Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner today backed calls for new
legislation to pardon sexual abuse victims forced to break the
law by their abusers.
The PCC said he wholeheartedly supported Sammy's Law - a
campaign launched by abuse victim Sammy Woodhouse to introduce
legislation to absolve teenage girls of the crimes they were
forced to carry out by paedophiles.
Sammy, who was 14 when she was targeted by the ringleader
of a Rotherham abuse gang, was forced to commit a series of
offences during her horrific ordeal for which she received a
criminal record.
The abuse survivor, who bravely waived her right to
anonymity to campaign for other victims, has now written to Home
Secretary requesting a royal pardon for
other young victims who were lured into crime at the influence of
their abusers.
The move has been backed by Bedfordshire Chief Constable
Jon Boutcher and Bedfordshire's Police and Crime Commissioner,
.
Commenting on the campaign, Mr Tipping said: "It is vital
victims of abuse gain the full trust of the organisations whose
job it is to protect them from harm. Removing the fear of
prosecution or criminal charges for those victims forced to
commit crime by their abusers will encourage many more survivors
to come forward instead of suffering in silence which is crucial
for their future safety.
"Sammy's Law will send a clear message to victims of abuse
that they are not responsible or to blame for the horrific
ordeals they have faced and will also help to prevent abusers
from using this sickening strategy as a further means of
controlling their victim.
"I hope the Home Secretary takes seriously this campaign
and progresses this proposed legislation change through
Parliament for the benefit of other brave victims like
Sammy."
Victims of child sexual exploitation are often encouraged
to commit crimes by their abusers including drugs trafficking to
stop them from reporting their experiences to police.
It is believed the current system has prevented victims
from seeking help for fear they will be charged with the offences
they have committed while being groomed by paedophiles.
More than 1,400 children were sexual abused in Rotherham
from 1997 to 2013 in what has become one of the biggest sexual
exploitation scandals exposed in the UK.
Last year, eight men who sexually abused three teenage
girls in the town between 1999 and 2003, were jailed at Sheffield
Crown Court after being convicted of 16 charges including rape,
false imprisonment and indecent assault.
The judge said their victims had been "targeted, sexualised
and subjected to degrading and violent acts."
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