Rapists and child abusers among 103 sex offenders only given police cautions
RAPISTS and child abusers in Lincolnshire have escaped with receiving police cautions for their offences, the Echo can reveal.
Lincolnshire Police say they have handed out warnings on three occasions in rape cases and two related to child abuse in the last five years.
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A total of 581 charges for sex offence have been made along with 98 cautions in the last five years.
A further 581 charges for other sex offences, which include indecent assault, have been made along with 98 cautions.
There has also been 152 rape charges and eight for child abuse, according to figures released under the Freedom of Information Act.
Rape victim Gina, as she has asked to been known, told the Echo a caution was “not even a slap on the wrist” for the offenders.
The 24-year-old was attacked in Lincoln in 2007 by a friend of a friend she had been on a date with.
“It disgusts me that they can just commit the offence and get away with it,” she said.
“I think every case, like a rape, should go to court and a jury decides.”
The total number of sex offences charged or cautioned by Lincolnshire Police has fallen by more than 30 per cent from 197 in 2008 to 135 in 2009.
Home Office guidance states the police have five types of caution at their disposal.
The main two include simple cautions and conditional cautions with both used to deal quickly with those who commit crimes.
A simple caution also aims to officially warn them their behaviour has been “unacceptable”.
4 Comments
by Nick, Lincoln
Tuesday, June 01 2010, 9:38AM
“I wonder how many cautions would be given if it was THEIR children?”
by housholder/parent, West-Lindsey
Tuesday, May 18 2010, 9:50AM
“Lincolnshire Police actively protect Sex offenders even when they harass and target vulnerable children. Regrettably & recently in West-Lindsey a child after suffering for over 2 years, needed specialist help as Lincolnshire police time after time turned a blind eye to the traumatisation of a child by a known criminal. The failing antisocial behaviour unit comprising of just 2 people at troubled West-Lindsey District Council, chose to do nothing even though the police were made fully aware of the perpetrator. Children are at serious risk and vulnerable in this area, that is not an assumption but based on ¿FACT¿.”
by Alan, Lincoln
Tuesday, May 18 2010, 8:13AM
“scaremongering and lazy reporting... I will bet my house that no person convicted of rape has ever been give a police caution for the offence. That is of course working on the assumption that a rapist is someone found guilty of rape.”
by rick, lincoln
Tuesday, May 18 2010, 7:41AM
“the justice system in this country is a joke, rapists and child abusers get a police caution yet if someone breaks into your house and injures themselves you get taken to court and made to pay compensation to the burglar.”