Six out of every seven people facing rape allegations in West Yorkshire are never convicted.

Only 19 - 14.4 per cent - of the 132 defendants appearing at Court charged with rape were found guilty, new figures have revealed. This is the fifth worst conviction rate among police forces in England and Wales.

And of 22 defendants who stood trial before a Crown Court jury, almost half - ten - walked free in West Yorkshire.

Joanne Waterhouse, manager at the Bradford district's Victim Support, said securing convictions was an important part of the healing process for rape victims.

"It takes a lot of courage for a person to report a rape and go through with the process of being a witness in court," she said. "For it to then result in no conviction can be devastating. Many victims feel they have not been believed, but that is not the case. Sometimes the evidence just isn't strong enough."

Now the Government has drafted new rules to improve the way the Crown Prosecution Service handles rape cases in a bid to secure more convictions. Solicitor General Harriet Harman is employing a network of specialist prosecutors, including only the most senior barristers.

The consent of two prosecutors will be required if a case is to be dropped.

And victims will be able to meet prosecuting lawyers who will be forced to explain their decision. She said she hoped the changes would encourage more rape victims to come forward and increase their confidence in the prosecution system.

Nationally, the number of rapes reported in 2002, the most recent figures available, soared to 11,441. But there were only 992 trials, with 700 convictions.

In 2002, 132 people appeared before West Yorkshire magistrates charged with rape. A staggering 103 cases fell out of the system - either through lack of evidence or because the victim refused to pursue the case.

According to the Home Office, 29 cases reached Crown Court.

Of these, seven defendants - 24 per cent - pleaded guilty. Twenty-two defendants pleaded not guilty and stood trial - with 12, or 55 per cent, being convicted.

A police spokesman said: "Offences of rape and sexual assault are very serious and extremely distressing for the victims.

"For this reason, some victims may be reluctant or frightened to report the incident. We would always encourage victims to come forward whenever possible."