Many rape cases are never brought to court because of the trauma that would be faced by the women concerned.

Already deeply upset by what has happened to them, they cannot face having to give intimate details to a court.

Now the Crown Prosecution Service is doing its best to ease the burden for many of them.

Court must be made less of an ordeal for women than it is at present.

It should be possible to use video and TV links to spare them the stress of appearing in court in front of their attackers.

Barristers who specialise in handling rape cases should be used whenever possible and should always consult first with complainants Rape is a horrible crime. Too often its victims have not been dealt with sufficiently sensitively in the court cases that follow.