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Telegraph
a day ago
- Telegraph
Indecent exposure prosecutions fall despite Sarah Everard murder
Thousands of sex offenders accused of indecent exposure are avoiding prosecution despite a crackdown pledge by police after the rape and murder of Sarah Everard. Police are catching and prosecuting fewer offenders for indecent exposure since Ms Everard was killed, despite a big increase in the number of offences being reported to police by victims, a Telegraph investigation has found. The proportion of indecent exposure offences resulting in a charge has halved since 2014/15 from one in five to just one in 10 (10.2 per cent) despite the number of reported crimes increasing by 160 per cent from 6,000 to 16,000 in the same period. A Government-commissioned report found Wayne Couzens, the serving Metropolitan Police officer who murdered Ms Everard, could have been stopped before her death in 2021 if police had carried out a 'more thorough and committed' investigation into reports of his alleged indecent exposure. But since Ms Everard's murder, which shocked the nation and led to Government and police chiefs pledging to do more to protect women and girls from violence, the charge rate has fallen from 12 per cent. In the same period, the number of offences reported has increased by 40 per cent from 11,400 to 16,000. Ministers, police, judges and women's groups all acknowledge that indecent exposure is a precursor crime that can escalate into more serious 'contact' sexual offences including rape if action is not taken. Couzens, now 52 and serving a whole-life term in prison, was reported eight times to police for indecent exposure before he raped and killed Ms Everard. But 'lamentable and repeated failures' to act on the allegations meant he escaped prosecution until after he was jailed for life for her murder, the official report into the scandal found. The Telegraph investigation has found that even when offenders are prosecuted, official data show perpetrators of indecent exposure are getting more lenient sentences. The proportion of offenders convicted of indecent exposure who are jailed for more than six months has fallen from 60.9 per cent in 2019 to 39 per cent in 2024, the Telegraph analysis shows. Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister, admitted too many victims were being let down and pledged a 'fundamental review' of how police respond to indecent exposure and voyeurism, which is also seen as a precursor offence. She said: ' Violence against women and girls is a national emergency, and I know the devastating impact exposure and voyeurism can have on victims, who are too often being let down. 'We are working with the police to fundamentally review the way they respond to these offences and have supported the development of new training for officers. As part of our mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, we will be setting out a new strategy in the summer to keep more women safe.' Kieran Mullan, the shadow justice minister, who set up a group with the parents of Ms Everard to campaign for tougher sentencing, said: 'These offences can be deeply traumatic and we also know more and more about how they can be a first step to the most serious crimes. 'That's why prosecuting people is so important, so they are on the radar of the criminal justice system. The Government needs to rapidly understand why this isn't happening to such a concerning extent.' Responding to the Telegraph findings, police chiefs admitted they had to improve their response to the crime. Asst Chief Const Tom Harding, the director of operational standards at the College of Policing, said sexual exposure was a 'serious and distressing crime that can have a profound impact on victims'. He said: 'While we are seeing increased reporting of these offences, reflecting growing public awareness and confidence in coming forward, we recognise the need to improve the quality and consistency of investigations and outcomes.' Mr Harding said the College of Policing has launched national training for police on 'non-contact' sexual offences, as recommended in an official report by Lady Elish Angiolini. So far, 40,000 officers have completed it. He said: 'We are committed to ensuring that all victims of non-contact sexual offences are supported and offenders are brought to justice. This work is part of a broader effort across policing to tackle violence against women and girls and rebuild public trust and confidence.' The Telegraph analysis shows that police do not proceed with indecent exposure investigations in 46 per cent of cases because they claim there are 'evidential difficulties', often because the victim does not support a prosecution. This can be driven by victims' anxieties over appearing in court where they have to confront their perpetrator and relive the experience, as well as humiliation associated with the crime. However, Zoe Billingham, a former HM inspector of police, said this was no excuse for police not to proceed with an evidence-led prosecution without the support of the victim by using CCTV, phone data and other witnesses to place and identify the perpetrator at the scene of the crime. She said: 'That's been the traditional excuse for not pursuing a whole range of crimes, not least domestic abuse, but if there is other evidence – CCTV, other witness evidence, they can do an evidence-led prosecution that doesn't require the victims to provide evidence or make a statement. 'Only 10 per cent resulting in a charge when people have taken the time and trouble to report these crimes is really poor and indicative of the culture change that is needed in ensuring that all frontline officers recognise the importance of these crimes.'
