Report also raises questions of how common misconceptions about rape persist in the courtroom.

Policy makers and legal professionals should work together to introduce specialist ‘sexual violence courts’ in order to improve how the legal system in England and Wales responds to rape cases, according to the authors of a new report.

The latest Institute for Policy Research (IPR) Policy Brief, produced by researchers at Bath and Anglia Ruskin University, proposes a widespread overhaul of the current provisions in place for rape victims and calls for a radical rethink of how legal guidance surrounding rape cases is interpreted.