Gaia Pope: Fresh calls for sex crimes to be investigated thoroughly
19-year-old Gaia died in 2017, after Dorset Police dropped her case against a prolific sex offender
There are fresh calls for police to investigate sex crimes thoroughly, after the tragic death of a 19-year-old woman from Dorset.
Gaia Pope died in 2017 during a mental health crisis after Dorset Police dropped her case against a prolific sex offender.
Campaigners are trying to introduce new laws, seeking to improve accountability for the way officers investigate sex offences.
The Gaia Principle, an amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill, would compel police officers to investigate suspects thoroughly and join the dots between independent allegations against the same suspect.
Gaia died an accidental death by hypothermia after Dorset Police had dropped her case against known child sex offender Connor Hayes.
Police presented Gaia’s case to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in isolation, despite knowing of significant numbers of other allegations against a suspect they had been investigating throughout the period during which Gaia alleged he groomed and raped her.
Her cousin, Marienna Pope-Weidemann, is working with the Gemini Project to bring Gaia’s Principle into law.
“I think it’s kind of staggering that to get a law for this we’ve needed to go through this route of an amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill, but we’ve been very lucky to have support from some MPs to do just that.
“The Gaia Principle, if it becomes law, will make a world of difference to survivors. It will improve the investigation and therefore the prevention of sexual abuse. And it would make sure that anyone who’s failed in the way that Gaia was failed can be empowered to hold the police to account.”
The inquest into Gaia’s death, one of the longest in British history, unearthed over fifty opportunities missed by police, healthcare and social services after Gaia reported she had been raped by a known child sex offender.
The jury were prohibited from considering whether police failings contributed to Gaia’s death.
The amendment, which was proposed in Parliament by Jess Phillips MP, would ensure that sexual violence investigations are conducted in line with the National Operating Model already taken up by the College of Policing.
Campaigners feel that it would improve the investigation particularly of prolific offenders and provide accountability for survivors when negligence occurs, often with devastating consequences.
Jess Phillips MP, who proposed the amendment, said:
“I have met many victims of sexual violence who say it is not the violence that broke them, but the failed state response. That when they turned to the institutions that were supposed to protect them and deliver justice – they were met with incompetence or discrimination. A system that was uncaring and silencing. The Gaia Principle will change this, ensuring police serve to the highest standard and are held to account if they fall short.”
Verity Nevitt, co-founder, The Gemini Project, said:
“Too often, No Further Action is incorrectly taken when Police Officers neglect to adequately investigate cases or consider all the evidence available to them. Front line support workers spend a significant amount of time reminding Police of their duties, of Police and CPS guidance and the law by asking them to look again and reconsider their judgement in light of the facts that were already available to them. Too many survivors have been denied justice because Police cannot follow basic processes and do their jobs properly. It is time Police were held accountable for their failures.”
Renewed calls for a Rape & Sexual Assault Offences Unit in Dorset
In Dorset, a long-running petition for a specialised police unit tasked with investigating cases of rape and serious sexual assault has harnessed more than 4,000 signatures.
The campaign, also set forward by Gaia Pope’s family, calls on Dorset Police to invest in a Rape & Serious Assault Offences Unit to support survivors.
Marienna Pope-Weidemann said:
“There is no specialist unit that has the proper training to really focus on building meaningful investigations which is particularly important when we’re talking about serious and repeat sexual offenders and organised sexual exploitation, as was the case with Gaia.
“It’s staggering when you think they (Dorset Police) have a specialist unit for Traffic Control. Yet, a life-changing, devastating form of abuse, which affects 1 in 5 women and girls does not merit being made a priority.”
Dorset Police has been contacted for a comment.