Angiolini Inquiry Warns of Persistent Sexual Crimes Against Women

Four years after the abduction, rape, and murder of Sarah Everard by a serving Metropolitan Police officer in south London, an independent inquiry has warned that sexually motivated crimes against women in public spaces remain widespread, with many perpetrators escaping detection due to systemic failures in policing and prevention efforts.

The second phase of the Angiolini Inquiry, chaired by Lady Elish Angiolini KC, was published on Tuesday. It examined illegal sexual activities against women in public places across England and Wales, building on the first phase's 2024 findings into the circumstances of Everard's death. The report concluded that police forces lack basic data on such crimes, including the number of women raped by strangers annually or incidents of sexual assault and indecent exposure. Lady Elish stated, "Too many perpetrators are slipping through the cracks in an overworked system," highlighting overstretched resources and inconsistent recording practices that prevent analysis of offender patterns.

The inquiry found that despite classifying violence against women and girls as a national threat in 2023, prevention measures are fragmented, underfunded, and overly...