Abney Garsden McDonald solicitors
(est.'d 1985)

Campaign for Change in Law to Help Abuse Victims

Manchester based child abuse lawyer, Peter Garsden, is urging people to write to their local MP to help victims of rape and child abuse. Many victims are unable to gain compensation for their traumatic experience due to an unjust area of UK law that places time limits on the start of civil proceedings. This means that abusers escape all liability after the victim reaches the age of 24.

The ‘Law of Limitation’ means that for all compensation claims, legal proceedings have to be started within 3 years for negligence and 6 years for assault. Time doesn’t run for children until they are 18, so strictly time runs out at either the age of 21 or 24 (depending on whether it’s a negligence or assault case). However, what is common in cases of this type is that the victim doesn’t come forward until later in life or the abuser uses intimidation to keep them quiet.

The Government are aware of how this law on time limits makes access to justice difficult for some of the most vulnerable members of our society but they have neglected to make changes. This is despite the fact the Law Commission suggested improvements in the law to make itfairer for survivors of abuse back in 2001.

One case that highlights this terrible flaw in UK law is that of William Goad, who has been labelled Britain’s worst paedophile because he has allegedly abused, in an organised way, approximately 3500 children, most of whom are now adults over 24. The convicted abuser is a millionaire but because of the law on time limits the burden of compensation will inevitably fall upon the CICA and ultimately us as taxpayers.

Ray Zolla is a victim of Goad who appeared the Panorama programme about the paedophile in February this year. He’s campaigning to get a change in the Law of Limitation and says, “I have been extremely disillusioned by the criminal justice system in this country. As a male victim of sexual abuse, it was extremely difficult for me to disclose what had happened. It takes the average man 10 to 15 years to disclose abuse; this is mainly because of the stigma attached to the issue. We are concerned about prejudice and not being taken seriously by the police.

“I eventually came forward with my story in 1998, aged 33, which was completely out of the time limit for compensation claims. It has taken eight years for the Police to do anything. It makes me sick that my abuser is a multi-millionaire who used his business as a guise to find victims yet we are unable to gain any justice in the form of compensation. In my view the law protects people with money and doesn’t help sufferers of terrible abuse who have symptoms such as post traumatic stress disorder and sever depression.”
Two of Goad’s victims killed themselves and several others tried. Many more were driven to drink and drugs to try and rid themselves of their misery.
Specialist child abuse lawyer, Peter Garsden from Abney Garsden McDonald Solicitors is urging people to write to their local MP to try and get a change in the law. Anyone interested in finding out more and downloading a template letter should visit the Association of Child Abuse Lawyers Website.

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