JUSTICE Why sex can be fatal for lesbians

Stereotyped media images of "killer dykes" and American Christian fundamentalism mean that 40 per cent of the women on death row in American prisons are lesbians or had an implication of lesbianism raised against them at their trial a Channel 4 documentary will allege on Monday.

This compares with estimates that the proportion of lesbians in the general population is no higher than 10 per cent.

The programme looked at the trials of the 46 women awaiting execution in the US and found that prosecutors used their sexual history - implying lesbianism, prostitution or promiscuity to secure the death penalty. The programme will argue that a mixture of Christian fundamentalism in parts of America and media images of lesbians influence the decisions of judges and juries. Paul McCann