NI sex crime victims couldavoidtraumaof court under new plan

SEX crime victims may be able to give evidence without going to court following a review of how Northern Ireland’s justice system deals with serious sexual offences.

Proposals include the establishment of a new remote evidence centre, and transferring relevant cases to the Crown Court at an earlier stage.

The Department of Justice plan comes in the wake of the Gillen Review, led by Sir John Gillen, which examined how the criminal justice system here deals with sex offences.

To date just 11% of the recommendations have been enacted, including the expedition of sexual offences involving children under 13 and an advertising campaign focused on consent.

Justice Minister Naomi Long said the plan “marks an important step towards the delivery of better outcomes in these cases”.

It was revealed this year that just one in four rape cases that make it to court in Northern Ireland ends with a conviction.

Sir John’s report made a total of 253 recommendations. It was set up in the aftermath of concerns about a number of high profile alleged rape cases, including the 2018 rugby rape trial involving two Ulster players.

The implementation plan for the outstanding recommendations was developed by the Department of Justice with partners including the PSNI, the Public Prosecution Service and the courts service.

A remote evidence centre would, it says, stop the re-traumatisation of complainants by ensuring they do not meet the accused while giving evidence at court.

There will also be reform of the committal process in the legal system to ensure that complainants only have to give oral evidence in court once, while relevant cases can bypass the committal process entirely and move to the Crown Court at an earlier stage.

Other plans include the appointment of officers to ensure cases are progressed through the legal system efficiently and that any delays are addressed, and to improve the experience of complainants where details of their previous sexual history is divulged as part of a case.

There are also plans to address “jury rape myths” to dispel prejudicial myths held by the public and potential jurors and increase juror awareness in relation to their responsibilities around social media.

The phased programme was originally planned to be introduced over a three-year period, but this has been extended to five years as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mrs Long said: “Cases involving sexual crime are some of the most intrusive and difficult for victims to endure.

“We want to do everything in our power to support victims of these crimes through every stage of their journey through the justice system.”

She added: “It is my hope that working together, we can deliver real change across the justice system.”

But Sinn Fein MLA Linda Dillon expressed “deep concern” at the speed at which the recommendations are introduced.