Text transcript

Norfolk Chief Crown Prosecutor Andrew Baxter explains the work of the CPS Eastern Group in the area of rape:

"One of my roles is to lead the group in cases involving rape.  It is a dreadful offence and we are very focused on driving up the number of prosecutions that we bring.

"We are determined to try to make victims feel that they can come forward and make complaints.  We are determined that victims will feel that they will be treated properly and fairly throughout the process fully kept informed of what happens and they will be supported from the start to the finish.

"We try to make the process as tolerable for a victim as we can.

"It is also important we bring strong cases and we use rape specialists in the office to build cases to the very highest levels, and we also try to ensure that we use counsel in the Crown Court who are specially trained and accredited, who have a lot of experience in dealing with rape cases, and who will present the cases in the strongest possible ways.

"The Rape Specialist is someone who has had particular training on sexual offences, someone who works with all of the agencies to assist victims in taking cases throughout the process. They are individuals who will review all rape cases in the office to make sure that there is enough evidence to bring the cases and to identify areas where the cases can be strengthened.

"All of our areas across the group have a number of specialists dedicated to this type of work"