Sexual Offences Review's full terms of reference issued

The Sexual Offences Review commissioned by Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC has published its webpage and terms of reference.

Led by Assistant Principal Crown Counsel Susanne Tanner KC, the review will consider and recommend improvements in how the Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service in Scotland deals with reports of sexual offences. That includes protecting the rights, needs and interests of victims; the rights of accused; the relationship between the prosecution and other agencies; best practice in Scotland and other countries; and how the prosecution approach to sexual offences can be future-proofed.

Ms Bain commissioned the review in recognition of the profound impact that sexual violence crimes have on victims and on society, and the fact that sexual offences now account for at least 70% of the casework of Scotland’s High Court prosecutors.

The webpage, which will be regularly updated, gives information to members of the public and professionals about the work of the review. The review team is currently planning for the evidence gathering phase of the review, which will run from the end of 2022 until early 2023.

Ms Tanner commented: "We will be collecting information in a variety of ways including focus groups and interviews. We are speaking to a range of people including victims of sexual crime, those charged with an offence, defence solicitors and counsel, academics, police, court staff, prosecution colleagues, third sector support agencies and prosecutors in other countries, to see how they are dealing with these challenging cases.

"I hope that the outcome of this review will further develop the prosecution response to sexual offending in a way which focuses on justice and is sensitive to the needs of victims."

Her report is due to be published in autumn 2023.