It’s not hard to understand why the new digital consent forms allowing police access to the phones of rape victims should be causing widespread anxiety. Many victims already consider the process of reporting an assault so traumatic that more than 80 per cent never go to the police, according to the most recent Crime Survey for England and Wales. Yet now, under the new guidelines agreed between the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the police, complainants will be asked to sign a nine-page document that will allow police to search their mobile phone, email and social media accounts and disclose relevant evidence to defendants. If they refuse, they are being warned that the investigation may be dropped. The Centre for Women’s Justice, which campaigns for…

Source: The Times April 29, 2019 22:52 UTC