Importance of neuroscientific evidence for rape trials

The law should take into consideration neuroscientific evidence that suggests fear and threat can cause victims to become 'frozen' in cases of rape or sexual assault, argue UCL experts. In a comment article, published in Nature Human Behaviour, Professor Patrick Haggard and former UCL undergraduate, Ebani Dhawan, state that victims of sexual assault are often blamed for not fighting or fleeing their attackers. Thirty per cent of women are thought to experience sexual assault or rape in their lifetime. And, of those who have attended an emergency clinic, 70% reported being "frozen" during the ordeal, and unable to move or cry out. The researchers highlight court cases such as R v Lennox (2018) , a case in Australia, in which the defence lawyer questions the victim as to why she froze and did not show signs of struggle, transferring the blame of the sexual assault to her. However, the researchers argue that the victim's immobility may be entirely involuntary - in which case blame is inappropriate. For example, research has shown that when presented with threats, the brain's response can include blocking the neural circuits that provide voluntary control over body movement.