In 2026, the Offender Register reported that before a final decision is made, victims of sexual assault and rape who risk having their cases dropped will be able to request a review.
Following the success of trial programs, the early victims’ right to review (VRR) will be extended throughout the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in England and Wales.
As a result of the change, victims of sexual offences will have the opportunity to contest plans to stop a prosecution by requesting that a different prosecutor examine the evidence before making the final decision to provide no evidence.
The program was originally tested in the West Midlands a year ago, and it was then extended to the North West, Yorkshire and Humberside, and Cymru-Wales.
If a prosecutor determined there was no reasonable chance of conviction, criminal prosecutions might be dropped under the prior system.
A woman wearing a black top and spectacles, Jade Blue McCrossen-Nethercott, sits down and looks away from the camera. Behind her are trees.
Jade Blue McCrossen-Nethercott, a campaigner, described the action as a “landmark moment” in the image caption.
An explanation and an apology were the only possible results of a successful review before the early VRR system.
Of course, this will not help the majority of sexual assault victims who report an incident to the police and then get talked out of progressing with it.
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