Rape accusers 'may lose right to anonymity'

Major Tom · #1 10th-January-2007

From the Telegraph:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main...0/urape110.xml

Quote:

Rape accusers 'may lose right to anonymity'

The Government is "actively" considering whether to amend the law allowing lifelong anonymity to complainants in cases of rape and other sexual offences, the Attorney General said yesterday.

Lord Goldsmith told the Lords that this was being done "in the light of the Court of Appeal judgment in the Blackwell case" and that a decision would be reached "soon."

Warren Blackwell, 36, served five years in prison for sexual assault before it emerged that his accuser had a history of mental illness and lying. His conviction was quashed last September. Although the complainant in his case was entitled to anonymity, the Labour peer Lord Campbell-Savours used Parliamentary privilege to expose her identity and brand her a "serial and repeated liar".

During Lords questions yesterday, Lord Campbell-Savours referred to the case of Leslie Gordon Warren, who was also cleared of rape after serving part of a prison sentence.

The Court of Appeal was told in 2004 that a detective had failed to pass on information about false allegations the woman had made against other men. She later admitted she had lied.

Lord Campbell-Savours asked whether the Government would name the accuser in the Mr Warren's case, and also in other rape cases referred by the Criminal Cases Review Commission to the Court of Appeal as "unsafe due to false accusations."

Lord Goldsmith told him: "No. Unless and until Parliament has decided to amend the law, it is not for the Government or anyone else to name complainants in rape cases, and by so doing remove the anonymity that Parliament has chosen to confer.

"We are considering whether the law on complainant anonymity requires amendment, in the light of the Court of Appeal judgment in the Blackwell case."

Lord Campbell-Savours replied: "I detect a slight shift in that answer. Who and what is to stop the false accuser in the case of Leslie Warren, who has now been released from prison, from making more false allegations against more innocent men?

"The police will have destroyed her DNA as they had no right to retain it if she wasn't prosecuted, the courts have given her lifetime anonymity under the law, and the press will be prosecuted if they name her unless an MP is prepared to name her in the chamber, which I am not prepared to do in this particular case.

"Is she to be left to carry on making further allegations, in conditions in which men can do very little about it until they get to the courts?"

Lord Goldsmith replied: "In the event that any further allegations were brought by this particular complainant, then so far as is possible it would be the responsibility of the prosecution to disclose to any defendant what had happened before.

"That was the basis of the Court of Appeal's decision, that certain disclosures had not been made relating to previous allegations."

Later, Lord Goldsmith repeated his statement that the Government was considering whether the law needed changing, but on this occasion he stressed that they were "actively" doing so.

Lord Campbell-Savours asked him: "You have referred to a possible change in the law. Can we have a very early decision on this so that I don't have to table more questions in that particular area?" Lord Goldsmith told him: "Subject to my ministerial colleagues, I hope we will reach a decision soon."

mirwalk · #2 10th-January-2007

Even if they do change the law, it won't last long. I can see a case of the Boy who cried Wolf. So once some woman who falsely calls rape, finally does get raped, it will be blown up to some HUGE GLOBAL scale to force the law back the other way.

Feminist_Scum · #3 10th-January-2007

Both persons should have anonymity until after a trial, then who ever is found guilty of either the rape, or crying rape, should be named.

Fred X · #4 10th-January-2007

I'm not holding my breath on this just yet

There'll be a lot of flapping and wailing from femhags in order to stop anything like this developing

Whereas there'll be little to no resistence from MRA's

Why?

Because there aren't enough of us in general society, let along in government!!

istoute · #5 10th-January-2007

I agree with you, Feminist Scum (FS). It makes more sense to withold such information due to the drastic impact it has on their lives. Thank God some governmental body is considering a revision to these discriminatory, feminist laws.

Janus · #6 11th-January-2007

There should be a general list available to the police and public of all women proven guilty of false rape. So when one of them shows up saying "so and so" raped me, they can look her up and see how many of these 'claims' she has made in the past.

While the trail is going on, and evidence being gathered the names should be private. The second she is found guilty of being a liar, her name goes on the list and in the papers.

If there is a sex offenders registery and database, there should be a false accusers one aswell.

SupaMike · #7 11th-January-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by mirwalk

Even if they do change the law, it won't last long. I can see a case of the Boy who cried Wolf. So once some woman who falsely calls rape, finally does get raped, it will be blown up to some HUGE GLOBAL scale to force the law back the other way.

Well I dont think that exposing someone who has lied about rape, does not mean they should be treated different if they were actually raped. But it would give police some info on the accuser that will help them investigate a case much better. This protects all sides in the issue of rape.

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Rape accusers 'may lose right to anonymity'

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