Collapsed rape trials witness fears 'repeat errors' despite police pledge

The woman said she fears the same mistakes will be made

A woman who police said was sexually abused as a child by a gang who never faced justice due to errors in the investigation, fears the same mistakes will be repeated.

Fourteen people were acquitted when two trials collapsed last year because evidence was not properly gathered.

Northumbria Police has finished an 18-month review into what went wrong and said it had improved training.

But the woman said training could not make up for lack of "common sense."

The court cases were the result of Operation Optic which investigated allegations that a group had groomed, raped and trafficked three girls, including one aged 12, in Newcastle between 2010 and 2014.

The Northumbria force apologised for errors made and said it had already implemented new ways of working and guidance for officers.

'Laughing at police'

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said extra training would not ensure officers did "basic things" like take detailed notes of interviews.

"All the men have been let off and are literally laughing at the police, me and the other girls who stood against them," she said.

"It seems the trial didn't stand a chance from the start, I feel like the police didn't care enough.

"I just hope all the recommendations work, I don't think they will because the force has officers that can't even do a basic thing. That's got nothing to do with training, some of it is just common sense.

"Even I know that things have to be detailed as much as possible. If you've got officer who can't do basic things and use common sense, then their training doesn't matter."

At the time the trials at Newcastle Crown Court collapsed, prosecutors said there was no "reasonable prospect of conviction in each case".

Assistant Chief Constable Rachel Bacon said Northumbria Police's approach to handling complex cases had been "strengthened."

She added: "Protecting vulnerable victims is our priority and we are working tirelessly to identify and support people who are being exploited and abused."