A survivor of childhood rape has described how she was "robbed of justice" after her father died before standing trial, following years of delays by police and the courts.
A Decade of Delays and Isolation
The woman, who we are calling Rachel to protect her identity, reported her father to Cambridgeshire Constabulary in December 2014. She endured an almost nine-year wait for a resolution, only for her father to die six months before his trial was finally due to begin.
Rachel has now received a written apology from the force, more than 11 years after she first came forward. She described the process as barbaric and inhumane, leaving her feeling suicidal and isolated from her family and friends.
"In all it was a decade, so it was absolutely isolating and harrowing. I wanted to end my life so many times because it was too much. I couldn't mentally cope with it all," Rachel said.
A System Failing Victims
Rachel's case is not isolated. According to freedom of information responses gathered by campaigners, more than 37,000 sexual offences complainants have waited over three years for their cases to be investigated in the last decade. A super-complaint was filed against police forces in England and Wales last month over these systemic delays.
In Rachel's case, officers initially suggested the investigation would take 18 months. Instead, she faced a 15-month period with no contact whatsoever from the police, despite requesting regular updates. She was not immediately informed when her father's bail restrictions were lifted in 2016, leaving her in fear of encountering him.
"I was a single mum, vulnerable, on my own. I was very much kept in the dark," she explained. "It was like you were forgotten about, it didn't matter, they don't care."
A Trial That Never Was
Her father was eventually charged in August 2021—almost seven years after the initial report. He faced three counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 13 and one count of indecent assault on a girl under 14, relating to a second victim.
A trial was set for September 2022, but was postponed at short notice due to a barristers' strike and rescheduled for August 2023. By this point, Rachel said the emotional toll was unbearable and she withdrew her support for the prosecution. Her father died a few months later.
"I'm glad that I did what I did in withdrawing because to have got to the date and he would have died anyway would have been even a bigger kick in the teeth," she said.
Rachel believes she lost more than a chance for justice. "I was robbed of not just justice but enjoying being a mother. I've lost more than a decade of my existence," she stated, adding she would now be reluctant to report another crime.
Detective Chief Superintendent Sherrie Nash of Cambridgeshire Constabulary apologised, acknowledging aspects of the investigation "fell short of the standards we strive to uphold." She said the force had made improvements, including enhanced specialist training and stronger partnerships with the Crown Prosecution Service to reduce delays.
Support is available for anyone affected by these issues. In the UK, contact Rape Crisis on 0808 500 2222 (England and Wales), 0808 801 0302 (Scotland), or 0800 0246 991 (Northern Ireland).
