Criminal Defence Lawyers – can you assist in PhD research on s.71 Domestic Abuse Act 2021?

Posted on03 December 2024

Molly Stanton is a PhD candidate in Law at the University of the West of England, Bristol and has the following request to members with relevant experience:

My PhD, entitled “‘Rough Sex’ and Consent: An Examination of the Law on Consent and Safety” focuses on the Rough Sex “defence” being referenced with increasing ubiquity in conjunction with fatal offences against women and the law surrounding consent to harm as governed by the recently enacted s.71 Domestic Abuse Act 2021. I am currently collecting empirical data and am writing to request your participation in the attached survey.

My thesis explores whether s.71 is effective and justifiable, considers individual human rights, relies too heavily on biased and outdated social norms, and whether the provision aligns with the reality of these offences.

I hope you will agree this is a very important, contemporary issue. I am seeking insight from Criminal Defence Lawyers specifically to understand current awareness and practical implementation of s.71.

The survey consists of 12 questions and ought to take no more than 10 minutes to complete. It is entirely anonymous and does not collect personal data of any kind.

I would really appreciate you taking time to take part in this brief survey.

Should you wish to contact me to ask questions not outlined in the Participant Information Sheet and Consent Forms , please don’t hesitate to reach out to myself or my supervisory team; Molly Stanton: molly.stanton@uwe.ac.uk; Dr Thomas Smith: thomas8.smith@uwe.ac.uk; Duncan McPhee: Duncan.mcphee@uwe.ac.uk; Dr Jessica Elliot: Jessica.elliot@uwe.ac.uk.

I have also provided the link to the active post on my LinkedIn Profile where the survey link may also be found,

Respectfully,

Molly

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