Reports of sex offences overall, both historic and current, has also increased, with one police force seeing allegations almost double since last October, when the Savile affair first emerged.
Nationally reports have increased by up to 10 per cent, figures show.
It came as Damian Green, the criminal justice minister, vowed to better protect vulnerable victims from traumatic experiences in the court room.
An investigation will examine ways of curbing aggressive grilling by barristers and other hostile practices to limit the amount of distress caused in the witness box.
It follows concerns in the recent trial of a gang who ran a child prostitution ring in Telford, where one girl – who had been sold to men across England since the age of 13 – was cross-examined for 12 days by seven different defence barristers.There was also the case of Frances Andrade, 48, a violinist who is believed to have killed herself after being cross – examined at Manchester Crown Court, when she was accused of being a liar and fantasist during the trial of Michael Brewer, a choirmaster who was later convicted of child sex offences against Mrs Andrade when she was a teenage pupil.
Figures obtained from police forces by BBC Radio 5 live provide evidence of the so-called "Savile effect", with victims of other sexual abuse prompted to come forward after disclosures that the late presenter was a serial sex attacker.
Some 34 forces – all those who replied – saw a year on year rise in recorded sexual offences. There was a 9.2 per cent rise overall in the six months from October 1 2012, compared to the same six month period a year before. Offences rose from 30,267 in the period from October 2011 to March 2012 to 33,048 from October 2012 to March 2013.
In the 12 months before October 2012, sexual offences were down five per cent year on year.
The biggest rise was in Bedfordshire, which saw a 92 per cent rise in recorded sexual offences year on year, which included a 40 per cent rise in reports of historic offences.
The second biggest was in West Yorkshire, Jimmy Savile's local force, which saw a 66 per cent rise in recorded sexual offences year on year, up from 938 offences in the six months to April 1 2012, to 1,560 in the same period a year later.
West Yorkshire Police say 79 of the recorded crimes in the most recent period related to Savile, and that he alone accounted for 12 per cent of the rise.
Detective Superintendent Karena Thomas, head of public protection unit for Bedfordshire Police, said: "While we recognise there has been a considerable increase in reported sexual offences, the actual number of crimes committed remains very small in comparison with overall crime.
Peter Saunders, chief executive of the National Association of People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC), says the Government needs to provide more funding for specialist support services.
On the separate review of cross-examination practices in sensitive cases, Mr Green said work would be carried out over the summer to find ways to curb hostile practices.
It will consider whether barristers should only be allowed to bring up new points, as well as fresh guidance for judges in how to deal with such cases.
Mr Green said: "It wouldn't be right to ignore the concerns of vulnerable victims forced to relive the most horrific experience they have ever had, often for days on end, when cross-examined in court.
"The growing number of cases where victims report being left deeply traumatised by aggressive cross-examination from multiple defence barristers mean that questions must be asked.”
Last month, Chris Grayling, the Justice Secretary, proposed some vulnerable victims and witnesses should be allowed to pre-record their evidence and not be subject to cross-examination.
Javed Khan, chief executive of Victim Support said: "Time and again we see victims who have had to endure a double trauma, first at the hands of those who have harmed them, only to then face torturous cross examination and degrading questions from multiple defence barristers in court. This is surely not the best way to obtain sound, accurate evidence, or indeed to protect vulnerable victims and witnesses.”
No comments:
Post a Comment