Rape

Thomas Ross QC writes about a proposed private prosecution of David Goodwillie and David Robertson that he and solicitor Melissa Rutherford are seeking for the rape of Denise Clair It is very difficult to read Lord Armstrong’s judgment in the civil case, without coming to t

Plans to exclude juries from rape trials have been rubbished by the Faculty of Advocates. In a submission to Holyrood's Criminal Justice Committee, the Faculty states that many within the legal profession had been accused of being conspiracy theorists when they suggested last year that there was "a

The handling of rape cases by police and prosecutors is to be scored for the first time under new plans to raise the number of rape cases reaching court. Ministers want the number of suspects being charged to return to 2016 levels and "scorecards" measuring “timeliness, quality and victim enga

New research suggests that while the public views sentencing for sexual assault and rape as lenient, their sentencing choices, when they are presented with case scenarios, are in line with actual sentences. The findings are in two new research reports from the Scottish Sentencing Coun

Rape complainants in Ireland questioned about their sexual history will have legal representation at trial, under new reforms announced by the country's Justice Minister, Helen McEntee. The measure is among changes meant to improve complainants' experience of the justice system detailed in the

A new campaign is seeking a change in the law that would confer anonymity on rape complainers. Led by Glasgow Caledonian University law lecturers Andrew Tickell and Seonaid Stevenson-McCabe, the Campaign for Complainer Anonymity aims to formulate legislative reforms which can be adopted by the Scott

The Equality and Human Rights Commission in Scotland has published new research into how sexual history and bad character evidence is used in sexual offences trials. The findings have led to a call by the commission for an urgent review on how courts and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Servic

Rape Crisis Scotland’s proposed legal action against the Scottish government over its failure to consider non-jury trials – which the charity complains has caused unacceptable delays for rape complainers – is “paradoxical", given that Rape Crisis itself had a hand in extendin

Downing Street is planning to set prosecution targets in rape cases for police and lawyers, The Guardian reports. The Prime Minister's crime and justice taskforce is to set targets for police to refer evidentially strong rape cases to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

A long-awaited review of protections for vulnerable witnesses in the investigation and prosecution of sexual offences in Ireland has backed proposals for anonymity to be extended to defendants in all sexual assault trials, as well as greater supports for complainants. The review, chaired by Tom O&rs

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service has revised its internal policy on the recovery of sensitive personal records of rape complainers for use as evidence. The move follows a Court of Session decision by Lord Glennie (WF v Scottish Ministers 2016 SLT 359) in which the right of a complainer

Four men convicted of the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman in 2012 have been hanged. Akshay Thakur, Vinay Sharma, Pawan Gupta and Mukesh Singh were given death sentences at a trial in 2013.

The First Minister is to be asked to back calls for the abolition of the not proven verdict. Nicola Sturgeon will meet rape victim Miss M, who has campaigned for Scotland's third verdict to be removed since her case against a man whom she accused of raping her was found not proven.

An undisclosed prosecution target may be responsible for a steep decline in the number of rape suspects charged since 2016, the Law Society Gazette reports. Rape prosecutions south of the border have fallen to their lowest level since 2008, even though record numbers of allegations have been made to

There has been a 115 per cent increase in reports of rape since 2010-11, while reports to police of sexual crimes increased by eight per cent from 12,487 to 13,547, new figures show. There has generally been an upward trend in rape and attempted rape since 2010-11 with both crimes more than doubling