CPS takes on new guidelines surrouding common misconceptions of dating apps

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) have been given new legal guidelines on the role of dating apps in rape or sexual assault cases.

From the 1st of November, prosecutors in England and Wales will have a list of commonly misunderstood myths to challenge in forthcoming cases, surrounding incidents such as "chemsex" and the sending of nude pictures to people who could become sexual assault attackers.

The rape lead for the CPS, Siobhan Blake, said: "In essence, a person can send a naked selfie, for instance, one day, that is not any sort of blanket consent to a sexual encounter on another day. Simply because somebody's on a hook-up app, it doesn't mean that they're giving some sort of blanket consent to any sort of sexual contact."

Some Australian studies have shown evidence of complaints of sexual assault, specifically from female victims, originating from dating apps.

In England and Wales, the CPS found a 25% drop of rape convictions compared to last year, a record low.

This comes as, within the next few weeks, the CPS and police will unveil a joint strategy to increase these conviction rates.