This blog post has been adapted from Felicity’s Huffington Post article, which can be viewed here. In the current debate over suspect anonymity, the fundamental importance of open justice is being overshadowed by the impact on individuals who have been the subject of salacious publicity. Most recently MP Mark Pritchard against whom allegations of rape … Continue reading
Earlier this month, the second edition of the Sexual Offences Handbook arrived from the printers – and we’re thrilled with it! To order your copy visit Wildy’s or Amazon. Contents The new edition covers all the law, practice and procedure on sexual offending in England and Wales since 1957; whether you have a complicated historical sexual … Continue reading
So ubiquitous has become the phrase ‘revenge porn’ that the Oxford English Dictionary’s next update will probably include it. This concept covers both the posting of previously private indecent images by a disgruntled ex-partner or by a malicious hacker. The combination of the camera phone and the internet provided the fertile ground for this rather … Continue reading
In the Rolf Harris trial one victim was said to have waived her anonymity. There is no law that allows her to do this although a publisher would have a defence to an allegation of contempt if she had provided written consent. The law requires an application to be made to the court. Witness … Continue reading
The publicist Max Clifford has been convicted by a jury of offences of indecent assault on teenage girls dating back to 1977. The facts read like an aggressive Benny Hill show where Max Clifford used his position of trust to abuse teenage girls in the context of the euphemistic casting couch. He will be sentenced … Continue reading
There is no part of a statute which states “The Age of Consent is X”. There is no common law principle giving ‘The Age of Consent”. So what do people mean when they talk about the age of consent? Most people would say that it means the age when it is legal to have sex, … Continue reading
Piers Morgan once asked William Roache about bedding 1000 women. Roache gave no clear answer. The prosecution were prevented from asking Roache the same question in the recent rape trial even though his evidence appeared different from what he had intimated on TV. Why? Because Roache was on trial for rape not for what we … Continue reading
