FOR nearly two years Liam Allan stood accused of a crime he did not commit. The student was arrested for rape in January 2016 and build on trial in November final year. It took just three days for the judge to quash the charges. Text messages which proved consent,and Mr Allan’s innocence, came to light only when his defence lawyer inquired approximately them. Police had missed the messages when examining the complainant’s phone.
Such blunders are not rare. Three similar botched cases have recently made headlines and led many to question whether there is a problem with how prosecutors and police disclose evidence. On January 26th the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it would review all ongoing rape and sexual-assault cases, or to check that more mistakes had not been made.
The system is designed to ensure that evidence reaches defence lawyers. Police examine the material gathered in an investigation and make a list of anything relevant to the case. That is passed to prosecutors,who probe any gaps, such as lost social-media records....
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Source: economist.com