'A good step': Campaigner welcomes continued expansion of Victim's Right to Review pilot
The pilot, launched in June 2025, gives victims the chance to have their case reviewed by a different prosecutor before any final decisions are made, which may allow proceedings to continue
Campaigners are celebrating as a pilot scheme that gives victims of sexual assault the right to have their cases reviewed expands, but they are continuing to call for it to be made permanent.
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Jade Blue McCrossen-Nethercott, founder of Make Yourself Heard, is calling for the Crown Prosecution Service's (CPS) victim's right to review (VRR) pilot to be made a permanent fixture.
Currently, criminal cases can be dropped at any time if the prosecutor decides it will not lead to a conviction, and while victims can request their case be reviewed, it will not change the outcome.
The pilot, launched in June 2025, gives victims the chance to have their case reviewed by a different prosecutor before any final decisions are made, which may allow proceedings to continue.
It was originally trialled in the West Midlands, but following positive feedback, it was extended in January to the north-west and in February to Yorkshire and Humberside.
It will be rolled out to CPS Cyrmu-Wales this month.
Read more: MP reveals she waited 1,088 days for rape case to reach court as Commons backs axing jury trials
Read more: Rape victims to get free legal advice throughout criminal justice process
Jade told LBC: "I think the pilot scheme is really important because it allows those individual districts to really come to terms with how this is going to work, how is it in practice, the staffing levels, is it working, how do we communicate this to victims and allows them to have that autonomy themselves, which I think is really, really cool.
"I just think it's refreshing to actually see something positive and that they've actually listened to victims' voices.
"They've actually taken into consideration lived experience and how best they can move forward with this pilot.
"So whilst it is a very small niche area of victims' rights, it's certainly a good step."
She understands how the current system of right to review works, having submitted her own request.
Jade reported her alleged attacker to the police in 2017, but the case was derailed by evidence from sleep experts, and in 2020, she learned that it would not proceed to trial.
The defence team claimed that Jade had an episode of 'sexsomnia', which means people carry out sex acts while asleep.
She successfully sued the CPS on the back of this.
"In my case, they closed my case quite promptly and marked it as no evidence," Jade said.
"I was very sure that that was an unjust kind of outcome. I didn't have any faith in their decision making in regards to that. So I challenged the VRR anyway.
"And lo and behold, they admitted, 'oh yeah, sorry, we made a mistake, but because we closed it and marked it as no evidence, we can't reopen this again'.
"It's a very affirmative case closure. Double jeopardy laws come into play. A perpetrator can't be charged with the same crime twice.
"So, this pilot essentially allows a victim to put in that right to review before an affirmative case closure."
The pilot in the West Midlands has found that even if the outcome was the same on a review, victims found that having the "autonomy" to be sure that the decision made by prosecutors was correct gives them more strength.
"It does definitely feel like things are changing," she said.
"Obviously, only time will tell, but it feels like there are green shoots of progress, and I think the people are really putting their foot down, ensuring that this is the time for radical reform, getting proper change through."
Following the announcement of the expansion, Solicitor General Ellie Reeves MP said: "Rape and sexual assault are abhorrent, causing long-lasting physical and emotional trauma to victims.
"Victims who come forward deserve to know that their experiences are being heard.
"This government is committed to halving violence against women and girls.
"This will increase routes to justice and above all, it will ensure victims are given fairness, dignity and are truly heard."
Alongside this, the Government has just announced further support for victims of rape, who can now receive free legal advice throughout the criminal justice process as part of plans to make the experience less traumatic.
Lawyers will be available to help victims understand their rights and challenge unnecessary requests for personal information, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said.