Sexual Offences

The findings of an inquiry into allegations of sexual harassment by a senior Australian judge have prompted urgent reviews into how the country's courts deal with sexual misconduct. Lawyers for Dyson Heydon, a former judge of the High Court of Australia, have said their client denies "any allegation

Scottish lawyers who visited Ireland to learn about the conduct of sexual offence trials here have called for complainants in Scotland to be given their own legal representation when applications are made to lead evidence of bad character or sexual history. Solicitors Eamon Keane and Tony Conve

The Irish courts are “not fit for purpose” as far as dealing with violence against women is concerned, experts have said. The legal process frequently re-traumatises women, a UN special rapporteur and NGO leaders told viewers in a webinar hosted by Orla O’Connor of the National Wom

A new book presents an in-depth comparative study of sentencing practice for rape in six common law jurisdictions: England and Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa.

More than three-quarters of sexual crimes detected in 2018 involved a male suspect and a female victim, according to new statistics. The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has for the first time published a breakdown by age and gender of both victims and suspected offenders of serious crimes reported t

The Court of Appeal in Belfast has clarified the circumstances in which an Enhanced Combination Order (ECO) can be imposed on sex offenders. In a recent judgment, Sir Declan Morgan, the Lord Chief Justice, found that two offenders who admitted sexual assault by penetration contrary to article 6(1) o

Sexual offending experts have called on gardaí to investigate reported abuse and threats aimed at a rape victim in court yesterday. Two men were yesterday jailed for seven years for raping a woman who blacked out after drinking at a house party in Co Leitrim in 2017.

The full implementation of Sir John Gillen's recommendations for improving serious sexual offence trials in Northern Ireland "will take time", Justice Minister Naomi Long has said. The retired Court of Appeal judge issued his final report almost a year ago, making over 250 recommendations including

A prominent human rights lawyer has suggested landlords could face prosecution for requesting sexual favours in lieu of rent. Solicitor Noeline Blackwell, the chief executive of Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, claimed the practice is an offence under the Sexual Offences Act 2017, but other legal experts

In a matrimonial rape case involving a pattern of abuse, threats to kill, and a violent attack with a hammer after the rape, the Supreme Court has set out the sentencing principles which must be observed when dealing with a pattern of violent and abusive behaviour. Finding that the Court of Appeal w

Just over one in ten of sexual offences reported to gardaí last year led to a suspect being charged, according to new figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO). The agency has published recorded crime detection figures for the first time in three years, having suspended them over conce

A specialised sexual offences unit will be established within the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions next year, Ireland's top prosecutor has announced. Claire Loftus, writing in the foreword to her office's annual report for 2018, said the Government had provided funding for the establish

A man who was found guilty of raping his wife has had his custodial sentence increased from three years to five-and-a-half years' imprisonment in the Court of Appeal. Finding that the sentencing judge had not adequately assessed the gravity of the offending conduct, Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy said th

The provision of state-funded counselling and emotional support for rape victims in England and Wales has increased their participation in the criminal justice system, according to a new report published by the Irish Department of Justice. Dr Deirdre Healy, director of the UCD Institute of Criminolo

Sexual offence laws in Ireland have not "kept pace with developments in online technology and the almost universal use of internet-enabled devices", a legal expert on rape and sexual assault has said. Caroline Counihan BL, legal director at Rape Crisis Network Ireland (RCNI), gave evidence to the Oi