Prosecution of rape and sexual assault.

reflected in the low numbers of successful convictions across jurisdictions. Research conducted in the last 20 years has highlighted that the majority of victims of sexual assault are female, most perpetrators are male, and a very small percentage of victims report this crime to the police.1 Media portrayals of ‘real rape’ present it as involving women being attacked outside their home, at night, by a stranger. This perception does not mirror reality.2 Women and girls are at most risk of physical or sexual violence from someone that they know and this familiarity can be problematic in the prosecution of sexual offences. The following paragraphs will outline the law relating to sexual offences in Scotland and England and Wales.