I didn't watch the documentary, for obvious reasons, so I have nothing to say about the way it was framed. But given this is all being discussed again:

1 - a not guilty verdict under Scottish law is not the same thing as 'proof that the complainers were lying'

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2 - anonymity for the complainers is essential for their safety, as it is in any sexual violence trial, because they are crucified for speaking up. As referred to above, they were not 'proven to be lying', so the anonymity must stand.

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3 - the number of women on a sexual violence jury is not a reflection of how robust a verdict is. There are complex reasons for this, but it's partly the idea that women don't perpetuate rape myths is wrong. More men than women believe rape myths, but plenty of women still do.
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Cn: rape

4 - rape myths hurt everyone. Using them to defend someone because you happen to like them, whether or not the case itself has merit, hurts everyone.

She should have fought back, why did she stay working there, he's a nice guy, etc.

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4cont - perpetuating these myths makes it far less likely justice can be served in other trials, as acceptance of rape myths in jurors is overwhelmingly correlated to not guilty verdicts. Given how few sexual violence cases reach trial, and how few are convicted, it matters.

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5 - these days are incredibly hard for survivors, because it's everywhere we look and people are often saying the same stuff we heard when we tried to speak up. Whatever your feelings about this case, please take care with how you talk about it.

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If you are finding this hard or triggering, please speak to @rapecrisisscot or your local or specialist support organisation. It doesn't matter how long it's been or if you ever told anyone.

It's not weakness to protect yourself - Mute words on here, block people if needed.

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As I know what happens when I make any comments about the wider issues here - nothing in what I have said implies guilt, innocence or not accepting the verdict. The verdict just doesn't actually mean what a lot of people believe it does: https://twitter.com/BarristerSecret/status/1029356490384138240?s=19

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I will be limiting replies to this and muting it because every time I talk about it the onslaught is overwhelming. However, allowing rape myths to propagate unchallenged is also harmful, so I feel obliged to say this much. I will not comment on the case itself.

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