Northern Ireland

Rugby rape trial: Two people questioned over claims the woman at centre of trial was named online

THE PPS is considering whether to prosecute two people for allegedly revealing the identity of the woman at the centre of a rape trial involving Ulster rugby players Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding.

Following complaints, police questioned the individuals accused of naming the 21-year-old woman on social media.

A police spokesman confirmed that they had been "interviewed in relation to an offence under section five of the Sexual Offences Amendment Act 1992" and two files have been sent to the Public Prosecution Service.

The law forbids the publication of the name or images of a rape complainant, who along with those in other sexual assault cases, are guaranteed the right to lifetime anonymity.

During the trial, the name of the woman who alleged rape appeared on the internet, and a photograph claimed to be of her, was also shared through online messenger services.

The police investigation "is still ongoing".

Prosecutors confirmed that they have received the files and will take a decision in coming weeks about whether there is a case to answer.

The jury in the nine-week trial unanimously found Mr Jackson and Mr Olding not guilty of raping the woman in June 2016 and their friend Blane McIlroy not guilty of one count of indecent exposure.

A fourth defendant, Rory Harrison, was found not guilty of perverting the course of justice and withholding information.

Facebook and Twitter have said they will co-operate with the PSNI for "valid investigation requests", but insisted they cannot monitor people's accounts for illegal or defamatory comments during any criminal trials.

The sites said they do not have algorithms to scan or monitor postings while a trial is ongoing.

A spokeswoman for Facebook said its automated systems can guard against illegal content such as child abuse images, but not statements about live court cases.

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