Rape victims should have free access to court transcripts, says MP

Victims of rape and sexual assault would have permanent free access to court transcripts under a proposed law to be tabled in Parliament.

The Ministry of Justice’s 12-month pilot of the service is due to conclude at the end of May and ministers are assessing its uptake before outlining future plans.

The scheme allows victims of rape and sexual offences, whose cases are heard at crown court in England and Wales, to request a free copy of the sentencing remarks made by judges in their case.

Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney will aim to put the scheme on a permanent footing under the terms of her Victims of Rape and Serious Sexual Offences (Free Access to Sentencing Remarks) Bill to be presented in the House of Commons on Wednesday.

A separate Commons motion tabled by Ms Olney, and signed by 13 other MPs, warned the “extortionate costs” associated with obtaining court transcripts act as a “barrier to justice” and pointed to instances where victims were charged “up to £22,000”.

Ms Olney, the MP for Richmond Park, said: “The experiences that these survivors have been through are utterly harrowing and to then place a price tag on getting closure is indefensible.

“By failing to extend this scheme, the Government risks extending the unimaginable pain of thousands of victims.

“Most victims do not attend trial, making court transcripts essential in providing the clarity necessary to aid a victims recovery and understand how a verdict was reached. It beggars belief to charge victims these obscene amounts to access that closure.

“The Government will have failed these victims if it does not extend this scheme. It could not be more urgent with just two weeks till the cliff edge when this support falls away.

“Ministers need to accept my Bill immediately and get victims the justice they deserve.”

Justice minister Alex Davies-Jones, responding to a written question from Ms Olney, said HM Courts and Tribunals Service received 498 applications under the pilot between May 2024 and April.

She said: “The pilot is due to conclude at the end of May 2025.

“We recognise the value that transcripts can have for victims of crime. Victims of rape and sexual offences were chosen for the pilot due to the particular difficulties they face when attending court.

“We are actively exploring opportunities to use technology to reduce the cost of transcripts of hearings in the criminal courts in future, but maintaining a high degree of accuracy will always be of paramount importance.

“We are currently assessing the pilot’s uptake and impact and will be able to say more on our plans for future provision in due course.”

Ms Olney’s Bill faces a battle to become law due to a lack of parliamentary time to discuss proposals from backbench MPs.