Crown Prosecution Service to review Janner decision

By The Press Association16th May 2015News EnglandChild Abuse, CPS, Lord Janner, News England, Sexual Abuse

The Crown Prosecution Service has said it will review its decision not to charge the Labour peer Lord Janner over allegations of historic child sex abuse.

Lord Janner was accused of a string of historic child sex abuse allegations during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s but deemed unfit to stand trial because he is suffering from dementia.

The decision by Director of Public Prosecutions Alison Saunders not to proceed with court action against the the 86-year-old will now be revisited by an independent external barrister under its Victims’ Right to Review scheme, the CPS said.

A spokesman said: “The CPS Victims’ Right to Review scheme was set up to give complainants the ability to ask the CPS to review its decisions – usually when there has been a decision not to prosecute.

“The CPS has been asked to invoke this process in the case of Lord Janner and that review is now taking place.

“Where the decision is made by the DPP this review would normally be done by the CPS Appeals Unit. However, due to the unique circumstances surrounding this case, the CPS has instructed external counsel instead.”

There has been pressure from lawyers representing alleged victims of the lawyer and politician, who was an MP for 27 years.

Justice Lowell Goddard, the New Zealand judge leading an independent inquiry into child sex abuse, also said she would investigate claims made against Lord Janner, and even call him to give evidence.