Many people, perhaps most do not know understand the sentencing for child sexual abuse offences, and many think that sentences for child abusers are lenient, especially for “historical” offences.
I asked Natasha of the excellent Researching Reform blog whether she knew anyone who could explain the sentencing to throw a bit of light on the matter for victims, survivors and non lawyers.
Natasha, very kindly, volunteered to write a blog on this, which is reblogged below or can be checked out on her blog [1]
The Guidelines are here – 2014 Sentencing Council Definitive Guidelines for Sexual Offences [2]
Researching Reform Are Sentences For Paedophiles In Non-Recent Child Abuse Cases Too Lenient? [1]
For our column over at legal publisher Jordans this month, we look at the way in which convicted paedophiles in non recent child abuse cases are sentenced. Concerns raised by politicians, charities and survivors about the sometimes shockingly lenient terms convicted paedophiles receive have prompted calls to review the law in this area.
In our article, we outline the background to sentencing in cases of recent and non recent child abuse, explore research and policy in this area and look at why sentences may seem completely inappropriate in the face of some of the most awful crimes imaginable.
You can check out our article on Jordans’ website, or read it below:
Sentencing Paedophiles In Non Recent Child Abuse Cases – Are Courts Too Lenient?
Type in the phrase “lenient sentences for child sexual offences” into a search engine like Google and the results for the UK alone are astounding.
From government ministers to child welfare charities, the concern expressed over unduly lenient sentences in recent child sexual abuse cases continues to mount. So much so, that in 2015, several paedophiles and rapists who initially escaped jail saw their sentences increased on appeal. And in that same year, an international report published by Net Clean found that 64% of organisations interviewed felt that laws around the world, including the UK, were not suitable for child sexual abuse crimes, either because they were outdated or limited regarding the need for international cooperation. Police forces and investigators taking part in the report also expressed concern that sentences for child sexual abuse were still far too lenient, despite the fact that sentencing levels for sex offences in the UK have increased.
This apparent disregard for the severity of child abuse as reflected by low level sentencing, has deeply affected survivors of non recent abuse who feel unsure about the kind of justice they can expect. The Sexual Offences Act 2003 makes it clear that offences like rape or penetration of a child under 13 or anyone older, carry the same maximum jail term, that of life imprisonment, but whilst concerns about leniency in the sentencing of offenders on child abuse charges exist in both recent and non recent child sexual abuse cases, are both types of abuse treated the same when it comes to sentencing in practice?
Unlike other areas of the law, there are no time limits set as to when child sexual offences can be prosecuted, which has allowed victims and survivors of non recent abuse to come forward. Delays in reporting were previously treated with suspicion, but after many years of campaigning and research, it is now understood that a postponement in reporting is not indicative of a false allegation. In fact, delays in making a complaint of child sexual abuse should not affect the way the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) investigates these claims or enforces the law, at all. If enough evidence is gathered, the CPS should then consider prosecuting an individual if they feel it is in the public interest and there is a realistic prospect of conviction. This allows cases of non recent abuse to be examined and where possible lead to the securing of convictions for those guilty of child sexual abuse. In this way, cases of recent and non recent abuse are treated equally.
However, a question arises as to which piece of legislation will be used for prosecution purposes in non recent cases of child abuse, and here differences begin to set in. The starting position when an offender is sentenced is that he or she should be sentenced according to the law at the time the offence itself was committed, rather than the law in existence at the time of sentencing. This principle is also reinforced by Article 7 of the European Convention of Human Rights. As a result, individuals charged with historic sexual abuse offences are likely to be prosecuted under the Sexual Offences Act 1956, whilst any incident alleged to have occurred after 1 May 2004 will be prosecuted under the Sexual Offences Act 2003. If it is not possible to work out whether the abuse took place before or after 1 May 2004, then the old law will apply if it attracts a lesser maximum penalty. This is done to prevent the law from being retroactive, but it causes other difficulties, as we will see below.
As the courts must reconcile old legislation and sentencing guidelines with modern life, seeking justice in cases of non recent child sexual abuse becomes a more complicated matter. For example, the current sentencing guidelines for non recent child abuse tells us that an offender must be sentenced in accordance with the sentencing terms applicable at the date of sentence, but the sentence will be limited to the maximum sentence available at the date of the commission of the offence. If the maximum sentence has since been reduced, the lower maximum will be applicable. This offers a possible reason as to why sentences for historic child sexual abuse may end up being lesser than those sentences for recent child sexual abuse.
