Northern Ireland

Evidence in serious sexual offences cases to be heard outside court as part of reforms

Sir John Gillen holds a copy of the Gillen Review Report into the law and procedures in serious sexual offences in Northern Ireland. Picture by Liam McBurney/PA Wire
Sir John Gillen holds a copy of the Gillen Review Report into the law and procedures in serious sexual offences in Northern Ireland. Picture by Liam McBurney/PA Wire Sir John Gillen holds a copy of the Gillen Review Report into the law and procedures in serious sexual offences in Northern Ireland. Picture by Liam McBurney/PA Wire

A 'Remote Evidence Centre' will be established in Belfast this year where vulnerable complainants in serious sexual offences cases can give testimony without having to attend court.

The long-awaited move will come a year after Sir John Gillen made 253 recommendations in a report into how the justice system deals with such cases.

The retired judge - who carried out the review following the high-profile trial of former Ulster Rugby players Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding, who were acquitted of rape charges in 2018 - had said last May that improvements could come within "weeks and months".

Sir John pointed out that 75 per cent of the changes do not require legislation.

Justice minister Naomi Long indicated that Remote Evidence Centres will be finally be brought in "later this year".

However, the current commitment is only for one in Belfast in 2020, with "other locations thereafter".

The centre will "allow vulnerable complainants to give evidence without having to appear in court; providing complainants with legal advice and representation pre-trial to ensure complainants are better supported and have a voice from the outset".

Mrs Long said the "first phase" of implementation will include "the appointment of additional case progression officers in the PPS and PSNI" and "consideration of how best to take forward and pilot pre-recorded cross examination" - although the latter will not be in place before 2021.

It would see evidence given ahead of trials and proposed reform of the `committal process' is to take place later this year to ensure people only have to give oral evidence in court once.

The department is also to undertake "scoping work" for providing more support for young victims and witnesses, potentially bringing in the Barnahus model which offers forensic interviews, medical examinations and access to therapeutic services in one place.

The minister said the department wants "to prioritise those areas which can have the greatest impact on complainants going through that system in the first phase of implementation".

A dedicated `implementation team' has been established in the department to co-ordinate the actions as they agreed by the Criminal Justice Board, but Mrs Long warned that "implementation will take time".

"No one section of the justice system can resolve the issues raised in the report alone.

"Neither can the justice system on its own change how we as a society in Northern Ireland deal with issues of sexual violence in our communities.

"Actions on issues such as education around consent and rape myths can only be addressed by working together across the statutory and voluntary sectors."

The report was discussed at a Victim Support NI conference `Gillen: where are we now?', at which Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Herron admitted "we need a holistic overhaul of how sexual offences are dealt with".

He pledged to work with police to "more closely to establish what is considered relevant material to minimise unnecessary intrusion to a victim's right to privacy".