What happens when a crime that is notoriously difficult to prove meets a dysfunctional criminal justice system and a society that remains militantly misogynistic? The Cables investigation, first published in August 2023, led us down a path to exploring this very question, revealing the full and complex story of how Bristol Police responds to sexual violence.
In April 2023, a mother contacted The Cable about her daughter’s rape. Our reporter Priyanka Raval then investigated what it takes to prosecute rapists, from attending trials in Crown Court to interviewing key players in Operation Bluestone, a groundbreaking new initiative designed to improve the criminal justice system and ensure better outcomes for victims.
Here’s the national picture: Thanks to the MeToo movement and growing awareness about consent and “rape culture”, the number of women reporting rape is increasing. But accusation and prosecution rates are at their lowest since records began. In 2020, a joint report by women’s charities said outcomes for victims are so poor that rape is being effectively “decriminalised”.
With conviction rates still very low despite an increasing number of victims coming forward, a new approach has been devised to try to change that.
Part 1 follows the story of a victim whose rapist was put on trial two years after she reported the incident to the police. It depicts the ordeal of going through the entire legal process as a victim and how difficult it is to prosecute a rapist for his crime.
The second part reveals the wider story as Avon and Somerset Police pilots a new “full visibility approach” to investigating and prosecuting sexual assault, called Operation Bluestone, which is now being rolled out to police forces across the country.