Are juries in rape trials more likely to convict or acquit a defendant?

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Rape offences have the highest not guilty plea rate of any offence in England and Wales (85%), so how often do juries convict a defendant? Cheryl Thomas, professor of judicial studies at University College London analysed almost six million charges against defendants and every single verdict reached by a jury on rape charges between 2007 and 2021. Professor Thomas tells Joshua Rozenberg what this large scale study revealed. Picture Credit: Getty Images, Chris Ryan.