Judge raps police over questioning of child suspected of being abused
Police have been criticised by a family court judge over the way they questioned a six-year-old girl suspected of being sexually abused.
Recorder Carly Henley, who analysed evidence at a family court hearing in Manchester, said interviews had been “poorly conducted” and the youngster had been asked leading questions.
Social services staff from Bury Metropolitan Borough Council had asked the judge to make findings of fact about the girl.
Recorder Henley outlined the background in a ruling.
She said the girl’s parents were separated.
The child’s stepmother claimed the girl said she had been sexually abused by her mother.
Recorder Henley concluded that the child had not been sexually abused by her mother, and said she found aspects the stepmother’s evidence “deeply troubling”.
She said the girl had then made “disclosures” of being abused by her mother during the third of three police interviews.
What the girl said led to her mother being arrested – and not seeing her for several months.
But the judge said she did not think police interviews with the girl had provided evidence on which she could rely.
She said: “These were poorly conducted … interviews, with several leading questions being asked in each.”
The judge did not say which force interviewing officers worked for.
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