A Scotland Yard whistleblower has criticised the Crown Prosecution Service for what he believes is its failure to prosecute 'honour' crimes, for fear of "causing unrest" in the Muslim community.
Detective Sergeant Pal Singh told the Telegraph that the CPS has "denied justice" to victims – particularly Muslim women who are victims of ‘honour’-based violence and forced marriages.
He believes that it is in the "public interest" to speak out.
Assault and forced marriage attempt
Mr Singh said he felt prompted to speak out after the CPS’s failure to prosecute, in what could have been the first conviction for forced marriage in England.
The case involved a young woman whose brother and parents were originally charged with assault, false imprisonment and using violence to coerce a forced marriage.
The 27-year-old woman, from south London, contacted the police after her family physically attacked her, because she resisted marrying a partner of her parents’ choice.
But the CPS dropped the forced marriage charge, claiming it could not locate the victim, despite Mr Singh writing to the CPS confirming that she would attend court. The CPS said it would instead proceed with charges of common assault and false imprisonment.
The CPS lawyer later listed the case at court without informing the police and offered no evidence, causing it to be dismissed.
'Apathy'
Commenting on the case, Mr Singh said: "There appears to be an apathy from the CPS when prosecuting cases where Asian women are victims of honour-based violence. A conviction could lead to unrest in the affected community but if they discontinue a case they know most victims won’t complain due to their vulnerability."
Reluctance to tackle ‘honour’ violence
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary found last year that only three of the country’s 43 police forces were prepared to tackle ‘honour’-based violence.
And according to data released in September, the number of forced marriage cases referred to the CPS by the police has nearly doubled in five years from 46 to 90.
But the data showed there were no successful prosecutions under a specific forced marriage offence in 2015/16, after its introduction in 2014.
Police also believe that the figures do not show a true picture of the number of forced marriages taking place, because some victims fear involving the police in family disputes.
Victims reluctant to come forward
A CPS spokesman said: "These crimes are among the most complex referred to the CPS by police and, as recent statistics show, all agencies involved have major challenges to overcome."
He added: "We recognise that it can be very difficult for victims to come forward, report these crimes and maintain their support during a prosecution, due to the nature of the offences.
"Victims will often be reluctant to criminalise their families, and can feel isolated. The CPS recognises that honour-based violence and forced marriage are fields in which we need to improve our understanding, response and support to victims.
"We have recently launched a new Honour Based Violence and Forced Marriage Action Plan, which outlines the comprehensive steps we are taking to improve our performance in this area."
'Double standard of law'
Christian Concern's Director of Islamic Affairs, Tim Dieppe, said that the CPS was failing to protect women who were at risk in order to be ‘politically correct’.
"What is happening here is the enforcement of a double standard of law for different communities," he said.
"Islamic communities are held to a lower standard because the CPS are beholden to political correctness. This is the same ‘political correctness’ that failed to protect the victims of Islamic rape gangs. Women are suffering as a result.
"The CPS should hold all communities to the same standard of law and not differentiate on the basis of culture or possible unrest that could result. The foundational principle of one law for all is being undermined."
Related Links:
CPS 'afraid to tackle honour crimes for fear of causing unrest in Asian communities' (Telegraph)
Prosecutors are failing 'honour' crime victims, say Met whistleblower (Guardian)