Less than half of rape and attempted rape cases led to conviction in a Scottish court last year.
The Scottish Government revealed a 47 per cent conviction rate in the latest crime and justice figures.
However, more people are being taken to court.
The figures show:
> Court proceedings for all sex crimes grew 73 per cent in a decade.
>The number of people convicted increased by 46 per cent over the same period.
> Convictions were nine per cent higher in the year 2018-19.
Within sexual crimes, rape and attempted rape cases increased by a third to 324 proceedings in 2018-19.
There were 152 convictions, a rate of 47 per cent.
Sexual assault proceedings increased by nine per cent while convictions fell by three per cent.
The conviction rate for rape and attempted rape has been the lowest of all crimes in each of the last 10 years, the official figures show.
Overall, the total number of people taken to court in Scotland for all crimes fell by six per cent.
The Scottish Government said it continues a general downward trend of the last 10 years, particularly for breach of the peace and common assault.
