Latest news with #evidence
BBC News
6 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
Thousands of criminal cases collapsing due to missing or lost police evidence
Thousands of criminal cases - including some of the most serious violent and sexual offences - are collapsing every year because of lost, damaged or missing evidence, the BBC has than 30,000 prosecutions in England and Wales collapsed between October 2020 and September 2024, data from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) include 70 homicides and more than 550 sexual chiefs say not all the cases relate to lost evidence and the figures include situations where officers may not be able to find an expert witness or get a medical statement. However, it follows a series of damning reports about how police forces are storing evidence.A leading criminologist says the increase was largely "a resourcing issue" brought about by cuts to police forces throughout the ex-police officers told the BBC it was unsurprising and the amount of evidence they deal with is "overwhelming".When police forces build cases around defendants they hand a file to the CPS. But when the CPS cannot proceed to trial because police do not have the necessary evidence needed to secure a conviction - they record it in their data as an "E72".The BBC, alongside the University of Leicester, managed to obtain Freedom of Information (FOI) requests showing the number of E72s recorded between 2020 and 2024 at police forces in England and can include:Physical evidence - including forensic evidence - being lost, damaged or contaminated during storageDigital evidence, such as victim interview footage or body camera footage, being lostWitness statements or pathology reports not being made available by policeKey evidence not gathered from the crime sceneThe figures obtained by the BBC do not break down why cases have the data does suggest the number of cases recorded as an E72 are increasing, with a higher proportion of prosecutions failing to result in a conviction because of lost or missing evidence each 2020, a total of 7,484 prosecutions collapsed because of lost, missing or damaged evidence. In 2024, that had risen by 9%, to 8,180. 'It can really affect someone's mental state' When Kiera was just nine years old she gave an interview on camera to Lancashire Police describing the harrowing details of the sexual abuse she had been subjected to over several a few months later, she says, police officers told her mother they had lost the recording."It was really hard, because I sat there for hours and hours telling people what had happened to me and for that to be lost, I just thought like what's the point in doing it again?" said Kiera, now 19."They did want me to do it again, but I just couldn't go through with it at the time."It wasn't until nine years later, when Kiera was an adult, that she felt strong enough to provide her evidence October 2024, her perpetrators were jailed for almost 30 years for raping and sexually assaulting seven children, including her."It can really affect someone's mental state. It's also not protecting other people because these people then don't get convicted of crimes."A Lancashire Police spokesperson apologised for the lost interview disc in her case, and said, since 2015, it had introduced new processes to prevent similar issues happening again. 'The amount of it is overwhelming' Former police officers have told the BBC they are not surprised by the findings."It's [evidence] chucked all over the place," said one former officer."The amount of it is overwhelming… it's unsurprising it gets lost or damaged," another told the Carole McCartney, a criminologist and expert in evidence retention believes the loss of the dedicated Forensic Science Service (FSS) in 2012 is one of the reasons behind the growing proportion of cases affected by unavailable 2012, all police forces could send exhibits that needed storing or analysing to the service, but the government-owned company was closed that year after making large then, police forces have had to make their own evidence storage arrangements and contract private providers for forensic McCartney said she had witnessed an officer pull out what he called a "box of horrors" from underneath a desk which contained various pieces of un-catalogued evidence including a plastic bag with a broken wine bottle in it and a car numberplate. All Items held by the FSS from before 2012 were moved to a different facility - the National Forensics Archive just outside of Birmingham - that year, but that archive is for unsolved cases only and does not accept new in the archive were crucial in overturning the convictions of both Andrew Malkinson and Peter Sullivan. Its director Alison Fendley says that without a dedicated forensic service, police forces were currently suffering from a lack of resources and expertise at a local level."Police forces have got lots of other things to do - archiving is not their day job and there's so much material