Five women say court delays robbed them of justice as Sheffield man accused of child abuse died before trial
Five women claim they have been robbed of the chance of justice - after a Sheffield man they each accused of abusing them died just a few weeks before his trial was set to begin.
The women have blasted the legal system for acting too slowly, allowing an elderly man in Sheffield they claim put them through horrendous sexual abuse when they were children to avoid punishment.
The women first started to come forward to South Yorkshire Police with their claims in 2021.
Officers investigated and in February 2023 charged the accused man with the rape of a female under 16 and indecent assault on a girl under 16 in relation to one complainant.
The accused was originally due to stand trial at Sheffield Crown Court in 2024, however the case was delayed for a year to February 2025.
Then, just a few weeks before the case was finally set to be brought before a jury, the man died.
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“This was devastating, knowing he would never be held accountable for the abuse of me and many other young girls,” one of the women said.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) told The Star that the delay was due to the sickness of a jury member, and while the Crown asked for the trial to continue with 11 jurors, instead of the normal 12, the judge adjourned it at the behest of the defence.
While trials can legally continue with as few as nine jurors, it is ultimately the court’s decision. Though these women argue that there should be a moral obligation to get trials completed as soon as possible.
Investigations into the other four women’s claims were still ongoing at the time of the accused man's death, police confirmed.
South Yorkshire Police added: “Sadly we were unable to progress their cases further following the death of the suspect.”
The force said that support has been put in place for the women who came forward.
The five women, who are entitled to lifelong anonymity, hope that their case will demonstrate the need for courts to act more quickly if similar circumstances arise again in the future.
Describing their allegations they reported to South Yorkshire Police, one woman said: “He hurt me physically.
“I was 13 nearly 14 when he raped me. The pain was intense, I was so scared, I froze, I thought I would pass out and die.
“How could a man do that to a child?”
Another alleged that the accused man raped her ‘on a daily basis’ and later made phone calls in which he threatened to kill her.
“He beat me black and blue regularly,” she added.
“I often had strangulation marks around my neck.
“He has haunted me my whole life and I never told a single soul because I was absolutely frightened to death of him. I truly believed that he would kill me.”
The women - who came into contact with each other during the course of the investigations into their individual claims - believe that ‘there will be more’ victims, with one continuing: “From what I have found out, he was a monster.”
They told The Star they feel disappointed with the justice system for not allowing the trial to proceed when it was originally planned.
“We really wanted him to be held accountable in a court of law for all the harm and damage he has done to us," one of the women said.
“After nearly four years of delays, him dying just weeks before his trial was devastating for us.”
One woman claimed that the ‘judiciary needs an overhaul - especially the jury system’.
She has been working with her MP, Sally Jameson - who represents the Doncaster Central constituency - to see changes made.
Ms Jameson raised the issue in Parliament, where she asked to speak to Justice Minister David Lammy, arguing for a ‘policy change around expectations of judges to carry out trials when a minimum number of jurors are already in attendance’.
The Labour MP added: “I'm sorry to hear of the tragic circumstances around this case, affecting multiple people.
“For too long victims have been failed by our criminal justice system and it is time for that to change. The government is putting record investment into court sitting days and funding into victim support but money alone will not be enough to clear the current backlog.
“That is why the government is bringing forward the Courts and Tribunals Bill which will increase Magistrates’ Court sentencing power and introduce a new division of the Crown Court where the judge alone hears cases likely to attract up to three year sentences.
“We also need to modernise with more use of AI to prevent court delays and a National Listing system to end the postcode lottery.
“In the end, justice delayed is justice denied, and it is important we carry out this reform and modernisation programme of our courts system to deliver justice for victims.”