"Justice delayed was justice denied": MP seeks law change after alleged Sheffield abuser dies before trial
The defendant died before he could stand trial
A Doncaster MP has introduced a new Bill to parliament after a resident in the citywas denied justice when her alleged abuser died before his trial.
Sally Jameson, MP for Doncaster Central, shared the story of an unnamed constituent whose alleged abuser never faced justice.
Ms Jameson told the House of Commons: “At a young age, she was the victim of an appalling crime—one that no person, let alone a child, should ever have to endure.
“In time, she came to realise that she was not alone. There were many other victims: children who had suffered at the hands of a man in a position of power and trust—a man who abused that trust in the most abhorrent way.
“On the first day of the trial, one juror fell ill. However, there were still enough jurors for the trial to proceed because the legal minimum was met… the judge ruled that the trial would be postponed. A new date was set, but that was over a year later. Five weeks before that date arrived, the defendant died.”
As a result of the man’s death, the charge was abandoned and the trial did not take place.
“In this case, justice delayed was justice denied,” the MP said.
“My constituent will now never have her day in court. She will never stand to testify to the horrors she endured and will never see the man who caused her such unimaginable pain face justice. She is not alone; many other victims in this case were also let down,” the Labour MP added.
Her Bill seeks to “address a gap in our justice system” and “ensure that such an injustice does not happen again”, Jameson told MPs.
She said: “It would establish a clear presumption that where the minimum number of jurors remains, the trial should proceed.
“At the heart of this issue are not procedures, but people—people who have already waited too long, suffered too much and deserve better from our justice system. This is a modest reform, but it carries significant consequences. It is about efficiency, fairness and, above all, justice.”
The Bill was presented with the support of 11 other MPs and will have its second reading in parliament on June 26, 2026.