Rape victims can challenge CPS if cases dropped under pilot scheme

Rape and sexual assault cases have reached a record high, the crown court’s latest quarterly backlog data shows. Photograph: Hollie Adams/Getty Images

Victims of rape and serious sexual assault who face their cases being dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service will be given the right to request a review under a government pilot.

The six-month scheme, which will launch on Friday in the West Midlands, will give victims the right to ask for their case to be reviewed by a different prosecutor if the CPS indicates it intends to offer no evidence.