People have a right to have serious crimes properly investigated by police

The Supreme Court has ruled that the Met Police breached the rights of the women raped by the black cab rapist, John Worboys, by failing to properly investigate their allegations.

When two women were raped in 2003 and 2007, they reported the attacks but police did not believe them.  A litany of grave failings in the investigation meant Worboys remained at large – free to attack over a hundred more women until he was finally caught in 2009.

Liberty intervened in the case to argue that victims of serious crime have a right to an effective investigation and a right to hold police accountable when serious failings mean perpetrators aren’t brought to justice.

This landmark ruling confirms police have a positive duty under the Human Rights Act to properly investigate serious crime.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-43140827

 

 

Image credit: Steven Straiton, Flickr CC by 2.0