UK Police considering using text to 'snare' rape suspects

Link: Police to use text message tactics to snare rape suspects | Special reports | Guardian Unlimited

The tactic, used by investigators in the United States, involves women sending texts or making calls to their alleged attackers to see if they can extract an admission of guilt.

Lawyers and detectives believe the approach could be vital in helping to boost the stubbornly low rape conviction rate in England and Wales, where barely 6% of cases reported to police end in conviction.

“Police get the victim to send a text saying something like ‘how could you do that to me?'” said a senior CPS source. “They sometimes get a text back saying ‘I’m really sorry, I know I was out of order, it won’t happen again’ or something like that.”

When anyone can fake a text message originator with the likes of any number of anonymous texting services, the UK Police and the Crown Prosecution Service will need to give serious, serious thought to exactly how they prove the alleged rapist sent the text. Smart trial barristers will have a field day with the issue unless the Police are able to obtain proof from the mobile operator that the text message was actually transmitted from the owner’s handset. The next issue? What if the alleged rapist claims he didn’t send the text or that he lost his handset or that he’s been setup.

It’s a difficult one.

(Image from pressdisplay.com).