麻豆约拍

Professor David Wilson, the UK鈥檚 leading criminologist, presents the second series of the crime talk show Crime Files. In this episode, he and his guests discuss the harsh reality women face when seeking justice.

Investigative journalist Fiona Walker analyses the horrific rape of Carol X from 1980 in Glasgow鈥檚 east end. It was a crime that challenged Scotland鈥檚 approach to rape trials and would lead to Scotland鈥檚 first successful private prosecution of a rapist in modern history.

In the studio, David and Fiona discuss Carol X鈥檚 rape case in more detail, dissecting why Carol鈥檚 original rape and assault case was dropped by the Crown Office - was there unconscious bias towards Carol? Is there a bigger conversation needed about believing women? They also discuss the complexities of a private prosecution and how revolutionary Carol鈥檚 successful case was.

David鈥檚 next guests are rape survivor Miss M and chief executive of Rape Crisis Scotland, Sandy Brindley. Miss M speaks about her experience of bringing her rape case through the justice system and how she felt let down by the system set up to protect her. She talks about her original criminal trial that resulted in a not-proven verdict and how that pushed her to seek alternative means of justice. Sandy Brindley speaks on the wider issue Scotland faces with rape cases and how many women fear the experience of a rape trial, which can potentially cause them more harm than good.

David鈥檚 final guest is The Honourable Lady Rita Rae, one of the few women in Scotland to become a judge and who has spent her career breaking down barriers and pushing for justice at every avenue. In the early 80s she crushed stereotypes by joining the male-dominated Faculty of Advocates. Never afraid to speak her mind, she was one of the only women in Glasgow to tackle criminal cases. She tells David how her experience of injustice and bias as a woman in this male-dominated world helped further fuel her passion for law.