Rape juries reach guilty verdicts before deliberation
Criminal barrister Nigel Booth has provided legal guidance for a research project which was commissioned to better understand the psychology of jurors trying allegations of sexual offences in the UK.
The study was conducted by Dominic Willmott, a researcher at Huddersfield University. It found evidence of a predictive relationship between juror demographics, personal experience, and psychological make up – impacting upon verdicts in rape cases.
Nigel Booth supported the research by helping compile case documents, ensuring the mock trials were realistic and the jury directions accurate. He played the role of the judge. The cases were prosecuted and defended by barristers.
To date, the research findings have been published in the Times Online (paywall), the Times (print), Barrister magazine, Solicitor’s Journal, All About Law, Global Legal Post, Legal Loop, and Irish Legal Times.
