AUSTRALIA
The Guardian (United Kingdom)
Helen Davidson in Sydney
theguardian.com, Tuesday 17 September 2013
Testimony given by Newcastle police at the royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse on Tuesday revealed an excessively long and disorganised investigation which failed to lead to the prosecution of paedophile Steven Larkins, despite it being recommended by the director of public prosecutions (DPP).
Police officers Nigel Turney and Pamela Amloh gave evidence on their 1998 inquiries into the allegations of abuse of “witness AC” by Larkins before the commission on Tuesday afternoon. Senior constable Turney told the hearing that the investigation was transferred from the sex crime squad to Newcastle police and aspects of the investigation assigned to him. It was Turney’s first child sexual assault case, and one of the first times he had used his training from two years earlier.
The hearing also heard that despite the case coming with a recommended follow-up timeframe of 28 days, there were extensive delays and the victim himself was not interviewed for almost six months.
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