A woman has been awarded £35,000 in compensation from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) after her rape case was dropped over claims that she could have had an episode of a rare sleep condition called sexsomnia.

Jade Blue McCrossen-Nethercott, 32, contacted police in 2017, when she was 24, after waking up to discover she was half-naked, and with the sense that she had been raped while she slept.

Three years later – and days before the man charged with raping her was due to stand trial – lawyers from the CPS said her case was being dropped because two sleep experts said it was possible McCrossen-Nethercott had had an episode of sexsomnia – a medically recognised, but rare, sleep disorder which can cause a person to engage in sexual acts in their sleep, while appearing to be awake and consenting. The case was closed and the defendant acquitted.

In 2022, McCrossen-Nethercott sued the CPS after it admitted her rape case should not have been dropped. Now, the BBC has reported that she has been paid £35,000 by the CPS, which said it had “apologised unreservedly” to her and was “committed to improving every aspect of how life-changing crimes like rape are dealt with”.

  • sleen
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    3 months ago

    The question was why he didn’t do it sooner. Not when confronted.

    If he knew he did something wrong, illegal, and immoral then why did he stay and wait until the victim wakes up.

    • mosiacmango@lemm.ee
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      3 months ago

      You think rapists are perfectly rational actors? They only make good decisions?

      There are tons of reasons rapists think they can get away with rape. He clearly had one in mind until she confronted him directly.

      • sleen
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        3 months ago

        To answer this, no they are not perfectly rational. However they are not dumb, anyone can be a rapist, it is a mental disorder which doesn’t correlate with their IQ.

        The ‘tons of reasons’ statement would be interesting to read about, as usually a perpetrators focus is rape and escape. Not befriending the victim - i might suggest how inconsistent this sounds.

        Unless the victim has other mental problems then this could occur. However, I was simply seeking an answer, not an explosive statement.