And So It Begins…

The children’s commissioner for England has suggested lowering the burden of proof in cases of child sex abuse, arguing that the current system is “not fit for purpose”.

It’s good enough for murder and terrorism and kidnap and arson. Why isn’t it good enough for this?

Longfield told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “What this case really sharply illustrates is the difficulty there is in giving evidence in the case of child sex abuse, especially within the family.

“We know that the vast majority of cases aren’t reported in the first place, but even those that are reported, the vast majority don’t go to court because the evidence just isn’t there. And when looking at the burden of beyond reasonable doubt, it’s very sharply in contrast to the kind of ruling we saw from the judge last week, which is about balance of probability.”

Yes, that’s because that’s a civil court, not a criminal one. Are you going to suggest that those found guilty under such rulings would be subject only to a fine?

If not, shut up. This is not your remit. And you traduce the post you hold every time you open your mouth.

Which is not to say your predecessors didn't as well, but you're in a class of your own already...

Asked whether Worthington’s case was more about the police’s failure to collect evidence, she said officers should and could have done better. But, she added, the level of evidence needed in cases of familial child sex abuse was not usually available because they were not reported until a long time after the event. This meant forensic evidence was unavailable and/or the accounts of alleged victims could be muddled.

“We need to understand that if we are serious about tackling child sexual abuse, we need to better decide what does constitute good evidence and that’s something not for me, for the police; it’s for social services, it’s for the judiciary,” she said.

The two bodies that have failed Poppi Worthington (and Poppi Worthington’s family) so utterly? No, I don’t think we’ll let them decide anything.

Further discussion can be found at Anna Raccoon.