Rape and the law December 16, 2020 In a previous column (‘Reform the System’, Sep 18) on these pages, I had stated that severity of punishment alone does not stop criminals from committing sexual crimes; the real effective deterrent is the high probability that the culprit will be caught, prosecuted and punished. There are serious flaws in our criminal justice system where culprits are either not caught as assaults go unreported or, if caught, are not convicted leading to a feeling of impunity amongst criminals. The public was already tired of the inaction by successive governments. For the prime minister, who was already concerned, the Sialkot Motorway Incident was the final straw which eventually led him to publicly promise legal reforms. In the subsequent discussion, of which I was a part, the prime minister laid down the foundations for a proposed law to address the core problems of the criminal justice system regarding sexual offences, ensure certainty of conviction by improving procedures of investigation and trial while also providing victims and their families legal aid, counselling and compensation.