witness in sex abuse trial commits suicide after grilling by female QC

[BobbiFleckmann]

the violin teacher who was the unwilling prosecution witness against the two Chethams Music School teachers killed herself in the middle of the trial. She told her friend she felt like she'd been raped again after the female defence QC accused her of lying in her evidence. Very, very sad.
My cynical view is that defendants in sex cases go for female barristers because they think it'll give them a veneer of innocence /respectability. I know the woman was "just doing her job" but I'd sure like to hear her views on methods of cross examination in sex abuse trials.

It's all bollocks. If she starts some vendetta against the investigating officer she'll end up in serious legal trouble herself, I suspect. Horribly stressful for the person trying to do her job too, mind.

I thought many of those convictions were guilty pleas? My understanding is the conviction rate at actual trial is about 17%?

I be really really really happy to be wrong about that

I know that by speaking out loud on here that I am open to well this.

However after nearly a year of this rubbish I need a voice.

If you have ever had your children interviewed by social services on there own with nobody they know present and a police officer saying not asking questions to you but saying horrid thing to you to try and convince you

(a) the accuser is telling the truth and

(b) you have also been abused in some way????

8 charges are not so many when the charges are spree out back to back over a 6 year period, apart from the last two. This is in order to get at least one charge dated right. To start with they were each over lapping over a 2 year period. A judge told cps this was mad, so they changed the time periods.These are charges that know span between when she was 8-14 years old. I can go for someone of 8 not being able to tell you the age/year they where abused but a 12/13/14 year old.

Not a date but a year. Surely you would be able to tell the police within a two year period?

This case like many other is stuck in a new all cases must know be tried system. Two years ago the facts would have stopped the cps going to court. Now Cameron says all must go before a court.

As for comp She is planning to sue privately why else go after someone you claim has molested you rather than the person you have claimed did far worse (not in any relation to this case separate allegation back in the day when I was friends with the accuser).

My relate has money her other alleged abusers have not, simple.

Only one thing worse than a child abuser. The scum that pretends they have been abused.

If I where all of you in the current press/political climite I would be thinking "There before the grace of god go I"

Forget where but I think I read it was Germany.

When they stopped compensation except for legal, medical or therapy. The reported cases of historical abuse went down by 70%.

True cases should be tried and hanging is to good for the guilty. Hung, drawn and quatered maybe.....

But cases should be investigated properly and common sense applied. Not a system that says people should go to court for a judge/jury to decide. The strain, stigma, mental health and money side of a year waiting to go to court are appalling.

It is interesting to me that all the anger has focused on the QC. I know she carried out the cross-examination, but let us not forget she did so on the instructions of her client, the lying abusing bastard. HE told her it was all untrue, HE wanted to test the witness to the maximum extent possible to see if she would crumble and he could get off, HE persisted in those instructions throughout the witness's ordeal.

And in all offences against the person which are one person's word against another's with little other evidence, a full-on confrontation accusing the victim of lying is going to be a central plank of the defence. How could it be otherwise?

Finally, while I have no desire to be unkind to you personally wonderwoman2012, I think your statements on this thread have been misguided, over-simplified shite. Truly. And please don't extrapolate from your one experience to tell the rest of us what to think about abuse complaints and the people who make them.

Fair enough

Will duck out without another word, just wanted some of the no smoke without fire people to stop and think for a second.

Not the best taste forum to be on anyway.

Unlike the case of this poor women witness statements are not the only defense evidence in my example. All these cases are different and should be viewed on there own evidence.

I know in the case where I was the 'victim' the assault and being in court where to much for me. The defense team barely had to speak to be. I could not articulate what happened. He was only found guilty because of medical evidence.

I am going to other forums to find some legal opinions and public opinions as interesting to find out the way a jury may think.

wonderwoman witnesses are not supposed to discuss ongoing cases with each other - even husband and wives - so you have jeaporaised the cAse for the defence already

bollox do all new cases have to be prosecuted the guidance for cps prosecution is freely av. online

there is again in your case no fair trial for the victim because the defence witnesses are clearly colluding together - this wouldn't be necessary if the defendant had nothing to hide

based on what you have posted here you should be found guilty of conspiring to pervert the course of justice

oh and all you have made me think is with people like you in the world no wonder few victims come forward

"I can go for someone of 8 not being able to tell you the age/year they where abused but a 12/13/14 year old."
experienced prosecutors of my acquaintance tell me different. I'm afraid the sad truth is that for youg people who have been subjected to abuse day after day for years on end things often get a bit jumbled. Prosecutors have to select sample charges from different time periods to ensure the course of offending is properly reflected 0 the criminality cannot be charged "en masse".
Far from being some kind of cospiracy, such practices are designed to ensure a fair trial; they ensure the defendant understands, as clearly as possible, what he is being asked to account for.
the CPS and police have not regarded such difficulties, which are inherent in hostoric cases, as a bar to charge or prosecution, for some considerable time; certainly since I qualified, which is 15 years' ago. I, for one, am jolly glad about that.As for the point about civil action, perhaps you could explain to me what the point of suing people with no money would be.

I was aged between three and twelve, I struggled with some of the years what happened when, I can still only define which house it happened in and I moved when I 10, that's between 5-7 years of mixed memories and dates. 8 charges, one per year they believe he abused me, it is a lot, 3 attempted rapes plea bargained away.

Stop minimising the victims memories, it's not so fucking easy to remember everything in date order, you mind doesn't want you too, mine was ten years down the line ad I still couldn't do it even now I've processed it all.

You really are a piece of work and I really hope you get more opinions somewhere else and drop yourself right in it.

ratbag the people who know about this stuff and deal with it know that people cannot be expected to remeber dates and details when they are talking about abuse they suffered as children and they fight hard to frame the case in the best possible way. Only an idiot or someone with an agenda would think otherwise. I take my hat off to you for having the courage to go through the process and I'm glad you were vindicated.

Thanks Karlos, it's not often a poster really infuriates me, but hate it when some manage it. :)