Sun Oct 13, 2013 1:06 pm
Why victims rights should be kept outside the courtroom
"Starmer clearly considers the rise of victims’ advocacy and its lamentable corrosion of due process in our legal system as a wholly good thing, not the disastrous subversion of the rule of law that it really is. Therapeutic jurisprudence – the belief that courts should provide some form of therapeutic “closure” for “victims” – is wholly at odds with the most fundamental tenet of the rule of law, that a defendant shall be presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.
By referring to complainants as victims, Starmer and the cops are showing that they have utter contempt for the presumption of innocence, which they are far more likely to see as an inconvenient obstacle in the path of punitive governance – an obstacle without which real individual liberty is rendered impossible, because by removing it, the punitive state can lock its citizens up at whim, on the say-so of an accuser.
He is still peddling the preposterous flim-flam that victims of sexual offences are intimidated by official indifference to their plight, and that the credibility test is somehow a throwback to an unenlightened era. In other words, he is recycling the cover-story so beloved of the relentlessly punitive victims' advocacy movement, whose organisations and representatives work so closely with law enforcement and share such identical illiberal and authoritarian sentiments that they are effectively a department of the police.
If you go to court after accusing someone of a sexual offence, especially one which you allege took place decades ago, you should expect to be vigorously cross-examined and have your credibility tested aggressively by any competent defence lawyer, because in the compulsory hysteria of our times, you could well be sending someone to a locked up hell-hole for many years."
"The increase in historical allegations post-Savile has very little, if
anything, to do with brave “victims” summoning up the courage to report
their abusers. Rather it has everything to do with complainants making
false allegations (for whatever reason, but money often comes into it)
safe in the belief that their stories will not be subjected to the
slightest scrutiny by the police and the prosecuting authorities. For
these complainants (and more especially their money-grubbing lawyers)
have picked up clear signals that the police and the Crown Prosecution
Service are on their side and that their allegations will be gratefully
received and unquestioningly believed."
http://raymondpeytors.com/privatearea/membersforum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=355&sid=22886d6eba36b51cd4ee98a3b182c722
*****
Sexual offences: Crude victim tests 'have got to go'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24511690
Sexual offences: Wrong questions asked of victims, says Keir Starmer
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24513004
*****
We need a British Bill of Rights – so we can hear less from the likes of Keir Starmer
http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2013/10/we-need-a-british-bill-of-rights-so-we-can-hear-less-from-the-likes-of-keir-starmer/
Showing posts with label DPP. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DPP. Show all posts
Sunday, 13 October 2013
Thursday, 22 August 2013
Conviction Does Not Equal Reality
Tuesday 23 April 2013
Rape conviction rate at an all-time high
"CPS statistics reveal conviction rate is currently at 63% as prosecutors respond to claims too few cases appear in court
The CPS has had to defend its record in rape cases.
Conviction rates for rape and domestic violence cases have risen to an all time high, the director of public prosecutions (DPP) has revealed, amid criticism that too few cases are being brought to court.
Figures released by the Crown Prosecution Service show that the conviction rate for rape prosecutions has increased to the highest on record, from 58% in 2007/8 to 63% in 2012/13. The CPS figures on rape are expressed as a percentage of cases where charges were brought and "flagged" as involving rape. In raw figures, there were 3,692 prosecutions for rape last year, resulting in 2,333 convictions."
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/apr/23/rape-conviction-rate-high?CMP=twt_gu
Wednesday, 6 March 2013
Seems A Rather Fundamental Starting Point - Compulsory Polygraphs, For All Complainants, Please
6 March 2013 Last updated at 07:47
Child sex abuse: New policy for police and prosecutors
"An overhaul of how police and prosecutors in England and Wales deal with alleged sexual offences against children is expected to be announced in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal [sic].
Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer told the BBC there was an "overcautious" approach [sic] with victims [complainants].
He said the focus was too much on whether the victim [complainant] was telling the truth and not enough on the suspect.
"I am not advocating the test for prosecution should change," he said.
New guidelines for police and prosecutors will be drawn up, and a panel will review cases where alleged perpetrators were not charged.
Mr Starmer is keen the Savile case should serve as a watershed [sic] for the criminal justice system, BBC home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw said."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21673703
Child sex abuse victims [complainants] treated 'overcautiously' [indeed, we should be much tougher with them]
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21673703
Prosecutors ordered to crack down on sex abuse
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/law/article3706457.ece
The criminal justice response to child sexual abuse: time for a national consensus
http://www.cps.gov.uk/news/articles/the_criminal_justice_response_to_child_sexual_abuse_-_time_for_a_national_consensus/
CPS and ACPO call for national consensus on tackling child sexual abuse
http://www.cps.gov.uk/news/press_statements/cps_and_acpo_call_for_national_consensus_on_tackling_child_sexual_abuse/
March 6, 2013
Yewtree Unplugged
"Whoever named the Police trawling operation in the wake of the Savile allegations ’Operation Yewtree’ had a sense of humour. The Yewtree is famous for its slow growth and longevity, and its raucously attractive fruit which appeals to little birdies – but contains a deadly poisonous seed. Operation Yewtree has certainly lived up to that.
