Laws restricting the use of sexual history and character evidence in rape trials should be reviewed following publication of "worrying figures", a victim support charity has said.

Rape Crisis Scotland told Holyrood's Justice Committee that the use of such evidence - highlighted by the recent high-profile retrial of footballer Ched Evans - is a "human rights issue".

Mr Evans was cleared of rape at Cardiff Crown Court earlier this month, after a trial which heard evidence from two men who had sex with the complainant around the time of the allegation.

The case has led to calls for a ban on the use of sexual history in sexual offence trials.

National co-ordinator for the charity Sandy Brindley described what happened to the woman in that case as a "complete travesty", as she questioned the effectiveness of legislation governing the practice in Scotland.

The Sexual Offences (Procedure and Evidence) (Scotland) Act 2002 sets out that sexual history or character evidence will only be allowed if the judge is satisfied it is relevant to whether the accused is guilty of the offence, and that its value is likely to outweigh any risk of prejudice.

A Scottish Government-commissioned evaluation in 2007 found seven out of 10 trials featured an application to introduce such evidence, with only 7% of these applications refused.

Ms Brindley, giving evidence in the committee's inquiry into the role of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, told MSPs: "The most recent evidence we have about how effective it (the legislation) is is now 10 years old.

"It painted a very worrying picture."

She added: "Seven out of 10 women are virtually guaranteed to be asked about their sexual history or character in the course of a rape trial.

"I think that should concern us all.

"I think it is prejudicial potentially to jurors, I think it puts women off reporting. We just need to look at the recent Ched Evans case. Our view was that it was a complete travesty what happened to the woman in that case.

"Our concern is that we do not have an up-to-date picture of what's happening and how effective our legislation is in this area."

A data exercise by the Government in the first three months of 2016 found there were 57 applications to lead sexual history or character evidence in trials in Scottish courts. Of these, 51 were unopposed, 43 were granted in full, and five in part.

Referring to those figures, Ms Brindley said: "On the face of it, it is worrying to see such a high success rate and such a low level of opposition to these applications.

"But really it is pretty meaningless data without any context, because it is possible that some or many of these applications were legitimate or were made by the Crown.

"So I really do think we need to have an independent, proper evaluation of how this legislation is working."

A Crown Office spokesman said: "There is a strict statutory test which limits the circumstances in which evidence relating to the character or sexual history of a complainer in sexual offence cases can be used in court. The decision as to whether or not to allow such evidence to be used is a matter for the court.

"The Crown understands that giving evidence in sexual offence cases can be very difficult for complainers, and we are committed to seeking to support them through the process."