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26 Jul 19
10:16
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05 Apr 06
Were police too quick to believe historical sex abuse claims?
By Jim Reed
Reporter, Victoria Derbyshire programme
Simon Warr says the false allegations against him made him consider taking his own life
Carl Beech - the paedophile whose false claims of abuse against public figures were once described as "credible and true" by police - is to be sentenced for perverting the course of justice.
In the aftermath of the Jimmy Savile scandal, were police too quick to believe historical sex abuse allegations?
Simon Warr was a teacher at boarding schools in Suffolk for most of his career, taking language classes and rugby with older pupils.
He was 59 when his life changed, with a bang on the door one day at 07:15.
"Four police officers swept past me, pushing me on to the cabinets, and the fifth one read me my rights," he tells the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme.
A former pupil had alleged he had been touched inappropriately after a PE lesson 30 years earlier.
"I said to the police, 'I don't teach PE, I don't teach 12-year-olds games'," he says, "but they just wouldn't listen."
'Not properly investigated'
His arrest took place in 2012, just months after the Jimmy Savile scandal.
Since then, 6,617 suspects have been investigated by detectives investigating historical child abuse allegations.
Operation Hydrant was set up in 2014 to oversee claims of "non-recent" abuse in institutions or by people of public prominence.
Some 7,396 possible crimes on its database have now had a final outcome. Of those 2,043 - or 29% - ended in a conviction.
But faced with a huge increase in allegations, critics say police and prosecutors were often too quick to believe victims' accounts before they could be properly investigated.
By Jim Reed
Reporter, Victoria Derbyshire programme
Simon Warr says the false allegations against him made him consider taking his own life
Carl Beech - the paedophile whose false claims of abuse against public figures were once described as "credible and true" by police - is to be sentenced for perverting the course of justice.
In the aftermath of the Jimmy Savile scandal, were police too quick to believe historical sex abuse allegations?
Simon Warr was a teacher at boarding schools in Suffolk for most of his career, taking language classes and rugby with older pupils.
He was 59 when his life changed, with a bang on the door one day at 07:15.
"Four police officers swept past me, pushing me on to the cabinets, and the fifth one read me my rights," he tells the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme.
A former pupil had alleged he had been touched inappropriately after a PE lesson 30 years earlier.
"I said to the police, 'I don't teach PE, I don't teach 12-year-olds games'," he says, "but they just wouldn't listen."
'Not properly investigated'
His arrest took place in 2012, just months after the Jimmy Savile scandal.
Since then, 6,617 suspects have been investigated by detectives investigating historical child abuse allegations.
Operation Hydrant was set up in 2014 to oversee claims of "non-recent" abuse in institutions or by people of public prominence.
Some 7,396 possible crimes on its database have now had a final outcome. Of those 2,043 - or 29% - ended in a conviction.
But faced with a huge increase in allegations, critics say police and prosecutors were often too quick to believe victims' accounts before they could be properly investigated.
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In Mr Warr's case, details of his arrest were broadcast on the BBC that evening.
His diary, photos, computer and phone were confiscated and, he says, used by officers to contact "numerous" former pupils.
"The police tried desperately for others to come forward.
"When they went to see former pupils... it was made quite clear I was going to be prosecuted and they were looking for people strong enough to say I'd done similar things to them.
"They had no intention of getting to the bottom of what happened. It certainly turns the whole edict of 'innocent until proven guilty' on its head."
Improving victims' rights
In the past it had been very difficult for victims of historical abuse to get any form of justice.
A series of changes was brought in to improve that.
From 1988, those accused lost an automatic right to anonymity.
A crucial ruling in 1990 meant separate allegations no longer needed to be "strikingly similar" to be considered together at trial.
In 2014, Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary (HMIC) issued guidance which said "the presumption that a victim should always be believed should be institutionalised".
His diary, photos, computer and phone were confiscated and, he says, used by officers to contact "numerous" former pupils.
"The police tried desperately for others to come forward.
"When they went to see former pupils... it was made quite clear I was going to be prosecuted and they were looking for people strong enough to say I'd done similar things to them.
"They had no intention of getting to the bottom of what happened. It certainly turns the whole edict of 'innocent until proven guilty' on its head."
Improving victims' rights
In the past it had been very difficult for victims of historical abuse to get any form of justice.
A series of changes was brought in to improve that.
From 1988, those accused lost an automatic right to anonymity.
A crucial ruling in 1990 meant separate allegations no longer needed to be "strikingly similar" to be considered together at trial.
In 2014, Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary (HMIC) issued guidance which said "the presumption that a victim should always be believed should be institutionalised".
Unfortunately it is a minefield
In the past real victims were never "heard" but we now have unsubstantiated claims and there are innocent victims falsely accused
Because some crimes were commited such a long time ago there is no physical evidence but no doubt much abuse existed and was prevalent
The suggestion from recent times has been the police ar overly zealous and we aren't necessarily correcting the wrongs of the past but creating new victims
Not sure there is a perfect solution but obviously if we believe in justice then someone is innocent until proven guilty ...
Its all very sad but some real victims will never receive relief from the past ... does restorative justice work or help?
In the past real victims were never "heard" but we now have unsubstantiated claims and there are innocent victims falsely accused
Because some crimes were commited such a long time ago there is no physical evidence but no doubt much abuse existed and was prevalent
The suggestion from recent times has been the police ar overly zealous and we aren't necessarily correcting the wrongs of the past but creating new victims
Not sure there is a perfect solution but obviously if we believe in justice then someone is innocent until proven guilty ...
Its all very sad but some real victims will never receive relief from the past ... does restorative justice work or help?
The potential perpetrator's name should be secret until convicted....these police fishing exercises are creating all kinds of problems.
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