That seed was spawned yesterday. The private company ACPO – The Association of Chief Police Officers - are expected to approve a ‘National Scoping Panel’ to review complaints of sex abuse not pursued by Police or Prosecutors. ‘Not pursued by Police or Prosecutors’ could merely mean those cases which were reported to Police but not proceeded with because of lack of evidence, the unwillingness of alleged victims to give evidence in court; a nationwide ‘cold case’ review to see whether the guidelines for prosecution of today can be retrospectively applied to historic cases."
"The Home Affairs Committee in 2002 said that: ”A new genre of miscarriages of justice has arisen from the over-enthusiastic pursuit of these allegations”. That was in response to the last ‘moral outrage’ in the late 1990s when many were wrongfully convicted following allegations of historical child abuse in children’s homes and other institutions. There is a sense that the Police have become over cautious as a result, and a new approach is required.
Let that approach be uncontrovertibly professional and discrete; no more TV parading of victims half disguised in the shadows, no more media scoops; no more self appointed experts."
http://www.annaraccoon.com/annas-personal-stuff/yewtree-unplugged/
06 Mar 2013
‘The criminal justice response to child sexual abuse; time for a national consensus’
"Mr Starmer added: “If the criteria for testing their credibility match the characteristics that make them vulnerable [sic] in the first place, we have a fundamental flaw in the approach to credibility.
“This has to change. But to over steer and remove any meaningful filter in these cases would be a great injustice to innocent suspects. My own view is that by changing the focus from one that is solely victim [complainant]-specific to one that more critically tests the suspect as well, while at the same time working harder to explore patterns of behaviour and, where appropriate, links to other cases, we could find an answer."
http://www.acpo.presscentre.com/Press-Releases/-The-criminal-justice-response-to-child-sexual-abuse-time-for-a-national-consensus-1fc.aspx
Wednesday, 6 March, 2013
If cardinal sinners and lordly lotharios float your boat…
"What does it all mean? One obvious and grim interpretation is that victim feminism is more virulent than ever, driving zero tolerance of male transgressions (if that’s what they are) to ever more demented extremes. The good news, perhaps, is that the Lib Dems survived the crisis. Maybe the electorate as a whole doesn’t really give a damn about precisely where His Lordship’s hand was placed, or whether he “inappropriately” suggested going back to his place for a bit of hanky panky, or rumpy pumpy, or whatever words lordly lotharios use for these things. Not that I am advocating “sexual harassment” here. Just a sane sense of proportion. The thought that many voters out there have not abandoned such a sense of proportion is perhaps worth hanging onto. Or is that a case of a drowning man clutching at straws in the midst of all the tsunamis!"
http://tomocarroll.wordpress.com/2013/03/06/if-cardinal-sinners-and-lordly-lotharios-float-your-boat/
Published: 9 hrs ago
Abuse cases review to stop Savile No2 [sic]
"Ex-cop Mark Williams-Thomas, who exposed the DJ, said a new approach is needed and that authorities failed [at what, Mark?] with Savile. He added: “We need to change how police view victims [complainants, Mark] when they come forward.” [a rare moment of honest lucidity, from you, Mark]
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4828417/Hundreds-of-dropped-child-abuse-cases-may-be-reopened-to-stop-more-paedos-like-Jimmy-Savile-escaping-justice.html
Specialist Met unit in London to tackle gang-led child sex abuse [another?]
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/mar/06/specialist-met-gang-child-abuse
*****
"We've asked too much of victims", says England's top prosecutor
http://www.trust.org/item/20130729153930-rsmvk/?source=gep&google_editors_picks=true
Child sex abuse: New policy for police and prosecutors
"An overhaul of how police and prosecutors in England and Wales deal with alleged sexual offences against children is expected to be announced in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal [sic].
Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer told the BBC there was an "overcautious" approach [sic] with victims [complainants].
He said the focus was too much on whether the victim [complainant] was telling the truth and not enough on the suspect.
"I am not advocating the test for prosecution should change," he said.
New guidelines for police and prosecutors will be drawn up, and a panel will review cases where alleged perpetrators were not charged.
