Every pair of eyes is on you and judging you. No-jury trials would give us better hope of justice

Esther relives ordeal in witness box as she backs proposals to give judge solo verdict on sex suspects

- MARCELLO MEGA

A WOMAN left traumatised by a not proven verdict on the man accused of raping her believes plans for juryless trials are vital to improve conviction rates.

Esther Pineau, 33, is strongly in favour of the Scottish Government's pilot scheme to try some serious sexual crimes without a jury.

However, many lawyers warn it could lead to miscarriages of justice and a planned boycott by Scots bar associations will make it unworkable.

Esther lived in Lybster, Caithness, at the time of the alleged attack on June 6, 2011.

Her case was exceptionally controversial as she was arrested for "wasting police time" and handcuffed by Northern Constabulary a week after alleging a foreign oil worker raped her.

Police had allowed him to leave the country.

Shamefully, Esther was forced to remove her clothing in a room with an open door and wear a police issue T-shirt and shorts that were "manky" while detained and questioned.

After the case was reviewed by the National Rape Investigation Unit of Police Scotland, set up in 2013, it was established there had been enough evidence to charge the man.

He was by then living in the US but working in Africa and police mounted a successful operation to intercept him at Heathrow after learning he connected his flights there.

He was tried for rape at Aberdeen High Court in 2016 but was cleared by the jury on a not proven verdict.