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A woman who was sexually abused by her babysitter as a child has expressed that no financial compensation can make up for the failures of the police over three decades, which led to no charges being brought against her alleged abuser. Michaela Allen, now 38, revealed that the abuse occurred when she was seven years old in her own home. Despite the serious nature of the allegations, the police never prosecuted the man she accused.
The investigation was marred by significant errors, including the loss of crucial video evidence in which young Michaela detailed the abuse she suffered. Although the footage was rediscovered years later, it had mistakenly been sent to Michaela herself, a misstep that ultimately ended any possibility of a legal case. Michaela has since received £32,000 in compensation from the police, while two other alleged victims of the same individual were each awarded around £10,000 by South Wales Police and Gwent Police, both of which have apologized for their mishandling of the case.
Michaela recounted the chilling content of the original police interview, where as a seven-year-old she described the babysitter asking for “grown up kisses,” which she refused, calling it “naughty.” Despite her refusal, he threatened to tell her parents that she had been misbehaving. On the recording, she also recalls the abuser making inappropriate comments like, “You’re enjoying this aren’t you?” and gave an accurate description of male genitalia. Her mother, Stephanie, emphasized the detailed nature of the evidence: “There was no doubt in my mind that this was going to court.” However, the Crown Prosecution Service’s instructions regarding whether Michaela could face cross-examination were never followed through, and South Wales Police failed to keep her
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