Sexual Offence Trials in Northern Ireland: The Cultural and Legal Dimensions

Eithne Dowds and Anne-Marie McAlinden, Sexual Violence on Trial (Routledge, 2021, Forthcoming)

31 Pages Posted: 16 Nov 2020

See all articles by Rachel Killean

Rachel Killean

The University of Sydney - Faculty of Law; Queen's University Belfast School of Law

Date Written: September 29, 2020

Abstract

This chapter introduces the book and the key developments in Northern Ireland that led to its inception. These include the high profile ‘Rugby Rape Trial’ and the subsequent Gillen Review into serious sexual offences in Northern Ireland which collectively stimulated public, policy and academic discussion of the key issues, challenges and reform agendas in addressing and responding to sexual violence. The objectives of the book are: to add a Northern Irish perspective to the literature on investigating and prosecuting sexual violence; to draw from comparative international and domestic contexts and alternative approaches to sexual violence, and; to provide a text that is accessible to both academic and practitioner audiences by incorporating the voices of both in the collection. The chapter explains the legal and policy framework within Northern Ireland governing serious sexual offences and provides an overview of the broader context in terms of national and international reform agendas. The chapter situates the book within wider cultural and legal discourses on sexual violence and highlights the innovative contribution of the collection to the existing literature. Finally, it introduces the chapters that make up the rest of this collection.

Suggested Citation

Killean, Rachel, Sexual Offence Trials in Northern Ireland: The Cultural and Legal Dimensions (September 29, 2020). Eithne Dowds and Anne-Marie McAlinden, Sexual Violence on Trial (Routledge, 2021, Forthcoming), Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3701736 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3701736

Rachel Killean (Contact Author)

The University of Sydney - Faculty of Law ( email )

New Law Building, F10
The University of Sydney
Sydney, NSW 2006
Australia

Queen's University Belfast School of Law ( email )

School of Law
Belfast BT7 1NN, BT7 1NN
Ireland

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