Nolle Prosequi is a blunt shout out by Irwin to the legal system and to our political leaders “Lady Justice is dead!” Survivors of sexual assault are simply not getting justice 99% of the time despite Royal Commissions, Apologies, Redress Schemes, legislative changes like the abolishment of the Statute of Limitations and Ellis defence. The High Court has made it harder to get a conviction for sexual assault and cases brought for civil justice are still getting thrown out because the “passage of time” is too great for the defendant to fairly defend the allegations. Meanwhile, the media, the police and the OPP keep spinning tales keeping the illusion of the carrot of justice alive so that victims stay brave and keep telling whilst a survivor's taxes pay for everyone in the court room but there's still no lawyer for them. Irwin explains that survivors don't need dogs in courtrooms and tissue passers sitting with them — they need a lawyer! Until a survivor's status moves from a witness to a party in the criminal proceeding, there's no point reporting sexual assault to the police as there's only a 1% conviction rate. Irwin exposes the political spin and the legal retraumatisation a survivor still faces in 2020. A gripping read that points the finger!
