Rape on Trial

Dr Candida Saunders

What actually happens to rape cases in the criminal justice system? Presented by Dr Candida Saunders, a legal scholar specialising in criminal law and evidence, Rape on Trial draws on police and prosecution case files, professionals' insights, and trial observations in real life cases to examine the investigation and prosecution of rape and serious sexual offences in England & Wales in practice. By looking closely at each stage, at cases that do and don’t make it through the criminal process, we see how decisions are made--how evidence is weighed and assessed, thresholds applied, how cases are filtered out or ultimately prosecuted, and what jury trials in rape cases really look like in practice. What we see challenges us to reconsider everything we 'know'--everything the mainstream narrative tells us--about rape myths, rape culture, and rape in the criminal process. Advisory note: Episodes may include detailed accounts of sexual and physical violence drawn directly from witness testimony, police statements, and case files. Listener discretion is advised. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 1. Tariq's Trial part 1

    EPISODE 1

    1. Tariq's Trial part 1

    Season One: Rape on Trial This is the first of two introductory episodes taking us straight to the heart of this season's topic; the investigation and prosecution of rape and serious sexual offences in the criminal justice system in England and Wales. We're in court for the trial of Tariq who is charged with rape and false imprisonment. It's a case that, according to the mainstream narrative, has little chance of resulting in convictions: one person's word against another's; no forensic evidence; no injuries; delayed report; young, black complainant; a defendant claiming consent and that the allegation was prompted by regret and embarrassment on the complainant's part. Join me, Dr Candida Saunders, in the public gallery of a Crown Court somewhere in England & Wales to watch real proceedings in a real rape trial. Let's see for ourselves what really happens. **Listener discretion is advised** The broader research underpinning Rape on Trial is reported in our book, Doak et al, Cross-examination on Trial: Advocacy and Vulnerability in Criminal Trials (BUP 2025). The book examines cross-examination across the UK and Ireland drawing on trial observations, practitioner interviews, and a linguistic analysis of courtroom exchanges in light of recent reforms. https://amzn.to/49oVqG2 This is an Amazon affiliate link, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.  If you or someone you know has been affected by any of the issues raised in this episode, please visit our website https://criminaljusticeinaction.com for information about help and support. Music: Hopeless Waltz by Alena Smirnova. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 17m
  2. 2. Tariq's Trial part 2

    EPISODE 2

    2. Tariq's Trial part 2

    Season one: Rape on Trial continues with the second of our two-part season opening. We're back in the public gallery of Crown Court for the final days of Tariq's trial for rape and false imprisonment in a case the conventional wisdom tells us shouldn't result in conviction: one person's word against another's; no forensic evidence; delayed report; young, black complainant; and a defendant claiming consent and an allegation motivated by shame and regret. Will the jury's deliberations and assessment of the evidence be biased by rape myths and gender stereotypes? Or will the evidence satisfy jurors of Tariq's guilt? **Listener discretion is advised** The broader research underpinning Rape on Trial is reported in our book, Doak et al, Cross-examination on Trial: Advocacy and Vulnerability in Criminal Trials (BUP 2025). The book examines cross-examination across the UK and Ireland drawing on trial observations, practitioner interviews, and a linguistic analysis of courtroom exchanges in light of recent reforms. https://amzn.to/49oVqG2 This is an Amazon affiliate link, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.  If you or someone you know has been affected by any of the issues raised in this episode, please visit our website https://criminaljusticeinaction.com for information about help and support. Music: Hopeless Waltz by Alena Smirnova. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 23m
  3. 3. Jerome's Trial part 1

    EPISODE 3

    3. Jerome's Trial part 1

    We’re repeatedly told that juries only convict in “real rape” cases with “ideal victims.” Episode 3 of Criminal Justice in Action: Rape on Trial continues to challenges those assumptions. We're back in Crown Court for the trial of Jerome, accused of robbing five women and raping one. The complainants are sex workers, and the conduct of the trial — and its outcome — raise important questions about the prominence and impact of rape myths and gender stereotypes in rape trials, and how courtroom practice and jury decision-making are portrayed in the mainstream, public narrative about rape in the criminal process. **Listener discretion is advised** The broader research underpinning Rape on Trial is reported in our book, Doak et al, Cross-examination on Trial: Advocacy and Vulnerability in Criminal Trials (BUP 2025). The book examines cross-examination across the UK and Ireland drawing on trial observations, practitioner interviews, and a linguistic analysis of courtroom exchanges in light of recent reforms. https://amzn.to/49oVqG2 This is an Amazon affiliate link, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.  If you or someone you know has been affected by any of the issues raised in this episode, please visit our website https://criminaljusticeinaction.com for information about help and support. Music: Hopeless Waltz by Alena Smirnova. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 10m
  4. 4. Jerome's Trial part 2

