Mr EA

Mr EA was convicted in December 2002 of indecent assault, indecency with a child, rape, and attempting to commit an act of gross indecency. Mr EA received a sentence of 12 years’ imprisonment and was ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for life.

Mr EA sought to appeal but was unsuccessful. The CCRC received an application for review of the conviction in May 2009.

At trial, the prosecution relied on expert medical evidence. However, since the time of trial and appeal, there had emerged a new report, “The Physical Signs of Child Sexual Abuse”, by the Royal College of Paediatrics & Child Health. This changed the status and interpretation of medical findings in cases of this kind.

The CCRC found that the medical examination of the complainant had fallen short of the standards that would be expected at the time of the review.

In addition, the documented medical findings presented at trial in support of the prosecution’s case could no longer be said to either support or refute the allegations against Mr EA.

The CCRC also found that there had been significant non-disclosure of material that was capable of undermining the reliability of both the complainant and a key prosecution witness.

The CCRC referred the conviction in July 2013.

The Court of Appeal upheld the conviction in November 2015.