CPS rape report makes for grim reading – and it’s only the start

First academic deep dive shows arcane attitudes to victims of sexual offences are prevalent, but the study itself is cause for optimism

• CPS lawyers in England and Wales trivialise teen sexual abuse, report says

A major report on how the Crown Prosecution Service deals with rape cases makes for grim reading.

The first academic deep dive into CPS case files – alongside interviews with its staff, police officers and independent sexual violence advisers (ISVAs) – reveals bleak examples of prosecutors dismissing alleged crimes by younger suspects on younger victims, using victim-blaming language and raising eyebrows about non-conventional sexual practices.