Govt under further fire over statutory rape ruling
The Government has come under further attack in the Dáil this morning over the situation surrounding Ireland's statutory rape laws.
Yesterday, a 41-year-old man convicted of having unlawful carnal knowledge of a 12-year-old girl was freed from prison following the Supreme Court's ruling that Ireland's statutory rape laws are unconstitutional.
Justice Minister Michael McDowell is planning to introduce new legislation to rectify the situation next week.
However, opposition politicians have already slammed the Government's handling of the case, saying new legislation should have been prepared in advance of last week's ruling.
Speaking in the Dáil this morning, Labour Party leader Pat Rabbitte said his party raised questions about the statutory rape laws eight years ago, but these were ignored by the Government.
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny, meanwhile, said the situation showed that the Government was "a headless band of bunglers".
The Tánaiste Mary Harney countered that, even if the law had been changed at the outset of the Supreme Court proceedings, it could still not be applied retrospectively.
"It could not have had any retrospective effect in relation to any persons convicted at that time," she said.
| Related Stories: |
|