Mitigating factors also play a role in reducing sentences in child sexual abuse, both recent and non recent, however there is an inherent unfairness when we look at one particular mitigating factor allowed in non recent child abuse cases not available for cases involving current or recent abuse. The sentencing guidelines for non recent abuse explain that where there is an absence of further offending over a long period of time, especially combined with evidence of good character, the court would be allowed to treat this as a mitigating factor.
Setting aside the difficulties in defining ‘good character’ in this context, this mitigating factor is hugely misleading and could be responsible for terrible miscarriages of justice. For instance, where a twenty year old has committed sexual offences against children for thirty years but stops due to a lowered libido, and stands trial when he is perhaps seventy years of age, those twenty years of non offending could potentially be taken into account and viewed as a mitigation of crimes which still spanned decades.
This mitigating factor then, could also offer some insight into why sentencing of non recent child abuse offenders could be relatively lower still than those being sentenced for recent child abuse, especially when combined with a judge’s ability to take into account the offender’s age at the time of trial, and if an elderly offender looks frail or unwell. The court may also take the view that it is not in the public interest to jail an elderly offender who no longer poses a threat to society at large. This view of course, does not take into account the need for justice sought by victims and survivors of abuse.
Other mitigating factors which apply to both recent and non recent child sexual abuse offences include the maturity of the offender at the time of the incident or incidents, any admissions the offender made around the time of the events, which were not properly investigated and an early guilty plea. These points if raised and accepted by the court could also reduce sentences in child sexual abuse cases.
Evidence has always been a problematic area in child sexual abuse cases, both recent and non recent. Child abuse usually happens behind closed doors, and by the time a child comes to the attention of child protection or medical professionals, if they ever do, signs of abuse may have long gone. These issues are aggravated in non recent cases of abuse, as evidence is even less likely to exist after long periods of time, and many children do not come forward until they have become adults as a result of the shame and sometimes deep trauma they experience. This affects a realistic prospect of conviction profoundly, especially where allegations simply come down to the victim’s word against the accused’s. Without robust evidence a victim of child abuse would at best secure a minimal sentence against their abuser, and at worst, be unable to mount a case at all. Less access to evidence then, could also reduce an offender’s sentence and explain why some sentences remain low despite the severity of the crimes outlined.
An even more disturbing trend in lenient sentencing of non recent child abuse cases has been highlighted by a recent case which featured two men, aged 59, both charged with non recent sexual offences against young girls. Here, the Court of Appeal interpreted S.236A of the Criminal Justice And Courts Act 2015 to mean that custodial sentences for historic child abuse allegations should be lowered, rather than include an additional period on licence. It has been argued that the Court of Appeal has misinterpreted Parliament’s intentions, but the ramifications of the judgment may be far-reaching and result in future sentences for non recent abuse set lower than they should be.
Whilst variations within non recent child abuse sentences can be understood through reasonable mitigation principles and a lack of evidence brought on by the passage of time, there are very real concerns about the way offenders of non recent abuse continue to be sentenced and which bolster the view that unmerited leniency has managed to find its way into the system. It is our duty to explore these gaps and try to develop the law so that it better serves survivors and victims of abuse.
A thank you to Cathy Fox, who invited us to write an article on this topic. You can follow her very informative blog here.
Please note that victims of abuse may be triggered by reading this information. These links are generally UK based.
- The Sanctuary for the Abused [A] has advice on how to prevent triggers.
- National Association for People Abused in Childhood [B] has a freephone helpline and has links to local support groups.
- Other useful sites are One in Four [C]
- and Havoca [D].
- Useful post on Triggers [E] from SurvivorsJustice [F] blog.
- Jim Hoppers pages on Mindfulness[G] and Meditation[H] may be useful.
- Hwaairfan blog An Indigenous Australian Approach to Healing Trauma[J]
- Survivors UK for victims and survivors of male rape or the sexual abuse of men [K]
- Voicing CSA group [L] helps arrange survivors meetings in your area
Links
[1] 2016 Sept 14 Researching Reform Are Sentences For Paedophiles In Non-Recent Child Abuse Cases Too Lenient? https://researchingreform.net/2016/09/14/are-sentences-for-paedophiles-in-non-recent-child-abuse-cases-too-lenient/
[2] 2014 Sentencing Council Definitive Guidelines for Sexual Offences https://www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Final_Sexual_Offences_Definitive_Guideline_content_web1.pdf
[A] Sanctuary for the Abused http://abusesanctuary.blogspot.co.uk/2006/07/for-survivors-coping-with-triggers-if.html
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