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Durham E-Theses Durham E-Theses Rape and the Civil Law: An Alternative Route to Justice GODDEN, NICOLA,MAY How to cite: GODDEN, NICOLA,MAY (2009) Rape and the Civil Law: An Alternative Route to Justice, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/252/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk CONTENTS STATUTE LIST ...................................................................................................................................................iv CASE LIST ............................................................................................................................................................. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................................. viii 1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Rape: The Legal Context ............................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Chapter Outlines ............................................................................................................................ 3 PART 1: RAPE AND THE CRIMINAL LAW ................................................................................................ 7 2. CONCEPTIONS AND DEFINITIONS OF RAPE ................................................................................... 8 2.1 Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 8 2.2 Violence or Sex? ............................................................................................................................. 8 2.3 Sex without Consent.................................................................................................................. 11 2.4 Freedom of Choice and Gender Inequality ...................................................................... 12 2.4.a Consent v. Coercive Circumstances ........................................................................... 12 2.4.b The Harm of Rape ............................................................................................................. 13 2.4.c The Context to Consent and Harm ............................................................................ 15 2.5 The Legal Definition of Rape: The Sexual Offences Act 2003 ................................... 16 2.5.a The Gendered Act of Rape ............................................................................................. 17 2.5.b Consent ................................................................................................................................. 18 2.5.c Belief in Consent ................................................................................................................ 19 2.6 Conclusions ................................................................................................................................... 20 3. RAPE, ‘MYTHS’ AND THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM ............................................................ 22 3.1 Introduction.................................................................................................................................. 22 3.2 ‘Rape Myths’ ................................................................................................................................. 22 3.3 The Justice Gap ............................................................................................................................ 25 3.3.a Reporting and Recording Rape ................................................................................... 25 i 3.3.b Prosecuting and Convicting Rape .............................................................................. 27 3.4 Measures to Dispel Rape Myths ........................................................................................... 29 3.5 Conclusions ................................................................................................................................... 31 3.5.a Myths and Stories Law Tells ........................................................................................ 31 3.5.b Alternative Possibilities ................................................................................................. 33 PART 2: RAPE AND THE CIVIL LAW ....................................................................................................... 35 4. TORT LAW AND RAPE ............................................................................................................................ 36 4.1 Introduction.................................................................................................................................. 36 4.2 The Purpose(s) of Tort Law ................................................................................................... 37 4.3 Rape and the Trespass to the Person Torts ..................................................................... 39 4.3.a Battery ................................................................................................................................... 40 4.3.b Assault ................................................................................................................................... 41 4.3.c False Imprisonment ......................................................................................................... 42 4.3.d Consent ................................................................................................................................. 42 4.4 Tort Law, Gender and Gendered Harms ........................................................................... 46 4.4.a The Standard of Reason and Reasoning .................................................................. 47 4.4.b The Individual, Autonomy and Harm ....................................................................... 50 4.5 Rape Myths and Claims in Tort: A Case Study ................................................................ 53 4.6 Conclusions ................................................................................................................................... 57 5. PROCEDURAL DIFFERENCES .............................................................................................................. 59 5.1 Introduction.................................................................................................................................. 59 5.2 A Lower Standard of Proof: Justice via the Back Door? .............................................. 60 5.2.a The Standard of Proof in ‘Serious’ Civil Cases ...................................................... 62 5.2.b After Re H: The Confusion Continues ....................................................................... 64 5.3 The Civil Justice System and ‘Rape’ Trials........................................................................ 66 5.3.a Sexual History Evidence ................................................................................................ 69 5.3.b Mode of Trial ...................................................................................................................... 72 5.4 Conclusions ................................................................................................................................... 76 6. FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS ........................................................................................................... 78 ii 6.1 Introduction.................................................................................................................................. 78 6.2 Costs ................................................................................................................................................. 78 6.3 Third Parties Who Pay ............................................................................................................. 80 6.3.a Vicarious Liability ............................................................................................................. 80 6.3.b The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme ....................................................... 83 6.4 Damages ......................................................................................................................................... 85 6.4.a The Level of Damages ..................................................................................................... 86 6.4.b Compensating or Reifying the Harms of Rape? .................................................... 88 6.5 Conclusions ................................................................................................................................... 90 7. CONCLUDING
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