Jade McCrossen-Nethercott receives apology from UK prosecution service for failings which led to case being closed and defendant acquitted

A woman has been awarded £35,000 in compensation from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) after her rape case was dropped over claims that she could have had an episode of a rare sleep condition called sexsomnia.

Jade Blue McCrossen-Nethercott, 32, contacted police in 2017, when she was 24, after waking up to discover she was half-naked, and with the sense that she had been raped while she slept.

Three years later – and days before the man charged with raping her was due to stand trial – lawyers from the CPS said her case was being dropped because two sleep experts said it was possible McCrossen-Nethercott had had an episode of sexsomnia – a medically recognised, but rare, sleep disorder which can cause a person to engage in sexual acts in their sleep, while appearing to be awake and consenting. The case was closed and the defendant acquitted.

In 2022, McCrossen-Nethercott sued the CPS after it admitted her rape case should not have been dropped. Now, the BBC has reported that she has been paid £35,000 by the CPS, which said it had “apologised unreservedly” to her and was “committed to improving every aspect of how life-changing crimes like rape are dealt with”.

  • mosiacmango@lemm.eeEnglish
    1·
    3 months ago

    I confronted him saying, ‘What’s happened? What have you done?’ And he said something a bit odd I guess, but he did say ‘I thought you were awake’. And he just bolted out basically, and left the door open,” she told the BBC. She called a friend in distress, and police arrived and took her for forensic tests. Vaginal swabs detected semen which would later be matched to the man.

    He did run away when confronted.

    • sleen@lemmy.zipEnglish
      1·
      3 months ago

      The question was why he didn’t do it sooner. Not when confronted.

      If he knew he did something wrong, illegal, and immoral then why did he stay and wait until the victim wakes up.

      • mosiacmango@lemm.eeEnglish
        1·
        3 months ago

        You think rapists are perfectly rational actors? They only make good decisions?

        There are tons of reasons rapists think they can get away with rape. He clearly had one in mind until she confronted him directly.

        • sleen@lemmy.zipEnglish
          1·
          3 months ago

          To answer this, no they are not perfectly rational. However they are not dumb, anyone can be a rapist, it is a mental disorder which doesn’t correlate with their IQ.

          The ‘tons of reasons’ statement would be interesting to read about, as usually a perpetrators focus is rape and escape. Not befriending the victim - i might suggest how inconsistent this sounds.

          Unless the victim has other mental problems then this could occur. However, I was simply seeking an answer, not an explosive statement.