English Judges Rule Lying About Fertility to Sexual Partner is Not Rape

A convicted rapist could make a bid for early release after winning an appeal in which judges ruled that lying to a sexual partner about being infertile is not rape. Jason Lawrance, a serial sexual attacker who is serving a number of life sentences, was found guilty last July of raping a woman twice after lying to her about having had a vasectomy. But the convictions for raping the woman – who became pregnant and had an abortion – were quashed on Thursday by appeal court judges who said they were unsafe.

Lawrance’s solicitor, Shaun Draycott, said: “There was real concern that the upholding of the convictions recorded at Nottingham crown court [last July] would have had the potential to criminalise large sections of an otherwise law-abiding population, both male and female. The ruling provides clarity on the important issue of whether one person’s consent to a sexual act can be negated by another person’s dishonesty.” Lawrance’s legal team did not appeal against his other convictions but Draycott said they would have to consider whether the ruling could potentially impact on the tariffs that relate to his life sentence.

Read more: Ben Quinn, Guardian, https://is.gd/G0F3mt