TWO people have been questioned by police for allegedly revealing the identity of the complainant in the Belfast rape trial on social media. TWO people have been questioned by police for allegedly revealing the identity of the complainant in the Belfast rape trial on social media. Complainants in rape trials in Ireland and the UK are entitled to anonymity and it is an offence to publish their identity. However, a worrying feature of the trial of Ireland and Ulster rugby players Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding and two of their friends was that the complainant’s name appeared in a number of social media posts. Mr Dougan described the social media commentary in the trial as “unprecedented” for Northern Ireland.

Source: Irish Independent March 30, 2018 01:31 UTC