On 5 May 2017, Abbas Soukie of Hanna Legal was interviewed by the Daily Telegraph for an article which discussed some of the legal and social issues pertaining to the prosecution of sexual offences.

The relevant passage of the article reads as follows:

But legal experts pointed to the nature of sexual assault cases, which often reach an impasse over whether the ­alleged victim consented, making it impossible for juries and judges to be convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that the crime was committed.

Criminal defence lawyer Abbas Soukie said sexual ­assault cases are among the most difficult offences for the prosecution to prove.

“Sexual assault cases often involve little more than the accused’s version of events versus the victim’s version of events”, Mr Soukie said. “In such cases, cross-examination of the victim is unavoidable to ensure that the victim’s ­version is tested.

“The nature of the criminal justice system is that offences must be proven beyond reasonable doubt. And when the case rests solely upon the evidence of the victim, without any corroboration, this poses great challenges for the prosecution.”

For the full article, see: Sex assault victims failing to see justice done because of victim-blaming attitude, The Daily Telegraph, 5 May 2017.