coming and going it must be difficult to keep on top of," she backlogs at courts, the growth in online crime and the increase in digital evidence such as body worn video are all adding to a growth in the amount of exhibits police have to National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) said police and the CPS worked together to ensure evidence was "gathered and presented in a timely manner, bringing offenders to justice and ensuring victims are safeguarded".It said the data obtained by the BBC refers to all evidence that is either missing or unavailable when a defendant is going to trial after being this could include situations where police cannot find an expert witness or may not be able to obtain a required medical statement. A number of recent reports have raised serious concerns about police storage of 2022, His Majesty's inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) found police forces were "struggling to meet the demands placed on it by the digital age" as a result of the fast growth in digital University of Leicester's study into police retention of investigative materials, found three quarters of lawyers it surveyed had worked on a criminal conviction where evidence had been lost, destroyed or contaminated. Almost half claimed this had happened on multiple Baroness Casey's 2023 review into the culture of the Metropolitan Police found officers having to contend with "over-stuffed, dilapidated or broken fridges and freezers containing evidence including the rape kits of victims".It found an "overworked and inexperienced workforce" lacked the "infrastructure and specialism" for dealing with sexual offences, which existed before a specialist unit was disbanded in BBC study found around one in 20 prosecutions by the Met had been dropped as a result of missing evidence between 2020 and comparison around one in 50 were dropped across England and Met said the number included situations where police could not find an expert witness or were not able to obtain a required medical statement and to suggest it was simply down to lost evidence was acknowledged that on "a rare number of occasions" evidence is misplaced, adding: "We continue to make improvements to our recording systems to minimise this risk."The Home Office refused the BBC's offer to NPCC said: "When evidential issues occur in a case, the CPS will raise this with police for any action deemed necessary and we will work together to ensure these are resolved wherever possible."The results of a consultation by the Law Commission, which proposed re-establishing a national forensic service and making the mishandling of evidence a criminal offence in some circumstances, are set to go before Parliament next week. Additional reporting by Catherine Heuston and Claire Jones.
The Sun
a day ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Madeleine McCann cops calling off search will spend weeks poring over samples after digging under ‘Brueckner tent' site
COPS in the Madeleine McCann search will spend weeks poring over samples they have collected for any shred of evidence after it is called off. Teams have spent three days scanning and digging scrubland near where Maddie disappeared - and paid particular attention to a farmhouse - but are expected to wind up this afternoon. 4 4 4 4 A group of officers today returned to the derelict farmhouse scouted on day one of the operation - and donned gloves to carry out a close fingertip search. They have also dug a trench at the site - where 2007 satellite images showed what appeared to be a white tent. Prime suspect Christian Brueckner is known to have wild-camped in the hippy hangout area around the time of Maddie's disappearance. Investigators were seen carting away soil and other material, and will now spend weeks analysing this for anything linking Brueckner to Maddie. The search was scheduled to last three days from Tuesday with an option to extend if anything of interest was unearthed. A source close to the investigation told The Sun on Thursday morning: 'There are currently no plans to extend and if the situation remains the same the search will end this evening. 'It's very disappointing but nothing taken away from the search area so far has provided any clues.' Investigators are in a race against time to turn up evidence pinning Maddie's case to Brueckner - who they are convinced killed the tot - before he flees Germany. They have zeroed in on an area of scrubland - which prolific thief Brueckner scuttled around as his "rat-run" in 2007. Plans to scour the wider area were scrapped last night - with cops focusing all their efforts on the abandoned buildings linked to the convicted rapist. Police said they were scouring at least five structures within the 21-square-kilometre search area, where there is a crumbling farmhouse, disused well and derelict barns. Cops arrived armed with a radar scanner which can penetrate 15ft into the ground, hoping to find evidence of her body or any other clues. And on Wednesday