JUDGE ROBERT BROWN ORDERED THE JURY TO RETURN A NON-GUILTY VERDICT IN THE CASE OF A WOMAN WHO ALLEGED THAT SHE WAS THE VICTIM OF GANG RAPE. THE JUDGE FOUND THAT HER CREDIBILITY HAD BEEN “SHOT TO PIECES” SINCE SHE HAD PREVIOUSLY HAD A CONVERSATION ON MSN WHERE SHE HAD SPOKEN OF HER SEXUAL FANTASIES.

Judge: Robert Brown

Date: 12th January 2010

Five men were cleared of charges of rape and, another one of conspiracy to rape when a jury were instructed by the judge to return not-guilty verdicts.

The case concerned allegations made by a 24-year-old women from Liverpool. After making contact with the accused, on the internet she agreed to meet with him in order to have sex. She alleged, however, that when she arrived to the house she was gang raped by several other men, including the defendant. The prosecutor decided not to provide any further evidence in the trial after it emerged that she had had conversations on MSN with the man she went to visit regarding a group sex fantasy. The prosecutor told the court that the chatlogs in which she is prepared to entertain ideas of group sex with strangers paints “a wholly different light as far as this case is concerned. We take the view that it would not be appropriate to offer any evidence.”
The judge then ordered to return the non-guilty verdicts stating: “this case depended on the complainant´s credibility. Not to put too fine a point on it, her credibility was shot to pieces”. The case was thus closed without allowing the jury to consider the testimony of the woman.

Press articles can be found here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/manchester/8455161.stm
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/6982555/Men-cleared-of-rape...