Rape victims' privacy undermined by CPS pre-trial therapy practices

08/11/2022 | I

The I newspaper reports a whistleblower's claim that the therapy notes from sexual assault victims are routinely sought in criminal investigations. The revelation comes from a prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) who claims it is deterring survivors from engaging in the criminal justice system. Furthermore, the prosecutor said that the CPS is "disingenuous" about the effect of its updated guidance on pre-trial therapy, amended in May this year. While pre-trial therapy sessions do not cover facts related to the case, there is a possibility notes from the therapy sessions are requested by police before falling into the defence's hands, who use them to diminish the victim's credibility. It transpires that cases are often dropped if victims fail to agree to their information being shared with investigators.

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Sexual Assult, Victim, Privacy

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