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Calls to ban defence teams accessing sexual assault victims’ records, and also give them proper legal representation – ABC News

Written by crime editor Paula Doneman
Posted  2/5/2022

 

Confidential counselling and medical information from sexual assault victims continues to be used to undermine their credibility in court, despite laws protecting their confidentiality, a Queensland community legal service says.

Women’s Legal Service Queensland (WLSQ) lawyer Julie Sarkozi said there was a lack of legal consistency and understanding around legislative protections, to keep victims’ counselling sessions and medical records protected and private from criminal defence teams.

This can include information from therapy with doctors, community mental health services and school guidance counsellors.

The issue is one of several raised in the WLSQ submission to Queensland’s Women Safety and Justice Taskforce, for legislative reform to better protect sexual assault victims.

 

To read the rest of the article – click on: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-02/qld-court-sexual-assault-surivors-call-for-legal-respresentation/101024704