a large yellow JCB-type digger rolled up to excavate, with evidence of it digging trenches in some of the crumbling sites. The Sun team on the ground saw the excavator pulling back earth to clear it for the radar, and teams taking away boxes of soil for lab testing. It comes after we revealed key figures in the case were flown back to Germany to give further statements on the claims Brueckner kidnapped and killed the toddler in 2007. The ongoing searches are understood to be linked to these secret meetings, which took place at the start of the year. A police theory is the three-year-old or her pyjamas might have been dumped in trenches near the holiday resort that were dug as part of extensive works at the time. Brueckner is set for release from jail in September after serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany for a 2005 Praia da Luz rape of an elderly American woman. He has never been formally charged over Madeleine's disappearance and denies any involvement - but German cops are convinced he is guilty. If released, he is expected to flee Germany for a country without an extradition treaty - so even if evidence linking him to Maddie emerges in the future, it may be impossible to bring him to justice. 3rd Jun 2025, 08:29 By Annabel Bate First pics of new search revealed
The Sun
a day ago
- General
- The Sun
Madeleine McCann search LIVE: Cops set to CALL OFF hunt today after just 3 days of scouring Brueckner's ‘rat run'
What was found at Brueckner's lair? A Sun investigation released last month uncovered a raft of evidence found at Christian Brueckner's lair found by the German police in Neuwegersleben, central Germany. Much of the newly uncovered evidence was found by chance at a disused factory Brueckner bought for £20,000 in 2008, a year after Madeleine vanished. A range of disturbing items show Brueckner's obsession with young kids. Children's clothes and toys were found at the paedophile rapist's abandoned den, plus masks, chemicals and guns. There was also a hard-drive of pictures, which German investigators continue to keep secret, that is believed to indicate why they are sure Madeleine is dead. In 2016 a dog ran on to the property and appeared to find a grave. Local cops then discovered Brueckner's dead dog - but underneath was a wallet with six USB sticks and two memory cards. They contained highly disturbing material — and 100 cops launched a full search of the compound.
ABC News
a day ago
- ABC News
Darryl Young triple-murder trial delayed to allow defence more time to assess evidence
The trial of a north Queensland grazier accused of killing three of his neighbours has been delayed a month before its start as the defence seeks more time to assess evidence. Darryl Valroy Young, 61, is charged with three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder at a property in Bogie, west of Bowen, on August 4, 2022. Married couple Mervyn and Maree Schwarz, as well as Mrs Schwarz's son Graham Tighe, were shot dead. Mr Young is also facing a charge of the attempted murder of Mrs Schwarz's other son Ross Tighe who was shot and survived. The trial was set down for July 14, but that date was vacated in the Townsville Supreme Court this morning. Mr Young appeared via audio link and spoke only to confirm he could hear the proceedings. Appearing via audio link, barrister Greg McGuire applied to adjourn the trial following a recent change of solicitors. He said more than 400,000 pages of downloaded data needed to be assessed, which had only come to defence lawyers' attention this week. Mr McGuire said he would not feel prepared to start the trial next month. "It's simply the case, your honour, that we're not going to be in a position to properly defend Mr Young," he said. He noted Mr Young believed not all the data had been disclosed and another request would be made. Justice David North noted the volume of evidence to be sorted through. Mr McGuire said a forensic or ballistics expert may also need to be called. He noted a statement from a doctor who had examined Ross Tighe, the surviving son. "He gives the evidence that a firearm was used, a .22 [calibre firearm], a low velocity, and at close range," Mr McGuire said. "As I understand, the prosecution case will be that they'd been shot with a 30-30 rifle, and at a distance, so it's possible that issue might need to be explored … with the engagement of either a forensic medical person for an opinion, or a ballistics expert." Prosecutor Monique Sheppard did not object to the application by the defence for more time. The case has been set down for mention on July 21.
ABC News
2 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Erin Patterson murder trial live: Witness testimony of accused continues in mushroom case
Erin Patterson is expected to return to give evidence for a third day at her murder trial in Morwell. She's accused of murdering three relatives by serving them a meal that contained poisonous death cap mushrooms. Follow the trial in our live blog.
