ABSTRACT
As the final chapter, this chapter collates findings of the mock jury dataset discussed throughout the current volume, with existing academic and policy literature about the ongoing reliance upon and impact of sexual history evidence with the defendant, in rape trials in England and Wales. It reiterates the key findings of the mock jury simulation whilst also denoting some limitations associated with the dataset. It then brings these findings together, with the existing knowledge base in this area, to highlight important and novel implications of this research and some future research directions. Ultimately, it concludes that prejudicial inferences about the complainant’s previous sexual history with the defendant remain pertinent to juror deliberations, and therefore increased juror education efforts, training of legal professionals, and amendments to the current legislative regime could all be beneficial to mitigate against these risks. In conjunction with these steps, however, broader and more large-scale societal and cultural change is also needed to dispel the influence of rape myths in the jury room, both in regard to sexual history evidence and more broadly.
