Woman abused by babysitter as a child says compensation can't fix injustice done by police

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Woman abused by babysitter as a child says compensation can't fix injustice done by police2 hours ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleRowenna HoskinBBC Wales "Lost" video evidence shows Michaela Allen describing the abuse she suffered A child sex abuse victim has said "no amount of money can fix what's gone wrong" after 30 years of police failures meant no-one was ever charged. Michaela Allen, 38, said she was abused by a babysitter at her home when she was seven. But police never charged the man allegedly responsible and lost vital evidence, only to find it years later and wrongly post it to Michaela, ending any prospect of a conviction.

Michaela has been awarded £32,000 by police, but it is understood two other alleged victims of the same perpetrator whose evidence in the same case was also lost, received about £10,000, paid jointly by South Wales Police and Gwent Police - both forces apologised for their failures. Michaela, from Caerphilly, said: "Even though I have finalised this compensation, it doesn't really give me closure, the reality of this is there is still a predator on the loose that remains a risk to the public. "Michaela AllenMichaela Allen says she was devastated when the police error meant the case against her alleged abuser had to be droppedWhen Michaela told her grandmother what her babysitter had done to her in 1995, her mum phoned the police immediately.

The Details

In the police interview video, the seven-year-old describes how he asked her to give him "grown up kisses". She refused, saying it was "naughty", but he threatened to tell her parents she was not behaving. On the tape, she said he told her: "You're enjoying this aren't you?

"She went on to describe how he pulled her trousers down and accurately described male genitalia. Michaela's mum Stephanie previously said: "The police officer in that room stated that never before had she had a child give so much detailed evidence without being questioned. "There was no doubt in my mind that this was going to court.

"Michaela AllenMichaela Allen says she was sexually abused by a babysitter as a seven-year-oldEven though the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) instructed the police officer in charge to ask her parents if Michaela could face cross-examination in court, Stephanie said that never happened. Despite asking for updates continuously over the years, South Wales Police never followed up. In 2017, Michaela tried to re-open her case, only to be told the video evidence could not be found.

While South Wales Police was responsible for the original investigation and storage of the evidence tape, a boundary change in 1996 saw Gwent Police assume responsibility for Caerphilly, and Michaela's case. An investigation by Gwent Police in 2018 stated that the officer in the original case could not remember it, but claims he would have followed the CPS instruction. With no further action, police said the video evidence would have been "lawfully discarded in 1996".

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.