MPs call for sex case anonymity
Suspects in sex cases should be granted the protection of anonymity, according to an influential group of MPs.
The House of Commons Home Affairs Committee is calling for anonymity to be granted to those accused of sex crimes until they have been formally charged.
Under current laws, the complainant is entitled to anonymity, but since 1988 it has been possible to name the accused.
A number of high profile celebrities have been exposed as the subjects of police investigations in recent years. The committee referred particularly to the case of television presenter Matthew Kelly, who was investigated by police earlier this year regarding child sex abuse allegations. However, the inquiry was eventually dropped and Mr Kelly’s name cleared.
The Home Affairs Committee’s report on the Sexual Offences Bill states that the names of those accused of rape and other sexual offences should not be released unless and until charges are made.
The Bill is due for debate in the Commons next Tuesday.
The Home Office said that ‘the criminal justice system operates on a principle of openness’ and it saw no reason for giving those suspected of sexual offences anonymity, stating: ‘We do not believe there is any justification for those accused of sexual offences to be singled out for special protection while other defendants, including those accused of murder, could be identified.’
Former Conservative MP Neil Hamilton and his wife Christine have welcomed the Committee’s report. They were accused of rape by Nadine Milroy-Sloan, but the allegations were later found to be false and the Hamiltons were cleared of all charges.
Milroy-Sloan was found guilty of fabricating the incident and jailed for perverting the course of justice.
The Home Affairs Committee also recommended that having sex in public toilets should remain a criminal offence.
They called for an amendment to the Public Order Act, stating that its prohibition of ‘threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour’ should include ‘cottaging’.
The practice is currently illegal under laws on buggery and gross indecency, but the Sexual Offences Bill is seeking to repeal them.
