A MUM of two boys who were sexually abused warned last night that victims suffer when police keep suspects on bail for months or even years.

The woman spoke out as Home Secretary Theresa May promised the Government would look at introducing limits on how long police could keep suspects on bail before charging or releasing them.

There have been concerns about the effect on suspects but last night the woman said it was also a nightmare for victims that added to the impact of the crime.

In Oxford two men arrested after the failed robbery on a Covered Market jewellers remain on bail 18 months later. Recently the Oxford Mail revealed that of 6,639 suspects held on bail in Oxfordshire in the past two years, 37 were kept on bail for more than a year and 22 of those were released without charge. The woman, who cannot be identified, said the family friend who abused her two sons was on bail for two-and-a-half years. This was despite having already been jailed once by Thames Valley Police for sexual abuse.

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The woman, who lodged a formal complaint with the force over the delays, said: “It turns everyone’s life upside down, including victims’ and their families’, because they don’t know what is going on and the police don't realise it.

“I suffered with my health and I had to go into therapy. In the end both of my sons withdrew from giving evidence because it went on for so long, although their statements were given to the judge.

“Cases should be investigated thoroughly but there has to be limits because what happens is that it becomes too much for victims and witnesses and they pull out, so it harms the police.

“All that time he was on bail was an absolute nightmare.”

Mrs May told a conference she welcomed the College of Policing was working on guidance to get consistency on bail.

She said: “We must also look at statutory time limits on the use of pre-charge bail to prevent people spending months or even years on bail only for no charges to be brought.”

Alice Dodd, who runs the Crown Court department at MacNab Clarke, said police need to make sure cases are not just “sitting on someone’s shelf”.

Ms Dodd said: “Everybody suffers [when suspects are rebailed indefinitely].

“If it is a rape victim there is a huge effect on them, not knowing whether there will be a charge or even if they will be believed.

“There is a definite possibility cases could be moving faster.”

There is currently no legal time limit on how long people can be held on police bail.

Thames Valley Chief Constable Sara Thornton said: “Given the concerns about variations in the length of time people can remain on bail, I welcome the College of Policing’s recent consultation and current review, in order to bring consistency and transparency to the way in which pre-charge bail is used in criminal investigations.”


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