Labour’s policy remains guilty unless you can prove you are innocent

Stuff reports:

Associate justice spokesperson for sexual and domestic violence Poto Williams said only 13 per cent of the sexual assault cases reported to police ended in a conviction and something needed to be done to address the “power imbalance”.

Labour would change the system so that a victim was believed as a starting point, and that an accused would have to prove consent – an idea rejected by National.

I thought Labour had dropped this policy, but it seems they have not. This is horrific and every civil libertarian out there should be condemning it.

If Labour becomes Government, then people accused of rape (where there is no question that sex happened, just consent) will have to prove beyond reasonable doubt they had consent or they will be convicted of rape and sentenced to up to 20 years in jail.

It will be presumed guilt upon accusation. Arguably their worst policy, and one that the media should be highlighting much more. It would change hundreds of years of criminal law that you are deemed innocent unless proven guilty. It will mean you are deemed guilty unless you can prove you are innocent.