Child sexual abuse: Mother reveals trauma of court delays after her ex-husband sexually abused her daughter
A mother has told of the trauma her young daughter experienced after waiting 18 months for her father to be convicted of child sexual abuse – as a report finds it is taking years for cases to be concluded.
Erin, not her real name, discovered her ex-husband had been sexually abusing her then seven-year-old daughter Ivy, a pseudonym, for at least four years in the spring of 2021.
He was eventually imprisoned for 17 years in September 2022 – but the year-and-a-half it took to get there left the family in limbo, looking over their shoulders as he was free to live his life.
Erin is speaking out for the first time, exclusively to Sky News, as a new report collating all the latest available child sexual abuse data is released.
The Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse (CSA Centre) found in 2021/2022:
• It took an average of 614 days from a report of child sexual abuse to a court conclusion
• A 15% increase in recorded cases in England and Wales
• For the first time, police recorded more than 100,000 offences (103,055)
• Sexual assault referral centres, which offer medical and forensic help to victims, had initial contact with 8,213 children last year – a rise of 13% more than the previous year.
Survey data also suggests at least one in 10 children in England and Wales are sexually abused before the age of 16, so the majority of cases go unreported.
One reason could be the long delays in the justice system.
The things he’d asked her to do
Erin told Sky News: “When she told me, it just all tumbled out, everything, the things that he, they, had been doing together, sleeping with no pyjamas on, in the same bed, things he’d asked her to do, things he’d done to her, inappropriate touching and it all just came out in one big rush.”
The horrified mother immediately told the police and her ex-husband, Ivy’s father, was arrested – with officers then finding indecent child images of other children on his computer dating back 14 years, before the former couple had met.
Her daughter had to have a forensic medical exam at a rape centre that was done by a male doctor.
Erin said: “That was the hardest part of all of it, she looked so tiny, she had to take all of her clothes off and wrap herself under this adult-sized gown.
“The doctor, I’m sure he was lovely but he was very tall and had a very strong accent, she was frightened. She had to lay there and be examined in her privates, that was the worst part of it.”
Ivy’s father, who Erin said appeared to be a good dad and had a high-powered job, was released on bail after three months and then he had a restraining order so he could not come near the house or her school.
But, although Erin knew he had a new car, the police would not tell her what it was or where he was living. For a year-and-a-half – until he was prosecuted – she was constantly looking over her shoulder trying to protect Ivy.
They let someone dangerous to children roam around free
Detectives went quiet after the initial interviews and Erin said they did not return her calls when she had questions, which made her feel “like time was standing still”. She even made sure Ivy’s passport was not in the house in case he turned up.
He was free to live and work before he was charged – then at one point, he failed to turn up for a police interview and went on the run.
“To my mind, they let someone out there, dangerous to children, roam around with his freedom unchallenged for 18 months,” she said.
“They kept saying: ‘Well you should be grateful, that’s really quick, you should be grateful.'”
Eventually, Ivy’s father pleaded guilty and was jailed for 17 years.
Erin said she believes he pleaded guilty so his crimes were not revealed in court in front of his family. A trial would have prolonged the case even further.
Ian Dean, director of the Centre of Expertise for Child Sexual Abuse
‘Court delays are completely unacceptable’
Ian Dean, director of the CSA Centre, told Sky News: “It’s completely unacceptable that some children are waiting as long as two years to hear their case concluded in court.
“For any victim of sexual abuse that wait would be significant, for a child it’s enormous.
“I’m really concerned that delays of this magnitude will be putting people off.”
The CSA Centre is pushing for the government to carry out a regular prevalence survey to establish just how many children are being sexually abused as they believe the data available is just the tip of the iceberg.
It is also calling for more training for social workers as many do not have formal training to recognise when child sexual abuse may be taking place.
Ian Critchley, child protection lead for the National Police Chiefs Council, told Sky News the full impact of COVID lockdowns on child abuse is also a major concern and it “may take years to fully understand”.
He said police are investing in training and resources for those working in the field and are also trying to enhance their data collection so trends can be more easily understood.
