Category: sexual offences

CPS says: How we’re working to overcome harmful rape myths and stereotypes – Crown Prosecution Service

Posted December 2nd, 2020 in codes of practice, consultations, criminal justice, Crown Prosecution Service, news, prosecutions, rape, sexual offences, victims by tracey

‘As an experienced prosecutor of rape and serious sexual offences, I never underestimate the courage it takes for a victim to report such a deeply violating and distressing event to police. CPS staff, especially those on our RASSO teams are all too aware of the unique barriers many face when deciding whether to report offences relating to sexual assault; these include shame, guilt, fear of the process, fear of not being believed, shock, cultural context, embarrassment, language barriers and fear of reprisal from the community.’

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Crown Prosecution Service, 29th November 2020

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

Silent sufferers? Bar’s efforts to improve harassment reporting failing – Legal Futures

Posted November 30th, 2020 in barristers, bullying, harassment, news, pilot schemes, sexual offences by sally

‘The Bar Standards Board (BSB) is to “reflect” on the duty on barristers to report harassment, with efforts to improve reporting proving ineffective, as it looks at new measures to tackle bullying and harassment.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 30th November 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Abuse of older people reaches ‘unprecedented level’ during pandemic – Daily Telegraph

Posted November 30th, 2020 in charities, coronavirus, elderly, news, sexual offences, statistics, victims by sally

‘Abuse of older people is at “unprecedented levels” – with almost 2.7 million victims thought to be affected in the UK, a charity has said.’

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Daily Telegraph, 30th November 2020

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Government urged to fix ‘disastrous state’ of rape prosecutions – The Guardian

Posted November 30th, 2020 in charities, criminal justice, Crown Prosecution Service, government departments, news, police, prosecutions, rape, sexual offences, statistics, statute law revision, victims, women by sally

‘An alliance of women’s organisations is calling for radical reforms to address the “disastrous state” of rape investigations and prosecutions, including a ministerial lead, a commission on juries and a ban on the use of sexual history evidence.’

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The Guardian, 30th November 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Army Cadet leader jailed for nine years for sex offences against boys – The Independent

Posted November 26th, 2020 in armed forces, child abuse, guilty pleas, news, sentencing, sexual offences by tracey

‘A former Army Cadet leader has been jailed for nine years after pleading guilty to child sex offences committed between 1981 and 1991.’

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The Independent, 25th November 2020

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Former Great Ormond Street hospital porter charged with child sex offences – The Guardian

Posted November 26th, 2020 in child abuse, hospitals, news, sexual offences by tracey

‘A former Great Ormond Street hospital porter has been charged with a series of sex offences against children.’

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The Guardian, 26th November 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Eton teacher found guilty of sexually touching students on night-time visits to bedrooms – The Independent

Posted November 26th, 2020 in child abuse, news, sexual offences, teachers by tracey

‘A former Eton College teacher has been found guilty of sexually touching students during night-time visits to their bedrooms.’

Full Story

The Independent, 25th November 2020

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Richard Huckle: Prisoner jailed over ‘poetic justice’ murder – BBC News

Posted November 25th, 2020 in child abuse, imprisonment, murder, news, prisons, sentencing, sexual offences by sally

‘A psychopathic prisoner who murdered paedophile Richard Huckle in an act of “poetic justice” has been sentenced to a minimum of 34 years in jail.’

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BBC, 24th November 2020

Source: www.bbc.com

Criminalise public sexual harassment in UK, charities say – The Guardian

Posted November 23rd, 2020 in charities, children, criminal justice, harassment, news, sexual offences, statistics, women by sally

‘Girls’ rights groups are calling for public sexual harassment to be criminalised in the UK after research suggested more than half of young women and girls were harassed on the street during the summer.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 22nd November 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Killer drug GHB ‘should be reclassified’, says official report – BBC News

Posted November 20th, 2020 in bereavement, drug abuse, families, homosexuality, murder, news, rape, sexual offences by sally

‘A drug that was weaponised by the UK’s most prolific rapist and the serial killer Stephen Port should be reclassified, says an official report.’

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BBC News, 20th November 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

A non-sexually motivated sexual assault?: GMC v Haris [2020] EWHC 2518 (Admin) – 2 Hare Court

Posted November 18th, 2020 in abuse of position of trust, appeals, chambers articles, consent, doctors, news, professional conduct, sexual offences, statutory interpretation by sally

‘Dr Haris faced allegations from two patients that he had conducted non-clinically indicated, intimate examinations without consent. He asserted forcefully that the alleged conduct simply never happened – and also called additional evidence to support his position that he was asexual.’

