I have read online today that people caught coughing in the face of key workers will be imprisoned for up to 2 years. I agree this is a disgusting crime to commit especially in the current climate... however, I'm incensed for this reason
chief constable of Surrey Police eventually apologised to me on the BBC - (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-30817150, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-21536943)
but not before a long and stressful battle with Surrey Police - to get the case of paedophile Cundick to court. When I first reported it several years after the abuse when I was 9-13 years old, I was told by surrey Police DC Furlonger of Surrey Police that they 'don't do historic abuse' and if I wanted something done about it I should have 'reported it when you were 12', rather than when I was brave enough to go against the church leaders and come forward in my 30s! (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-19334426, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-30840231) They concluded the that they were not going to do anything about it! I had to push and complain to even get to give a statement.
This was bad enough. It then took 2 years to get to court and in this time 3 other victims saw it in the press and came forward too. In court Cundick was found guilty of sexually abusing me repeatedly when I was 9-13. for this he got 4 years for what he did to me of which he only had to serve 2 in prison and the remaining 2 at home. He was given another 8 months total for the assaults on the other victims.
Now police are actively patrolling streets fining people not self-isolating and supporting drones spying on walkers and arresting people coughing. Why then were they not actively doing something about a dangerous serial paedophile when I came forward few years ago????!!!! I see the police have even set up dedicated hotlines for anyone wanting to snitch on those not self-isolating - great idea but why wasn't my call about a dangerous serial paedophile taken that seriously! I'm not against the current legislation and am staying indoors myself with my partner and young son, I'm just angry and saddened that so much police energy is being given to this cause and not when some dirty old man sexually abused me as a child.
Compare 4 years of sex abuse with psychological mind games and the abuser moving from grooming to 'massaging' female areas to finger penetration of a 13 year old girl - a respected church leader who also acted as a child-minder - compare his crime to that of coughing in someone's face - while the latter is disgusting - the former messes up your life and mental health for years and has emotional and psychological damage involved as I am still struggling with C-PTSD in my 40s. If the coughing crime gets 2 years - surely a paedophile should have have much longer and surely the police should have treated the case with the same energy as they are now treating coughers!
I think this says something about our police and justice system.
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