By Sammie Jones-
Protests in Belfast accompanied by a social media campaign demanding a change in the way rape cases are conducted have been sparked in Northern Ireland after two Rugby stars were cleared of sexual assault in a high-profile case.
At one stage, the protesters moved in front of Belfast High Court to air their grievance with a ruling they consider to have been wrong.
It follows the acquittal of Ireland rugby internationals Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding was acquitted of rape after a nine-week trial. Both men denied the allegations, but were not very impressive in the long trial. The verdict on Wednesday prompted people to take to social media using it to broadly criticize the handling of sexual assault trials and investigations.
Over 1,000 people participated in a demonstration in Belfast on Thursday after a jury’s in the case of Paddy Jackson and Stuart Holding, who was accused of raping a woman in June 2016.
After a nine-week trial at Laganside Courts in Belfast, the jury found both men not guilty and cleared their friend Blane McIlroy of indecent exposure. A fourth man, Rory Harrison, was found not guilty of perverting the course of justice and withholding information. Several members of the public have been very disappointed with the verdict, in particular women. Women’s Aid in Northern Ireland have claimed to have received calls from women who are now abandoning rape cases because of the grilling a court case can cause.
“We’ve had phone calls to our helpline from women who have decided to withdraw complaints,” chief executive officer Jan Melia told the BBC
“They do not want to go through the whole process. They do not want to be treated like that in the court or in the media.
“It was the grilling that she (the complainant) got.
“Then there was that sort of character assassination and the victim blaming – it was the whole media surrounding the case.”
Banners at the Belfast protest on Thursday expressed solidarity with the young21-year-old woman at the center of the case. Protesters tied bunches of yellow flowers and posters to railings outside the entrance to the courts.
The rally was organized by Reclaim the Night Belfast, which campaigns against gender-based violence and harassment. Organisers said the aim was to show support for victims of sexual violence and encourage them to report crimes to the police. There were also protests in Dublin, Derry, Cork, Limerick, and Galway.
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Campaigners shared the #Ibelieveher tag which has been used in the past to encourage women to come forward and report assaults.
Journalist and RTE presenter Sarah McInerney said the fact that so many people used the hashtag “gives an insight into how deeply upsetting this court case was for so many people”. She added: “If nothing else, it must surely lead to a change in how rape trials are conducted.”
A host of rallies are planned around Northern Ireland and Ireland – including one outside Belfast High Court.
Thousands of people are expected to attend the events in a show of support for alleged sexual assault victims.
Mr Jackson was also found not guilty of sexual assault and not guilty verdicts were also returned for two other men charged in connection with the incident.
In brief comments outside the court, he thanked the judge “for giving me a fair trial” and added: “Out of respect for my employers I’ve nothing further to comment.”
In a statement read by his solicitor Paul Dougan, Mr Olding said he was sorry “for the hurt that was caused to the complainant” but that he “[didn’t] agree with her perception of events, and I maintain that everything that happened that evening was consensual”.
The incident was alleged to have happened during an after-party at Jackson’s home in south Belfast on June 28, 2016.
The woman told the court she was attacked after going upstairs to retrieve a clutch bag, having decided to leave the party because the “mood changed”.
She said Jackson had followed her into the bedroom, pushed her onto the bed and raped her and that Olding walked in then forced her to perform oral sex. Much of the discontent arises from the narrow chance rape victims have in securing a conviction when there isn’t overwhelming evidence. A glance at the text messages from the complainant suggests she did not consent to the sex, but was bullied into it. The only disappointing thing is why she did not raise serious alarm before leaving the scene of the alleged rape. When a rape case concludes in this manner, the decision remains the legal position- in this case, the Ireland Rugby players being found not guilty.
The degree to which not guilty represents a legal jargon depicting the court process, or shows the acquitted defendant to be actually innocent is an important question. Women don’t just cry rape out of regretting a sexual act, although spiteful reasons for false allegations are known to have taken place in life’s long history. The impact this case will have on the confidence of the justice system is not one we may easily be able to measure.