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2 Hare Court, 5th November 2020

Source: www.2harecourt.com

Vigilante justice: is evidence obtained by ‘paedophile hunter’ groups admissible in criminal proceedings? – 2 Hare Court

Posted November 16th, 2020 in appeals, chambers articles, child abuse, children, criminal justice, evidence, human rights, internet, news, privacy, sexual offences, Supreme Court by sally

‘On 15 July 2020 the Supreme Court handed down its findings in Sutherland (Appellant) v Her Majesty’s Advocate (Respondent) (Scotland) [2020] UKSC 32.’

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2 Hare Court, 2nd November 2020

Source: www.2harecourt.com

Rough sex excuse in women’s deaths is variation of ‘crime of passion’ – study – The Guardian

Posted November 11th, 2020 in bills, consent, criminal justice, domestic violence, homicide, murder, negligence, news, sexual offences, women by sally

‘Men who kill women are increasingly using the “sex game gone wrong” excuse as a contemporary variation on the traditional crime of passion defence, research has found.’

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The Guardian, 10th November 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Helen’s Law receives Royal Assent – Ministry of Justice

Posted November 6th, 2020 in bills, child abuse, criminal justice, disclosure, indecent photographs of children, murder, parole, press releases, prisons, sexual offences, victims by tracey

‘Killers who withhold information on their victims could spend longer behind bars.’

Full press release

Ministry of Justice, 4th November 2020

Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice

Is there a different burden of proof in relation to misconduct cases in which there is a possibility that an employee who works with children may pose a danger? No, says the EAT in K v L UKEAT/0014/18/JW – 3PB

Posted October 30th, 2020 in appeals, burden of proof, chambers articles, child abuse, children, employment, employment tribunals, indecent photographs of children, news, school children, sexual offences, teachers, unfair dismissal, warrants by sally

‘The Claimant had been employed by the respondents for 20 years as a teacher. On 30th December 2016 the Police entered his property having been granted a warrant to search for and seize computers in the possession of the Claimant. The warrant was based on intelligence that indecent images of a child or children had been downloaded to an IP address associated with the Claimant. The Claimant lived at the address with his son. One of the computers was found to have data that was of interest to the Police.’

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3PB, 2nd October 2020

Source: www.3pb.co.uk

Ex-prisoner challenges MoJ policy after alleged sexual assault by trans woman – The Guardian

Posted October 30th, 2020 in assault, gender, Ministry of Justice, news, prisons, sexual offences, transgender persons, women by sally

‘A prisoner who was allegedly sexually assaulted behind bars by another inmate has challenged the Ministry of Justice over its policy on placing transgender women in women’s prisons.’

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The Guardian, 28th October 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Convictions for rapes in London less likely than in 2015, research shows – The Guardian

Posted October 27th, 2020 in London, news, prosecutions, rape, sexual offences by sally

‘The London assembly’s police and crime committee has written to the lord chancellor, Robert Buckland, amid concerns over a “toxic combination” of falling convictions in rape and sexual offence cases despite a rise in reports and a backlog of cases in the courts.’

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The Guardian, 26th October 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Rape prosecutions and convictions dropped by half early in UK pandemic – The Guardian

Posted October 23rd, 2020 in child abuse, children, coronavirus, criminal justice, Crown Prosecution Service, domestic violence, news, prosecutions, rape, sexual offences, statistics, women by sally

‘Prosecutions for crimes against women and girls in England and Wales plummeted in the first three months of the coronavirus pandemic, reflecting a backlog in the court system exacerbated by the UK-wide shutdown and subsequent social distancing measures.’

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The Guardian, 22nd October 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Sex offence case ‘failings’ by military prosecutor – BBC News

Posted October 21st, 2020 in armed forces, government departments, inquests, news, prosecutions, rape, sexual offences, suicide by sally

‘A military prosecutor has been accused of serious failings in his handling of sexual assault and rape cases.’

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BBC News, 21st October 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

John Leslie trial: Ex-Blue Peter presenter cleared of sex assault – BBC News

Posted October 20th, 2020 in assault, media, news, sexual offences, trials by sally

‘Former TV presenter John Leslie has been found not guilty of sexual assault.’

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BBC News, 19th October 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk