Police threaten legal action and urge review of Janner ruling

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

A veteran Labour peer will not stand trial for historic sex abuse allegations because of the “severity” of his dementia.

But the move has sparked anger and Leicestershire Police are threatening legal action against the Crown Prosecution Service to challenge the decision not to charge Lord Greville Janner.

More than a dozen people came forward to claim Lord Janner, now 86, abused them during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, the CPS said.

He is alleged to have used his influence as a Labour MP for Leicester to prey on vulnerable young boys at local children’s homes.

But despite admitting there is enough evidence to prosecute the peer for 22 sex offences against nine people, the CPS said it is not going to pursue the case because of the “severity of his dementia”.

Leicestershire Police, who have led the latest investigation against the peer, branded the decision extremely worrying and said they are considering taking legal action to overturn it.

Assistant Chief Constable Roger Bannister of Leicestershire Police, who has overseen the investigation named Operation Enamel, said he believed the decision was “the wrong one”.

He said: “I am extremely worried about the impact the decision not to prosecute him will have on those people, and more widely I am worried about the message this decision sends out to others, both past and present, who have suffered and are suffering sexual abuse.

“We are exploring what possible legal avenues there may be to challenge this decision and victims themselves have a right to review under a CPS procedure.”

Lord Janner has been investigated by police on child sex abuse allegations four times over the past 25 years, but has never been charged.

In the latest police probe, Operation Enamel, the CPS found there was enough evidence to charge Lord Janner with 22 sex offences.

Today the CPS admitted it had made “mistakes” and there was enough evidence to charge the peer back in the early 1990s.

But while the organisation spoke of “regret” of past failures, it fell short of apologising.

The CPS said: “It is a matter of deep regret that the decisions in relation to the previous investigations were as they were.

“Had the previous decisions been to prosecute, as they should have been, Lord Janner would have had the opportunity to challenge the evidence and defend himself through the trial process, with a jury ultimately deciding on his guilt or innocence some years ago.

“Victims of the alleged offences have been denied the opportunity of criminal proceedings in relation to the offences of which they have complained.

“It is of obvious and particular concern that such proceedings did not take place as a result of what the CPS now consider to be wrong decisions.”

The CPS said it has asked retired High Court Judge, Sir Richard Henriques, to conduct an independent review into the CPS decision making and handling of all past matters relating to the case.

They said if Lord Janner was well, he would be charged with 14 indecent assaults on a male under 16 between 1969 and 1988; two indecent assaults between 1984 and 1988; four counts of buggery of a male under 16 between 1972 and 1987; and two counts of buggery between 1977 and 1988.