TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2012//
TI  - Rape in Victoria as a crime of absolute liability: a departure from both precedent and progressivism
JO  - Journal of criminal law
A1  - Arenson, Kenneth J.
SP  - 399
EP  - 420
VL  - 76
IS  - 5
N2  - In recent decades, a disturbing trend has emerged in Victoria and elsewhere that has witnessed the emergence of statutory rules that accord preferential treatment to prosecutors and complainants in instances where allegations of rape are made. This article examines not only the manifestations of such treatment in the form of Victorian crime legislation, but the means by which the statutory crime of rape in Victoria has been transformed into an offence which, though technically one of mens rea, can effectively be prosecuted as an offence of absolute liability. The piece concludes with a discussion of the likely reasons for this trend as well as the implications of allowing such a serious offence to be prosecuted as one of absolute liability.<p />
LA  - en
SN  - 0022-0183
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1350/jcla.2012.76.5.795
ID  - ref1
ER  -