Key facts
- A woman, identified as Annie, is suing the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in England.
- She alleges the CPS mishandled the prosecution of her stepfather for childhood abuse.
- Annie claims the prosecution's execution breached her human rights.
- Key evidence, including domestic abuse and cruelty allegations, was allegedly not presented to the jury.
- The CPS has admitted to a legal error regarding the omission of bad character evidence.
- The original trial against her stepfather resulted in not guilty verdicts and a hung jury.
A woman, identified as Annie, is suing the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in England, alleging that the prosecution of her stepfather for alleged childhood abuse was so poorly executed that it amounted to a breach of her human rights. Annie reported her stepfather to the police in 2017, after previously disclosing the abuse when she was 18, but no action was taken. She felt compelled to come forward again when she learned he was babysitting young family members.
Her case finally went to trial in 2021, following multiple abandoned court dates. The trial resulted in not guilty verdicts on some charges and a hung jury on others. Annie's lawsuit centers on the argument that prosecutors failed to apply to introduce crucial bad character evidence about her stepfather. This omission, she claims, meant that references to domestic abuse, cruelty, and neglect she also alleged were edited out of her police interview. A photograph she provided showing her mother's injuries after an assault by the stepfather, a solicitor's letter mentioning a violent assault on another family member, and police reports of domestic abuse allegations were also not introduced in court.
Annie stated that this prevented her allegations from being placed in the context of the fear and violence that permeated her family life, including the presence of a loaded shotgun. She also described a difficult experience with her allocated barrister, whom she had not met in four years and who allegedly expressed frustration at having to watch her evidence interview multiple times. One trial was abandoned after the wrong evidence was shown to the jury, and police reportedly apologized to the judge for the inconvenience, while Annie received no such apology for having to re-watch her interview in a basement room.
Following the trial and the CPS's decision not to seek a retrial, Annie began legal research and filed a complaint. The CPS later admitted to a legal error in not adducing all the bad character evidence. Her lawyers at the Centre for Women’s Justice (CWJ) argue that the law recognizes evidence of domestic violence can be admitted to show a propensity to commit other forms of violence. The CWJ is now pursuing a claim against the CPS on Annie's behalf, with Annie expressing hope that her fight will lead to other women being heard and their abuse listened to in its entirety.