Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

It is unfortunate the Minister for Justice had to leave because I wanted to ask him and the Government what laws they will bring in to stop the relentless parade of misogyny we see in the courts. Yesterday, a woman said she was broken twice after she watched a garda who carried out multiple sexual assaults against her and falsely imprisoned her on the job in a Garda station when she was seeking help. She had to listen as his wife testified and 35 character references were pasted up in defence of him. We have had counselling notes, character references and God knows what being used to undermine victims and beef up defendants. When will we see character references completely obliterated? Even if the amendment had been carried out whereby people have to testify, she would have had to listen to 35 people, including a Garda superintendent and other gardaí, testifying against her. It is absolutely outrageous.

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