Lord Janner will face trial over child abuse allegations as Crown Prosecution overturns decision not to charge him
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Version 0 of 1. The decision not to prosecute Lord Janner over child sex abuse allegations has been overturned by the Crown Prosecution Service. Alison Saunders, the Director of Public Prosecutions, was forced into an embarrassing U-turn after an independent review found her controversial decision not to charge the Labour peer earlier this year was wrong. A "trial of the facts," where a jury hears evidence against an individual considered too ill for a full trial, will now be held. Alison Saunders faces calls for her to resign over her decision not to charge Lord Janner in April In April she decided not to prosecute Lord Janner due to the severity of his advanced dementia, despite finding "sufficient evidence" to prosecute him on 22 offences of historic paedophilia - a decision that outraged child abuse campaigners and led to the CPS granting an independent review. The offences were allegedly committed between 1968 and 1988. Lord Janner's family continue to insist that the peer is innocent of all allegations. Ms Saunders now faces calls for her to resign. Simon Danczuk, the Labour MP for Rochdale who has campaigned on behalf of child abuse victims, said the news that Lord Janner will now be prosecuted was the latest in a "catalogue of errors from Alison Saunders," who he said had "brought the criminal justice system into disrepute". However the former DPP Lord Macdonald insisted the position taken by Ms Saunders in April was "perfectly respectable". He said: "I do think that Alison Saunders's position was a perfectly respectable, perfectly defensible position. "Many eminent lawyers have agreed with her and said she was right." The review agreed that it was right to assume that Lord Janner would be unfit to plead and the most likely outcome of the "trial of facts" would be an absolute discharge, which is neither punishment nor conviction. Labour MP Simon Danczuk said Alison Saunders' position as Director of Public Prosecutions is 'untenable' Ms Saunders said: : "It is a matter of real regret that prosecutions weren't brought by the police and CPS in the past. "We have brought forward this decision as public speculation on this review has brought damaging and unacceptable uncertainty for the complainants in this case. "We have now done what we can to inform the complainants of the outcome of the review and I have offered to meet each of them should they wish." Last week Mr Danczuk used parliamentary privilege to claim Lord Janner abused children in Parliament. He said Leicestershire police had told him how the peer "violated, raped and tortured - some in the very building in which we now sit". He also revealed that he had urged Ed Miliband to throw Lod Janner out of the party five months before the party eventually suspended him. He sent a letter to the former Labour leader in October last year with details of the "stomach-churning" evidence disclosed to him by senior members of Leicestershire police. Peter Wanless, NSPCC chief executive, said: "The NSPCC questioned the DPP's approach to the Janner case on several occasions; we are pleased our concerns have been listened to. "We welcome the decision that evidence will be sought in court and that the alleged victims of Janner can now pursue justice. "It takes incredible courage for victims to come forward and they need to have confidence that those in positions of power and privilege are not above the law, or they will not muster the courage. "Momentum is building in our society so that victims speak up believing justice can be achieved. "The original decision not to prosecute was a setback - thankfully a temporary one." |