Ulster Unionist Justice Spokesperson Doug Beattie MC MLA has called on the Justice Minister to provide answers following the news that 15 sex offenders are to have their convictions rescinded because of a technicality.
Doug Beattie MC MLA said:
“The news that 15 sex offenders are to have their convictions rescinded because of a ‘legislative error’ will have an impact far beyond the 17 victims affected.
“This shocking news is another hammer blow to the local justice system which is already struggling to retain public confidence, and is viewed as a soft touch for criminals.
“We spend a lot of public money on a system, which has been criticised for prioritising the rights of criminals over the rights of victims and the general public. There are a lot of well paid and supposedly very clever people in our justice system whose job it is to ensure that legislation is fit for purpose. Clearly in this case there has been a catastrophic failure to punish criminals and protect the public and answers are needed.
“The Justice Minister needs to explain just how this was allowed to happen, who was responsible, when it was first noticed, how many other cases may be affected and what has been done to ensure this level of utter incompetence can never happen again.”