Watch on British rape ruling

Press, 27 July 1976, Page 12

Watch on British rape ruling

I Soroptimist Clubs of Aust-i • ralia and New Zealand have been asked for comment on the British Appeal Court ruling on rape, made early in 1975. The House of Lords, then ruled that a man who: lhas intercourse with a woman) iin the genuine, if unreason-i ■ able, belief that she consents,: {is not guilty of rape. j The ruling affected countries outside the United King-, l dom which still worked under English Common Law, says a statement from the recent conference of Soroptimists International of New Zealand South, held in Invercargill. i The conference considered that the aggressor could act out his violence in a wide variety of ways on his vic- 1 tim. Rape was defined as an ’act of violence with sex as I )the weapon. American research in the) Boston City Hospital showed that a woman’s reaction to

irape followed two phases—- ■ an acute phase immediately following the rape in which physical injury was prominent, and a long-term reac- ; tion in which the victim reuorganised her life style, r The Boston study was con-: • Ifined to 92 women aged 17 , to 73, who were victims of (“forcible rape,” that is rape • which involved physical violence. • More than 40 women in the , study moved from home and • many changed their tele--;phone numbers. “The New ' Zealand Courts bring cases ■ of rape under the heading of sexual offences in the I Criminal Justice Act,” the : statement said. “The intent > to commit rape may bring a ■ sentence of up to 14 years i for the first offence." •; The. conference decided J that clubs should study the I British ruling in relation to lithe New Zealand situation.