Simon Bailey, the national police lead for child sexual abuse cases, backed calls for a new law to potentially expunge the criminal records of child grooming victims. Bailey, who is the chief constable of Norfolk, said: “We recognise the significant and long-lasting impact that sexual abuse can have on a victim. Vera Baird QC, the lead police and crime commissioner for victims, urged the Law Commission to begin an urgent review about how a Sammy’s law would work in practice. Sarah Champion, the Labour MP for Rotherham who campaigns on behalf of abuse survivors, said a Sammy’s law would “release survivors from the damaging smear forced upon them by their abusers”. A spokesman for the Law Commission said: “This is not an area of law we are currently reviewing, but the law should always provide justice for victims of child sexual abuse.

Source: The Guardian October 08, 2017 16:24 UTC