Sexual Offences

A new approach to managing sexual offenders, with a particularly strong focus on rehabilitation, has been adopted by Irish prisons. The new model of intervention, called 'New Chapters', was developed by the Irish Prison Service following a review of the Building Better Lives (BBL) programme conducte

The Supreme Court has determined that a dispute on disclosure in a historical sexual abuse case was not a matter for judicial review and did not in any event warrant the prohibition of the trial. Delivering judgment for the Supreme Court, Mr Justice Peter Charleton highlighted: “The responsibi

Legislation aimed at protecting victims of sexual offences from being "retraumatised" in the course of a criminal trial has come into effect. Justice minister Helen McEntee has now commenced parts 1, 2, 4 and 5 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Human Trafficking) Act 2024.

Dublin Rape Crisis Centre has welcomed a "trend of substantial sentences being handed down for sexual crimes" following the sentencing of rapist Raymond Shorten. Shorten will serve 30 years behind bars following the imposition yesterday of a 17-year sentence for raping two young women on two dates i

Wide-ranging legislation on sexual offences and human trafficking has been approved by the Oireachtas. The Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Human Trafficking) Bill 2023 includes measures on sexual offence trials providing for victim and suspect anonymity, a right to legal representation where victi

Legislation granting automatic anonymity to suspects of sexual offences has been struck down by Northern Ireland's High Court. Under the Justice (Sexual Offences and Trafficking Victims) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022, which came into force last September, suspects of sexual offences cannot be named un

Most complaints of sexual assault brought to gardaí involve an alleged perpetrator known to the complainant, new figures reveal. The Central Statistics Office (CSO) yesterday published a statistical bulletin on victims and suspected offenders in 2022, showing that in 71 per cent of sexual off

The Irish public is gaining a better understanding of sexual consent but further engagement is needed with certain groups, Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC) has said. The charity today launched its third tranche of research focused on public understanding of sexual consent, as part of the organisatio

A man who sent unsolicited photos of his erect penis to a 15-year-old girl and a woman has become the first person in England and Wales to be convicted and jailed for cyber-flashing. Cyber-flashing became a specific criminal offence in England and Wales on 31 January 2024. Similar legislation took e

The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) has welcomed a Pakistani legal reform that strengthens women's rights in marriage and criminalises unconsented sexual acts. The change in law has led to the first conviction for marital rape in the province of Sindh, where a K

A pilot scheme providing free independent legal advice to complainants in serious sexual offence cases in Northern Ireland has been extended for a further year until March 2025. The Department of Justice launched the pilot scheme in April 2021, less than a year before the collapse of the Northern Ir

A proposed EU directive on combating violence against women will not address rape after member states failed to reach a consensus on its legal definition. The European Council took the decision to exclude rape from the forthcoming Directive on Combatting Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence

Researchers north and south of the border have launched a new network to connect those working on sexual violence across the island of Ireland. The All-Ireland Network on Sexual Violence Research (AINSVR) is a collaboration between Queen's University Belfast and the University of Limerick, led by Dr

Pre-recorded evidence could harm a complainant's chance of securing a conviction in rape cases, new research shows. A study led by Professor Cheryl Thomas KC at University College London found there were 20 per cent fewer rape convictions in such cases.

Lawyers are being sought for research into the legal framework governing previous sexual history evidence in serious sexual offences trials. Dr Sinéad Ring of Maynooth University School of Law and Criminology is in the recruitment phase of the research and looking for lawyer participants.