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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
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
Lizzie Dearden Profile picture
Jan 16
New: Official figures passed to the UK by the Rwandan government raise fresh issues about its capacity to process asylum seekers from the UK

It has decided just over 400 claims in 5 years, and refused three quarters of them
inews.co.uk/news/politics/…
Between 2019 and the end of November a total of 421 asylum claims were decided, and only 113 (27%) were granted

The largest number of cases considered by Rwanda in a single year was 164, in 2023. During the same period, the UK made decisions on more than 112,000 asylum cases
Any limits on Rwanda's capacity will affect the number of migrants the UK can send

The treaty says transfers must be agreed in advance, "taking into account Rwanda’s capacity to receive them & all administrative and other needs" necessary to comply with assurances on treatment
Read 4 tweets
Lizzie Dearden Profile picture
Jan 15
🚨Breaking: The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has conducted a legal assessment of the UK government's new Rwanda treaty and bill - and concludes the scheme still violates international law🚨
The government has claimed it can "address the Supreme Court's concerns" - the ruling that the Rwanda scheme was unlawful- with treaty enhancing safeguards on treatment of asylum seekers plus training and capacity building in Rwanda

The UNHCR says it hasn't fixed systemic issues Image
UNHCR also criticises plan to let asylum seekers from the UK stay in Rwanda if they're given refugee status or not - one of the key measures aimed to tackle the risk that asylum seekers may be sent directly or indirectly to countries where they're at risk (refoulement) Image
Read 6 tweets
Lizzie Dearden Profile picture
Jan 6
Revealed: The UK has lost track of thousands of migrants by removing their asylum claims from the system

But the Home Office's reliance on posted letters is causing chaos, and it is already having to reverse decisions and put cases back into the backlog
inews.co.uk/news/politics/…
The asylum withdrawal process was designed for people who no longer wanted to claim asylum, had left UK or were non-compliant

But the tactic has rocketed amid changes to make it faster and easier since Rishi Sunak’s backlog pledge, and is now being used against genuine refugees
Official stats aren't out but Home Office sources say most recent withdrawals were "implicit", meaning they were done without the consent of asylum seekers because of procedural rules

Reasons include not updating address, not attending interviews, not returning questionnaires
Read 9 tweets

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