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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
Dec 2
In July, I FOI'd the Home Office for the full breakdown of spending on the Rwanda scheme

I was refused because the government planned to publish the data in future, and today is the day. These numbers are in millions

gov.uk/government/pub…Image
Of the £715m spent, which does not include wider costs to the asylum system include decisions slowing and hotels rocketing:

💷£270m was to Rwanda's Economic Transformation and Integration Fund (unrelated to people being sent) and £20m was for operational spending by Rwanda
💷£95m was went on "investment to optimise capacity within the existing detention estate" and "options to increase detention capacity",which I first reported last November

There wasn't enough room to hold asylum seekers the Tories wanted to send to Rwanda
inews.co.uk/news/politics/…
Read 6 tweets
Lizzie Dearden Profile picture
Oct 29
This is unbelievably lazy and dangerous, especially from a former solicitor running to lead the Conservative Party

Robert Jenrick gets the charges wrong then launches into "cover-up" dogwhistle while surely knowing how the law limits what information can be released before trial
"The Southport attack hit me personally," Jenrick claims. But somehow there's no mention of the actual victims or their families

Keir Starmer is unlikely to be able to directly respond to this in any depth for obvious legal and ethical reasons, which Jenrick probably knows
Merseyside Police saw this sort of thing coming and issued a direct plea today. Have Jenrick and other politicians read it and chosen to ignore it, or just not bothered?

"We all need to do the right thing by [victims and families] to ensure the justice process is not prejudiced” Image
Read 5 tweets
Lizzie Dearden Profile picture
Oct 25
Breaking: A neo-Nazi has been convicted of attempting to murder an asylum seeker at a hotel in Worcester in April

Callum Parslow launched his terror attack while on bail for targeting a black woman with racist and sexual messages online. His victim survived Image
Parslow's trial began at Leicester Crown Court on 7 October but the media has been unable to publish anything until now because of reporting restrictions

They were imposed until the outcome of a second trial he faced for other offences, but he just changed his plea to guilty
Parslow admitted sending sexual and racist messages online in July and August last year, which he previously denied

He was arrested in December 2023 but freed on bail and committed the terror attack on 2 April

He is expected to be sentenced in December at Woolwich Crown Court
Read 4 tweets
Lizzie Dearden Profile picture
Jul 30
Because of the misinformation about the horrific attack in Southport, I am going to use this thread to give factual information on how mass stabbings are investigated and what the involvement of counter-terrorism police means

These are general processes not specific to this case
In cases of all kinds, police are banned from identifying suspects who have been arrested until they are charged with an offence

If the suspect is under18, they have automatic anonymity. It lifts when they turn 18, unless further restrictions made, or when a judge orders it
Counter-terrorism police involvement in an investigation does not mean that the incident is terrorism, and they have been involved in many cases that were not e.g. the Nottingham stabbings

They are often drawn in following murders or mass killings where the motive is uncertain
Read 11 tweets
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

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