Sexual Offences

Tom O’Malley SC explains his interest in sexual offending and the background to his appointment as chair of the review of protections for vulnerable witnesses in the investigation and prosecution of sexual offences. It all started one miserable winter’s evening in the mid-1980s at Yale L

Research into the Irish system of legal representation for complainants in sexual offence trials has been cited with approval in a judicial-led review of Scottish sexual offences cases. Eamon Keane, an academic at the University of Edinburgh, and Scottish solicitor Tony Convery published a report on

Victims of sexual offences will receive publicly-funded independent legal advice under a pilot scheme launched today. The new scheme fulfils one of the recommendations of retired Court of Appeal judge Sir John Gillen’s high-profile review of the law and procedures in serious sexual offences in

Legislation banning the likes of teachers and social workers from having sex with under-18s in their care is set to be extended to cover sports coaches and faith leaders. Justice Minister Naomi Long yesterday announced plans to bring an amendment to the Justice (Miscellaneous) Provisions Bill later

Victims of sexual offences should receive independent legal representation throughout criminal trials, rather than limited to the questioning of their previous sexual experience, Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC) has said. The NGO has published its submission to the Oireachtas justice committee, whic

The Government is to seek to rationalise laws on harassment to prevent offenders from contacting their victims. Department of Justice officials are drafting a new Sexual Offences Bill, due to be published towards the end of the year.

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