News
Rape Crisis Scotland: Spirit of rights set out in WF must be honoured
This morning (19th October 2018) saw the High Court of Justiciary hear a petition to the Nobile Officium against an order for the recovery of a rape complainer’s medical records.
This action, by the complainer, is an unusual one - a legal route of last resort.
Significantly, the 3 bench panel of judges found that someone has a right to appeal any decision to access their medical records.
They quashed an order from Lord Burns that ALL her medical records should be accessed by a Commissioner (a solicitor) to prepare a report for the defence.
Rape Crisis Scotland welcomes landmark judgement
First successful civil damages action for rape following a criminal trial
Rape Crisis Scotland joins the Scottish Women’s Rights Centre (SWRC) and JustRight Scotland (JRS) in welcoming today’s judgement of Sheriff Weir QC in AR v Stephen Daniel Coxen.
Ms M has succeeded in establishing in civil proceedings that she was raped when she was a student at St Andrew’s University in 2013. She took this action because she felt let down by the criminal justice system – in which a jury returned a “not proven” verdict in December 2015 - and felt she had to pursue justice herself.
New figures reveal record levels of sexual crime in Scotland
New figures released today show record levels of sexual crime
Key figures:
· Reported rape increased by 22% in 2017/18 compared to the previous year
· Reported rape & attempted rapes have increased by 99% since 2010
· In at least 40% of reported sexual offences, the complainer was under 18.
New figures released today by the Scottish Government show record levels of sexual crime being reported to the police. This includes a 22% increase in the number of rapes being reported to the police.
Funding boost to improve Rape Crisis support for survivors
We were delighted to welcome
Shirley-Anne Somerville, Cabinet Secretary for
Social Security and Older People, to the
Rape Crisis Scotland offices this morning.
The visit followed the First Minister's announcement earlier this week in the Programme for Government of an additional £1.5 million funding (over three years) for Rape Crisis Centres to help improve the support available to survivors of sexual violence.
Shirley-Anne Somerville said:
“The Scottish
Government has taken many actions to take forward our commitment to preventing
and eradicating violence against women and girls. This includes investment in prevention work,
frontline services and improvements in the justice system, as well as the
introduction of landmark legislation on domestic abuse, abusive behaviour and sexual
harm.
[Photo: Shirley-Anne Somerville with Rape Crisis Scotland Director of Operations Sandie Barton]
Doctorate honours work to end sexual violence
We are truly delighted this week to be celebrating something very special and
unusual : the conferring of
an honorary doctorate from Glasgow University on our Chief Executive Sandy
Brindley.
Sandy was nominated for this distinction by Professor Michele Burman, Head of the School of Social and Political Sciences and Professor of Criminology at the university, whose reasons for doing so are outlined in the generous and fulsome submission she made to the University Senate and gave kind permission for us to reprint below.
[Photo: Dr Sandy Brindley with Professor Michele Burman]
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