41.   Howard said he has not reviewed the rape case with police, but said it is possible Thomas may not have been involved with the attack.

42.   In interviews after they were dismissed, several jurors said they were shocked to learn of the second rape case.

43.   In New York, rape cases expire after five years.

44.   In January, a government task force began systematic study of all the child rape cases reported over the last two years in an effort to find answers.

45.   In Bulgaria, the law demands a witness in order to prosecute a rape case.

46.   In recent months, several widely publicized child rape cases have galvanized thousands of people, who have marched through the streets to demand government action.

47.   In the past, he said, the evidence in unsolved rape cases was routinely thrown away after five years.

48.   In the rape case, the Court of Appeals, in an unsigned memorandum, suggested that it was not breaking any new legal ground.

49.   It is also similar to many rape cases involving adults, where trials pit a victim against an attacker, she said.

50.   It stated that the rising number of rape cases in the country had to do with women there wearing short skirts.