The value of the victim's statement in the investigation of rape

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the existing procedures that investigators in South Africa follow in utilising the information contained in the victim statement in the investigation of rape, with the intention of determining the strengths and weaknesses of the procedures and of considering how these procedures can be improved. The researcher explored how investigators internationally use information contained in the victim statement in the successful investigation of rape and read extensively on the topic in international literature sources. The researcher also evaluated the current methods that investigators within the South African Police Service (SAPS) use. The researcher made use of an empirical research design because of the limited information available on the topic of the research, and a qualitative research approach, which enabled real-life observations. Simple random sampling was used to select 20 uniform members as well as 20 investigators of rape incidents for interviewing. Purposive sampling was used to select two public prosecutors attached to the Sexual Offences Court. Data were obtained from their real-life experiences through interviewing them and data were further collected through case studies of case dockets.