Rape victims and support charities dismayed at the news current rape cases to be reviewed by the police
In a shocking revelation the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Alison Saunders announced on Friday evening that all existing rape cases in England and Wales were to undergo a review. This followed weeks of speculation that some rape cases were being mishandled by police as they were accused of not providing full disclosure to the defence.
A number of high profile cases have been reported in recent weeks underlining the alleged tactics used by the police relating to fair disclosure of crucial evidence. This negative publicity is extremely damaging not just to the judicial system but also to victims, many of whom may now face a postponement of their trial. Worse still many genuine cases may not proceed due to police mistakes or tactical measures that they have taken to frustrate the defence.
This is an appalling situation and one that will have a huge impact on victims and on their faith in the police to deal with their case effectively.
Childrens charity aims to improve support for abused children
The NSPCC this year commenced a campaign entitled "Its Time" focusing on the lack of care and support for children in the UK who have suffered from sexual abuse.
They quote a shocking statistic that 9 our of 10 children who suffer abuse will go on to have mental health problems as an adult. The message being that if we do not help these children now, there will be a much heavier price to pay in later years.
The government has failed to invest adequately in mental health / counselling support for vulnerable children. The NHS do not have enough specialist clinics or hospital wards to look after the number of patients under 16 who require mental health support and treatment. The NSPCC quote this on their website which underlines the aims of the campaign:
It's unacceptable that a child who has lived through abuse needs to be at crisis point before they get help. It has to change. And, together, we can make it change.
For more on this ongoing campaign you can visit the charitys website NSPCC - Its Time
If you or a loved one have suffered from sexual abuse as a child you may be able to claim compensation. Please contact our team for a discussion about your legal rights.
The NSPCC today published a project aimed at highlighting the dangers of "online" sexual abuse involving young people.
The majority of contacts made to the Childline helpline last year that related to online activity were said to involve sexual abuse. More worryingly, 40% of these calls necessitated involving outside agencies who intervened on the callers behalf.
Sexual abuse online relates to activities such as being persuaded to share rude images, website links or participate in lewd conversations that are inappropriate for people under a certain age. Many children are being groomed in this way and often it acts as a prelude to more serious offences being committed upon them. The NSPCC have asked the government to tighten their controls on pornography sites which, claims the charity, are far to easy to access regardless of age.
Dame Lowell Goddard quits but MPs demand answers
The ongoing increasingly controversial Inquiry into child sexual abuse involving public bodies and public figures today took another twist. The chairperson of the inquiry, Dame Lowell Goddard has decided to resign from her post after only 15 months at the helm.
The inquiry had been dogged with controversy and alleged cronyism during its early phase but Dame Goddard seemed to have calmed the waters and conducted matters in an orderly and very effective manner. She had received plaudits from both victims and the police for the structure she had brought to the proceedings. It was believed the great progress was being made although the inquiry was still expected to last 5 or more years. So the resignation has come as a great surprise to many.
Shocked MPs have asked Dame Goddard to provide a full and detailed explanation for quitting as her letter of resignation did not go into specifics. Victims support groups have conveyed their dismay at events and have underlined the importance of getting the inquiry back on track for the benefit of the many thousands of victims who have come forward during the investigation.
Toddler death at the hands of a doting mother of four
In what can only be described as a shocking crime, an otherwise exemplary mother of four has been founded guilty of murdering a fifth child over whom she had just been granted legal guardianship.
Kandyce Downer was convicted after a trial at Birmingham crown court of killing 18-month-old Keegan Downer, formerly Shi-Anne, at the family home on 5 September 2015. A postmortem examination revealed an array of old injuries to her head and chest including septicaemia which may have hastened her death. The judge commented that "As a result of the trauma, Keegan’s brain was incarcerated in scar tissue which caused persistent pressure on it, preventing the brain from growing, and Keegan would have become backwards in her development. She would have regressed from what she could do physically."
Ms Downer was arrested after calling 999 for an ambulance upon arriving home and finding the child had stopped breathing.
Lily Allen speaks out about her stalking experience which is more common than statistics suggest
Celebrity pop star Lily Allen has spoken of her fear regarding a stalker who made her life a misery for many years. Despite telling the police about the threat she felt daily at the hands of the individual, she felt that they more or less ignored her pleas and did not take her report seriously. She went on to say that she felt the police regarded her complaints as a "nuisance" rather than a crime.
This view is supported by the surprisingly low level of recorded incidents for what seems to be a wider much more common problem. Only a small proportion of cases are being formally recorded by the police let alone investigated. This has given weight to the argument by women's rights campaigners that the crime of stalking is simply not taken seriously enough.Only 7,700 cases were reported in 3 years from 2013 - 2016 yet further evidence suggests almost 1 million people (male and female) may be affected by this crime.
The law on stalking is covered by this legislation introduced in 2012 to much acclaim. However it seems that the new laws are not being enforced rigorously by the police. Perhaps the most common scenario for stalking involves cases of domestic violence which are on the rise in the UK. Fortunately public awareness and the wide availability of support groups for domestic violence victims means that the police are not the only option available to victims. But one would expect a better approach and that needs to be addressed.
You can read more about this story on the Guardian website.
