Rape victims to be protected from ‘serial liar’ claim in court

Rape victims will no longer be depicted as serial liars in courtrooms in England and Wales as part of the biggest shakeup "in a generation", the Guardian can reveal.

- Alexandra Topping

New measures will stop the "profound injustice" of victims being questioned, sometimes without warning, about past rapes that they have reported to the police, said David Lammy, the justice secretary.

Lammy said too many rape victims left the criminal justice system feeling like they had been put on trial, with defence barristers using sensitive details of past relationships and abuse to discredit them.

He said: "That is a profound injustice, and it has driven far too many women and girls out of the justice system altogether. This must stop, and our new reforms will ensure that survivors are not demonised for the abuse they have suffered."

Under new laws, "bad character" evidence related to a victim's past sexual history or abuse will no longer be allowed, unless lawyers have evidence to suggest a complainant has previously lied.

The changes will also make it easier for prosecuting barristers to introduce "bad character" evidence about defendants in domestic abuse cases.