Grooming victims in danger of 'reliving abuse' by giving evidence in dock
Experts including the chief executive of children's charity Barnardo's were 'shocked' by the language used by defence barristers in Oxford gang trial
"Justice experts and children's charities have expressed alarm at the "shocking" language used to describe sexually exploited young girls during the trial of a street grooming ring based in Oxford that concluded last week with the convictions of seven men.
They are calling for an urgent reform of attitudes towards victims of grooming, and expressed fears that unless the current criminal justice system is changed more young people will be in danger of "reliving their abuse" if they give evidence in court. During the four-month trial at the Old Bailey, defence teams sought to portray the victims as "naughty girls" who had lied about their ages and had consented to sex...
...The use of multiple barristers to cross-examine the girls meant their accounts sometimes varied. This was seized on by defence teams to suggest the girls were lying.
Harry Fletcher, a criminal justice expert, said the use of up to 30 defence lawyers in the case had resulted in "chaos". He warned that it was crucial to learn from the Oxford case. "There needs to be a different way of doing things," Fletcher said. "Young people will end up being revictimised if they are put through a tortuous trial and cross-examination."..."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/law/2013/may/19/oxford-grooming-gang-trial-barnardos