Operation Soteria in the courtroom: Pilot study to improve court room handling of rape cases

Professor Katrin Hohl OBE has been commissioned by the Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary David Lammy to examine how to improve the quality of rape and sexual offence case prosecutions in court, to ensure rape victims' rights are being honoured in the courtroom.

The pilot study builds on Operation Soteria Bluestone, a project which Professor Hohl co-led in the past and transformed police and Crown Prosecution Services responses to rape and serious sexual offence.

One of the key principles of Operation Soteria was to improve victims’ experiences of the justice system by shifting the focus of police investigations onto the behaviour of offenders, rather than on victims.

The study will challenge whether the principles of Operation Soteria are being implemented in the courtroom. If successful, the service will be rolled out nationally.

Professor Hohl is a Professor of Criminology & Criminal Justice at City St George’s, University of London, and is an Independent Advisor to the Government on issues relating to criminal justice and serious sexual offenses.

“I think if we can’t change the courts, I would worry about the sustainability of the Soteria approach,” Professor Hohl told The Guardian in an exclusive interview.

She said:

Operation Soteria has transformed the police and Crown Prosecution Services approach to rape cases using the principles of suspect-focused, victim-centred and context-led investigations.

This pilot study will examine how we can carry these principles all the way through to the courtroom.

I am grateful to the Ministry of Justice for funding this pilot study. Improving rape justice requires the whole criminal justice system to work together, and this is an important step towards making that a reality.

The service is part of Government’s plan to deliver fairer and faster justice for victims and tackle violence against women and girls, which was one of the Labour party’s winning electoral manifesto pledges.

Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy said:

For too long victims of rape have faced not only the trauma of the crime but the trauma of a justice process that can feel like it is judging them instead of pursuing the perpetrator.

Operation Soteria has already changed how rape cases are investigated by putting the focus where it belongs - on the suspect. By introducing Independent Legal Advisors and expanding the principles of Operation Soteria into the courtroom, we are making sure victims have both the protection and support they deserve throughout the justice process.

Alongside our reforms of the Courts system through the Courts and Tribunals Bill, we are rebalancing the system to put victims first.

Siobhan Blake, national lead for rape and serious sexual offences at the Crown Prosecution Service, added:

No victim should ever feel as though they are the ones on trial.

In 2023, following Operation Soteria, we overhauled how we prosecute rape cases – working closely with police from the beginning to make sure investigations focus on a suspect’s actions rather than scrutinising victims.

Our specialist prosecutors are trained in how to dismantle harmful assumptions and misconceptions about how a victim ‘should’ behave and challenge these head-on in the courtroom.

The National Police Chiefs' Council, Crown Prosecution Service Strategy Directorate the Joint Soteria Unit are all supporting the project.