Emily Verity successfully prosecutes a man for sexually abusing his step daughter

News | Fri 8th Sep, 2017

AC was convicted by a jury at the Old Bailey for sexually abusing his 14 year old step daughter in the 1980s. The victim, now in her 40s, had reported the abuse to the police at the time but did not pursue the allegations then as she feared her siblings would be separated from the family. After disclosing to the police the abuse had stopped but she was treated as a second class  citizen at home, having to live in separate rooms from the rest of the family. The officer leading the investigation tracked down a youth leader from the local church who had supported the complainant at the time, and was able to give evidence via video link from a fishing village in Iceland.

Decades on, the complainant overcame multiple difficulties and gained the confidence to return to the police about the abuse. Common Sergeant Judge Marks sentenced the defendant to 8 years in total and made a sexual harm prevention order. He officially commended the officer for her investigation and support of the complainant throughout.