In the Dock with Chief Crown Prosecutor Barry Hughes: improving how we deal with cases involving vulnerable victims of sexual abuse

29/01/2013

Although there can be no doubt considerable efforts have been made by the police and the CPS in recent years to improve the way cases involving vulnerable victims of sexual abuse, particularly children, are dealt with, more still needs to be done.

The recent revelations about Jimmy Savile are a sobering reminder of how offences of this nature are sometimes not even reported until many years later, if at all. Gloucestershire has seen a number of these disturbing cases and that of William Barber, found guilty at Gloucester Crown Court in August 2011 of sixteen offences of indecent assault and two of indecency with a child, is fairly typical.

During the trial the jury heard upsetting evidence from eight victims, now all adults, about sexual abuse which took place in the 1980s. Sentencing Barber to 14 years imprisonment, Judge Tabor said the witnesses had shown great courage in coming to give evidence about something so harrowing which had happened to them as children.

Sexual offences are frequently a challenge to prosecute, not least because they usually take place in a private setting where the victim is the only witness. Despite this, the CPS is securing more convictions than ever before. For example, 70% of all cases charged by the CPS as rape in Gloucestershire now result in a conviction.  But if the criminal justice response to allegations of sexual assault is to continue to improve we need to go further:

• New guidance will be issued to police and prosecutors encouraging them to build stronger cases which more effectively test the suspect's account as well as the complainant's.
• More support needs to be given to victims. In particular, we are currently looking at new measures which would allow for the pre-recorded cross-examination of child witnesses to be used when ever possible.
• A mechanism should be set up to enable those who have made allegations of sexual assault in the past which they consider were not dealt with appropriately to have their cases looked at again. To this end, the CPS and police are planning to set up panels which would consider any such complaints.
• Information-sharing across the Criminal Justice System in cases where a serious allegation of sexual assault is made but, for good reason, a criminal prosecution is not possible needs to be more robust. CPS prosecutors will be issued with guidance that they should highlight matters of concern within the evidence to the police which they, in turn, should share with relevant agencies including local authorities.

The CPS is determined to do all it can to give victims the confidence to report crimes and ensure offenders are brought to justice.