has your opinion of the justice system changed?

[edinashed]

We believe and have faith in our justice system? Does this apply to people on here who have been found guilty of the offences they were accused? I.e we believe posters on here(and I do because I'm in exactly the same situation), but if they are found guilty are we to assume that they had indeed committed the offence. This of course could be extended to other offences.

[Rights Fighter]

Many people assume that because the jury "heard and saw ALL of the evidence" then they cannot possibly have got it wrong.

1: The jury does not always get to see and hear ALL of the evidence.

2: Sometimes they are swayed by what is going on in the media.

3: Sometimes juries don't have half a brain cell between them.

4: Sometimes the jury find the guilty, not guilty

5: Sometimes the jury find the innocent, guilty.


There's a big building on the Strand in London. It's called the Royal Courts of Justice and inside those courts are the Courts for Criminal Appeals.

There's a big building in Birmingham called the Criminal Cases Review Commission. They will sometimes review applications for appeal if an appeal in London has been rejected.

SS and probation tend to go on a balance of probability. If somebody has made an allegation, it's probably true. SS and probation only tend to see paperwork pertaining to the prosecution, not the defence side so they come to a blinkered view.

[edinashed]

Why do juries not see all the evidence?

[Rights Fighter]

Crown will argue that some evidence should not go to he jury (such as previous allegations that didn't result in a conviction) and defence will argue that previous similar type convictions should not go to the jury.

It's up to the judge as to whether that evidence will go in and can be a ground to appeal if it is allowed in when it should not have been. Also, conversely, evidence not allowed in that should have been, can result in a ground of appeal, too.

One trial I attended, the mother was heard at the end of the ABE tape saying to her young daughter "You've f***ed up now I won't get my injunction". OIC wrote on the transcript that she did not believe the allegations were true. The officer's comment was not allowed in as it was "opinion".

The prosecuting barrister then wanted the mother's opinion put in: "when I confronted him with the allegations the look on his face said "oh my God, I've been rumbled". That was the mother's "opinion" so not allowed in. Pros barrister accused the judge of "punishing the prosecution" for not allowing that to go in!!!!

Tell me, how does that look, "Oh my God I've been rumbled", go??? ?????

[edinashed]

Would the fact that a victim had made similar allegations be looked at as a matter of roroutine? Or would the police or cps look into that if the issue was raised.

What kind of scrutiny is a "victim/witness" subject to prior to a decision about charginG. Sorry I'm going off topic but a few things that prove my accusers dishonest nature have just sprung to mind. E.g my accuser claimed to have miscarried which I later found to be false, would that be looked into by way of medical records.

[changethelaw]

My opinion of the law has changed since my son was FA.

There were 6 police officers sent to arrest him (despite the woman being soo drunk when she appeared at the police station about 2am to report him that the cops wouldn't take her statement).

My son called the station 5 days later to ask if she had given her statement and was told she was due in to give it that day. Still don't know if she ever did as my son was NFA'd before he was due to answer bail. However he was treated to the full testing and they took his phone off him which he now has to go and collect.

I have to say that my son said the police were very good to him. He thinks it was because they knew he was innocent but obviously couldn't say that to him.

I am astounded that her name is protected but if any journalist had picked up on it, my son's name would have been printed without the police even investigating anything at that stage....oh and on the word of someone too drunk to give a statement. I should add that the night she reported to the cops, wasn't the night she said my son had done it.

I think the time of bail should be shorter and I feel so sorry for those on here who keep being bailed time and again for months and months.

Xx

[edinashed]

I agree about bail times but it is beneficial to those who have in fact being raped and those have being falsely accused that investigations are thorough, although it is very traumatic waiting. I was giving a hand out when I was first bailed with a list of independent organisations who can offer emotional support to people arrested for sexual offences.

[changethelaw]

I would love to see more convictions for perverting the course of justice for those found to be lying. They say they don't want that because it may put off people who have really been raped from reporting it for fear of not being believed but I don't agree. It is wrong that there are so many people falsely accused and lives ripped apart.

Xx

[edinashed]

I would love to see more convictions for perverting the course of justice for those found to be lying. They say they don't want that because it may put off people who have really been raped from reporting it for fear of not being believed but I don't agree. It is wrong that there are so many people falsely accused and lives ripped apart.

Xx

Every time a man is NFA'd the accuser is proved to be lying, surely?

[changethelaw]

Every time a man is NFA'd the accuser is proved to be lying, surely?

No I didn't say that. Please read my post again. I said that I would love to see more convictions FOR THOSE FOUND TO BE LYING. Rape is a heinous crime but to be falsely accuse of this is also disgusting. Where the poluce/CPS believe there is enough evidence, the false accuser should be prosecuted.

Xx

[Rights Fighter]

I agree about bail times but it is beneficial to those who have in fact being raped and those have being falsely accused that investigations are thorough, although it is very traumatic waiting. I was giving a hand out when I was first bailed with a list of independent organisations who can offer emotional support to people arrested for sexual offences.

Really? Which organisation are they then?

[Rights Fighter]

Every time a man is NFA'd the accuser is proved to be lying, surely?

No. Cases can be dropped for a variety of reasons. Some innocent people are charged and some guilty people are NFA'd

[edinashed]

I dunno, it's not as black and white as that is it. Where mental health issues contributed to the FA or if the the same FA was a single mother of young children would you still support charges being brought? I'm not sure I would I.e I'm not sure I would cooperate with any investigation of the fa.

[edinashed]

Really? Which organisation are they then?

The samarifans obviously, I'll see if I can find the hand out, give me a few minutes.

[edinashed]

Really? Which organisation are they then?

I've just being having a look but couldn't find it, but it was simply a single sided a4 sheet saying words to the effect of being accused of rape can be a difficult time and had names, websites and sone phone numbers of some organisations that offered support. Samaritans was obviously one such organisation.