Crown Court rules prosecution was unsafe after CCRC identified evidence of child exploitation
The Crown Court has quashed the convictions of a woman who was groomed and sexually exploited as a child after the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) concluded there was a real possibility that her prosecution amounted to an abuse of process.
The decision follows a CCRC referral made in May 2026 after the Commission investigated the case of the woman, identified only as Ms AB. The Crown Court allowed her appeal on 22 July 2026, overturning convictions dating back to December 2002.
Ms AB was 14 years old when she pleaded guilty to being carried in a stolen motor vehicle, possession of an imitation firearm and assault. She received a non-custodial sentence.
During its investigation, the CCRC obtained evidence showing that, at the time of the offences, Ms AB had been the victim of child sexual exploitation and grooming. The Commission concluded there was a real possibility that the convictions would not be upheld because failures by public authorities to recognise and protect her meant she may have been unable to participate effectively in the criminal proceedings or properly consider any defences available to her.
The case is the first involving the convictions of a grooming gang victim to be referred by the CCRC following Baroness Louise Casey’s National Audit on Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, which highlighted widespread institutional failings in protecting children from grooming gangs.
According to the CCRC, Ms AB met an older man when she was 11. She later told investigators that he initially brought food to her home, flattered her and made her feel special before the relationship became sexually exploitative. She said he used violence and emotional blackmail to control her and encourage her to have sex with his friends. At the time of the offences, she was living in a children’s home.
CCRC Chair Dame Vera Baird KC welcomed the court’s decision, stating that Ms AB had been “failed by the very institutions that should have kept her safe”. She said the evidence showed the teenager should have been recognised as a vulnerable child in need of protection rather than prosecuted, adding that the Commission concluded there was a real possibility her prosecution amounted to an abuse of process. The Crown Prosecution Service did not oppose the application before the Crown Court.
For solicitors, the ruling reinforces the importance of identifying evidence of child sexual exploitation, coercion or grooming when reviewing historic convictions. The CCRC said its investigation found new evidence that had not been before the courts when Ms AB pleaded guilty. The Commission also noted that where new evidence demonstrates a conviction may be unsafe, it will investigate independently. Applications can be made with the assistance of a solicitor, charity or support organisation.
The court has ordered that Ms AB must not be identified.