Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the effective prosecution of people who commit spiking.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Administering a substance to a person without their consent – commonly known as ‘spiking’ – is a serious criminal offence. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is committed to prosecuting spiking cases effectively where they are referred to us by the police. We have seen a 40% increase in the number of spiking related offences the CPS have charged between 2022/23 to 2024/25.
The CPS has undertaken work to improve prosecutions for violence against women and girls (VAWG), which can include spiking. Through initiatives such as the National Operating Model for Adult Rape and the Domestic Abuse Joint Justice Plan with policing, the CPS is embedding a suspect-focused approach to VAWG offending. This means that prosecutors examine the behaviour and actions of the suspect before, during, and after the alleged assault. Spiking may form part of a wider pattern of predatory behaviour, and identifying this is key to building a strong prosecution case.
The CPS is also promoting closer collaboration between prosecutors and police to ensure that key aspects of the evidence-gathering process – such as a forensic strategy – are agreed at an early stage in the investigation.
This Government is proposing to introduce an updated offence of spiking through the Crime and Policing Bill. This would streamline the legislative framework – which is currently spread across several provisions in the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 – and support prosecutors in identifying the most appropriate charge.
We recognise spiking is an under-reported crime, and strongly encourage anyone who has been a victim of this offence to report it to the police.
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Justice on backlogs of court cases.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
I welcome the strong action already taken by the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor to bring down the outstanding caseload that this Government inherited, and measures introduced to help ensure victims have swift access to justice.
These actions include extending magistrates’ court sentencing powers to 12 months and funding additional Crown Court sitting days, taking them to the highest levels since financial year 2015/16 .
In the longer term, the Lord Chancellor has commissioned an independent review of the criminal courts, led by Sir Brian Leveson, to consider the merits of wider reforms, as well as assessing the efficiency and timeliness of court processes.
These important issues have been discussed as part of our cross-government approach through the Safer Streets Mission Board.
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, what steps she is taking to help ensure the effective prosecution of rural crime.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
This Government is committed to working with the police and other partners to address the blight of rural crime to ensure the safety of those in all communities.
We are introducing tougher measures to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, strengthening neighbourhood policing, and introducing robust laws to prevent farm theft and fly-tippers.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council Wildlife and Rural Crime Strategy 2022-2025 provides a framework through which policing, and its partners, can work together to tackle the most prevalent threats and emerging issues which predominantly affect rural communities.
Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) prosecutors work closely with local police officers and officers from the National Wildlife Crime Unit to tackle all types of rural crime.
The CPS provides legal guidance on Wildlife, Rural and Heritage Crime, which is available to all its prosecutors, to assist them in dealing with these cases. They also provide specialist training to ensure that its prosecutors have the expert knowledge needed to prosecute these crimes.
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, what steps she is taking to help ensure the effective prosecution of people who commit hate crime.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Hate crime is truly abhorrent and can have a devastating impact on victims and their communities.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) takes such offending very seriously.
The CPS works closely with the police to build robust cases and secure prosecutions for these offences.