The Independent - London, December 7th, 2002
It's easy to forget what you are saying. This is from a news report on Thursday: "Rape suspects and those accused of other sex offences should be given the same right to anonymity as their victims, a committee of MPs recommended."
The victims of suspects? Suspects have no victims; they are innocent until proven guilty.
So that should be "the victims", then? Well no; at least not in rape cases, where consent is often an issue. If the man claims the woman consented and the jury believes him and acquits, then there was no crime and no victim. So I'm afraid it has to be "the complainants". Less ...
HighBeam Research, Free Preview: 'Mea Culpa: The tale of Mrs Tittlemouse's split infinitive'... Full Membership required for unlimited access. Free 7-day trial.
Subscribers: HighBeam content is only available to HighBeam subscribers. Click the link above for more information.
