You often hear that complainers in sexual offence cases have “an automatic right to lifelong anonymity in the UK”. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, it is a crime to identify complainants in sexual cases. Complainants in the Republic of Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere have some version of this legal protection. In the vast majority of cases there are no legal restrictions on naming or identifying people who say they have been victims of sexual crime. The mainstream media — following the Editors’ Code — elects not to identify complainers

Source: The Times May 13, 2021 22:52 UTC