Justice secretary backs rape law change

THE justice secretary has insisted it is “absolutely right” to do away with a centuries-old requirement for evidence in court cases to come from two sources.

But abolishing the need for corroboration by itself will not help improve rape conviction rates, Kenny MacAskill warned at a Rape Crisis conference in Glasgow.

Other countries had “similar problems” with low conviction rates, he pointed out.

“That is why we are working with all our partners to make sure that victims of sexual crime have the confidence to come forward, that the criminal justice system serves these victims as well as it can and to change attitudes so that rape and sexual abuse are seen by everyone as the utterly abhorrent crimes they are,” Mr MacAskill said.