对强奸受害者手机数据的获知需求阻碍了调查，警察称起诉落空 [英国媒体]

Demands for rape victims' mobile phone data hampering investigations, police say as prosecutions plummet

对强奸受害者手机数据的获知需求阻碍了调查，警察称起诉落空

【日期】2018年9月26日



Rape prosecutions have plummeted by almost a quarter in a year as police admit vast quantities of mobile phone data are slowing down investigations and causing victims to drop out.

警方表示，大量移动手机数据信息的排查正减慢强奸案的调查进度导致受害者中途放弃起诉，故强奸诉讼案件数量一年内暴跌了近四分之一。

New figures released by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) show a 23 per cent year-on-year drop in the number of rape suspects prosecuted in 2017-18, despite the number of rapes recorded by police increasing by 31 per cent across England and Wales in the same period.

英国皇家检察署（CPS）发布的新数据显示，2017 - 2018年度被起诉的强奸案嫌疑人数量同比下降23％，然而同期在英格兰和威尔士，警方记录在案的强奸数量增加了31％。



The move is taken when police ask for advice but do not submit a full file for a charging decision, or when prosecutors request more information or evidence but officers do not supply it by their deadline.

当警察征求意见但未提交起诉决定的完整文件时，或当检察官要求提供更多信息或证据，但信息提供者未能及时提供信息时，就会采取这一措施——CPS“行政审定”。

Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner Martin Hewitt, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for rape, said the “increasing amount of digital material on a variety of devices that needs to be analysed” was having an impact.

伦敦警察厅(Metropolitan Police)助理专员马丁•休伊特(Martin Hewitt)是英国警察局长委员会(National Police Chiefs ' s Council)的强奸案负责人，他说：“各种设备上越来越多的数据材料需要分析，” 这对案件的调查进度产生影响。

“This includes obtaining material held by third parties [such as US-based social media companies] and the subsequent disclosure of what is considered relevant material,” he added. “This can take many months and in some cases impact on the participation of complainants.

“这包括从第三方（例如美国的社交媒体公司）手里获得资料以及随后判别哪些是相关材料，”他补充道。“这可能需要几个月的时间，在某些情况下会影响原告的参与。

“We continue to work closely with the CPS to identity and address the factors behind the drop in referrals.”

“我们将继续和英国皇家检察署（CPS）紧密合作，来确认和找出案件下降背后的原因。”



The CPS put the increase in “administratively finalised” cases down to an increase in investigative advice given to police before they submit a full file for a formal charging decision.

CPS将“行政审定”案件数量的增加，归因于警方在提交正式起诉决定的完整文件前，增加了调查建议。

A spokesperson said: “Rape is one of the most complex crimes the CPS deals with and prosecutors are given ongoing training to support decision making in challenging cases.

一位发言人说：“强奸案是CPS处理的最复杂的案件之一，检察官们一直在接受培训，以应对具有挑战性案件的决策。”

“As cases become more complex, we are increasingly working with the police at an earlier stage providing them with early investigative advice, helping to build strong cases.

“随着案件变得越来越复杂，我们越来越多地在早期阶段寻求与警察写作，为他们提供早期调查建议，帮助他们建立强有力的案件。”

“Our priority is to continue to work with the police, to bring evidentially strong cases and respond to challenges such as the substantial increase in digital evidence that is now a common feature of these cases.”

“我们的第一要务是继续加强与警方合作，提出明显有力的证据来应对挑战，如数字证据的大量增加，这已成为这些案件的共同特征。”



A lawyer specialising in sexual offence cases told The Independent that the CPS had been pushing rape prosecutors to improve conviction rates.

一位专攻性暴力犯罪案件的律师告诉独立报，CPS早就一直在促使强奸案件检察官提高定罪率。

Cris McCurley, a family law partner at Ben Hoare Bell, said: “Prosecutors were being told only to take on the nailed-on cases where you know there will be a conviction, because ‘we need to make the rate better’.”

本•霍雷•贝尔（Ben Hoare Bell）的一位家庭法律合伙人Cris McCurley说：“检察官们被告知只处理那些被定罪的案件，因为‘我们需要提高定罪率’。”



“My worry is that everyone is scurrying so far in the wrong direction to disclose everything it’s made prosecutions virtually impossible because there’s not the manpower to get the evidence they want.

“我担心的是，目前每个人都在疲于朝着错误的方向披露一切对起诉毫无作用的事情，因为没有足够的人力去获得他们想要的证据。”

“We don’t know what makes the CPS decide to close a case administratively because it’s never been made public.”

“我们不知道究竟是什么让CPS决定撤销一个案件审理，因为这是非公开的情况下做出的决定，我们不得而知。”

Sarah Green, co-director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, said the reasons behind the “collapse in rape justice” must be investigated.

萨拉•格林，结束暴力妇女联盟的联合主任，说“强奸司法的崩溃”背后的原因必须调查。

“We need to remember that behind these figures lie real lives, and decisions to seek justice for one of the most serious crimes on the book, one which does enormous harm to individuals and those around them,” she added.

她补充说：“我们需要记住，这些数字的背后存在着现实生活，也存在着为书中最严重的罪行之一寻求正义的决定，这对个人及其周围的人造成了极大的伤害。”



“Our priority is to continue to work with the police, to bring strong cases and respond to challenges such as the substantial increase in digital evidence that is now a common feature of these cases. As ever, prosecutors must make their decisions after testing whether the evidence provides a realistic prospect of conviction, and that it is in the public interest.”

“我们的首要任务是继续与警方合作，提出强有力的案例，并应对数字证据海量增加的挑战，数字证据剧增已成为这些案件的共同特征。检察官依旧必须在检验证据是否提供真实的定罪前景后作出决定，并且使之符合公众利益。”