Rape victims will be spared the stress of being cross-examined in court under a measure rolled out to every Crown Court in Wales today (July 11).

The provision – which is already available in 47 Crown Courts in England –  allows victims and witnesses of crimes such as rape and modern slavery to have their cross-examination video-recorded and played later during trail. This is subject to a successful application to the court.

The recording takes place as close to the time of the offence as possible, while memories remain fresh, and helps victims avoid the stress of giving evidence in a live trial, which many find traumatic.

From today, all six Crown Courts in Wales will now offer this support, including in Caernarfon, Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil, Mold, Newport and Swansea.  

The move follows the successful implementation for vulnerable victims, such as children or those who have limited mental capacity, across the country – with more than 2,500 witnesses having already benefitted from the technology since August 2020.

Welsh Women’s Aid Chief Executive Sara Kirkpatrick said: “Special measures to ensure that victims and witnesses are not further traumatised by their experiences through the courts are a vital component of a victim centred criminal justice system.

"We welcome that all crown courts across Wales will now have the facility to use pre-recorded evidence of victims, which will help to provide scope and flexibility for individuals to engage with historically intimidating justice systems.

“While video evidence is a proactive and positive step in addressing issues of distrust and low public confidence, it must be just one improved element in a wider, systemic change that places survivors at the centre of all processes.”

The Secretary of State for Justice, Dominic Raab, said: “While rape convictions are up two thirds in the last year, we are determined to ensure even more victims get the justice they deserve.

“That’s why we have rolled out pre-recorded evidence to seven more crown courts – to spare more rape victims the trauma of testifying in the glare of the courtroom.  

“We are also recruiting more independent sexual violence advisors, piloting specialist rape support in courts, delivering a new Victims’ Bill and boosting collaboration between police and prosecutors.”