A mother has told of the trauma her young daughter experienced after waiting 18 months for her father to be convicted of child sexual abuse – as a report finds it is taking years for cases to be concluded.
Erin, not her real name, discovered her ex-husband had been sexually abusing her then seven-year-old daughter Ivy, a pseudonym, for at least four years in the spring of 2021.
He was eventually imprisoned for 17 years in September 2022 – but the year-and-a-half it took to get there left the family in limbo, looking over their shoulders as he was free to live his life.
Erin is speaking out for the first time, exclusively to Sky News, as a new report collating all the latest available child sexual abuse data is released.
The Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse (CSA Centre) found in 2021/2022:
• It took an average of 614 days from a report of child sexual abuse to a court conclusion
• A 15% increase in recorded cases in England and Wales
• For the first time, police recorded more than 100,000 offences (103,055)
• Sexual assault referral centres, which offer medical and forensic help to victims, had initial contact with 8,213 children last year – a rise of 13% more than the previous year.
Survey data also suggests at least one in 10 children in England and Wales are sexually abused before the age of 16, so the majority of cases go unreported.
One reason could be the long delays in the justice system.
The things he’d asked her to do
Erin told Sky News: “When she told me, it just all tumbled out, everything, the things that he, they, had been doing together, sleeping with no pyjamas on, in the same bed, things he’d asked her to do, things he’d done to her, inappropriate touching and it all just came out in one big rush.”
The horrified mother immediately told the police and her ex-husband, Ivy’s father, was arrested – with officers then finding indecent child images of other children on his computer dating back 14 years, before the former couple had met.
Her daughter had to have a forensic medical exam at a rape centre that was done by a male doctor.
Erin said: “That was the hardest part of all of it, she looked so tiny, she had to take all of her clothes off and wrap herself under this adult-sized gown.
“The doctor, I’m sure he was lovely but he was very tall and had a very strong accent, she was frightened. She had to lay there and be examined in her privates, that was the worst part of it.”
Ivy’s father, who Erin said appeared to be a good dad and had a high-powered job, was released on bail after three months and then he had a restraining order so he could not come near the house or her school.
But, although Erin knew he had a new car, the police would not tell her what it was or where he was living. For a year-and-a-half – until he was prosecuted – she was constantly looking over her shoulder trying to protect Ivy.
They let someone dangerous to children roam around free
Detectives went quiet after the initial interviews and Erin said they did not return her calls when she had questions, which made her feel “like time was standing still”. She even made sure Ivy’s passport was not in the house in case he turned up.
He was free to live and work before he was charged – then at one point, he failed to turn up for a police interview and went on the run.
“To my mind, they let someone out there, dangerous to children, roam around with his freedom unchallenged for 18 months,” she said.
“They kept saying: ‘Well you should be grateful, that’s really quick, you should be grateful.'”
Eventually, Ivy’s father pleaded guilty and was jailed for 17 years.
Erin said she believes he pleaded guilty so his crimes were not revealed in court in front of his family. A trial would have prolonged the case even further.
‘Court delays are completely unacceptable’
Ian Dean, director of the CSA Centre, told Sky News: “It’s completely unacceptable that some children are waiting as long as two years to hear their case concluded in court.
“For any victim of sexual abuse that wait would be significant, for a child it’s enormous.
“I’m really concerned that delays of this magnitude will be putting people off.”
The CSA Centre is pushing for the government to carry out a regular prevalence survey to establish just how many children are being sexually abused as they believe the data available is just the tip of the iceberg.
It is also calling for more training for social workers as many do not have formal training to recognise when child sexual abuse may be taking place.
Ian Critchley, child protection lead for the National Police Chiefs Council, told Sky News the full impact of COVID lockdowns on child abuse is also a major concern and it “may take years to fully understand”.
He said police are investing in training and resources for those working in the field and are also trying to enhance their data collection so trends can be more easily understood.
He added: “The fight against child sexual abuse will never stop and these most recent figures reinforce that all of us in society must focus our efforts on these awful crimes, which can cause lifelong harm to children.”
Safeguarding minister Sarah Dines told Sky News: “Child sexual abuse is a horrific, devastating crime which targets the most vulnerable in our society and this government is determined to tackle it.
“I welcome this report produced by the Home Office-funded Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse, which recognises improvements in identification and reporting.
“However, the prevalence of these heinous crimes is deeply concerning, and we will leave no stone unturned in pursuing offenders and keeping children safe.
“We are putting the needs of victims at the heart of this work, including investing £477m over three years to reduce court wait times for victims.”
Anyone with any concerns about the welfare of a child can call the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000 or email help@nspcc.org.uk.
Children can contact Childline on 0800 1111 or visit childline.org.uk.