Call to keep rape suspect names secret

Individuals accused of rape and sexual attacks should have the right to remain anonymous while they are under investigation, MPs will say today.

The call follows a series of cases where celebrities have been publicly named in relation to sex crimes only for the cases to be dropped for lack of evidence.

They included Matthew Kelly, the Stars In Their Eyes host who was accused of child abuse but cleared after a five-week police investigation.

The Commons home affairs committee will say in a report it is unfair to name people until they are charged. The Home Office said it will discuss the call with police and campaigners.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in