A judge sitting in the Central Criminal Court was not entitled to order the Rape Crisis Centre to hand over documents to a man charged with rape, according to a Supreme Court decision yesterday. The man had claimed the documents were necessary for his defence to the rape charge.
Giving the Court's decision, Mr Justice Geoghegan said such an order cannot be made in connection with criminal proceedings. He upheld an appeal by the Rape Crisis Centre against the making of the order by the Central Criminal Court.
Mr Justice Geoghegan said the Central Criminal Court judge had made an order which related to the exercise of civil rather than criminal matters, and there were strict rules in relation to such jurisdiction.