CAMERON VOWS TOUGHER RAPE SENTENCES

Daily Express ^

[UKrepublican]

CAMERON VOWS TOUGHER RAPE SENTENCES

Tory leader David Cameron has pledged extra help for rape victims and stronger punishments for their attackers as part of a bid to see more men jailed for the offence.

Unveiling figures showing England and Wales had the lowest rape conviction rate of any leading European country, he warned offenders now thought they could "get away with it".

And he said pupils should be taught that "no means no" in sex education lessons to help reverse a "moral collapse" fuelled by a growing sexualisation of society.

The party's figures showed the number of complaints leading to a conviction in England and Wales was up to 12 times lower than in other countries. According to the most recent comparable statistics, the rate was 5.1%, in contrast with 59.3% in Ireland, 48.8% in Italy and 20.1% in the Netherlands - although it has now risen to 5.8%.

"How can any civilised country, that sees the sanctity of consent to sex as a vital right for every woman, accept these facts?" Mr Cameron asked. "And what about when the perpetrator is convicted? The average custodial sentence handed to rapists in England and Wales has fallen over the last three years for which there is published data to around 80 months.

"Given all this, we have a situation where rapists think they can get away with it, while victims fear not being believed and wonder what's the point of pursuing the criminal process. This represents a real challenge to the British criminal justice system."

Citing the case of 16-year-old rape victim Lindsay Armstrong - who committed suicide after seeing her attacker convicted - Mr Cameron said more support was also vital.

There were now just 45 rape crisis support centres left running, meaning victims faced waiting lists of up to seven months and travelling 100 miles or more, he said.

"Even the rape crisis centres that have remained open - like so many other charities - are plagued by volatile and short-term funding, with funding decisions often made mid-way through the financial year. As a result, these centres are forced to survive hand-to-mouth and often face the threat of imminent closure.

"All this has led to an appalling and tragic lack of support for the victims of rape. For many women, the nearest centre is one hundred miles away."

[UKrepublican]

UK Ping list - if you would like on or off, freepmail me.

[2banana]

"How can any civilised country, that sees the sanctity of consent to sex as a vital right for every woman, accept these facts?"

Mr PC, diversity-is-our-stength socialist - meet - Mr in islam we can rape infidels...

[ansel12]

Over here we used to execute rapists until the liberals made us stop.

[CondorFlight]

I hope there is some mechanism to punish those who make false rape claims; and enough protection for those accused of rape that innocents are not convicted.

When rape becomes a political crime, the issue of the guilt or innocence of an accused seems to recede into the background...

[ansel12]

“I hope there is some mechanism to punish those who make false rape claims; and enough protection for those accused of rape that innocents are not convicted.”

Absolutely, with harsh sentencing as it is a premeditated crime with heinous results and incredible expense to the taxpayer.