Baroness Casey says government's scheme to quash grooming victims' convictions does not go far enough
Baroness Louise Casey, who led a national investigation into grooming gangs, told the BBC that the government's legislation to pardon child prostitution convictions is insufficient and does not address all wrongful convictions of abuse victims. The government introduced the scheme following Casey's recommendation last year that convictions of children who were groomed and then criminalized should be quashed. Casey called for a comprehensive review of all convictions shaped by childhood sexual abuse, arguing the current approach is a "lazy option" that still fails survivors.
Baroness Louise Casey, author of a landmark report on grooming gangs, has criticized the government's approach to exonerating child sexual abuse victims who were prosecuted for crimes including prostitution. While the government introduced legislation to pardon "child prostitution" offences following Casey's recommendations, she argues this does not go far enough and represents a "lazy option" that lacks sufficient thought and care. The scheme fails to address convictions of victims who were abused as adults or crimes beyond prostitution-related offences. Casey is calling for a comprehensive scheme to quash all wrongful convictions for victims whose crimes were shaped by their experience of sexual abuse. The Home Office responded by saying it would review criminal convictions potentially shaped by childhood sexual abuse and encouraged affected individuals to contact the Criminal Cases Review Commission. Survivors like Joanne, who received over 40 prostitution convictions starting at age 17 while being trafficked, remain unable to access compensation or have adult convictions removed despite the new legislation.
What different sources said
- BBCCenter
Baroness Casey warns grooming survivors are 'still being failed'
- BBC Top StoriesCenter
Grooming survivors prosecuted as children still being failed, Baroness Casey tells BBC
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