Allegations Of Historic Sex Abuse

[hc4361]

Assuming this article is factually correct, the CPS believed this woman's claim but could not take it to court because:
" Any charge would have been under the Sexual Offences Act 1956 and proceedings would have had to have started within a year of the incident."

The headline is ambiguous:
"Actor escaped prosecution because law that applied at the time meant charge had to be brought within a year"

My question is - should she have reported it within a year of it happening OR did the police fail to charge him within a year of receiving the complaint?

If it is the former, why doesn't that apply to the Yewtree arrests?

Actor escaped prosecution because law that applied at the time meant charge had to be brought within a year

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2396840/TV-star-super-injunction-case-sex-girl-15-Famous-actor-recited-nursery-rhyme-seduced-victim.html#ixzz2cQhuvvuw

[hc4361]

Neti, I'm glad it wasn't just me confused. :)

[FredPuli43]

The later Sexual Offences Act, 2003, rewrote the law on sexual offences and the old rule about the time limit has gone. It couldn't change the law so that offences under the old Act should not be governed by the time limit because a) it was creating new offences, or redefining old ones, and the 1956 offences ceased to exist and b) it would be odd if women whose cases were not prosecuted before, because of the time limit, could suddenly have their complaints tried. There may even have been cases of prosecutions in the past when a man was tried but acquitted because it emerged in evidence that the offence occurred earlier than claimed and so was outside the 12 months.

[hc4361]

And I agree with that in principle, Fred. If I did something 20 years ago that wasn't illegal I don't want to be charged now because the law has changed.

[New Judge]

"...Jimmy saville, from whence all this business began,remains dead. "

So you read Richard Littlejohn's column in the Daily Mail as well, Grumpy.

[grumpy01]

I certainly do N.J. although he is not contributing at the moment as he is working on a book.

[hc4361]

I've been pondering this all day, in the back of my mind.

If I were the father of a 13 year old girl of the 70s who was dazzled by the glamour and attention of a pop idol of the day and was seduced by him resulting in intercourse, maybe a pregnancy followed by abortion, I wouldn't be at all happy that he could get away with it because it wasn't reported within 12 months.