Court Opinion

ID: 9696630
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-25 18:53:19.574008+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:20:24.492042
License: Public Domain

Chief Justice CAPPY

concurring.

I join the majority in its entirety. I write to emphasize that while our holding allows the Commonwealth to introduce evidence in its case-in-chief to explain a lack of prompt complaint, this rule is limited to sexual assault cases. In this type of case the judiciary can rightly take note of the fact that the jury may make a natural inference against the credibility of a witness for a failure to report promptly consistent with the policy that underlies the legislation at 18 Pa.C.S. § 3105. Section 3105 instructs that a prompt complaint is not required for the prosecution of sexual offenses. This reflects the Legislature’s response to the common law assumption of “hue and cry” which presupposes that a victim of sexual assault will immediately cry out, and if he or she does not, a negative inference can be drawn against the credibility of the complaint and against whether or not the incident in fact occurred. *369Commonwealth v. Snoke, 525 Pa. 295, 580 A.2d 295, 300 (1990) (quoting the anachronistic adage “hue and cry follow rape like smoke follows fire”).