Casey Says UK Pardon Leaves Thousands of Grooming Victims With Convictions
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jun 12
Casey Says UK Pardon Leaves Thousands of Grooming Victims With Convictions
2 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jun 12
Summary
Baroness Louise Casey said the government's new pardon for "child prostitution" offences is failing grooming survivors because it does not automatically quash the wider range of convictions they received as abused children.
Thousands of victims remain affected since the law only disregards on-street prostitution offences in England and Wales, which Casey called the "lazy option" instead of a full review scheme for wrongful convictions.
Joanne, now in her 50s, said more than 40 convictions still block jobs, study and travel; some convictions from age 18 remain because the law does not cover offences committed while she was still being trafficked.
Other survivors described dozens of arrests tied to exploitation, including Fiona Goddard's estimated 30 to 50 convictions and Jamie Leigh Jones's more than 100 arrests, reinforcing calls for case-by-case reviews and compensation.
The Home Office said it would pursue Casey's recommendation to review abuse-shaped convictions, pointed victims to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, and said one non-prostitution case has already been referred to court.