Victims of adult rape and serious sexual offences in Lancaster, Lancashire, now have a direct opportunity to speak with prosecutors before a pre-charge decision to discontinue the case or to offer no evidence is finalised. CPS North West has implemented a policy under which prosecutors in the region must offer victims a face-to-face or virtual meeting in these circumstances, giving survivors a chance to provide more context or challenge the prosecutor’s reasoning.
Previously, many people only discovered their case had been stopped after the decision was final, leaving them with limited options to influence the outcome. Under the new approach, prosecutors must offer a meeting when they are considering discontinuing charges in adult rape cases. In practice, offers are typically communicated to victims through a victim communication letter and may be held in person or online.
Rape Crisis England & Wales has for years warned that survivors often feel silenced during the criminal justice process. The change follows an HMCPSI inspection that set a target for the CPS to offer pre-decision meetings in every adult rape case by September 2025 — a target CPS North West says it has implemented locally.
The updates follow HMCPSI’s finding that the early handling of adult rape cases needed urgent improvement. Local people seeking support can contact Lancashire Victim Services or specialist centres such as Trust House Lancashire and Independent Sexual Violence Advisers (ISVAs) to help prepare for any meeting — though local advocates have warned that the timing of offers can sometimes be short, which may limit survivors’ ability to arrange representation or support.
About this article: This story was put together with the help of AI tools and checked by a real person on our team. We're a small crew trying to cover as much of the UK as we can on a limited budget. We're getting better every day - but we're not perfect yet. If something looks off, let us know. You're part of the process.
