A RETIRED vicar is accused of having raped someone, donkey’s years ago.

It’s the kind of story everyone, no matter how prim and respectable a face they present to the outside world, will read avidly.

Because of the nature of the accused’s work he’ll be a familiar face in the community, and the news will spread faster than you can say “Gold medal number nine for Usain Bolt!”

And then what? Oh look, he’s been acquitted. Leaving court, as the judge said, without a stain on his character.

So that’s it, then, is it? He’s supposed to just toddle off home like a good chap and carry on as normal.

I hope he can, but it’ll be far from easy.

I should make it clear that I wasn’t at this trial and haven’t spoken to anyone involved. My intention is not to comment on this case, but to raise a wider issue.

Having interviewed men who have found themselves in a similar position, I know how excruciatingly difficult it can be for them to pick up the pieces of everyday life.

Especially if they have to go to work or run a business, and the internet enables any future employer or client to find out about the case by simply typing their name into a search engine. Mud does stick, even when it shouldn’t.

Now, many folk have a poor opinion of journalists, and given the antics of some national tabloid reporters, it’s easy to make unthinking, sweeping assertions about standards throughout the industry.

You might expect us to delight in the freedom to publish accusations of this type before a court has decided whether they are proven.

I, though, feel very uncomfortable about it, and many colleagues share my unease.

In my view it would be fairer and more humane if the law permitted the accused in cases involving sexual assault to remain anonymous unless found guilty.

But it doesn’t, and no newspaper business is going to voluntarily censor itself while its media rivals cash in on the public appetite for scandal.

At least there are legal controls on what can and can’t be reported. Shame they can’t be made to apply to online troublemakers, too.

The police often argue that releasing someone’s name in a case such as this encourages other potential victims to come forward.

Sometimes we hear that these ‘trawling’ exercises have produced results. But – and I digress here - in my mind, a nagging word always pings up at this point. Compensation. Especially where wealthy celebrities are concerned.

Given how hard it is for a defendant to prove that he didn’t do something decades ago, there are bound to be some claims made for the wrong reasons.

Most cases, of course, don’t involve the rich and famous, just ordinary people, people like you and me, who find themselves in extraordinary situations that can ruin the lives of innocent and guilty alike. We need to treat them with care.

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