John Worboys

(asked on 22nd February 2018) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the judgment of Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis (Appellant) v DSD and another (Respondents) [2018] UKSC 11, whether her Department has any contingency arrangements in place to support the police with the policing implications of that judgement; and what discussions her Department is holding on those implications.


Answered by
Nick Hurd Portrait
Nick Hurd
This question was answered on 27th February 2018

The Supreme Court judgment upholds the Court of Appeal judgment and the 2014 High Court judgment and means that claims against the police for serious failures in investigations can continue to be made.

The Government welcomes the clarity provided by the Supreme Court judgment in emphasising the high threshold for such claims i.e. where there are serious failures or shortcomings in investigations engaging Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights. This provides the police with greater clarity as to when claims can be made.

We will continue to work with the National Police Chiefs’ Council to monitor current claims and assess any impacts as a result of future action taken against forces on the basis of this ruling.

Reticulating Splines