Episode 7 of Criminal Justice in Action: Rape on Trial sees us back in Crown Court for the conclusion of Dean’s trial for rape and sexual assault. Another example what we’re told is the wrong kind of rape and the wrong kind of victim. The kind of case the mainstream says shouldn’t succeed: an intimate partner relationship rape; one person’s word against another’s; no corroborating evidence; no forensic evidence; no witnesses; and the toughest cross-examination of a rape complainant we have seen so far with Anya painted as the angry and vengeful ex-partner and accused of making false allegations both now and in the past.
As the trial now reaches its final stages, we hear defence counsel's closing speech and judge's directions and route to verdict before the jury deliberates on its verdict.
The conclusion of Dean's case marks a turning point in the season, raising questions about what the rape trials we have seen so far might reveal about rape myths, evidence and proof, courtroom advocacy, and attrition in the criminal justice process more broadly.
","author_name":"Dr Candida Saunders "}