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Lizzie Dearden Profile picture
@lizziedearden
Dec 30, 2019 • 10 tweets • 4 min read • Read on X
I'm seeing a lot of people tweeting about the Cyprus case expressing shock that the woman was questioned for hours without a lawyer present

This also happens in the UK, where there is no obligation for rape complainants to have legal support or advice during interviews
Bonny Turner, who waived her anonymity, was questioned for five hours at a City of London Police station without food or a break

At the end, she was told to sign a witness statement that contained inaccuracies and impacted the CPS decision not to charge
independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/…
Rape complainants can be asked to hand over phones and sign 'Stafford statements' giving blanket access to their personal records during these interviews

The historic position has been that they don't need legal representation because police are acting in interests of justice
...but complainants are frequently distressed by questioning, drained, suffering trauma or still in shock, and are not fully aware of the implications of their decisions

Most agree to demands and those who do not are told the case may not proceed

independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/…
Early last year, police and prosecutors were denying that mobile phones were being demanded as a matter of course

But they have since formalised that very process with controversial permission forms that aim to improve information and consent

independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/…
The treatment of victims is one of the factors driving the fall in rape prosecution rates to just 1.4%

Research by the @LDNVictimsComm suggested that tens of thousands of rape cases have been dropped by victims because investigations are worsening trauma

independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/…
@LDNVictimsComm For those cases that proceed, apparent inconsistencies that can arise through the way complainants are interviewed can torpedo chances of the CPS charging at a later date

Advocates have been calling for a victims' law to make minimum standards of support mandatory for all crimes
@LDNVictimsComm The Cyprus case is horrific, but it would be a mistake to think that the treatment of rape complainants is a foreign issue

Many Brits commenting on #Ibelieveher would be shocked at the situation closer to home
@LDNVictimsComm Here are the latest statistics from England and Wales

independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/…
@LDNVictimsComm I expanded on this thread in this article, which includes comments from rape victims who told me about their experiences with British police

“As a victim, you are the one under suspicion. You are the one who has to prove your good character.”

independent.co.uk/independentpre…

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More from @lizziedearden

Lizzie Dearden Profile picture
May 29
The government has responded to this High Court order, stating that it "does not intend to carry out enforced removals to Rwanda before the General Election on 4 July 2024"

The FDA's legal challenge against the Safety of Rwanda Act is going ahead on 6 June
The government missed its initial Friday deadline for responding to the order, claiming it was “unable” to state the earliest date for removals and was given an extension until Tuesday

Another order had to be made on that yesterday, pretty chaotic Image
This is the new order Image
Read 4 tweets
Lizzie Dearden Profile picture
May 28
Oh wow. In a rare move, the High Court has issued an order for the government to formally inform it of "the earliest date on which the Government intend to begin removals to Rwanda"

Because Rishi Sunak's media statement on Thursdsy directly contradicted its own legal arguments Image
This is the legal challenge against the Safety of Rwanda guidance for civil servants, brought by the FDA union

The government was reprimanded by the High Court on 10 May for messing it about with dates, which affected how the case was scheduled
The government originally wrote to the High Court claiming “the earliest a removal is expected to take place is 1 to 15 July 2024”, but then wrote again saying the date was based on 22 April Sunak press conference and 10 to 12 weeks was actually the "week
commencing 24 June"
Read 6 tweets
Lizzie Dearden Profile picture
May 17
New: The Home Office has already started freeing people it detained for Rwanda flights

It will not confirm how many asylum seekers have so far been granted immigration bail but applications were expected. It plans to keep detaining more people to fill allocated detention space
It is responding to individual legal challenges against detention as they come, which can be based on someone's individual vulnerabilities or an argument they will not be deported in a "reasonable period"

The applications are handled by independent judges rather than Home Office
The detention operation - codenamed Operation Vector - only started a couple of weeks ago, and Rwanda flights are still at least 7 weeks away according to the government's own timetable

Many more bail applications will be lodged in that time
Read 4 tweets
Lizzie Dearden Profile picture
Apr 22
A late addition:

On appeals against being sent to Rwanda, the PM claimed: "The judiciary have made available 25 courtrooms and identified 150 judges who could provide over 5,000 sitting days"

A judicial spokesman said: "The deployment of judges is a matter for the judiciary..."
"...in line with new provisions in the Illegal Migration Act, the judiciary have identified a number of First Tier Tribunal judges who may be asked to sit in the Upper Tribunal to deal with any increase in appeals"

But decisions will be made by the Senior President of Tribunals
And take into "account the interests of justice and the need for all matters before the Tribunals to be handled quickly and efficiently"

Any decision on temporary deployment is for the judiciary, not the government, and there are already massive backlogs
inews.co.uk/news/politics/…
Read 4 tweets
Lizzie Dearden Profile picture
Apr 22
Follow this thread for a fact-checked watch-along of prime minister Rishi Sunak's press conference on the Rwanda scheme Image
Wow he's going fast, I'll do my best

1. "We're going to deliver this indispensable deterrent so that we finally break the business model of the criminal gangs"

The Rwanda scheme required a rare ministerial direction because there is no evidence it will deter Channel crossings
2. "We've prepared for this moment to detain people while we prepare to remove them. We've increased detention spaces to 2,200 to quickly process claims"

By the end of December, 1,782 immigration detention centres were full, because they are needed for many other purposes Image
Read 11 tweets
Lizzie Dearden Profile picture
Mar 9
Exclusive: The Home Office has been quietly rolling out a multi-million IT system that was supposed to "automate" asylum, citizenship and visa cases

It's now causing chaos, with errors, bugs and delays leaving staff "sobbing" while applicants suffer
inews.co.uk/news/politics/…
At least £71m has so far been spent on the Atlas digital caseworking system and spending is rising, with the Home Office admitting “significant resource is being put in place to resolve” issues

Some of the glitches have been classified as a P1 “critical” technical incidents
It has been causing delays to applications including British citizenship, skilled worker visas, asylum claims, EU settlement scheme and Homes for Ukraine, while slowing down immigration enforcement operations

Some cases get stuck, while civil servants get locked out of others
Read 5 tweets

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