To ask the Minister of Justice for an update on the implementation of the recommendations in the Gillen Review Report into the law and procedures in serious sexual offences in Northern Ireland, regarding improving the handling of serious sexual offences.

While there remains work to be done, good progress has been made towards the implementation of the Gillen Review recommendations. Implementation of the is complex and cannot be achieved by DOJ alone as it requires a collaborative and partnership approach to achieve the transformational change required.

I am pleased to report that 174 (69%) of the original 253 Gillen Review recommendations are assessed as complete and a further 25 (10%) are partially completed, meaning that while provision is in place, further work will be required to mainstream the service.

However, I do not believe that simply reporting on the number of completed/in progress recommendations conveys the true scale of the impact of this progress in terms of outcomes for victims.

My approach has been to prioritise recommendations that deliver real and meaningful benefits for victims of sexual crime, including:

Access to free legal advice for all victims of serious sexual offences, through the SOLA and Children’s SOLA schemes. The adult service has been in place since 1 April 2021 and has provided advice and support to over 2,000 victims of sexual crime. The Children’s SOLA (CSOLA) service launched on 5 February 2025, and has assisted over 150 young victims and their families. Feedback on both schemes continues to be overwhelmingly positive with many service users reporting that it has increased their confidence and understanding of the justice system, and importantly, ha encouraged them to remain engaged within the justice system when they might otherwise have withdrawn.

Remote Evidence Centres (RECs) allow vulnerable witnesses to give evidence directly to the court from a secure and comfortable facility, away from the courthouse. Importantly, attending the REC ensures that the witness will not encounter the defendant or the defendant’s family or supporters in or around the court building on the day of the trial. Two new RECs have been established in Belfast and Craigavon, in addition to the existing NSPCC-led facility in Derry ~ Londonderry. The outcomes are encouraging:

there was an increase of over 600% in REC trial bookings in 2024 compared to 2023;

this increase in demand has continued in 2025 with a further 90% increase in bookings so far this calendar year compared to 2024;

and, in 2024, 344 witnesses (199 adults and 145 children) attended a REC to give evidence with that number set to reach around 500 in 2025.

The Gillen Review anticipated that RECs would enable victims to give their best evidence and increase their confidence in the justice system. This is supported by conviction rates for REC cases that, so far this year, stand at 90%, and for the whole of 2024 was 92%. Over half of these convictions have been by guilty plea, meaning that the victim has not had to go through the daunting experience of having to provide any oral evidence at the trial. An evaluation of the RECs is to be taken forward and will help to inform recommendations to roll out wider access to REC facilities across Northern Ireland.

The judge-led voluntary Protocol to expedite serious sexual offence cases involving child witnesses under 13 years of age continues to operate in Belfast and Antrim Crown Courts and is delivering positive results. In 2024, participating organisations agreed to expedite serious sexual offence cases involving those under 16 years in all jurisdictions, where possible. However, these cases are not subject to the same timeframes as have been formally adopted in the U13 protocol. My Department is considering how to support the further rollout of the Protocol, but there are some complex issues to be overcome and any additional expansion will require resources and funding.

The Barnahus model is a concept that offers a child-friendly approach to sexual crime where law enforcement, criminal justice, child protective services, and medical and mental health workers cooperate in a ‘joined up’ approach to ensure the best support for child victims. A cross-departmental Barnahus Working Group, jointly led by the Department of Health (DoH) and my Department is taking forward work to identify potential options for a Barnahus model. I anticipate that recommendations arising from this work will be shared with myself and the Health Minister for consideration shortly.

My Department has also worked with the PSNI and Executive Office to fund and deliver the PSNI-led Power to Change public awareness campaign that launched on 28 January 2025. The campaign tackles the underpinning behaviours and attitudes that can fuel sexual offending and gender-based violence, including violence against women and girls. Since its launch, the ‘campaign has received over 1.4 million impressions on Tik Tok and over 2.4 million impressions on YouTube. Work has commenced on Phase Two of the campaign which will focus on challenging the misogynistic messages conveyed through some social media channels.

The Gillen Review said ‘social media must not be permitted to pollute the stream of justice and defeat the interests of both complainants and accused persons’. My department, in conjunction with the Lady Chief Justice’s Office and the NI Courts and Tribunals Service (NICTS) has published a booklet that sets out clear guidance for jurors on their legal responsibilities, contempt of court, and on the laws around their use of social media during and after trials. All sworn jurors are required to read the booklet prior to the commencement of the trial and posters highlighting this information are in place in all courthouses. The booklet is also available on the Department’s website. In addition, these messages have also now been included in a set of four new videos that jurors will watch prior to the trial. The videos can be viewed here - NICTS jury information videos | Department of Justice

Reducing delay is crucial to improving victims’ experience of the justice system and reducing attrition. While there is more work to be done, progress is being made, including:

the first stage of the NI Criminal Justice (Committal Reform) Act was implemented on 17 October 2022. The new committal process means the use of oral evidence during committal proceedings in the Magistrates’ Court for new cases was abolished. This change simplifies the committal process, reduces costs and delay, which benefits both victims and witnesses and the accused.

