Rape victims’ therapy notes are to stay confidential as it emerged that the police requested access to the “deeply personal and sensitive” documents in almost a third of investigations.
Ministers have accepted an amendment to the Victims and Prisoners Bill that would give survivors greater protection. The move comes days after a Home Office review found that the police requested counselling files in 29 per cent of 139 investigations from 2018 to 2022.
Legislation makes it clear that an officer should request third-party material only if they believe it is “relevant to a reasonable line of inquiry, not due to speculation”. The police must now be satisfied that a victim’s therapy notes will add substantial value to their investigation before they request them.
Campaigners have
