Collection and storage of forensic evidence to enable subsequent reporting of a sexual crime to the police “Option 3” — an Irish experience

Background: Sexual Assault Treatment Units (SATUs) provide holistic care, frequently including forensic examination, for people who disclose sexual violence. Storage of forensic evidence without reporting to An Garda Síochána (AGS), the Irish national police service (Option 3), was introduced in August 2016. This allowed attendees time to decide whether they wanted to report to AGS, without the loss of all forensic evidence. Aims: This paper presents a retrospective analysis of all "Option 3" cases including their subsequent disclosures to AGS, at the Dublin SATU, between 1 Aug. 2016 and 30 Jul 2020. Methods: The contemporaneous medical charts of Option 3 cases were reviewed and anonymised data extracted from them. Results: During the study period, there were 1258 attendances to the Dublin SATU. Of these, 10% (n = 127/1258) were Option 3. Ninety-three percent (n = 118/127) were female and 7% (n = 9/127) were male. The mean age was 26. Seventy percent (89/127) indicated a sexual assault occurred and 30% (38/127) were unsure. Twenty percent (n = 25/127) subsequently reported the incident to AGS, 60% (n = 15/25) within 7 days, and 80% (n = 20/25) within 1 month. Eighty percent (n = 20/25) of these reported cases had their evidence retrieved by AGS for analysis. Three percent (n = 4/127) requested that their evidence kits be kept for an additional year. None of these patients reported over that following year, and their evidence was subsequently destroyed. Conclusion: In conclusion, the availability of Option 3 has afforded people the opportunity to access responsive SATU care including storage of forensic evidence which may have significant evidential value. This potentially provides further opportunities for comprehensive detection of a crime, even if reporting to AGS is delayed.