Sex crime cases: NI law change to protect privacy of suspects and victimsNorthern Ireland has become first part of the UK to bring in new laws to ensure anonymity for sex crime suspects until they are charged, as well as greater privacy for sex abuse victims in court.
The legal system was reviewed following a high-profile rape trial in 2018, involving Ulster rugby players Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding., but the trial sparked a wide public debate about how allegations of rape and sexual abuse are prosecuted and reported. From now on, people who are accused of a sexual offence in Northern Ireland cannot be named in public, unless they are charged by prosecutors.
Members of the public are also banned from attending sex crime court cases because it is believed their presence discourages victims from reporting sex abuse and participating in the legal process.