Only one in five rapes end up with someone charged

Date Published: 05-May-2011

By Denise McNamara

Just one fifth of rapes and sexual assaults reported to Gardaí in the west during 2009 have resulted in court action, according to figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

The Garda-recorded crime statistics published by the CSO show in the West Garda Region, which includes Galway City and county, there were 130 rapes and sexual assaults recorded in 2009.

Of these reported incidents, less than 65 per cent – or 84 cases – were deemed to be ‘detected’ or where Gardaí had a known suspected offender.

In 2009 just 28 cases – or one fifth – have so far gone to court.

There were six other sexual offences recorded in the west, two of these cases went to court.

The figures for 2010 show reported rapes and sexual assaults were down by a quarter, to 100. However a further analysis of this information will not be completed until next year when figures for detections and court proceedings can be accurately recorded.

A 2009 study by NUI Galway lecturer Conor Hanley found just seven per cent of rapes reported to Gardaí resulted in a conviction.

Alcohol was one of the key reasons why only one out of every three cases investigated made it to court.

For more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.