Campaigner Sara Payne, whose daughter was abducted and murdered by a convicted paedophile, called on Thursday for an overhaul of the criminal justice system to give more support to the victims of crime. Skip related content
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Payne, who was appointed "Victims' Champion" by the government in January, said those affected by crime needed far more care and information about their cases, adding that many people felt let down by the current system.
She said judges should also spell out exactly how long offenders would have to serve in prison when they delivered their sentence, to remove confusion.
"The experience that I and my family had of the criminal justice system was a positive one," she said in her "Redefining Justice" report, based on interviews carried out with victims, witnesses and those who provided support to them.
"The professionals who worked on the case from the very first day involved us and did everything they could to consider and accommodate our needs.
"At times I have almost felt guilty for this when hearing of the bad experiences some of the victims I have met have."
Payne was appointed to give an independent public voice to the 1.5 million people who are victims and witnesses of crime every year.
She came to prominence after her daughter Sarah, 8, was killed by Roy Whiting, who a judge had earlier said should never have been released from prison, in 2000.
Her report said victims needed to know about how their case was progressing, what would happen to the offender, and to be confident that they would not be targeted for coming forward to the authorities.
She said the level of support should not be based on the type of crime, as individual victims would react in different ways, and she called for more to be done to help victims of anti-social behaviour.
"Of all the victims I have met over the last eight months, the stories of those whose lives have been ruined by anti-social behaviour have been among the most poignant," the report said.
"The experiences of these victims have been instrumental in my reaching the conclusion that the CJS (criminal justice system) should act according to the victim need and impact rather than the offence type."
Justice Secretary Jack Straw said the government had made "substantial improvements" to services and support to victims.
He said they had recently announced a national Victims Service, to provide one-to-one support to those who have lost loved ones as a result of murder or manslaughter, and a new helpline offering free legal advice to bereaved families.
"We are proud of what we have achieved, but realise there is more work to be done and Sara Payne's recommendations will help us do this," he added.
(Reporting by Michael Holden)
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