Call for men accused of rape to be anonymous

Story here. Excerpt:

'Men accused of rape should have their identities kept secret, according to a leading lawyer in Jersey.

Currently the victim of any sexual crime is kept anonymous, but the identity of the accused is revealed.

This has led to cases nationally and locally where men who were later proved innocent in court were victimised by members of the public.

The alleged victim's identity is protected by law, mainly so that the victim feels confident in giving evidence.

But if it is a false allegation, labelling an innocent man a rapist can have a detrimental effect on his life.

Hazel Jury, from Victim Support, explained: "We'd like to make it as easy as possible for people to come forward with that allegation, but obviously on the other hand if it proves to be a false allegation - and that does happen from time to time - that in itself is very unjust and can have a devastating effect on that person's life, anyone who's been accused of anything that can be unjust and unfair it will resonate with them."'