It really is time that we had an honest debate about sex crimes. But in the present climate I wonder if it is possible.
Over the next few days there will be howls of rage from women’s groups about comments by a prosecutor that a thirteen year old girl’s behaviour was sexually ‘predatory’.
I am not going to make the mistake of commenting on a case when the only information I have are clips from the newspapers. So let me deal with the generality. Is it ever appropriate to use such words in a court case involving rape or sexual assault?
The common sense answer must be ‘yes’. I have been prosecuting and defending rape cases, sometimes involving very young children for over thirty years. They are harrowing experiences for everybody but particularly for the complainant, who has to pluck up considerable courage to go to the police, to say nothing of the distress caused by giving evidence.
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