Sexual Offences

Complainants in sexual offence cases in Northern Ireland will have access to fully qualified sexual offences legal advisors (SOLAs) from April, Justice Minister Naomi Long has confirmed. The pilot scheme fulfils one of the recommendations of retired Court of Appeal judge Sir John Gillen's high-profi

The Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal against a rape conviction in which the defendant claimed that the trial judge had erred by allowing more than one “recent complaint” witness. Giving the judgment of the Court, Mr Justice John Edwards described the situation as “somewhat u

Most of the sexual offences cases in which convictions were set aside just over two months ago after a legislative error came to light will not return to court, prosecutors have announced. The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) yesterday announced the outcome of its review of the 15 cases involving 17

The claim that juries subscribe to rape myths and are biased against complainants has no basis in empirical fact, a new study has found. The work, undertaken by academics at University College London, is also informed by research that casts serious doubt on the value of mock juries as a proxy for re

Justice Minister Helen McEntee has relaunched a major national awareness campaign on sexual harassment and sexual violence which was paused at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The three-year "No Excuses" campaign was paused in March but will now resume through a new TV ad, reinforced by outdoor a

Just three per cent of rape cases referred to prosecutors in Northern Ireland in the past year led to prosecution and conviction, new figures suggest. The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) received 1,684 files involving a sexual offence during the 2019/20 financial year, a six per cent increase on th

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

Prosecutors in England have been given new guidance on the impact of digital technology on sex and relationships, including the emergence of new rape myths links to sexting, dating apps and casual sex. The first fresh guidance on rape myths and stereotypes since 2012 is aimed at reflecting social ch

Gardaí with special training in domestic and sexual violence are now available across the State following the completion of the rollout of Garda Divisional Protective Services Units (DPSUs). The launch of the Meath/Westmeath unit today fulfils a government commitment to complete the rollout o

The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) has set aside the convictions of 15 individuals for certain sexual offences as a result of a legislative error which caused them to be invalid. The PPS conducted a review of all cases potentially impacted after prosecutors became aware of a technical change

Human rights lawyer Noeline Blackwell, who heads Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC), has been appointed to the governing body of University College Dublin (UCD) in the wake of a sexual harassment scandal. Ms Blackwell's appointment was announced by Higher Education Minister Simon Harris

A human rights watchdog has published new research into how sexual history and bad character evidence is used in sexual offences trials in Scotland. The findings of the Equality and Human Rights Commission have prompted calls for an urgent review of how courts and prosecutors respond when complainan

Legislation to make "upskirting" a specific criminal offence in Northern Ireland will be brought before the Assembly early next year, Justice Minister Naomi Long has said. "Subject to Executive approval, I intend to bring forward legislative proposals to make upskirting a specific offence in a Justi

The Law Society of Ireland has welcomed the recommendations of review of protections for vulnerable witnesses in the investigation and prosecution of sexual offences. A number of the recommendations in the Law Society's submission to the review last May have been incorporated in its final report, pu

Downing Street is planning to set prosecution targets in rape cases for police and lawyers, according to 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), The Guardian reports.