An important move as the Information Commissioner’s Office steps in to examine the extent to which the mobile telephone records of complainants in rape cases are being obtained by police investigators.
For me, the new DPP is spot on, as he is quoted in an article in the Independent :
Max Hill QC said the right to a fair trial must be balanced against the “unnecessary and unjustified invasion” of complainants’ private lives, which may be used to undermine them in court. “We are very clear that seeking to examine the mobile telephones of complainants and witnesses is not something that should be pursued as a matter of course in every case,” he added. “It is crucial that only the reasonable lines of inquiry are pursued, to avoid unnecessary intrusion into a complainant’s personal life.”
Read the full article here.
