Ideas that never made it

THERE have been several attempts to assist alleged victims in rape cases.

One idea proposed by Labour in the mid-2000s was that it would automatically count as rape if a man has sex with a woman who has consumed a certain level of alcohol. But this idea was quashed at the Appeal Court in 2007, when a judge declared a woman can still consent even after ‘substantial quantities’ of drink.

In 2008 another Appeal Court hearing ruled out giving juries written advice to ‘dispel myths’ about rape.

Since 1999 judges have, however, limited the once-common practice of questioning rape complainants about their sex lives.