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Scottish government delays rape law reform
Plan to ditch corroboration requirement held off for at least a year

Campaigners against sexual violence received a setback yesterday after Scottish ministers decided to delay abolishing archaic legal rules that hamper prosecutions.

SNP Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill won plaudits from feminist organisations across Scotland last year when he announced plans to abolish the centuries-old legal policy.

A unique feature of Scottish law, it requires at least two witnesses or pieces of evidence to bring a prosecution.

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