Child abuse victims put at risk by easier bail say MPs

SURVIVORS of child sexual abuse are being let down by the “persistent failure” of the criminal justice system, a report by MPs and peers has found.

Changes to police bail rules meant almost 3,000 suspected sex offenders questioned by police were released under investigation with no conditions attached, parliamentarians said.

Members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse are now calling for suspects under investigation for sexual offences to only be released from police custody on bail.

Their report also demanded a new Victim’s Law to strengthen the rights of survivors.

This would also set the national standard for timelines and updates for complainants, make the complaints process clear and beef-up the role of the Victims’ Commissioner.

The inquiry heard from 365 abuse survivors who responded to an online survey. Twelve also gave evidence in Parliament.

Only 54 per cent of survivors said they had reported their abuse to the police. Of those, 64 per cent did not see a charge brought and the overwhelming majority said the support

provided to them at that point was poor or very poor.

A fifth of those who had not reported allegations to the authorities said they were afraid of suffering further violence, while 30 per cent said they did not believe their case would be successfully prosecuted.

Sarah Champion, the APPG’s chairwoman, said: “Our inquiry found overwhelming evidence of persistent failure by the police and the Crown Prosecution Service to support and secure justice for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse.

“Survivors of child sexual abuse

are losing faith in the criminal justice system.”

Ms Champion, who is the Labour MP for Rotherham, was given the figures for suspects released under investigation after submitting a series of Freedom of Information requests. Figures from 20 police forces in England and Wales showed that in 2016/17, 4,657 child sexual suspects were placed on pre-charge bail. That fell by 56 per cent to 2,036 in 2017/18.

In the same two years, the number of suspects released under investigation rose from 261 to 2,993 as a result of the new bail rules.

A 28-day limit on pre-charge bail was introduced in 2017 after complaints about people being left in legal limbo for months before learning they had been cleared.

Ms Champion said: “I am particularly concerned that bail changes in 2017 mean a massive increase in suspected perpetrators being released without bail conditions before they are formally charged.

“This presents a huge risk to survivors, witnesses and the public.

“The Government has to act to address this safety risk immediately.”