Prosecutor apologises over 47 sex case disclosure fails
THE Director of Public Prosecutions has apologised for 47 sex offence cases being dropped after vital evidence was withheld from defence lawyers.
Alison Saunders yesterday admitted the figures were “unacceptable”.
They emerged in a major review launched after the collapse of a series of rape cases last year.
The Crown Prosecution Service identified disclosure issues in 47 of 3,637 cases in England and Wales examined in January and February. Disclosure was the primary reason for five cases being stopped. In the others, there were extra reasons including texts and emails examined too late. Ms Saunders, who is stepping down, told the Justice Select Committee: “Getting disclosure right is fundamental. There are cases where we are falling short, and that is unacceptable. We will apologise for those.”