Key Facts

• Amendment 17 seeks to include victims of child criminal exploitation in the definition of a victim.
• The Government has invested up to £145 million over three years to crack down on criminal gangs exploiting children and young people.
• Up to £5 million was invested from 2022 to 2025 for support services for victims of county lines exploitation and their families.
• Amendments 51 and 52 seek to ensure victims of adult sexual exploitation are explicitly referenced in the definition of a victim.
• Adult sexual exploitation includes human trafficking, controlling behaviour, prostitution offences, and serious sexual crimes.
• There is no single charge or crime for domestic abuse or adult sexual exploitation under current legislation.
• The amendment would include children of paedophiles as victims.
• Records show there were 850 'knocks' a month in 2021, affecting 35% of the children present during these incidents.
• Three police forces currently refer families to Talking Forward automatically for support.
• Amendment 46 would include persons harmed by being a child of someone who poses a sexual risk to children under 'victim' definition.
• Families already covered if they witnessed criminal conduct; amendment seeks broader coverage.
• HM Prison and Probation Service funds national prisoners’ families helpline for free support.
• There has been only one successful prosecution of a case where an abuser was held responsible for the death of their former partner who committed suicide due to abuse in 2017.
• The Domestic Abuse Commissioner recommends a broader definition for better support of victims.
• Research shows that over one-third of female suicides may be partly caused by women experiencing domestic abuse.
• The Centre for Women's Justice highlights a lack of recent national-level research on this issue.
• Cases exist where abusers stage deaths as suicides to avoid justice, like the death of Lesley Potter and Katie Wilding.
• Families report that crucial evidence is often lost due to inadequate police responses at crime scenes.
• Amendment 54 would extend the definition of victims in the Bill to include families impacted by suicide from domestic abuse.
• Clause 1(2)(c) already includes coverage for bereaved families where death is a direct result of criminal conduct, including domestic violence.
• An additional £57 million is being invested in suicide prevention through the NHS long-term plan by March 2024.
• Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse estimates one in ten children in England and Wales are sexually abused before age 16.
• In 2021-22, local authorities identified over 16,000 cases where child sexual exploitation was a factor; 11,600 cases involving gangs; and 10,140 cases involving child criminal exploitation.
• NSPCC research found that special measures for young victims were seldom used.
• Amendment 63 seeks to add wording to the definition of a victim to explicitly include children.
• Clause 1(2)(a) of the Bill already includes individuals who have seen, heard, or otherwise directly experienced criminal conduct at the time it occurred.
• The victims code will be reviewed and updated after the Bill gains Royal Assent.
• The debate is about clause 1 of the Victims and Prisoners Bill.
• Clause 1 defines 'victim' for the purposes of the relevant clauses in part 1 of the Bill.
• The clause focuses on victims of crime to improve support services regardless of whether they report the crime.
• Amendments 44 and 49 are grouped but will be ungrouped and dealt with separately.
• Victims of serious crimes committed by mentally disordered offenders do not have the same rights as other victims.
• In diminished responsibility cases, psychiatric evidence is often discussed privately without victim disclosure.
• There are around 100 to 120 mental health-related homicides in the UK annually.
• As of December 2022, there were 4,580 restricted patients in England and Wales.
• Approximately 2,979 restricted patients are discharged yearly; 268 were recalled to hospital based on 2020 data.
• Edward Leigh is proposing amendments 5, 6, 7, and 8.
• The proposed changes aim to replace 'should' with 'must' in clauses related to the victims code's principles.
• The amendments seek to strengthen agencies' obligations under the victims code.
• The Bill aims to improve compliance with the victims code which has been in place since 2006.
• Compliance with the victims code has historically been low despite multiple reforms.
• The Government's approach allows changes to strengthen entitlements set out in the code without amending primary legislation.
• The Victims' Code has been largely ignored by 70-80% of people who have gone through the criminal justice system since its introduction in 2006.
• Criminal justice bodies will be required to collect compliance information with a duty on police and crime commissioners to share it with the Secretary of State.
• The Bill simplifies complaint processes by allowing victims direct access to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman without needing an MP's intervention.
• Victims' Code has been in place since 2006 but is not fully utilized.
• There are no systematic records on victims who speak English as an Additional Language (EAL) within the criminal justice system.
• Lack of professional language support can lead to inaccurate statements and negative effects on victims' wellbeing.
• Edward Leigh is speaking about the Victims and Prisoners Bill.
• He agrees to a request for variation in debate grouping.
• Amendments 45, 48, and 50 will be discussed separately.
• Amendment 48 seeks to clarify that victims should have the opportunity to make their views heard on parole decisions.
• New clause 7 would mandate the Parole Board to monitor and report on victim engagement in the criminal justice process.
• The Secretary of State must lay a copy of any reports received under this section before Parliament within 15 days.
• Amendments 48, 50 aim to strengthen statutory requirements.
• New clause 7 would place responsibility on the Parole Board to monitor and report on victim participation.
• Support services such as independent sexual violence advisers are already in place.
• Amendment 48 aims to include parole decisions in the principle that victims' views should be heard.
• New clause 7 would require the Parole Board to monitor how it supports victims and report this to the Secretary of State.
• Victims are entitled to submit a victim personal statement as part of the parole process under Right 11 of the code.
• Ray and Vi Donovan established a restorative justice charity after losing their son.
• Only about 5% of victims are aware of restorative justice.
• Restorative justice can reduce reoffending rates by 80%-90%, according to studies.
• Colburn's APPG produced nine recommendations on the state of restorative justice in the UK.
• The amendment aims to extend eligibility for compensation under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme (CICS) to all victims of child sexual abuse, including those affected by online-based abuse.
• Victims with unspent convictions directly linked to their childhood abuse would also be eligible for CICS compensation.
• The proposed amendments suggest a 7-year window from either the date of reporting or when the victim turned 18 (if reported as a minor) within which victims can apply for compensation.
• Victims of child sexual exploitation may face barriers such as out-of-time claims, unspent criminal convictions, or consent issues under CICA.
• Amendments 38 and 39 extend compensation eligibility for CSA victims, including those with unspent convictions related to their abuse.
• The period by which victims can apply for compensation is extended.
• IICSA reports recommend improving access to the scheme for child sexual abuse victims.
• Ministry of Justice data shows that almost a third of prisoners experienced emotional, physical or sexual abuse as children.
• 63% of cases submitted outside the two-year limit still received rewards under exceptional circumstances.
• Children born of rape could number between 2,080 and 3,356 in a single year (January to December 2021) in England and Wales.
• The Centre for Women’s Justice commissioned an evidence review that found nearly 85% of children born as a result of rape exhibit unusual or concerning behaviors from birth into later life.
• Sammy Woodhouse's son was refused by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA).
• Mandy, who experienced abuse and rape from the age of 11, faced challenges including her son’s severe genetic disability with no support from statutory bodies.
• Amendment 38 seeks to include victim compensation as an additional victims code principle.
• Amendment 39 aims to change the scope, time limits, and unspent convictions eligibility rules of the criminal injuries compensation scheme for child sexual abuse victims.
• Amendment 55 proposes that children born of rape are entitled to access compensation under the statutory criminal injuries compensation scheme.
• Edward Leigh is concluding his involvement in the Bill discussion.
• The meeting was described as interesting and moving.