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Sexual history evidence [Policy briefing]

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posted on 2019-09-06, 12:23 authored by Olivia SmithOlivia Smith
Court research shows that a complainant’s sexual history is regularly brought up in rape trials, despite claims that such evidence is rare. This contradicts Government rhetoric about placing victims at the heart of criminal justice because rape complainants feel that they, not the defendant, are on trial. A new study shows that existing legislation is ineffective because sexual history is regularly justified as ‘rebutting the prosecution case’. Judges are also denied proper scrutiny of applications because they are agreed by both barristers in advance. A number of reforms are now essential to adequately protect complainants, as set out at the end of this briefing.

History

School

  • Social Sciences

Department

  • Communication, Media, Social and Policy Studies

Version

  • VoR (Version of Record)

Language

  • en

Depositor

Dr Olivia Smith

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