Katrin Hohl, the government’s independent rape adviser, says England and Wales cannot judge reform of sexual-assault cases solely by improvements in police and Crown Prosecution Service investigations. Her warning is that cases prepared under Operation Soteria may face a “cliff edge” once they reach court.
That is a concrete challenge to the way progress is being described. Operation Soteria has shifted investigations towards suspects rather than complainants’ behaviour, and Hohl acknowledged significant progress by police and prosecutors. But she told the Guardian that courtroom practice is much less visible, including the possible use of rape myths by defence barristers and the directions given to juries.
Her proposed response is not a presumption about the outcome of individual trials. It is research: scrutiny of what barristers, judges and juries do during proceedings, so that trial-stage rules and practice can be tested against evidence. The case for that work follows directly from the reported gap. A system can improve how it investigates an allegation yet still fail to carry those gains through the stage where a jury decides the case.
The Ministry of Justice says it is already changing the law to prevent irrelevant evidence relying on myths being used against victims, rolling out specialist courtrooms for rape and serious sexual offences, and funding support services. Those measures may address part of the problem, but the supplied material provides neither their implementation detail nor an independent assessment of their effect in court.
That is why Hohl’s call matters now. Reform cannot stop at a better investigative file. If ministers want to show that sexual-offence cases are being handled differently, they need a way to examine whether the courtroom itself reflects that change.
Sources
- The Guardian · UK · Source date: 2026-11-15
Independent editorial content. WUA is not affiliated with any political party. 2026-11-15