Annie it must have been beyond terrible for the family of the man who was hanged, and for the man himself, obviously. It doesn't bear thinking about how it must feel to go through that. That is why I would never support the death penalty.
The way I see it it though, is that for a victim, letting a perpetrator go free is also a terrible thing, particularly if it happens as a result of the victim's testimony not being believed. These days there is no death penalty, and whilst being jailed for something you haven't done must be dreadful, at least people do get out on appeal.
I do recognise the importance of getting it right, but the idea that if there is no actual evidence the accused is assumed to be innocent means that so long as crimes against the person are carried out in private they are beyond the law, and that can't be acceptable, can it? It seems to me very one-sided, particularly if it extends to people being criticised for even discussing the probabilities on a forum like this.
The reason we don't know what happened is that Andrew bought his way out of giving evidence that could be contested. It was hush money. Yes, VG accepted the payment, but if it is too dangerous for Andrew, with all his connections and the eyes of the world on him, to give evidence in court, wouldn't VG have been in danger too? By taking the money she brought the case to public attention, showed that Andrew was willing to pay her off (as near to an admission of guilt as anything) and cushioned her family against the inevitable backlash the case would bring. Given the options available to her, and given that Andrew, then a prince, would have enormous advantage over her, can she really be blamed for her choice?