andrewducker (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
andrewducker) wrote2018-10-16 12:00 pm
andrewducker) wrote2018-10-16 12:00 pm
Entry tags:
- abuse,
- airplanes,
- aynrand,
- babies,
- borders,
- bullying,
- children,
- china,
- conservatives,
- doom,
- drwho,
- electricity,
- europe,
- facebook,
- fail,
- funny,
- games,
- genetics,
- genocide,
- history,
- india,
- inequality,
- insects,
- intelligence,
- ireland,
- law,
- links,
- myanmar,
- northernireland,
- ohforfuckssake,
- pakistan,
- politics,
- polls,
- psychology,
- racism,
- rape,
- religion,
- renewables,
- scotland,
- security,
- terrifying,
- thought,
- trade,
- uk,
- video,
- violence,
- windpower,
- work
Interesting Links for 16-10-2018
- David Davis lined up as interim prime minister
- (tags: Conservatives doom )
- Victim slams not proven criminal rape case as a disgrace
- (tags: rape scotland law )
- Reminder that when Brexiteers talk about "a border in the Irish Sea" they are not telling the truth
- (tags: uk europe NorthernIreland ireland trade borders )
- Rockstar chews up employees, spits them out.
- (tags: games work OhForFucksSake )
- Boris Johnson negotiates like a toddler
- (tags: babies psychology politics )
- This is what happens when you take Ayn Rand seriously (bankruptcy and destruction)
- (tags: doom AynRand )
- The shocking abuse allegations uncovered by the Commons bullying inquiry
- (tags: bullying abuse politics uk )
- MI5 believed black people posed security risk
- (tags: UK history racism )
- New Brexit negotiation strategy revealed.Stage 1 - find minotaur (o.n.o.)…
- (tags: UK europe funny )
- I never, ever, want to be on a plane that does this
- (tags: video terrifying airplanes )
- Shetland set to lose 20 churches
- (tags: religion scotland )
- Scottish Power to use 100% wind power after Drax sale
- (tags: electricity renewables Scotland windpower )
- Doctor Who series 11: partition of India to be key part of episode 6 Demon of the Punjab
- (tags: drwho history India pakistan )
- The perils of polls about new parties
- (tags: polls politics uk )
- China cracks down on religion, crosses burned at Christian churches
- (tags: OhForFucksSake China religion )
- Bans on smacking children linked to lower violence among teens
- (tags: violence children )
- Explaining intrusive thoughts
- (tags: psychology thought )
- Myanmar's military turned Facebook into a tool for genocide
- (tags: genocide Myanmar facebook OhForFucksSake )
- Hyperalarming study shows massive insect loss
- (tags: insects doom )
- Facebook says millions of users had phone numbers, search history and location data stolen
- (tags: facebook security fail )
- Least gifted children of wealthy parents graduate from college at higher rates than most-gifted from low-income families
- (tags: genetics Intelligence inequality )
Not Proven verdict
I was on a jury recently at the High Court in Edinburgh in a case about rape among other things. We ended up acquitting the defendant in the actual rape charges but we brought back "not proven" verdicts in several sexual assault charges.
The accusers in the sexual assault charges were credible in the witness box but they weren't credible enough to convict according to the rules of evidence. The Crown relied on a series of interlocking and supporting statements of evidence from several people and there was a relationship problem with one of them which meant we couldn't in all honesty convict the person on any of those charges.
My personal opinion was that the person was guilty of the sexual offences charges but that didn't count, not in court. The "not proven" verdict meant they walked free but it showed the jury's belief that there was something to the charges.
As an aside the rape charges fell apart as soon as we heard all the evidence. Day 1 we were ready to lock them up and throw away the key. By day 5 none of the fifteen people in the jury room thought the rape charges were credible, and that's after being exposed to the defence's testimony which did not make the defendant look good at all.
Re: Not Proven verdict
"When there is not enough evidence to convict but the words "Not Guilty" stick in your throat" is I think the appropriate dictum from the leading case.