This Cannot be Right

News today that an MP has been arrested on suspicion of Sexual Assault, and named to the press, is to me an outrage.

This man is innocent until proven guilty. He now faces trial by media. His female accuser basks in anonymity.

This MP, who I am not going to name, will find his life turned upside down. There will be an intrusion into his life that none of us would wish on anybody. Whatever the outcome, he has been named and shamed. If he is charged and found guilty, then he must face justice, if not he will have suffered badly on the word of another. And his life will not be the same again.

What is wrong with us? Can nobody see how damaging this kind of thing is to society? Is there not a case to be made for anonymity on both sides until the verdict?

You do not have to look far back into the past to see how damaging the reporting of serious crime can be to someone who turns out to be innocent. This is a travesty of natural mercy and justice and must be stopped.

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