Woman judge says rape conviction rate will not improve until women stop drinking heavily

A female crown court judge has sparked outrage after she criticised rape victims for drinking too much and being unable to remember details of traumatic assaults.

Mary Jane Mowat claims the rape conviction rate will not improve until women “stop getting so drunk”.

The 66-year-old’s controversial comments have been labelled “misguided and dangerous” by one disgusted charity.

In an interview given as she retired after 18 years sitting as a circuit judge, Judge Mowat said: “It is an inevitable fact of it being one person’s word against another and the burden of proof being that you have to be sure before you convict.

“I will also say and I will be pilloried for saying so, but the rape conviction statistics will not improve until women stop getting so drunk.

“I’m not saying it’s right to rape a drunken woman, I’m not saying for a moment that it’s allowable to take advantage of a drunken woman. Continue...

“But a jury in a position where they’ve got a woman who says ‘I was absolutely off my head, I can’t really remember what I was doing, I can’t remember what I said, I can’t remember if I consented or not but I know I wouldn’t have done’.

“I mean when a jury is faced with something like that, how are they supposed to react?”

Sexual Abuse and Rape Crisis Centre service manager Natalie Brook said rape convictions would improve when society stopped blaming women.

“Suggesting that rape conviction statistics will not improve until women stop getting so drunk is an outrageous, misguided and frankly dangerous statement to make,” she said.

“Rape convictions will improve when those who perpetrate it, who are disproportionately male stop raping and when society stops blaming women for somehow being complicit in this act of violence.

“Rape is 100 per cent the fault of the perpetrator and suggesting otherwise serves only to feed myths that do nothing other than deter women from reporting this crime or accessing the support they need.

“Eighty five thousand women are raped every year in England and Wales and the majority of rapes are committed by partners.

Fay Maxted, CEO of The Survivors Trust, labelled Judge Mowat’s attitude as “medieval” and said it could prevent terrified victims from coming forward.

She said: “It makes you challenge and wonder how is it possible she’s been a judge. How’s it possible she’s been ticketed to sit on sexual offences cases when over the years she has made such comments?

“People who are sitting in powerful positions need to be weeded out if they don’t have attitudes which will protect victims. “The whole point of the justice system is it’s supposed to be protecting victims, traumatised with something which will last them for the rest of their lives. Instead they’re being blamed.

“The law is if someone can’t give consent, it’s rape.”

“The problem is not people drinking, it’s that there are people out there who are prepared to take advantage.”