Sarah Champion MP’s campaign with survivors secures free court transcripts for victims of rape
Sarah Champion, Member of Parliament for Rotherham, has worked with brave campaigners from Open Justice for All to secure Free Sentencing Remarks Transcripts for victims and survivors of rape.
The Ministry of Justice has been running a Rape and Sexual Offences Pilot Scheme to allow victims access to Free Sentencing Remarks. Champion tabled a series of Parliamentary Questions to apply pressure on the Government to make the scheme permanent [1]. The Minister for Justice wrote to Champion, to confirm the scheme would be rolled out permanently from 30th May, following the publishing of the Independent Sentencing Review.
When someone pleads guilty or is found guilty in a Crown Court, the judge makes sentencing remarks, which include their decision and reasons for imposing the sentence. Now, individuals will be eligible to request a free transcript of these remarks if they are a victim of rape or sexual offence. [2]
Commenting, Sarah Champion MP, said:
“Victims should not have to pay a penny to learn more about the sentencing of their offenders, but for too long, they have had to pay extortionate fees, sometimes in the thousands. The permanent roll-out of this vital free transcripts scheme will give much needed closure and reassurance to victims and survivors that justice has been served. I am proud to have worked alongside the brave survivors who made this possible.”
Commenting, Charlotte, survivor and founder of the Open Justice For All Campaign, said:
“Transcripts are essential in the healing journey. They make us feel empowered and believed. I want to thank all the MPs and victims / survivors that supported me in this campaign.”
“This is a great first step in ensuring that victims feel that justice has been served. We want to ask the Government to next consider extending this to all victims and to include the judges summing up, as victims with a not guilty verdict deserve just as much to understand what was said in their trial.”
[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apply-for-a-transcript-of-a-judges-sentencing-remarks