Fury as hundreds of legal circumstances collapse because of misplaced or lacking proof | Politics | News | EUROtoday

Fury has erupted over hundreds of victims lacking out on justice due to misplaced, broken or lacking proof.

At least 70 homicide and manslaughter circumstances and greater than 550 sexual offence investigations have collapsed because of the blunders.

In whole, greater than 30,000 prosecutions in England and Wales have collapsed between October 2020 and September 2024, Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) knowledge reveals.

Alarmingly for victims, the variety of circumstances falling aside because of misplaced, broken or lacking proof is rising.

When the CPS can’t proceed to trial as a result of police shouldn’t have the required proof wanted to safe a conviction – they file it of their knowledge as an “E72”.

Some 7,484 prosecutions collapsed in 2020, rising 9%, to eight,180 final yr.

The disclosure – by means of Freedom of Information legal guidelines – will immediate a renewed disaster of confidence in England and Wales’s crumbling legal justice system.

Ciara Bergman, CEO of Rape Crisis, mentioned: “Every instance of a sexual offence case being dropped due to lost or damaged evidence represents not only a failure of our system to adequately respond to rape, but a devastating blow to the survivor who came forward in the hope of justice and accountability.

“These figures are deeply concerning. Survivors of sexual violence already face huge barriers to reporting what happened to them, and many describe the criminal justice process itself as re-traumatising.

“For their cases to be dropped because of damaged or missing evidence only compounds that trauma, and undermines our justice system in its entirety.”

Neil Henderson CEO of Safeline, a specialist charity that works to forestall sexual abuse, mentioned the newest report is “just another example” of how victims are “being let down.”

He instructed GB News: “It’s another kick in the teeth for victims, who are being let down left, right and centre.

“Losing proof is simply one other instance of being let down. The victims are already discovering it actually exhausting to get the justice they deserve.”

“It’s yet one more unhealthy instance of victims of being let down by the entire system, and we’re seeing a giant lower of victims not coming ahead as a result of they’ve misplaced religion within the system.”

Police chiefs mentioned the E72 classification may embody circumstances the place officers have been unable to search out skilled witnesses.

A spokesperson for the National Police Chiefs’ Council mentioned: “Police and the CPS work together to ensure evidence is gathered and presented in a timely manner, bringing offenders to justice and ensuring victims are safeguarded.

“The E72 category refers to evidence that is either missing or unavailable when a defendant is going to trial following being charged.

“For example, police may not be able to find an expert witness to give evidence or it may be that a required medical statement cannot be obtained.

“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.”