Rape charges: Hundreds of victims across Leeds left waiting since 2020 for police charging decision

An analysis by NationalWorld of Home Office crime outcome figures reveals that it is far from unusual for alleged rape victims to have to contend with long waits.

New figures reveal that across Leeds and West Yorkshire there were 671 rape offences first recorded in 2020 that still had no outcome assigned to them by January 2022.

That was 20.7 per cent of all rapes recorded in 2020.

This is significantly higher than the national average of 12.5 per cent of all rapes recorded in 2020.

In a statement provided to the YEP, Alison Lowe OBE, Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, accepted that more needed to be done across the country.

“It’s widely known that rape and sexual offence prosecutions are far too low and there are nationwide issues in this area." she said.

“Only today I have supported the Information Commissioner’s call for an end to the excessive collection of personal information from victims of rape and serious sexual assault, due to the further trauma this is causing."

West Yorkshire Police are focusing considerable resources on improving the situation with the force having the 5th highest charge rate in the country last year.

They are also graded as 'outstanding' for their crime recording arrangements meaning that the data available for West Yorkshire is an accurate representation.

Over the same period between 2020 and January 2022, a total of 3,246 cases were recorded across West Yorkshire.

Of those, charges were brought before the Crown Prosecution Service in just 115 of those cases.

3.5 per cent of all recorded rapes in that time period.

A CPS spokesperson said:

“Rape and sexual violence cause lasting trauma and the criminal justice process can be an extremely difficult time for victims. That is why we are working hard with our criminal justice partners to speed things up at every stage of these cases – without compromising on standards – so we can provide justice and fairness for victims and suspects alike.

“We want to build the strongest cases possible and it is vital these are thoroughly investigated which can take time. A key part of streamlining how we handle complex cases is focusing on excellent file quality to cut delays and we are seeing encouraging progress in areas where this has been prioritised."

Work continues to take place across Leeds and West Yorkshire to improve upon safety including the rollout of the 'Ask for Angela' campaign.

The concept allows for women and girls to ask bar staff for help if they begin to feel uncomfortable or unsafe in a venue.