The rape statistics for England and Wales are doing the rounds again. Every year we are informed that only between two and six per cent of rapes end in a conviction. Fingers are pointed at the police, the prosecution service and at the sexist juries, who, we are informed, are prejudiced and have heads filled with “rape myths” that help to explain the shamefully low conviction rates. This month, Scotland’s Justice Secretary, Keith Brown announced that “radical” reforms of the criminal justice system are to be considered to improve sex crime conviction rates. These could include specialist sex crime courts and the abolition of the “not proven” verdict. Earlier this year Lord Justice Clerk Lady Dorrian suggested that special courts could get rid of jury trials in rape cases and have trials overseen by a single judge.