Rape anonymity
I have just read on the BBC news site that the Government has abandoned it's pledge to grant anonymity for men accused of rape. This was always a controversial proposal and I was very surprised when it was included within the coalition agreement as it was always something that would attract little vocal support from the public and was always going to come in from intense criticism by a number of women's groups. Personally, I think that rape is one of the few offences where an accused's identity should be protected. Not because the identity of the complainant is protected, but because there are real cases every year where either a completely false allegation is made or where the wrong person is identified, accused and subsequently cleared of the offence. Being falsely accused of rape, or indeed any sexual offence, is a stigma that sticks to the accused even after their innocence has been proven. Anybody who pays attention to the newspapers and press cannot ...