Re: Good, good.
.which makes you wonder if "we need to protect the dead girls honour, her mother is distraught, make sure coutts gets locked up, make sure any evidence that might prove he's innocent gets mislaid
I truly find that sort of stuff to be disgusting beyond belief.
The media does not need to know all the details of a case. They can be ordered from the court room or given a gagging order (and lets give these things some teeth as well, make sure no one wants to risk breaking one!)
The family and friends of the victim do not need to know all the details of the case, or of what their loved one got up to in the wee hours - they can be given the option to leave the court room as well.
But the judge and/or jury - those who are deciding the guilt or innocence? They need to have all the information possible. If you're saying my death was accidental, and the prosecution is saying you deliberately strangled me, then you need to be able to say "yes, that's what he was in to, we did it often!"
It does not matter who or what the victim is or was, or what their shame their family might feel about their actions when it comes to a matter of judging innocence or guilt. If someone dies during sex as a result of something risky, and it turns out that they were into this, then the defence should be able to present it.
For a trial to be fair, all the evidence must be available.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
