False premises

As your editorial cautions (10 December), the evidence for abolishing corroboration is flimsy, and profound changes in the law should not be driven by polls and pressure groups.

The defence lawyer Joe 
Beltrami also warns that alterations to the rules of evidence in cases of sexual assault will inevitably lead to increases in miscarriages of justice.

Above all, there is the unresolved issue of false rape allegations, which peer-reviewed studies put at 10 per cent but New York prosecutors claim is nearer 20 per cent.

Civil liberties barrister Barbara Hewson says the scene is littered with the misconceptions of young men, and girls must take some responsibility for their own safety.

(Dr) John Cameron

Howard Place

St Andrews