Man acquitted of rape because of corroboration rule

Under Scots law, prosecutors can group two or more offences, each with a single witness, together in order to show jurors that the accused displays a pattern of behaviour.

It is most commonly used in sexual offence hearings, based on a case from 1930.

That involved Glasgow draper Samuel Moorov, who was accused of seven assaults and nine indecent assaults against female employees over a seven-year period.

When one of his employees reported her ordeal to the police, a further 18 women came forward to report similar assaults.

As most of these cases had only a single witness, the prosecution grouped their experiences together to create the “Moorov doctrine”.

It was used to corroborate the evidence of victims in cases that were “similar in “time, character and circumstance”.

Based on that pattern of behaviour, Moorov was convicted of four indecent assaults.

If a pattern cannot be established by a majority verdict, the accused can be acquitted as no repeat behaviour has been established.