Interesting article.
JULY 2014 A PROSECUTION PERSPECTIVE 59
The passing of time means that police and ultimately prosecutors are faced with an inevitable loss of evidence:
memory, scientific and medical evidence, written records and living or competent witnesses. Generally speaking, with witnesses who can be located, recall is diminished. This is very significant. There is often no overt evidence of this type of offence occurring. There is usually no injury, no eyewitness, and no DNA evidence: no independent support (Johnson 2004:463–4; London et al 2005:194).
There have, however, been recent significant advances in police methodology. The use of telephone intercepts and listening devices, in particular the use of pretext calls, have produced highly probative evidence. The distress occasioned to the victims by their participation in this type of procedure can be enormous. The courage demonstrated by them doing so is remarkable.
While procedures are in place to record children and vulnerable witness statements, adult complainants of child sexual abuse are still taken through the process of recording a written narrative of the relevant events. Once the written material is compiled and the investigation completed, upon charge, the brief of evidence is given to the Office of the Director of Public
Prosecutions (‘the DPP’

.
The DPP does not investigate. Charges are finalised and contact is made with the victim and the process to trial begins in earnest.
Finding the correct historical charge is perhaps one of the greatest challenges for the prosecution.
Just as significantly, the centre of the investigation is the victim or the complainant. In my experience as a prosecutor, the time of complaint differs markedly between victims. The only common factor is that disclosure comes at a time when the complainant feels able or compelled to complain, such as when
they have reached maturity or have children of their own that they feel the need to protect. Or a time may have come when it is safe to do so because the offender is no longer within the victim’s immediate circle (Johnson 2004:465).
http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journal...st/2014/13.pdf
I wonder how many historical sexual abuses cases, actually have medical records that have observable injuries that indicate sexual abuse did indeed occur?
Albeit a disputed 'window' of time, that with expert witnesses may be able to reduce that 'window' due to the written records and medical description of injury to the victims.
Bruising - colour for instance can determine the length of time since injury.
Crown prosecutor Craig Everson said the prosecution would rely on tendency evidence between the two alleged victims and
other allegations not the subject of charges on the indictment.
While the crown knows Mr Spedding denied the allegations, it did not know what form the allegations took and how they compared with recent statements.
Mr Spedding is facing five charges, including sexual intercourse with a child under 10 and common assault.
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/william-b...hild-sexual-assault-case-20160907-grako8.html
So when BS was question way back when (1987) I am assuming it was about just that one event .... the one recorded in the medical notes.
It was not pursued due to the welfare of the children and their tender age.
Although
a judge suggested a bizarre and compulsive woman made accusations against men...:
Well now it is the victims telling their story and there is medical evidence that says one was sexually abused.
Does the loss of BS's 1987 - written statement really matter in the scheme of things?
Finding the correct charges.