Brandon McNeil, now 20, stabbed Shane Jerome in the chest as he rode his motorcycle in a convoy of vehicles that followed the rapper through Brixton in the south Londonin July 2021.

McNeil, who had an “unhealthy obsession with knives,” was a member of a local gang and likely believed the cast members were rivals, although there was no evidence to support this, the Old Bailey was told.

He was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 24 years after confessing to a murder in May last year, but he now faces just 20 years and 8 months in prison after a successful appeal.

Rajiv Menon KC, who represented the killer, convinced three judges that the previous verdict did not give enough weight to factors such as the defendant’s age and the fact that he was a victim of human trafficking at a young age.

Shane, 23, a scaffolder from Thornton Heath, is said to have no ties to the rapper or any gang.

It is believed he was asked to take part in a “drive through” scene after showing up with friends on his motorbike.

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On Tuesday the The damning Casey report has been releasedwhich found evidence of institutionalized racism, homophobia and misogyny among the Met police force. After months of reports of sexually explicit messages between officials and missed opportunities to stop rapist David Carrickit’s hardly a surprise.

Within 48 hours, another story circulated – this time focusing on Kent Police and their attitude towards women’s safety.

An A4 sheet of paper had been hung in the window of Maidstone Police Station. It was a sign that displayed a list of “Non-emergency requests” that could be reported onlineinstead of on the phone.

“Rape and sexual assault” was one of the crimes included in the list.

It caused understandable excitement on social and national media. The sign appeared to send the message that rape and sexual assault were not serious enough to be reported as an emergency or worthy of a call handler’s time.

While the backlash is seen as another blow to women’s safety (women are the overwhelming majority of victims of sexual assault), it is important to note that anyone can be a victim of sex crimes and all should be taken seriously and encouraged to speak up report police.

But regardless of a victim’s age or gender, the tone of the mark felt forbidding and arguably cruel to anyone who had witnessed such a hurtful and devastating crime.

With the criminal justice system consistently failing rape victims – only 1% of rapes registered by police in 2021 resulted in a criminal charge in the same year – clearly more needs to be done to give survivors the justice they deserve.

If we are to increase the number of rape convictions, the complainants must be reassured that what happened to them is serious and merits an emergency status. The sooner a crime is reported to the police, the more likely it is that evidence can be gathered for a successful conviction – but arguably more importantly, victims are given the emotional support they need as quickly as possible.

Survivors need a compassionate human being to speak to after such a crime has occurred, not a form incapable of offering comfort or consolation.

The sign was quickly removed, and Det Ch Supt Emma Banks was quick to reassure that Kent Police take investigations into domestic violence, rape and sexual assault “extremely seriously”.

But Matthew Scott, Kent Police and Crime Inspector, said the sign should not have been put up at all, describing it as “completely false and totally inappropriate”.

Det Ch Supt Emma Banks urged anyone in imminent danger to call 999. But even this encouragement is not clear.

“Immediate danger” should not be the threshold for a 999 call for victims of sexual assault. This places the responsibility on them to decide how dangerous their situation is after an attack has taken place.

When an attacker has left the immediate area, survivors may have doubts as to whether they are still in imminent danger and whether or not it is a call.

The answer should not be to discourage real victims from calling 999, but to increase the number of caregivers who can take such calls.

Unless the government commits to investing in women’s safety and providing a specialized emergency service for rape victims, 999 remains the most appropriate method of reporting sexual assault.

Once again, police are urging women to change their own behavior instead of focusing on catching and prosecuting the perpetrators of rape.

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