{"id":37133,"date":"2018-11-23T09:33:34","date_gmt":"2018-11-23T09:33:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hcclawyers.com\/?p=37133"},"modified":"2024-01-30T12:02:49","modified_gmt":"2024-01-30T12:02:49","slug":"northern-ireland-rape-case-review-reforms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hcclawyers.com\/northern-ireland-rape-case-review-reforms\/","title":{"rendered":"Northern Ireland Rape Case Review & Reforms"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Northern Ireland rape case review calls for legal representation for complainants<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Sir John Gillen\u2019s interim report also recommends limiting public access to courtrooms<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Alexandra Topping<\/a><\/p>\n

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\u00a0<\/span>Protests followed the acquittal of two Ulster rugby players for rape in March Photograph: Conall Kearney\/Rex\/Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/header>\n
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A retired senior judge has called for an overhaul of the way rape is dealt with by the criminal justice system in\u00a0Northern Ireland<\/a>, in a move that could have profound implications for the rest of the UK.<\/p>\n

In an interim report, Sir John Gillen has called for a series of measures likely to be viewed as controversial by some, including limiting public access to court in rape trials and providing complainants with legal representation.<\/p>\n

Gillen \u2013 who said he wanted to leave \u201cno voice unheard\u201d \u2013 is looking at how Northern Ireland deals with serious sexual offences as part of an independent review. There was an intense public debate and protests following the\u00a0acquittal of two Ulster Rugby players<\/a>, Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding, in March after a nine-week rape trial in Belfast.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0<\/span>Sir John Gillen is leading an independent review into how the law in Northern Ireland deals with serious sexual offences. Photograph: Aaron McCracken\/PA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The draft report highlights a series of failings: although 45% of defendants charged with rape were convicted of an offence, only 15% were convicted of rape. Northern Ireland\u2019s conviction rate for non-sexual offences is 88.2%.<\/p>\n

The review is ongoing, but Gillen has made a series of interim proposals, including that:<\/p>\n