The planned TV show about the 2018 Belfast Rape Trial has been accused of “voyeurism” by a barrister.
#IBelieveHer (based on a common slogan used by those in support of the complainant), a six-episode TV series, is scheduled for completion next year and has a production budget of more than €9m.
The series will use trial transcripts and public domain reports to depict the 2018 trial, which saw rugby players Paddy Jackson, Stuart Olding, Blane McIlroy and Rory Harrison found not guilty of rape.
Mr Jackson has expressed “concern” about the TV show, urging producers “to work collaboratively with all parties”.
Barrister and journalist Aileen Hickie said, however, the show should not be produced in the first place.
“I think any dramatisation, particularly of a case that was so recent and so polarising... It's really a very emotive issue,” she told Lunchtime Live.
“But you don’t hear from the protagonists in this court case who – as I say, it was only six years ago – are trying to get on with their lives.
“[A TV show] invites a sense of voyeurism.
“There was already a lot of questions to ask, being asked, discussions about how the trial was conducted.
“I'm very uncomfortable with the fact that we find rape and murder trials – particularly when it’s so recent – for our general entertainment.”
A 'shining light' on the Belfast Rape Trial
Sexual Violence Centre Cork Founder Mary Crilly said she would welcome any show that reveals the inner workings of the court systems.
“I’m in cases all the time in Cork and I think people who go to court as a victim don’t really know what’s involved,” she said.
“In my view, the only job’s defence is to poke holes in the young girl’s story and try to discredit her.
“So, I welcome shining the light on this.”
Paddy Jackson making a statement outside Laganside Courts in Belfast after being declared not guilty, 23/03/2018. Image: Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ieMs Crilly said the quality of the show will depend on the perspective it offers, particularly the perspective of the complainants.
“People do have a right and they do need to see it,” she said. “If the victims are OK with it, I’m OK with it.”
The driving force behind the series is Mary McGuckian, an award-winning director best known for her biopic of the Anglo-Irish architect and designer Eileen Gray.
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Main image: A protest in Dublin during the Belfast Rape Trial with a poster of the popular slogan 'I Believe Her'. Image: Brendan Donnelly/Alamy Live News
