Andy Burnham on rape trials: "We need to get the conviction rate up"

After Russell Brand’s conviction for rape and sexual assault, Andy Burnham said he would examine changes to rape trials so complainants are not left feeling they are being judged. He would study remarks by Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, who backed revising legislation to address stereotypes about sexual violence and said some accounts from Brand’s trial came close to faulting the woman. Brand’s lawyer told jurors the women did not struggle, cry out, or attempt to exit. Victims’ Commissioner Claire Waxman urged a legal requirement for judges to instruct juries on such misconceptions in every rape case, through the Courts and Tribunals Bill. Burnham said more women should be encouraged to report sexual violence, more cases should end in guilty verdicts, and victims need stronger support.