Victims’ commissioner makes formal complaint after committee session left one attender ‘shocked, upset and extremely distressed’
Victims of rape and sexual violence have told parliamentarians they felt anxious and distressed during a Westminster evidence session, with one stating that witnessing “pugnacious” questioning had resulted in her “breaking down, sobbing and struggling to breathe”.
The victims’ commissioner has made a formal complaint to the chair of an influential group of MPs after a highly charged evidence session carried out by the public bill committee for the courts and tribunals bill about controversial changes to jury trials.
Claire Waxman told MPs she could not “in good conscience, encourage victim-survivors to participate in evidence sessions conducted in a manner that may expose them to retraumatisation or emotional harm”. The letter, sent by the victims’ commissioner office chief executive, Susannah Hancock, said that the committee chair, John Hayes, failed to “prevent the tone from escalating” with exchanges becoming “unnecessarily adversarial”.
Article continues at https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/apr/21/victims-of-sexual-violence-distressed-by-mps-pugnacious-questioning