Kathryn Stone - Voice UK

Following the sentencing of three men for the caustic soda attack on a teenager with learning disabilities, ePolitix.com speaks to Voice UK chief executive Kathryn Stone about disabled people and crime.

In the case at Wood Green Crown Court, which ended last week, Rogel McMorris, 18, of Seven Sisters, was jailed for nine years following his conviction on two charges of rape and one of causing grievous bodily harm.

Jason Brew, 19, of Tottenham in north London, and Hector Muaimba, 20, of Waltham Forest in East London, were both sentenced to six years for rape.

Six other men were acquitted of grievous bodily harm or had charges against them dropped.

Can you tell us about the work of your organisation?

Kathryn Stone: Voice UK is a national charity for vulnerable victims of crime, particularly people with learning disabilities. We provide support to victims, their families and carers via our helpline.

Voice UK campaigns for equal access to justice for people with learning disabilities. We also train police forces on how to meet the needs of victims and witnesses with disabilities.

Voice UK has condemned the sentences given to the three men jailed for the caustic soda attack on a teenager with learning disabilities. Why do you think this sentence sends out the wrong message?

Kathryn Stone: The young victim of this appalling crime was left scared both emotionally and physically. She showed incredible bravery in giving evidence to the court. Yet the message these sentences send her is that the criminal justice system is not always just and that her suffering was not enough for these young men to get long sentences.

To society, these light sentences send out the message that those who take advantage of people's vulnerabilities to commit terrible crimes will not always receive just punishment. Plus, most people with learning disabilities believe that the criminal justice system will let them down and so don't report crimes that happen to them. These sentences will reinforce their lack of confidence and make it less likely they will report crimes.

Do you believe the punishment was appropriate for this crime?

Kathryn Stone: Absolutely not. The sentences don't reflect the targeting of a vulnerable young woman, the premeditation, the multiple rapes, the cruelty, the unnecessary violence and the filming for their own enjoyment.

The unprecedented number of phone calls and emails of support we have received from members of the public show that we're not alone in thinking these sentences don't fit the barbarity of the crime.

What are the wider implications of these sentences?

Kathryn Stone: These sentences raise questions about how well the courts handle cases involving people with disabilities. The criminal justice system has come a long way in supporting vulnerable victims and you can see that in the support the victim received in giving evidence and the securing of the convictions. But the judge still didn't understand the victim's learning disabilities and how this was taken advantage of. The danger is that the misunderstandings of this judge are shared by others.

Are disabled people more at risk of certain crimes?

Kathryn Stone: People with learning disabilities are more at risk of sexual violence, including rape. The government has acknowledged this, but we are still waiting on action to change this.

People with learning disabilities are also targeted for exploitation and for simply having a disability, in other words, disability hate crime.

Victims with disabilities often face difficulty in getting justice. Why is the number of successful prosecutions for such crime so low?

Kathryn Stone: People with learning disabilities are sometimes seen by the police and prosecutors as unreliable witnesses and so investigations are not done, charges not made and prosecutions dropped.

Sometimes prosecutors paternalistically decide that asking someone with learning disabilities to give evidence will be too traumatic and drop the case, not realizing that denying someone justice can be more traumatic. Too often criminal justice professionals don't even realize that someone has learning disabilities and so support is not offered to allow someone to give their best evidence.

Do you believe that disabled victims receive enough information and support about reporting crimes against them?

Kathryn Stone: Most of the time, disabled victims don't receive enough information and support about reporting crimes. Like most people, many criminal justice professionals know very little disabilities and so appropriate support is sometimes not provided.

Many disabled people are reluctant to report crimes directly to the police, but there are few third party reporting mechanisms to allow them to report crimes indirectly. Voice UK is also only one of a few charities offering advice in this area.