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12/11/2010
Rape Anonymity Pledge Dropped
The government has dropped a pledge to give men charged with rape in England and Wales anonymity.
The scrapped proposal, included in the coalition agreement, has come under fire from women's groups.
Regarding the decision, Justice Minister Crispin Blunt commented: "The Coalition Government made it clear from the outset that it would proceed with defendant anonymity in rape cases only if the evidence justifying it was clear and sound.
"And in the absence of any such finding it has reached the conclusion that the proposal does not stand on its merits.
"It will not, therefore, be proceeded further."
Campaigners lashed out at the Government, following on from the election, over the unexpected decision to ban the identification of men accused of rape.
The decision goes against Lady Stern's recommendations, that suggest independent research should be carried out regarding the nature and the scale of false allegations.
She suggested that as many as one in ten reports of rape could be false, but police and solicitors said they encountered these cases rarely.
Lady Stern stated: "We make no recommendation on anonymity for defendants but note that it is often raised and the concerns will undoubtedly continue.
"A full examination of the issues would be helpful to the debate."
(BMcN/CD)
The scrapped proposal, included in the coalition agreement, has come under fire from women's groups.
Regarding the decision, Justice Minister Crispin Blunt commented: "The Coalition Government made it clear from the outset that it would proceed with defendant anonymity in rape cases only if the evidence justifying it was clear and sound.
"And in the absence of any such finding it has reached the conclusion that the proposal does not stand on its merits.
"It will not, therefore, be proceeded further."
Campaigners lashed out at the Government, following on from the election, over the unexpected decision to ban the identification of men accused of rape.
The decision goes against Lady Stern's recommendations, that suggest independent research should be carried out regarding the nature and the scale of false allegations.
She suggested that as many as one in ten reports of rape could be false, but police and solicitors said they encountered these cases rarely.
Lady Stern stated: "We make no recommendation on anonymity for defendants but note that it is often raised and the concerns will undoubtedly continue.
"A full examination of the issues would be helpful to the debate."
(BMcN/CD)
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