    EPISODE 4

    4. Jerome's Trial part 2

    Episode 4 of Rape on Trial sees us back in court for the conclusion of Jerome’s trial for the robbery of five sex workers and rape of one; another case involving what the conventional wisdom tells us is the wrong kind of rape and the wrong kind of victim and shouldn't result in convictions. As in Tariq's case, this trial, and the jury’s verdict, raise difficult questions for mainstream accounts of rape in the criminal process, the impact of rape myths and gender stereotypes on victim credibility, courtroom advocacy and the conduct of cross-examination, and how the criminal justice system actually works in these cases. **Listener discretion is advised** The broader research underpinning Rape on Trial is reported in our book, Doak et al, Cross-examination on Trial: Advocacy and Vulnerability in Criminal Trials (BUP 2025). The book examines cross-examination across the UK and Ireland drawing on trial observations, practitioner interviews, and a linguistic analysis of courtroom exchanges in light of recent reforms. https://amzn.to/49oVqG2 This is an Amazon affiliate link, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.  If you or someone you know has been affected by any of the issues raised in this episode, please visit our website https://criminaljusticeinaction.com for information about help and support. Music: Hopeless Waltz by Alena Smirnova. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 17m
  5. 5. Dean's Trial part 1

    EPISODE 5

    5. Dean's Trial part 1

    As Rape on Trial continues, we're back in the public gallery of the Crown Court for Dean’s trial. He is charged with the rape and sexual assault of Anya, his partner at the time. As in previous episodes, Dean’s trial involves another rape case the mainstream narrative tells us shouldn’t succeed: an allegation of intimate partner relationship rape with no forensic evidence, no CCTV, and no eyewitnesses — just one person’s word against another’s. In this, the first of three episodes covering Dean's trial, we hear the prosecution’s opening of the case and the start of the complainant’s evidence. Part of Criminal Justice in Action: Rape on Trial, this episode continues the season’s mission to cut through myths and misconceptions about rape in the criminal justice system, and to show how the criminal process really works in practice. **Listener discretion is advised** The broader research underpinning Rape on Trial is reported in our book, Doak et al, Cross-examination on Trial: Advocacy and Vulnerability in Criminal Trials (BUP 2025). The book examines cross-examination across the UK and Ireland drawing on trial observations, practitioner interviews, and a linguistic analysis of courtroom exchanges in light of recent reforms. https://amzn.to/49oVqG2 This is an Amazon affiliate link, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.  If you or someone you know has been affected by any of the issues raised in this episode, please visit our website https://criminaljusticeinaction.com for information about help and support. Music: Hopeless Waltz by Alena Smirnova. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    55 min
  6. 6. Dean's Trial part 2

    EPISODE 6

    6. Dean's Trial part 2

    Episode 6 of Criminal Justice in Action: Rape on Trial sees us back in Court 2 as Dean's rape trial continues. Dean stands accused of rape and sexual assault against Anya, his girlfriend/partner at the time. We pick up where we left off in episode 5, with Anya about to undergo cross-examination. In contrast to the cross-examination of rape complainants in Tariq and Jerome's trials, Anya's experience in the witness box more closely aligns with what we might expect to see, given mainstream accounts of rape trials and the conduct of the defence. **Listener discretion is advised** The broader research underpinning Rape on Trial is reported in our book, Doak et al, Cross-examination on Trial: Advocacy and Vulnerability in Criminal Trials (BUP 2025). The book examines cross-examination across the UK and Ireland drawing on trial observations, practitioner interviews, and a linguistic analysis of courtroom exchanges in light of recent reforms. https://amzn.to/49oVqG2 This is an Amazon affiliate link, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.  If you or someone you know has been affected by any of the issues raised in this episode, please visit our website https://criminaljusticeinaction.com for information about help and support. Music: Hopeless Waltz by Alena Smirnova. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 24m
  7. 7. Dean's Trial part 3

