Judges in Northern Ireland are being trained on sexual assault cases using the award-winning play Prima Facie. The play, which starred Jodie Comer in the lead role, portrays a barrister defending individuals accused of sexual assault before being raped herself by a colleague. A recording of the play is now available to judges dealing with sexual assault cases in the region’s courts.
Playwright Suzie Miller has spoken about how theatre can lead to changing society. She believes characters and stories can make it easier to understand what’s not working. Miller feels that it engages and ignites people to where the unfairness lies: “This is a conversation that everyone has to have, and we have to have it now,” she said. Rosie Cowan, a lecturer at Queen’s University Belfast, said that the play could be a “compelling reminder of the power of rape myths in society” and believes that rape myths bias many people against complainants.
The play itself looks to highlight the impacts of rape myths in criminal cases. One character states that “once you see, you cannot unsee.” The character questions the logic put forward by a defence barrister that holding up a pair of underpants means that the victim was somehow “wanting sex”. Miller is keenly aware of the issues at hand, highlighting the fundamental issue that the current system is set up to fail the victim.
Prima Facie also highlights the court delays and the resulting impact on victims. Recent figures from BBC News NI have shown that it takes an average of 757 days for a sex crime to be dealt with in Northern Ireland. Furthermore, a judge faced condemnation in 2022 for telling a convicted sex offender they should “find a wife” during a sentencing hearing. Lady Chief Justice Dame Siobhan Keegan has subsequently said judges will receive more training in order to capture developments in the field, including suggestions like the use of the Prima Facie play recording
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