The Department is also working with criminal justice partners to take forward the second phase of committal reform (‘direct committal’), to remove the traditional committal process entirely for the most serious offences, with the majority of those cases being directly transferred to the Crown Court at the first court appearance in the Magistrates’ Court. I have tasked my officials to implement direct committal in November 2026.

Work has progressed with the Indictable Cases Process (ICP) for serious sexual offence cases, Following the Gillen Review, the PPS and PSNI made several significant changes to their case processing arrangements in line with the ICP principles. These changes are currently being documented and combined into one process. This work is ongoing with the Serious Sexual Offences Process (SSOP) part of the wider Speeding Up Justice Programme of Work looking at early engagement.

Case Progression Officers are in place in all Crown Court venues and are working to ensure that all procedural or administrative matters in relation to Crown court cases are being progressed by the relevant agencies and that, as far as possible, any blockages or impediments to effective case progression are addressed.

A number of research projects recommended in the Gillen Review are nearing completion. The findings of this research will help inform policy development and the introduction of new measures and services to assist victims. This work includes:

A report to establish baseline figures for attrition in serious sexual offence cases and identify underlying reasons for attrition has been drafted and is being quality assured. This information will inform the introduction of further measures to reduce attrition.

Research into the use of previous sexual history evidence in serious sexual offence trials by a PhD student under the Queens University Belfast / DoJ Collaborative Studentship Programme. This research will examine how applications are made and dealt with by the courts and will consider if in light of the empirical data, further reforms are needed in this area. The research report is expected later this year.

Research into the use of Restorative Justice in sexual offences. While the Review advises caution around this highly sensitive subject, it also recommends research should be conducted to establish if a victim-led restorative justice process for sexual offences is possible. Again, under the Queens University Belfast / DoJ Collaborative Studentship Programme, a PhD student is in her final year of a three-year research project on this topic and her report is expected later this year.

Achieving Best Evidence (ABE) interviews are not only crucial for the investigation process, but also have an important part in a victim’s overall experience of the criminal justice system. The implementation of Gillen Review recommendations has included:

ABE interview training has been reviewed and improved with input received from Registered Intermediaries, child psychologists and members of the legal profession.

A pilot involving a cadre of police officers and social care staff specifically trained to conduct ABE interviews is delivering important improvements. However, the extension and further roll-out of the ABE Cadre to other Health Trust areas is subject to additional funding becoming available.

ABE interview suites have been refurbished to a simplistic but improved standard to remove sources of noise, distractions or a cluttered screen image and Children’s toys or props are now available should they be required;

A PSNI-led ABE Working Group has been established to oversee further improvements to the ABE process, including delivery of the remaining Gillen recommendations in this area.

PSNI and PPS colleagues have continued to lead work to improve the operation of the disclosure process. Under the Disclosure Improvement Plan, improved training has been delivered to prosecutors and police officers and new file standards have been agreed which have led to a drop in the volume of prosecution files being returned to PSNI as a result of failing requirements from an average of almost 78% in 2020 to 11% in 2024. This speeds up the criminal justice process, which ultimately improves the victim’s experience.

The Gillen Training Group has overseen work to improve the standard of training for the criminal justice organisations including the Police and PPS, as well as solicitors, barristers and court staff. This training will help to deliver cultural and organisational change, to benefit victims through a more trauma informed and sensitive approach. Progress has included:

Over 5,000 police officers trained in a diverse range of topics such as rape myths, conducting ABE interviews, dealing with those affected by trauma and developing specialist skills to deal with child victims;

Members of the Bar and Law Society taking part in specifically designed courses aimed at raising awareness and supporting the needs of Vulnerable Witnesses; and,

Staff within the PPS received training on the new Non-Fatal Strangulation law and Child Sexual Exploitation. In addition, all legal staff have undergone training in the prevalence, issues and support available to male victims of domestic abuse; strong, robust case building and prosecution in domestic and sexual abuse cases.

Several important reforms recommended in the Gillen Review, were introduced under the Justice (Sexual Offences And Trafficking Victims) NI Act 2022 including:

the exclusion of the public from court in serious sexual offence trials and appeal hearings;

the extension of existing lifelong anonymity for victims until 25 years after death; and

increased penalties for breach on anonymity.

I remain committed to the full implementation of the Gillen Review and ongoing priorities that I intend to progress within this mandate include:

My Department is progressing work on new legislation to clarify the right of complainants in serious sexual offence cases to third party representation during pre-trial applications. These provisions are planned to be introduced to the Assembly under the Victims and Witnesses of Crime Bill in Spring 2026 along with provisions to enhance the protection of complainants’ personal information in the third party material disclosure process (this includes information such as counselling notes and some social service or medical records).

My officials are also leading work to develop a social media campaign to raise awareness and challenge rape myths which will launch before the end of the business year; and,

Work is also underway to develop media guidance in relation to sensitive reporting of sexual offences.