The Sun
07-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Exploitation of human rights laws by criminals and activist lawyers has gone on for too long
Law is flawed THE exploitation of human rights laws by criminals and their activist lawyers has gone on for too long. Too often, soft judges have interpreted Article 8 of the European Convention — the right to a family life — to mean that criminals could not be deported if they had a child by a partner in the UK. 1 It has resulted in a string of ludicrous cases. One foreign criminal avoided removal, even though their spouse was dead, while another stayed because his son hated foreign chicken nuggets. Labour says it will introduce legislation to force judges to ignore claims when the law has been 'weaponised'. But the existing laws are a mess of the party's own making — adopted under Tony Blair's flagship Human Rights Act. Strangely, the PM wants to take on left-wing lawyers when he's one himself, while his attorney general Lord Hermer insists on sticking to every European Court of Human Rights ruling. Have these two got the will to free Britain from the grip of Strasbourg? We're not holding our breath. Cop vet failure IT is not too much to ask that those tasked with upholding the law don't fall foul of it themselves. New figures reveal that 56 officers in our police forces managed to cling on to their jobs last year after being found guilty of gross misconduct. The public's confidence in the police has been badly dented over the past few years by blunders which allow bent coppers to slip through the net. Met armed officer Wayne Couzens had been linked to six incidents of indecent exposure before he kidnapped, raped and murdered Sarah Everard, 33. Astonishingly, ministers have only now brought forward new legislation to make serious offences, such as rape and GBH, count as gross misconduct. Police forces must impose a more rigorous vetting procedure to ensure officers with criminal records are not pounding the beat. It's time to turn Line of Duty task force from TV fiction into a reality. Jabbering Joe SLEEPY Joe Biden has kept his head down since leaving the White House. But he piped up yesterday to urge the world to wake up to the threat posed by Vladimir Putin — and accused President Trump of 'modern-day appeasement'. It is clear that the Russian warmonger has no intention of giving up any territory claimed during his illegal invasion. Trump's smearing of the Ukraine regime to force through an unjust 'peace' deal is a rant beneath the dignity of his office. Some may find it galling to be lectured by Biden, whose spineless administration refused to give Ukraine the power it needed to win the war. But as the old proverb says, even a stopped clock is right twice a day.
The Guardian
11-02-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Court rules against Metropolitan police crackdown on officers
The Metropolitan police have lost a high court case over whether they can oust officers and staff deemed unsuitable through enhanced vetting procedures. Scotland Yard had used the scheme, which effectively dismisses officers by removing their vetting clearance, to get rid of scores staff – some of whom had faced allegations of sexual assault. It was launched after a series of scandals which had sapped public confidence, including the kidnap and murder of Sarah Everard by serving Met officer Wayne Couzens in 2021. But judges have ruled against the force after a challenge by the Metropolitan Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers. The Met commissioner, Mark Rowley, who has publicly vowed to clean up the force, has been left furious by the judgment and will consider an appeal. Rowley believes the process is a vital part of the effort to root out bad or suspect officers. The Met now has to reinstate those removed from the force after their vetting status was withdrawn, and those who left could be eligible for back pay. Under the scheme, if the Met received adverse information about an officer or staff member, their vetting would be reviewed. Vetting essentially clears them to access sensitive information and work in sensitive roles. If vetting approval is withdrawn, the staff member attends a gross incompetence hearing and can be dismissed. The Met says more than 100 officers and staff have left the force after their vetting was called into question. More details soon …
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Yahoo
Police misconduct complaints jump following ‘real life Line of Duty' TV series
The number of complaints lodged against police officers rose by 13 per cent last year following the screening of a documentary dubbed the 'real life Line of Duty', it has emerged. In the year ending March 2024, there were 54,647 formal complaints made against 46,072 officers across England and Wales for alleged misconduct. The overall figure was up by more than 7,000 compared to the previous year. As a result of the complaints 1,312 officers and 386 police staff were referred for misconduct proceedings, with almost 300 eventually found guilty of gross misconduct. Responding to the figures, some forces suggested the rise may have been down to renewed public confidence following the broadcast of the popular Channel 4 documentary, To Catch A Copper. The three-part series – dubbed the real life Line of Duty – followed the activities of the Avon and Somerset force's professional standards department as it investigated officers accused of misconduct and corruption. In one episode a suicidal woman who was threatening to jump from the Clifton Suspension Bridge was arrested for causing a public nuisance. She was then pepper sprayed while in handcuffs in the back of a police car. In another case, a married sergeant offers to give a drunk woman a lift home from a nightclub and then has sex with her in a lay-by. The documentary showed the lengths to which a police force was willing to investigate its own officers and root out those who should not be serving. The damning Baroness Casey review into culture of the Metropolitan Police and the Angiolini Inquiry into the behaviour of Wayne Couzens, the Met Officer who abducted, raped and murdered Sarah Everard, have also been credited with increasing public confidence in the police complaints process. Under Sir Mark Rowley, who took over as Met Commissioner in September 2022, Scotland Yard has also renewed efforts to drive corrupt officers from the force, even setting up a hotline for whistleblowers to report misconduct. The new figures were contained in new Home Office data published on Thursday. The accompanying report stated: 'High-profile cases reported in the media, the Channel 4 documentary 'To Catch a Copper', the Angiolini Inquiry and Baroness Casey report have all been identified by forces as factors affecting both the willingness of people to report allegations and the culture surrounding how police forces handle allegations about the conduct of its workforce. 'Several forces have launched internal culture campaigns in order to improve standards, such as the 'This Is Not Who We Are' campaign in Avon and Somerset Police, and have reported an increase in recording of internal conduct cases coinciding with these campaigns.' The report also pointed out that the rise in complaints could also be explained in part by the 15 per cent increase in the overall number of police officers serving, as a result of the police uplift programme. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
