Abused children waiting five years for justice

Sexually abused children and their families are being subjected to “additional trauma” by having to wait an estimated five years before their court case is completed, according to a national therapy service, Cari.

Cari said an analysis of 23 cases in its court accompaniment service for victims last year revealed that these cases were “still subject to extensive delays” at different stages in the criminal justice process.

“We found that children wait, on average, five years from date of the crime to the end of the criminal proceedings,” said Eve Farrelly, manager of Cari’s forensic and court accompaniment services.