Thumbs down for 'consent condoms'

"CAN I have your fingerprints?"

may not be the usual stuff of foreplay but the British inventor of new "consent condoms" believes they could insure men against date rape charges.

Emblazoned with the slogan "Yes - I agree to have sex with you", the packets contain a plastic insert where, as passions rise, the woman can mark a thumbprint to denote consent before having sex.

However, claims by inventor David Morrow that the condoms could provide vital court evidence against future accusations of rape have been challenged by legal experts and women's groups. Mark Stephens of City law firm Finers Stephens Innocent said: "The consent condoms are legally flawed because a woman could still withdraw her consent at any time, so the prints only prove she was present."

A spokeswoman for Women Against Rape said: "It sounds like another way to put women at a disadvantage. What on earth makes them think that a man who can coerce a woman to have sex against her will could not coerce her in the same way into opening a box of condoms?"

Denise Knowles, a psychosexual therapist for Relate, added: "It sounds like the equivalent of a prenuptial agreement before marriage. If you don't trust someone enough not to accuse you of rape afterwards maybe sex isn't such a good idea anyway."

Mr Morrow, 53, a former NHS manager, got the idea after watching the BBC show Kilroy about people who had been falsely accused of date rape.

"People may say they are a passion killer but they are a product for our times," he said.

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