as a successful first tenure. However, Dawn is "sceptical" about the impact she will have because of the government's consistent "sidelining" of victims of sexual assault.

She argued that this was evidenced by former Victims' Commissioner Dame Vera Baird, who resigned from her post in September 2022 - citing her primary reason as the government's "downgrading" of the interests of victims. She also launched a scathing attack on the “chaos” of the criminal justice system.

This departure was somewhat mimicked by that of Emily Hunt earlier this month, who quit her role as the Ministry of Justice's independent adviser to its Rape Review over a "lack of will" to change things for victims. She also warned that myths and misconceptions about rape are perpetuated at the highest levels of the civil service and the police.

"It is clear from what both Dame Vera and Ms Hunt have said that every part of the justice system needs to be changed," Dawn said. "I hope that the new Victims' Commissioner, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and those in the Ministry of Justice can help deliver that change. We cannot continue to live in a society where rapists operate with impunity."

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice told NationalWorld: "We are doing more than ever before to ensure victims see justice done and the latest figures show we’re delivering real progress - exceeding our ambitious Rape Review targets 18 months ahead of schedule.

"But we know more needs to be done, which is why we’ve launched our 24/7 victim support line, completed the national rollout of pre-recorded cross-examination, are quadrupling funding for specialist support services, transforming the way police investigate these crimes, and bringing forward plans to ensure rapists spend their entire sentence behind bars."

If you have been affected by issues discussed in this article, Rape Crisis has a 24-hour helpline which you can call for free on 0808 500 2222.