He added: “The fight against child sexual abuse will never stop and these most recent figures reinforce that all of us in society must focus our efforts on these awful crimes, which can cause lifelong harm to children.”
Safeguarding minister Sarah Dines told Sky News: “Child sexual abuse is a horrific, devastating crime which targets the most vulnerable in our society and this government is determined to tackle it.
“I welcome this report produced by the Home Office-funded Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse, which recognises improvements in identification and reporting.
“However, the prevalence of these heinous crimes is deeply concerning, and we will leave no stone unturned in pursuing offenders and keeping children safe.
“We are putting the needs of victims at the heart of this work, including investing £477m over three years to reduce court wait times for victims.”
Anyone with any concerns about the welfare of a child can call the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000 or email help@nspcc.org.uk.
Children can contact Childline on 0800 1111 or visit childline.org.uk.
Footage of the moment 10-year-old Sara Sharif’s alleged killers were detained after police boarded their plane back to the UK has been played in court.
As they are approached by officers, Sara‘s stepmother Beinash Batool is heard saying: “I think you’re looking for us.”
Batool, 30, Sara’s father Urfan Sharif, 42, and uncle Faisal Malik, 29, are accused of carrying out a campaign of abuse against her culminating in her death at her family home in Surrey on 8 August last year.
The defendants, along with five of Sara’s siblings, aged between one and 13, flew to Pakistan the following day.
Sara’s body was found by police in a bunkbed on 10 August after Sharif called police from Pakistan to say he had beaten her “too much” for being “naughty”.
A murder investigation was launched involving agencies including Interpol and the National Crime Agency to locate the defendants.
They returned to the UK on a flight from Dubai to Gatwick Airport on 13 September.
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‘I beat her up too much’
The clips of officers’ body-worn video shown to the jury on Friday captured the moment police boarded the plane and detained the defendants at 7.42pm, seven minutes after touchdown.
After Batool addresses the officers, Sharif, who had been sitting next to her, is asked to follow them.
The three were then taken off the plane and arrested.
Pic: Surrey Police
A post-mortem examination established Sara had sustained extensive and significant injuries over a sustained period prior to her death.
The jury heard on Friday how concerns were raised by Sara’s school about bruising on her body in June 2022 and March 2023.
Read more:
Stepmother said Sara Sharif’s father beat her up ‘like crazy’, jury told
Sara Sharif ‘never smiled once’, jury told
Several items seized from Sara’s home were also reviewed by the court, including a leather belt which had full DNA samples at both ends for Sara, Sharif, and Malik.
A cricket bat was also found to have Sara’s DNA profile on it, along with the DNA samples of Sharif and Malik.
Neither item had a DNA trace of Batool.
The court also reviewed the defendants’ bank accounts – both joint and separate.
All three defendants have pleaded not guilty to murder and causing or allowing the death of a child.
The trial continues.
Six teenagers have been arrested after a 13-year-old girl was found with multiple stab wounds on a roadside near Hull.
Police said she was found around 6.50am on the A63 in Hessle with “life-threatening injuries” including “lacerations to her neck, abdomen, chest and back”.
Four boys and two girls – aged between 14 and 17 – were quickly arrested in a nearby wooded area and are being questioned on suspicion of attempted murder.
Members of the public came to the girl’s aid before emergency services arrived, Humberside Police said.
Detective Superintendent Simon Vickers said they “believe the attackers knew the victim” and the circumstances are still being investigated.
“The girl remains in hospital in critical condition and her family are being supported by officers at this difficult time,” he added.
The boys arrested are aged 14, 15, 16 and 17, and the girls 14 and 15.
Read more from Sky News:
Boy who attacked sleeping students with hammers is named
Man arrested after burglary at Ben Stokes’ home
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Cordons are in place around a wooded area off Ferriby High Road while investigations continue.
Police said they would have an increased presence in the area over the weekend and have asked anyone with information or video to get in touch, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously.
UK
Ex-soldier Daniel Khalife tells court it was a ‘foolish idea’ to have someone with his ‘skillset’ in prison
A former soldier has told a jury his escape from Wandsworth prison to avoid being held with sex offenders and terrorists showed his “skillset”.
