Making the justice system better for victims: what did you tell us?
Easy read summary of the main findings from the consultation on improving victims' experiences of the justice system
Anonymity for complainers in sexual offence cases
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A right to anonymity means that it is against the law to publish information that identifies the victim.
A right to anonymity helps protect victims’ privacy.
Privacy mean keeping something private – no-one else knows about it.
Information that identifies the victim includes:
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- their name or where they live
- where they work
- photographs of them
This means that it will be against the law to include this information in reports about the case, including reports:
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- in newspapers
- on TV, radio and on websites
- on social media
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There was agreement that a right to anonymity for victims in sexual offence cases was a good change.
Respondents said that:
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- the right to anonymity should start when an allegation of sexual offence is made
- it should apply to a wide range of offences, and apply to children and young people
- it is important to make sure that a person understands any decision they take to end anonymity
- anonymity should always be a person’s choice and should never be forced
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There was some disagreement about the court being able to end anonymity in individual cases.
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Some respondents said decisions about when it should end should be made on a case-by-case basis.
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Respondents could not decide about suitable penalties for people who breach anonymity.
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There was agreement that penalties would be a good thing.
Some respondents said penalties should be serious enough to help stop people breaching anonymity but also must be fair.
Contact
Email: victimsconsultation@gov.scot
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