Clarke trivialising rape, say critics

LABOUR MPs led the calls for the sacking of Kenneth Clarke after the Justice Secretary repeatedly suggested a distinction could be drawn between “serious, proper” types of rape and others.

Mr Clarke was last night forced to apologise to a rape victim he had reduced to tears and clarify that he believes “all rape is serious”, as condemnation grew throughout the day at the comments he made in a series of morning interviews.

Labour leader Ed Miliband seized on Mr Clarke’s remarks at Prime Minister’s Questions, demanding David Cameron sack the veteran Minister by the end of the day. Mr Miliband said the Justice Secretary “cannot speak for the women of this country when he makes comments like that”, and should be sacked immediately.

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Mr Cameron replied that he had not heard the interview, but said rape was “one of the most serious crimes that there is and it should be met with proper punishment”.

The row erupted after Mr Clarke went on air to defend proposed reforms which could see rapists cut their sentence in half with an early guilty plea.

At present, admitting an offence immediately can qualify for a discount of a third of a sentence.

Supporters of the reform say it spares victims having to relive their ordeals in court but Mr Miliband, MP for Doncaster North, said it was opposed by judges, campaigners and the Government’s own victims’ commissioner.

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Labour MP Bridget Phillipson, who previously ran a refuge for victims of domestic violence, later described the Justice Secretary as being “on the side of rapists”.

She said: “We are already in a situation where unfortunately many women do not report rape and it does not result in criminal prosecution.

“So for the Justice Secretary to say that in effect he is on the side of rapists, and not on the side of victims, sends out absolutely the wrong message.”

She said Mr Clarke had undermined years of work to encourage victims to come forward.

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Liz Kelly, co-chairwoman of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, said Mr Clarke’s comments “appear to trivialise the seriousness of rape”.

“He seems to be relying on an outdated understanding that only rape of strangers is ‘real rape’ and harmful,” she said.

And the chief executive of the Women’s Resource Centre, Vivienne Hayes, said the comments “smack not only of ignorance but of outright misogyny”, and that “attempting to apply a ‘sliding scale’ to so-called types of rape further denigrates victims and lets off perpetrators too lightly.”

With the pressure mounting on the Justice Secretary, he was forced to clarify his words and reiterate that “all rape is serious.”

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He declined several opportunities to say sorry, saying only that it had been a “mistake” if he had given any other impression.

His office last night released an excerpt of a letter he had written to a rape victim who challenged him on the radio, in which he apologised if he had given her the wrong impression or upset her.

The victim had broken down in tears as she denounced the discount proposal as “a disaster”.

The woman said she had fought for nearly two years to have her rapist brought to justice, only to see him have his sentence reduced for a guilty plea. She told Mr Clarke: “It happened to me. It’s a disaster.”

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Downing Street said Mr Clarke retained the Prime Minister’s confidence, but that it was “clearly regrettable” if people were offended and that it had been “important” Mr Clarke returned to the airwaves to clarify his position.

The spokesman stressed no final decision had yet been taken on whether to increase the maximum discount for a guilty plea from 33 per cent to 50 per cent.

Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said Mr Clarke needed to show urgently that he understood why rape victims were so disturbed by his approach and drop his sentencing plan.