A Longman warning must address not only the inherent weakness of the complainant's evidence due to delay, but also the specific forensic difficulties that delay has caused the accused in attempting to address the allegations, including the inability to establish an alibi or call witnesses. The existence of some corroboration of the complainant's evidence does not relieve the trial judge of the obligation to give this warning. A direction that merely mentions the impact of delay on recollection, without addressing the accused's forensic disadvantage, is inadequate.
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