Mr Starmer is keen the Savile case should serve as a watershed [sic] for the criminal justice system, BBC home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw said."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21673703
Child sex abuse victims [complainants] treated 'overcautiously' [indeed, we should be much tougher with them]
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21673703
Prosecutors ordered to crack down on sex abuse
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/law/article3706457.ece
The criminal justice response to child sexual abuse: time for a national consensus
http://www.cps.gov.uk/news/articles/the_criminal_justice_response_to_child_sexual_abuse_-_time_for_a_national_consensus/
CPS and ACPO call for national consensus on tackling child sexual abuse
http://www.cps.gov.uk/news/press_statements/cps_and_acpo_call_for_national_consensus_on_tackling_child_sexual_abuse/
March 6, 2013
Yewtree Unplugged
"Whoever named the Police trawling operation in the wake of the Savile allegations ’Operation Yewtree’ had a sense of humour. The Yewtree is famous for its slow growth and longevity, and its raucously attractive fruit which appeals to little birdies – but contains a deadly poisonous seed. Operation Yewtree has certainly lived up to that.
That seed was spawned yesterday. The private company ACPO – The Association of Chief Police Officers - are expected to approve a ‘National Scoping Panel’ to review complaints of sex abuse not pursued by Police or Prosecutors. ‘Not pursued by Police or Prosecutors’ could merely mean those cases which were reported to Police but not proceeded with because of lack of evidence, the unwillingness of alleged victims to give evidence in court; a nationwide ‘cold case’ review to see whether the guidelines for prosecution of today can be retrospectively applied to historic cases."
"The Home Affairs Committee in 2002 said that: ”A new genre of miscarriages of justice has arisen from the over-enthusiastic pursuit of these allegations”. That was in response to the last ‘moral outrage’ in the late 1990s when many were wrongfully convicted following allegations of historical child abuse in children’s homes and other institutions. There is a sense that the Police have become over cautious as a result, and a new approach is required.
Let that approach be uncontrovertibly professional and discrete; no more TV parading of victims half disguised in the shadows, no more media scoops; no more self appointed experts."
http://www.annaraccoon.com/annas-personal-stuff/yewtree-unplugged/
06 Mar 2013
‘The criminal justice response to child sexual abuse; time for a national consensus’
"Mr Starmer added: “If the criteria for testing their credibility match the characteristics that make them vulnerable [sic] in the first place, we have a fundamental flaw in the approach to credibility.
“This has to change. But to over steer and remove any meaningful filter in these cases would be a great injustice to innocent suspects. My own view is that by changing the focus from one that is solely victim [complainant]-specific to one that more critically tests the suspect as well, while at the same time working harder to explore patterns of behaviour and, where appropriate, links to other cases, we could find an answer."
http://www.acpo.presscentre.com/Press-Releases/-The-criminal-justice-response-to-child-sexual-abuse-time-for-a-national-consensus-1fc.aspx
Wednesday, 6 March, 2013
If cardinal sinners and lordly lotharios float your boat…
"What does it all mean? One obvious and grim interpretation is that victim feminism is more virulent than ever, driving zero tolerance of male transgressions (if that’s what they are) to ever more demented extremes. The good news, perhaps, is that the Lib Dems survived the crisis. Maybe the electorate as a whole doesn’t really give a damn about precisely where His Lordship’s hand was placed, or whether he “inappropriately” suggested going back to his place for a bit of hanky panky, or rumpy pumpy, or whatever words lordly lotharios use for these things. Not that I am advocating “sexual harassment” here. Just a sane sense of proportion. The thought that many voters out there have not abandoned such a sense of proportion is perhaps worth hanging onto. Or is that a case of a drowning man clutching at straws in the midst of all the tsunamis!"
http://tomocarroll.wordpress.com/2013/03/06/if-cardinal-sinners-and-lordly-lotharios-float-your-boat/
Published: 9 hrs ago
Abuse cases review to stop Savile No2 [sic]
"Ex-cop Mark Williams-Thomas, who exposed the DJ, said a new approach is needed and that authorities failed [at what, Mark?] with Savile. He added: “We need to change how police view victims [complainants, Mark] when they come forward.” [a rare moment of honest lucidity, from you, Mark]
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4828417/Hundreds-of-dropped-child-abuse-cases-may-be-reopened-to-stop-more-paedos-like-Jimmy-Savile-escaping-justice.html
Specialist Met unit in London to tackle gang-led child sex abuse [another?]
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/mar/06/specialist-met-gang-child-abuse
*****
"We've asked too much of victims", says England's top prosecutor
http://www.trust.org/item/20130729153930-rsmvk/?source=gep&google_editors_picks=true
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