Q133: I suffered sexual abuse as a child and now I feel I can report it, what can the police do?

Any person reporting historic sexual abuse to the police will be treated seriously The matter will be thoroughly investigated and historic offences could still result in the conviction of an offender
The outcome of any such case could be difficult to predict and as such it is important that a victim under these circumstances keeps an open mind. The passage of time, means that evidence may have been lost, although corroboration of early reports, medical and social services records are examples of lines of enquiry that may be pursued. Once the suspect has been interviewed, the case papers will be assessed by the police and if there is sufficient evidence the case may be forwarded to the Crown Prosecution Service who will look at:

◾the legality of the case;
◾the public interest of mounting a prosecution;
◾the likely prospect of a conviction;

before they decide whether to take the matter forward. For further support please see the websites in Related Information.