    EPISODE 7

    7. Dean's Trial part 3

    Episode 7 of Criminal Justice in Action: Rape on Trial sees us back in Crown Court for the conclusion of Dean’s trial for rape and sexual assault. Another example what we’re told is the wrong kind of rape and the wrong kind of victim. The kind of case the mainstream says shouldn’t succeed: an intimate partner relationship rape; one person’s word against another’s; no corroborating evidence; no forensic evidence; no witnesses; and the toughest cross-examination of a rape complainant we have seen so far with Anya painted as the angry and vengeful ex-partner and accused of making false allegations both now and in the past. As the trial now reaches its final stages, we hear defence counsel's closing speech and judge's directions and route to verdict before the jury deliberates on its verdict. The conclusion of Dean's case marks a turning point in the season, raising questions about what the rape trials we have seen so far might reveal about rape myths, evidence and proof, courtroom advocacy, and attrition in the criminal justice process more broadly. **Listener discretion is advised** The broader research underpinning Rape on Trial is reported in our book, Doak et al, Cross-examination on Trial: Advocacy and Vulnerability in Criminal Trials (BUP 2025). The book examines cross-examination across the UK and Ireland drawing on trial observations, practitioner interviews, and a linguistic analysis of courtroom exchanges in light of recent reforms. https://amzn.to/49oVqG2 This is an Amazon affiliate link, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.  If you or someone you know has been affected by any of the issues raised in this episode, please visit our website https://criminaljusticeinaction.com for information about help and support. Music: Hopeless Waltz by Alena Smirnova. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 19m
  8. 8. Faruq's Trial part 1

    EPISODE 8

    8. Faruq's Trial part 1

    As season one, Rape on Trial, continues its examination of the investigation and prosecution of rape and serious sexual offences in the UK criminal justice system, we are back in Crown Court for our fourth rape trial. Faruq, a taxi driver, is charged with raping Emily, a lone, intoxicated student he picked up in the street after she had been thrown out of a nightclub and separated from her friends: another rape prosecution the mainstream tells us is unlikely to succeed because of rape myths. In this, the first of three episodes detailing criminal proceedings in Faruq's trial, the prosecution's case gets underway with opening speeches and the complainant's evidence in chief--her ABE video--and cross-examination. **Listener discretion is advised** The broader research underpinning Rape on Trial is reported in our book, Doak et al, Cross-examination on Trial: Advocacy and Vulnerability in Criminal Trials (BUP 2025). The book examines cross-examination across the UK and Ireland drawing on trial observations, practitioner interviews, and a linguistic analysis of courtroom exchanges in light of recent reforms. https://amzn.to/49oVqG2 This is an Amazon affiliate link, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.  If you or someone you know has been affected by any of the issues raised in this episode, please visit our website https://criminaljusticeinaction.com for information about help and support. Music: Hopeless Waltz by Alena Smirnova. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 28m
See All Season 1 (16)

Trailer

About

What actually happens to rape cases in the criminal justice system? Presented by Dr Candida Saunders, a legal scholar specialising in criminal law and evidence, Rape on Trial draws on police and prosecution case files, professionals' insights, and trial observations in real life cases to examine the investigation and prosecution of rape and serious sexual offences in England & Wales in practice. By looking closely at each stage, at cases that do and don’t make it through the criminal process, we see how decisions are made--how evidence is weighed and assessed, thresholds applied, how cases are filtered out or ultimately prosecuted, and what jury trials in rape cases really look like in practice. What we see challenges us to reconsider everything we 'know'--everything the mainstream narrative tells us--about rape myths, rape culture, and rape in the criminal process. Advisory note: Episodes may include detailed accounts of sexual and physical violence drawn directly from witness testimony, police statements, and case files. Listener discretion is advised. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Dr Candida Saunders
  • Episodes
    16
  • Seasons
    1
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Dr Candida Saunders, 2025-2026
  • Show Website
    Rape on Trial