The law and practice referred to in this article or webinar has been paraphrased or summarised. It might not be up-to-date with changes in the law and we do not guarantee the accuracy of any information provided at the time of reading. It should not be construed or relied upon as legal advice in relation to a specific set of circumstances.
There is no time bar for investigating and prosecuting historic cases of sexual abuse. We routinely deal with allegations arising from the 60s, 70s, 80, 90s, 2000s and through to the present day. These cases are hard from every perspective. Memories fade, details are lost, key witnesses are gone, documentary evidence has been destroyed. How and why we recall events is impacted profoundly by subsequent life events and experiences. Unpicking the truth from such a tangle of history is painstaking and often painful. Such allegations often take years to investigate and years to prosecute. Never has there been more policing and prosecutorial resource put into historic cases of sexual assault or abuse. Our team has extensive experience in this field, including in respect of professional and sporting contexts.