'It's always high drama. It's somebody's life at stake': inside British rape trials

The number of rapes reported in the UK has more than doubled. So why do only 7.5% result in a conviction? Newcastle crown court is an imposing red sandstone building that dominates the quay by the river Tyne, fronted by pillars and a wall of tinted windows. From the glass elevators, there are views across the water to the Baltic art gallery and the Sage concert hall, silhouetted on the bank like a Russian doll on its side.Up on the second floor, in courtroom number five, the jury files in &ndash