The police are to experiment with a controversial method of catching rape suspects by getting them to incriminate themselves via phone calls and texts.
The tactic is already used to some success in the US. It involves the victims sending texts or calling their alleged attackers to incriminate themselves by admitting guilt. For instance, if the victim texts the suspect, saying “How could you?”, and the suspects apologises, then they seen to have admitted guilt.
The Guardian has reported that British lawyers and detectives believe the tactic could boost the horrendously low conviction rate for rape in England and Wales – currently around 6% of cases reported to police.
The so-called “pretext” phone calls, lawful in some US states but not in others, is considered a strong weapon for rape investigators.
However, in the UK, the tactic could contravene the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (Pace), which requires police to caution suspects before questioning them, and the suspects are entitled to have a solicitor present.
It’s not necessarily going to happen, but senior police are discussing the issue with the Crown Prosecution Service.
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