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Grease stars Olivia Moore and Jocasta Almgill. Author Julie Myerson. Restorative justice.

Grease's Sandy and Rizzo aka Olivia Moore and Jocasta Almgill perform live. Julie Myerson on her new novel. Plus the new sentencing guidelines on child sexual offences.

Grease IS the word! We meet actors Olivia Moore and Jocasta Almgill, who are taking on the roles of Sandy and Rizzo in a new production of one of the best-loved musicals of all time.

Author Julie Myerson鈥檚 new book is Nonfiction, a novel about a couple struggling with a daughter who is addicted to heroin. It's partly inspired by the experience of her own son's drug addiction. Julie joins Andrea Catherwood to talk about addiction, maternal love and the ethics of novel writing.

As we await the verdict in the Heard / Depp libel trial, we look at the ramifications. Some say that neither party comes out of it well, but there are also serious concerns that this televised court case is harmful to victims.

New sentencing guidelines regarding child sexual offences come into force today. Child abusers will now face tougher sentences for the act of planning or facilitating sex offences even if sexual activity doesn't occur or the child doesn鈥檛 exist, for instance, where police pose as children in sting operations. We hear from Gabriel Shaw, Chief Executive of the charity NAY-PAC, National Association for People Abused in Childhood.

And for the first time in Scotland, some victims of rape and domestic abuse will be able to formally meet those who harmed them. In a process called restorative justice, victims of crime, such as sexual abuse or assault, can ask for a face-to-face meeting with the perpetrator. Andrea talks to Gemma Fraser, head of Restorative Justice Policy at Community Justice Scotland, and Ashley Scotland, Chief Executive of the charity Thriving Survivors, which will offer a specialist service for cases involving sexual harm.

Presenter Andrea Catherwood
Producer Beverley Purcell
PHOTO CREDIT; Manuel Harlan

Available now

56 minutes

Broadcast

  • Tue 31 May 2022 10:00

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