Northern Ireland: Lawyers for rugby star acquitted of rape seek clampdown on social media commentary

In a statement issued after the trial, solicitor Joe McVeigh of Belfast-based KRW Law said “vile commentary expressed on social media” had raised “real concerns about the integrity of the trial process”.

He said several days of the trial “were lost due to problems thrown up by the intrusive infection of the process by social media” and that lawyers on both sides had been distracted by the issue.

He continued: “There is no reason to believe that this problem will not worsen. To that end, we invite the office of the Lord Chief Justice, the Attorney General and the Public Prosecution Service to enter in to fresh discussions with us to look at more robust mechanisms that can strike an effective balance between everyone’s rights but that properly secure the integrity of our criminal justice system.”

Irish media coverage of the trial has highlighted key differences in how rape trials are conducted north and south of the border.

In Northern Ireland, defendants are named and the public is allowed to attend the gallery, whereas rape trials south of the border have stricter rules around anonymity and public access is not allowed.

Although the complainant is entitled to anonymity, The Irish Times notes today that public access to the gallery meant it “wasn’t long before her name was widely known and shared on social media”.

Concern over public reactions to the trial, which became a cause célèbre across Ireland, grew as proceedings approached a conclusion.

On Monday evening, Judge Smyth ordered the press to postpone “any publication or reporting whatsoever of any public gathering, demonstration, public event, rally or march which may be held in connection to this trial” out of concern for the administration of justice. That restriction was lifted at the end of the trial yesterday.