Sexual Offences

Former DUP leader, Jeffrey Donaldson, was sentenced yesterday to 15 years in prison for historical sex offences, including one count of rape, committed against two women when they were children. The sentence has been welcomed by the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre who said that it “sends a resoundi

Rape Crisis Ireland (RCI) is launching new independent research showing that Ireland's rape shield - the law meant to stop complainants in sexual offence trials being cross-examined about their other sexual experiences - is routinely failing to do so. The report, What's Sex Got to Do with It? S

The ‘Lived Realities’ Project is seeking survivors who have had experience of the offence trial process, writes Professor Susan Leahy.

The High Court has rejected a constitutional challenge brought by a teenager who cannot avail of a "Romeo and Juliet" defence to criminal charges relating to alleged sexual offences involving a girl seven months younger than him. The applicant, now 18, was charged with a number of offences related t

Gardaí are set to deliver classroom lessons in Irish secondary schools on the law around online harassment and intimate image abuse. The new Garda schools programme lesson on the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020 – also known as 'Coco's law' – w

Northern Ireland's Department of Justice has launched a social media campaign to challenge common misconceptions about rape and sexual assault. The "Rape Myths = Real Harm" campaign aims to address issues identified in Sir John Gillen's 2019 review of sexual offence trials in Northern Ireland.

A presumption of non-disclosure in respect of counselling notes in sexual offence trials is to be introduced through legislation. Justice, home affairs and migration minister Jim O'Callaghan yesterday confirmed that the further restriction on the use of counselling notes will be introduced by way of

Further legislation on the use of complainants' counselling notes in rape and sexual assault trials is expected to be agreed by ministers tomorrow. Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC) has called on the government to introduce a new statutory privilege which would provide for a presumption against the d

Ministers have approved legislative plans to restrict the disclosure of counselling records in sexual offence trials as an "initial step in reforming the law in this area". Disclosure hearings in such cases will become mandatory under provisions included in the wide-ranging Criminal Law and Civ

The Court of Appeal has overturned a man’s conviction for sexual assault on his young cousin due to a defect in the trial judge’s charge to the jury. Delivering judgment for the Court of Appeal, Mr Justice Peter Charleton considered that: “Proof in a criminal trial is beyond reason

The Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal against conviction notwithstanding that evidence of a doctor called by the prosecution should not have been elicited in re-examination or allowed by the trial judge. Delivering judgment for the Court of Appeal, Mr Justice Brian O’Moore emphasised: &l

There should be a "complete and unconditional ban" on the use of counselling records in sexual offence trials, the Oireachtas justice committee has recommended. The joint committee on justice, home affairs and migration yesterday published its pre-legislative scrutiny report on the general scheme of

The UK Supreme Court has ruled that the practice of the Scottish courts since 2013 in relation to the admission of evidence in trials for sexual offences is liable to infringe defendants’ rights under Article 6 ECHR but dismissed two appeals on that basis presented to the court after finding t

A public register of convicted domestic abusers is to be established under new legislation which will also strengthen the law on sexual consent. Ministers yesterday approved the general scheme of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences, Domestic Violence and International Instruments) Bill 2025, which wil

Northern Ireland's public consultation on proposals to criminalise the creation and sharing of sexually explicit "deepfake" images of adults closes soon. The Department of Justice wants to hear from the public as it continues efforts to tackle emerging issues relating to the use of deepfake technolo