Mr Justice Owens said yesterday that punitive damages must be awarded for something really serious. He said they were entitled to regard rape seriously and they should use their good sense.

He told the jury they should assume the Court of Appeal was looking over their shoulder when they assessed the amounts for damages, as if they had good reasons for their decision, it was "less likely to go wrong".

He reminded them that the onus of proof was on the plaintiff, the standard of proof was on the balance of probabilities and they should look at all the evidence.