Police see sharp rise in reported rapes in Capital

Victims reported 25 alleged rapes to police between April and June, compared with 16 for the same period last year.

The number of sexual assaults reported in Edinburgh during the same period also climbed from 63 to 90.

Police chiefs said the rise had been "expected" due to new legislation creating a broader definition of rape and consent based on free agreement.

The Sexual Offences Act set out circumstances where there can be no free agreement, including a victim being incapable through alcohol.

Rape Crisis Scotland said the increase was "not surprising", but added that it was difficult to quantify the impact of the changes in the laws.

Police chiefs said they were working to encourage more victims of rapes and sex attacks to come forward, with a number of offences carried out in previous years being reported between April and June.

Incidents involving flashers in the city rose from 20 to 42, with overall volume of sex crimes rising from 138 to 205.

Sandy Brindley, from Rape Crisis Scotland, said: "It's always difficult when there's an increase to say whether it's because more people are coming forward or whether there have been more rapes. This is particularly difficult now because of the legal changes.

"There may have been reports which did not previously meet the criteria for rape and were investigated as sexual assaults.

"With the rise in sexual assaults, it's also difficult to say whether it's more attacks or more people coming forward. It has always been an under-reported crime so we have to hope it's due to growing confidence in contacting police."

Across the force area, the number of reported rapes between April and June rose from 40 during the same period last year to 56. Reports of sexual assaults increased from 114 to 157.

Detective Superintendent Lesley Boal said: "Lothian and Borders Police expected an increase in recorded sexual offences compared to the same time last year given the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009 took effect on December 1. The Act widened the definition of what constitutes rape. It is, therefore, not appropriate to make a comparison with figures from previous years.

"A number of the investigations relate to historical offences that date back many years, with many resulting in multiple crime reports being raised. We really do welcome the fact that survivors of historical rape and sexual crime are contacting us."

Meanwhile, the West Lothian Federal Unit, a six-month pilot scheme which saw a specialist unit of detectives set up to investigate rapes and sex assaults in West Lothian, has been extended following positive reports from Rape Crisis Scotland and other agencies.

[email protected]