Victims of Sexual Violence Distressed by MPs' 'Pugnacious' Questioning in Parliament

Victims of Sexual Violence Distressed by MPs' 'Pugnacious' Questioning in Parliament

Victims of rape and sexual violence have reported feeling anxious and distressed during a Westminster evidence session, with one individual stating that witnessing "pugnacious" questioning led to her "breaking down, sobbing and struggling to breathe." The incident occurred in a highly charged evidence session conducted by the public bill committee for the courts and tribunals bill, which focused on controversial changes to jury trials.

Formal Complaint Filed by Victims' Commissioner

The victims' commissioner, Claire Waxman, has made a formal complaint to the chair of an influential group of MPs following the session. In a letter sent by the victims' commissioner office chief executive, Susannah Hancock, it was alleged that committee chair John Hayes failed to "prevent the tone from escalating," with exchanges becoming "unnecessarily adversarial." Waxman emphasized that she could not "in good conscience, encourage victim-survivors to participate in evidence sessions conducted in a manner that may expose them to retraumatisation or emotional harm."

Survivors' Accounts of Emotional Distress

One victim, Morwenna Loughman, wrote in comments published alongside the letter that she felt "shocked, upset and extremely distressed" by the questioning, which she believed had "crossed the line into disrespect and pugnaciousness." She added, "As a victim-survivor I immediately felt threatened and attacked, thrust back into fight or flight," noting that the questioning played a significant role in her emotional breakdown.

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Another survivor, Jade Blue McCrossen-Nethercott, described the session as "difficult to watch," stating that the line between scrutiny and cross-examination was at times crossed. A third, Charlotte Meijer, said the way Waxman was questioned made her feel "like I was back in court," expressing anxiety about her own upcoming evidence session.

Robust Questioning and Parliamentary Response

During the evidence, shadow justice minister Kieran Mullan questioned Waxman about a letter from 30 organisations representing victims of violence against women and girls, urging the justice secretary, David Lammy, to drop plans to reduce jury trials. Mullan asked if she accepted the letter referenced the impact on victims, leading to a tense exchange where Waxman reminded him that victims were present in the room.

Committee chairs escalated the letter to deputy speaker Nusrat Ghani, who oversees public bill committees. Ghani responded that it was important for MPs to have "freedom to question robustly during parliamentary proceedings, particularly when holding public officials to account." She asserted that the committee had "adopted an appropriate tone for questioning those witnesses and recognised their courage."

Criticism from Victims' Organisations

Other victims' organisations, including Rape Crisis and Women's Aid, have raised concerns about the session. Rape Crisis wrote to the committee chair, warning that the "adversarial" tone, repeated interruptions, and pressure for narrow answers "risked replicating some of the very dynamics survivors of rape and sexual abuse" find distressing.

Farah Nazeer, chief executive of Women's Aid, expressed disappointment and anger on behalf of survivors, noting that while robust questioning is "absolutely essential," the session felt "closer to cross-examination" and lacked sufficient care for victims.

Call for Improved Support and Accountability

Waxman has called for parliament to be "a safe and supportive place" for victims and requested a meeting with the deputy speaker. She stated, "Having followed parliament's own processes and seen the concerns raised dismissed, I believe more needs to be done to ensure victims are properly supported, heard and valued."

Mullan defended his actions, saying Waxman had sought to "play down the voice of victims that didn't agree" with her, which he called "disgraceful." He added that he was "very sad that our exchanges upset victims who happened to be in the room" but emphasized that MPs have a duty to "get to the truth of a matter – without fear or favour."

Support for those affected by rape or sexual abuse is available from organisations such as Rape Crisis in the UK, Rainn in the US, and 1800Respect in Australia, with international helplines listed at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html.