Rape convictions in England have dropped. <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.bbc.co.uk&#x2F;news&#x2F;uk-27726280" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.bbc.co.uk&#x2F;news&#x2F;uk-27726280</a> <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.channel4.com&#x2F;news&#x2F;rape-convictions-myths-why-so-low-england" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.channel4.com&#x2F;news&#x2F;rape-convictions-myths-why-so-l...</a><p>Rape convictions in England are lower than the rest of Europe.<p>Rape is a very serious criminal offence in England.<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.legislation.gov.uk&#x2F;ukpga&#x2F;2003&#x2F;42&#x2F;part&#x2F;1&#x2F;crossheading&#x2F;rape&#x2F;section&#x2F;1" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.legislation.gov.uk&#x2F;ukpga&#x2F;2003&#x2F;42&#x2F;part&#x2F;1&#x2F;crosshead...</a><p>There&#x27;s a potential life sentence for rape.  The minimum recommended sentence for rape (if the victim is over 16; if the offender doesn&#x27;t ejaculate or make the victim ejaculate; if infection or pregnancy is avoided; if it was a single instance of rape; if there was no other violence) is 5 years.<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.cps.gov.uk&#x2F;legal&#x2F;s_to_u&#x2F;sentencing_manual&#x2F;s1_rape&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.cps.gov.uk&#x2F;legal&#x2F;s_to_u&#x2F;sentencing_manual&#x2F;s1_rape...</a><p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.cps.gov.uk&#x2F;legal&#x2F;p_to_r&#x2F;rape_and_sexual_offences&#x2F;sentencing&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.cps.gov.uk&#x2F;legal&#x2F;p_to_r&#x2F;rape_and_sexual_offences&#x2F;...</a><p>We have little bits of research showing juries are reluctant to sentence someone to 5 years if the victim was drunk, and if the victim and offender knew each other.<p>From the above guidelines:<p>&gt; Mitigating:<p>&gt; Victim engaged in consensual sexual activity with the offender on the same occasion and immediately before the offence<p>The bits of research we have show that it&#x27;s very hard to prosecute this type of rape and that juries are reluctant to convict.  Everybody agrees that sexual activity happened, but they disagree about consent.  Perhaps the victim and offender were both drunk.<p>Asking jurors questions about the trial they were involved in is not legal in England, so jury research is tricky.  Some people have run fake trials, and asked those fake jurors.  Even in the fake trials they saw jurors didn&#x27;t want to convict some rapists if the victim and offender knew each other and there was no other violence.