Victim criticises police over dismissed abuse evidence
Man in decades-long campaign receives apology from watchdog
A MAN who was abused by his foster father during the 1980s has condemned Police Scotland for hindering his fight for justice after it emerged it dismissed evidence relevant to his case.
Richard Tracey, 48, who has mounted a decades-long campaign to shed light on the violence he suffered in care, has received an apology after the police watchdog uncovered evidence that officers mishandled historic claims that he had been sexually abused. Police wrongly told Mr Tracey a witness failed to acknowledge any instances of sexual abuse against him during his period in foster care but were later forced to reverse their position following an investigation by the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (Pirc).
They found police had unwittingly misled Mr Tracey by giving in information that was “clearly incorrect”.
Mr Tracey said: “Since 1993 when Kilmarnock Police were made aware of this case, it is I who has been pushing for justice. There has been no real effort to see the sexual abuser who abused me for years, or the care staff who assaulted me, brought to court. Kilmarnock Police have generally made this fight for justice as difficult as they possible can.”
He said that in the light of the ongoing sexual abuse inquiry, his experience suggested survivors of abuse can have very little faith in the ability of police to investigate past cases.
“So much for a new beginning for survivors,” he said.
Social work records note that Mr Tracey raised accusations he had been sexually abused, though his social worker Hugh Quinn failed to investigate the claims. The Herald reported last year on a Scottish Social Services Council investigation into concerns that Mr Quinn had failed to act over several years when he managed Mr Tracey’s case. This has yet to report its conclusions.
Mr Tracey also reported his claims to the police, but inquiries were dropped.
After a foster brother and sister, Alex and Elizabeth Tracey, were later interviewed in 2015, Police Scotland again took no action over the abuse allegations.
Officers told Mr Tracey that while their interviews had confirmed he had been beaten by his foster father, George Tracey, who is now dead, neither sibling had any knowledge of the claim that Richard had also been sexually abused..
But after an investigation by Pirc it has emerged inaccurate.
After retrieving Elizabeth Tracey’s statement and speaking again to her, Pirc has acknowledged she did discuss her knowledge of Mr Tracey’s claims and the identity of the alleged abuser in her original 2015 interview.
Pirc apologised for reproducing misinformation in the commission’s own dealings with him.
A police spokesman said: “As a result of recommendations from Pirc following a previous complaint, Police Scotland officers contacted the complainer in this case and an update was provided. A subsequent complaint was then made to Police Scotland which is still under investigation.” this was