Woman sues CPS after stepfather acquitted in childhood abuse trial

Annie, whose name has been changed, reported her stepfather to the police in 2017 after learning he was babysitting young family members. She had first disclosed the abuse at age 18, but no action was taken then.

The case finally went to trial in 2021 after multiple court dates were abandoned. The jury found the stepfather not guilty of some sexual assault charges and could not reach a verdict on others, including rape. Annie is now suing the CPS with the help of the Centre for Women’s Justice (CWJ), claiming the prosecution was so poorly conducted that it breached her human rights.

A key complaint is that prosecutors did not apply to introduce bad character evidence about her stepfather. As a result, references to domestic abuse, cruelty, and neglect were edited out of her police interview. A photo showing her mother’s injuries after an assault by the stepfather was not shown to the jury. A solicitor’s letter about a violent assault on another family member and police reports of domestic abuse allegations were also excluded.

Annie said she had to watch her three-and-a-half-hour achieving best evidence (ABE) interview multiple times only for court dates to be cancelled at short notice. When the trial began, the barrister assigned to her, whom she had never met, told her, “I’m sick of your face, to be honest.” One trial was started and abandoned after the wrong evidence was shown to the jury.

The CPS later admitted it made a legal error by not adducing all the bad character evidence. Kate Ellis, a CWJ solicitor, said the law recognizes domestic violence as evidence of propensity for violence against women. Annie hopes her case will help other victims be heard.

A CPS spokesperson said they cannot comment due to ongoing civil litigation but acknowledged the impact of such offences and commitment to learning.