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25.11.21

Can I be forced to incriminate my loved ones?

One disturbing truth about violent offences is that, the majority of the time, they occur between two people who know each other. In 2019-2020, 43% of violent crime was committed by an acquaintance, 16% was categorised as domestic violence and only 41% committed by a stranger. Indeed, there were 200,000 of these ‘domestic’ violent offences…

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20.07.20

What is the ‘rough sex’ defence, and is it actually being banned?

The Domestic Abuse Bill 2020 is a landmark piece of legislation designed to protect both victims of domestic offences and those susceptible to such abuse, making it easier to bring perpetrators to justice. This blog focuses on one aspect of it, namely the purported abolition of the ‘rough sex defence’. It is not a commentary…

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6.10.18

We need to talk about sex offences. Again.

Sex offences, and in particular the way rape charges are dealt with from start to finish, are due yet another serious conversation. There are no easy answers. It is clear that, aside from a few rotten apples, many hard-working police and prosecutors are between a rock and hard place. No-one sensible would argue against due…

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7.09.16

Staggering rise in prosecutions for sexual and domestic violence offences

There are a number of catchy headline statistics to be taken from the recently published Crown Prosecution Service “Violence Against Women and Girls Crime Report 2015-2016”. Prosecutions for the new offence of disseminating revenge porn now exceed 200 and there have been five successful prosecutions for the new offence of using controlling and coercive behaviour….

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11.08.16

Police pay out £75,000 in privacy damages after using 999 call for training

Greater Manchester Police have agreed to pay a victim of domestic violence £75,000 in compensation after using a recording of her distressed 999 call together with other information that identified her and her medical history in training exercises.  The claimant had consented to the 999 tape being used for training purposes, but only on an anonymous basis. The claimant brought a…

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Legal Disclaimer

Articles are intended as an introduction to the topic and do not constitute legal advice.