Drunk women should not get a binge bonus just for being raped

Drunken women who have claimed a compensation pay out for being raped while under the influence are in line for an extra cash bonus.

This is because of an extraordinary change of mind about whether a woman should take any responsibility whatsoever for her own safety.

Up to now women who claimed to have been raped while drunk have been awarded the standard pay-out of £11,000 - but this has been reduced by 25 per cent because their boozing has been regarded, quite rightly, as a contributing factor.

In other words, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority argued that because they had put themselves in harm's way by warping their own judgment and consciousness with alcohol they were at least a quarter to blame.

Exactly the same principle applies to pay-outs to the victims of other crimes. If a drunk picks a fight and gets beaten up, then he may receive cash for being assaulted but the amount will be reduced because of his own drunken stupidity.

But, for rape victims, all this has changed.

Why? Because one rape claimant, whose identity is cloaked by legislation, objected to having her cash award cut. Although admitting she was drunk at the time of the attack, she claims her drinks had been spiked.

Legal action against the CICA has not only brought her the missing 25 per cent but has won the same pay-out for another 13 drunks who also claimed compensation in the past 12 months.

Justice Minister Bridget Prentice now claims that all these cases were mistakes. And that every half-cut female who claims rape will be given the full amount in future.

Just how many other "mistakes" there have been down the years, and how many more actions for binge bonus will now be triggered, remains to be seen.

But we are now plainly facing the official view that a woman need take no care for her own wellbeing. She can drink herself legless, wander off with a stranger, collapse on his bed and still bear no share of the blame for what happens next.

In fact, not only does she take none of the responsibility but she can now get an £11,000 pay-out for her inebriated stupidity.

This is not only an insult to those sober and innocent victims of rape who suffer violent attacks at the hands of total strangers.

It is an insult to common sense.