This question has been circulating in the media since the comedian Russell Brand was accused of sexual assaults against multiple women, including someone who alleges she was sexually assaulted by Brand when she was 16.
Reporting your abuse to the police is arguably one of the most daunting steps in the process of achieving justice. This was recognised by The Secretary of State for Justice in 2004 when the Victim’s Code of Practice was issued under the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 and has been reviewed and improved over the last 19 years.
Survivors of abuse often seek justice in a variety of ways. Justice can take the form of financial compensation. While no route to obtaining compensation is perfect, in some cases, applying to a bespoke compensation scheme can have its advantages.
Figures released in early 2021 showed that in England and Wales in the 12 month period to September 2021, only around 820 (1.3%) of the record 63,136 reported rape offence logged by the police resulted in a suspect being charged. Victims of abuse can suffer lasting trauma, and too often their experience of the criminal justice system adds to their suffering.
We have recently been instructed by a person who alleges they were a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of a deceased priest Reverend Canon William James ‘Jim’ Hawthorne, a former vicar of the Church of England.
Women on their own who are hotel guests, or indeed women employed to provide room service – can be vulnerable to sexual predators.
We have been instructed by a victim who was sexually abused as a child whilst a resident at St Vincent’s Orphanage in Newcastle.
We have recently been instructed by a victim of Keith Hartle (deceased) who was a National Boating Officer in the Nautical Training Corps (‘NTC’). Our client was assaulted by Hartle over many years in the 1990’s.
We have recently been instructed by a victim of a former music teacher, Paul Johnson who was sexually assaulted by him over a period of many years.
Recent televisions programmes have shone a light on the prevalence of female paedophiles: the current storyline in EastEnders which sees Mick Carter reliving the sexual abuse he suffered as a child by his social worker Katie, is a case in point.
