Lord Janner child sex abuse case formally dropped after peer’s death

By The Press Association15th January 2016News EnglandChild Abuse, Lord Janner, News England, Non-Recent / Historic Abuse, Sexual Abuse

Lord Janner’s child sex abuse case has been formally dropped in light of the 87-year-old’s death.

Legal proceedings were left in limbo last month following the announcement that the elderly peer had died.

This morning, prosecutor Richard Whittam QC told trial judge Mr Justice Openshaw that the Crown would not go ahead with the planned trial of facts at the Old Bailey in April.

Greville Janner was charged with 22 sexual offences dating back to the 1960s against nine alleged victims, who were mostly under 16 at the time.

He had already been declared unfit to stand trial due to his “deteriorating and irreversible” dementia.

Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Alison Saunders had originally decided that Lord Janner should not be charged with alleged child sex crimes because of his ill health.

But that was overturned by an independent review last year.

Following his death, the Crown Prosecution Service hinted at the possibility of carrying on with legal proceedings.

In a statement, the CPS said: “When a defendant dies during criminal proceedings, it is usual that the case no longer goes ahead following formal confirmation of the defendant’s death at a hearing before the court.

“However, we are considering the procedural implications of this specific case.”

In a trial of the facts, a jury considers the evidence against an individual but there is no guilty verdict and the court cannot pass sentence.

All it can do is make a hospital order, a supervision order, or an order for the defendant’s absolute discharge.

After Janner’s death it was suggested that the case could be considered by the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse led by Justice Lowell Goddard instead.

Liz Dux, specialist abuse lawyer at Slater and Gordon, who represents six of Lord Janner’s alleged victims, has said their priority was for a judicial finding of facts either through the criminal proceedings or via the Goddard Inquiry as soon as possible.