Sam and Chris Gould: Twins' suicides lead to victim policing change

Sam Gould (left) died in September 2018 and her twin sister Chris died a few months later

Police forces have been given new guidance on dealing with crime victims following the suicides of twin sisters.

Sam and Chris Gould, from Fulbourn, Cambridgeshire, took their own lives aged 16 and 17 having both said they were abused from the age of five.

At their inquests a coroner raised concerns about national police guidance after he heard about the investigation into the alleged abuse.

The National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) said it had identified a "gap".

Their mother Jane Cannon said: "The gap was that once the girls had been initially reluctant to give evidence, nobody checked back with them; nobody said 'Are you ready to try and get justice now?'"

However, she was pleased to see the NPCC had identified the same issue as the coroner and had dealt with it.

She added the police guidance that alleged victims of sexual abuse must not discuss it with anyone else, including therapists, still stood, "whether that's the best thing for the victim and the victim's family".

"Their [the police's] consideration [is] 'Is there anything that could jeopardise a prosecution?' and we can understand that because the burden of proof for child abuse cases is so ridiculously high," she said.

A College of Policing spokesman said: "Support from family, friends, professional or therapeutic/counselling services is very much encouraged in our advice for forces."

In May 2016, aged 14, Chris disclosed she and Sam had been sexually abused into their teenage years, and named their alleged abuser.

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Hampshire Police investigated the case but, at the time the girls were struggling with their mental health and did not wish to give video evidence.

Officers closed the case in late 2016, having never interviewed the alleged abuser.

Sam and Chris, pictured on holiday in Turkey with parents Jane and Ian

Sam died in 2018, while Chris took her own life four months later.

After their deaths Ms Cannon told the BBC: "Every single professional that dealt with the girls said the same - their death was caused by their [mental health] illness and their illness was caused by the sexual abuse."

The parents added Chris and Sam felt "invalidated and not believed" after police dropped the investigation.

In June, the force said it had closed the case because there was insufficient evidence to provide any realistic prospect of conviction, and that its decision "took account of the wishes of the victims and the wider concerns of the family at the time".

But it said it had since changed the way it handled such cases.

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Following their inquests, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough assistant coroner Nicholas Moss QC raised concerns that there had been "no follow-up" by police to Sam and Chris while they were still alive, to keep open the option of providing an account at a later stage, to be used as evidence.

He also said there was no guidance on what should be communicated to alleged child sex abuse victims "both suffering from mental-ill health and initially unwilling to provide an evidential account".

Chris and Sam's parents are now fighting for change following their daughters' deaths

In response, Merseyside Police's Deputy Chief Constable Ian Critchley, the NPCC lead for child protection, abuse and investigation, agreed it was "evident that the inquests have identified a gap" in national guidance - the College of Policing's Authorised Professional Practice (APP) - that applied to all UK forces.

He said there had been an "immediate addition" to the APP, focused on victims and witnesses reluctant to attend an interview or provide a statement.

The guidance states investigators "should sensitively try to establish why they are reluctant and, where possible, take steps to mitigate these reasons and provide reassurance".

It also states that victims and witnesses should be offered the opportunity to reconsider their decision "where appropriate".