Daniel Khalife, 23, who was being held accused of passing secrets to Iran said he was “never a real spy” but planned a fake defection to the state following his arrest after watching American television show Homeland.
He said he wanted to be moved to a high-security unit because he was getting unwanted attention from the sex offenders on the vulnerable prisoners wing and feared a move to Belmarsh prison because, as a British soldier, terrorists wanted to kill him.
Khalife said he first wanted to “make a show” of escaping, acting suspiciously and covering himself in soot from a food delivery lorry on 21 August last year, while he was working in the prison kitchen.
He was spotted and reported to security but was “pretty shocked” when nothing happened so decided to take the “full measure,” he told the jury.
A makeshift sling. Pic: Met Police
Talking about his escape for the first time at his Woolwich Crown Court trial, Khalife told how he fashioned a makeshift sling from kitchen trousers and carabiners used by inmates to keep their possessions safe from rats.
He attached it to the Bidfood lorry on 1 September last year, to see if it would be spotted by officers at Wandsworth or other prisons on the delivery route.
“I put the two carabiners and the makeshift rope underneath the lorry,” he said.
“When I had made the decision to actually leave the prison I was going to do it properly so I tested the security not just in Wandsworth
“Strangely, over the coming days, I could see it but it wasn’t spotted in Wandsworth or any other prison.”
Then on the morning of 6 September, Khalife said he concealed himself underneath the lorry, resting his back on the sling as the lorry was searched.
“They did normal checks around with torches but they didn’t find me. After that, a governor came to the tunnel and said, ‘Have you searched the vehicle?’
“I was facing upwards. There was action around the lorry.”
Daniel Khalife joined the Army aged 16
He said that when the vehicle stopped he “came out underneath the lorry and stayed in the prone position” until the lorry moved off.
Khalife, who joined the Army aged 16 and took up a post with the Royal Signals, based in Beacons barracks, Staffordshire, said he made no attempt to leave the country and had no intention to “run away” from the charges he was facing.
He was arrested three days later on the footpath of the Grand Union Canal in Northolt, west London, after a nationwide manhunt.
Asked why he had not handed himself in after his escape, Khalife said: “I was finally demonstrating what a foolish idea it was to have someone of my skillset in prison. What use was that to anyone?”
“I accept that I left the prison and didn’t have any permission to do so,” he said. “I accept absolutely that I shouldn’t have done what I did.”
Daniel Khalife
Inspired by Homeland
The court has heard Khalife initiated contact with Iranian intelligence officers after he was told he could not pass developed vetting because his mother was born in Iran.
Khalife told MI5 he wanted to be a “double agent” and he said in court he thought he would be “congratulated” but described his arrest as like a “punch in the face”.
Read more from Sky News:
Teenager who murdered 15-year-old ex-girlfriend jailed for life
Public schoolboy guilty of hammer attack named for first time
Wearing a blue checked shirt and chinos, he said police were “blinded at the prospect of a successful prosecution” but he did not think being in prison would be in “the public interest”.
“I didn’t do anything that harmed our national security. I wanted to put myself in a position where I could help my country,” he said.
“I believed I could continue my work actually located in the state – the state being Iran.”
Khalife said he took inspiration from watching Homeland, starring Claire Danes and Damian Lewis, in which Americans and terrorists go undercover, on Netflix.
“I had seen one of the characters in the programme had actually falsely defected to a particular country and utilised that position to further the national security interests of that character’s country,” he said.
“The country in question, Iran, thought it was real. She did it to further the interests of her own country.”
Khalife told jurors he is a “patriot”, adding: “I do love my country. All I wanted to do was help. I never wanted to do any harm, I never did do any harm.”
He added: “It is tragic it has come to this and I would do anything to go back to my career.”
Khalife, from Kingston, southwest London, denies a charge of committing an act prejudicial to the safety or interests of the state under the Official Secrets Act between 1 May 2019 and 6 January 2022.
He has also pleaded not guilty to a charge under the Terrorism Act of eliciting information about Armed Forces personnel on 2 August 2021, perpetrating a bomb hoax on or before 2 January 2023 and escaping from prison on 6 September last year.
The trial continues.
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