Thousands of suspects being released with no conditions

THOUSANDS of people suspected of violent and sexual offences have been released without conditions since changes to police bail were introduced last year, it has emerged.

More than 3,000 suspects were released while being investigated over offences such as murder and rape by 12 police forces over a three-month period, according to statistics.

Among them were almost 1,700 people arrested for violent crime, 768 rape suspects and 31 murder suspects.

Changes to the way they are dealt with after arrest were introduced last April after criticism that they spent too much time languishing on police bail.

A number of celebrities arrested on suspicion of historic sexual offences under Operation Yewtree, including Paul Gambaccini, the broadcaster, spent more than a year on bail, before being released without charge.

As a result of the criticism the system was changed to introduce a 28-day limit to pre-charge bail, with forces instructed to use it only when necessary.

Instead, the vast amount of suspects were Released Under Investigation (RUI) without conditions attached.

Earlier this month Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary warned that vulnerable victims, particularly those who had suffered domestic abuse, could be put at risk by suspects who were released without conditions.

A Home Office spokesman said: “Reforms to pre-charge bail balance carefully the interests of victims and witnesses, those on bail and the police.”

But Kerry Spence, a criminal defence lawyer with the firm, Hodge Jones and Allen, said far from speeding up the process, the changes had made things worse.

She said: “Both suspects and alleged victims are being left in limbo. At least with police bail there were specific dates that we all had to work towards with a potential to review things. With RUI you cannot put formal conditions on the suspect. It has made the whole situation a thousand times worse.”

♦ Trivial disputes between children are escalating to murder “within minutes” due to the influence of social media, Britain’s top police officer has said.

Cressida Dick told The Times that the internet normalised violence which is sped up by rivals goading each other on message boards. It comes amid a recent spate of stabbings in London.