Sex offenders in English county Cumbria are being let off if they say "sorry", a report by News and Star revealed.
Hundreds of sex offenders have managed to avoid criminal records by saying sorry for their depraved acts, it was revealed today.
Around 870 cases, which include five instances of child rape, have been dealt with via 'community resolution' across Britain in the previous two years. Under the controversial measure, sex pests admit their guilt and apologise but are never given a permanent criminal record, reports the Mirror.
The victims of their wicked acts are asked for their opinion on the punishment, but official guidance warns their views will 'not be definitive'.
Normally reserved for the lowest level crimes such as shoplifting, community resolution orders allow criminals who show genuine remorse to escape the full force of the law.
But in some police jurisdictions, the 'slap on the wrist' punishment is being used to settle rape, flashing and child grooming cases.
South Yorkshire Police, which faced a barrage of criticism over their bungled Rotherham abuse scandal, has used the scheme in 78 instances where sex crimes were said to have been committed.
Victims, such as Rotherham child sex abuse survivor Sammy Woodhouse, 36, have shared their fury at the controversial orders.
Other police forces across Britain have been caught using the 'community resolution' measure to deal with rape cases.
Derbyshire, Devon and Cornwall, Durham, Cheshire and Nottinghamshire forces used it to deal with cases involving the rape of girls aged under 13.
Similarly, Merseyside officers saw a 'community resolution' order as appropriate after a girl aged under 16 was raped.Police in Norfolk reacted similarly when a young boy was raped, the Mirror reports.
Since 2020, seven cases involving rape - five of which involved children, were resolved using a community resolution order, per Home Office data.
414 sexual assaults, the vast majority (349) committed on girls and women, 23 cases of grooming and 166 of exposure were resolved in this way too.
Dr Alison Heydari, of the National Police Chiefs' Council, said: 'Community resolutions and other out of court disposals are used in around one per cent of sexual cases.
They may be typically applied where schoolchildren share inappropriate images or in cases of sex between underage children.
We have made it clear out-of-court disposals are not to be used in serious cases.'
But campaigners and MPs have reacted with fury at the news.Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper added: 'It is an absolute disgrace that under this government horrific crimes are going without punishment.
According to data, dozens of sexual offences committed since 2016 have been dealt with out of court using "community resolutions".
The report stated that more than 1,000 offences of violence have been dealt with in the same way during the same time period. The community remedy is said to be used for low-level crimes committed by first-time offenders
"Victims are given a chance to have their say on the potential punishment if police decide to deal with an offence out of court," it added.
According to the report, the police in Cumbria have used community resolutions nearly 6,800 times since 2016.
Violence against the person was the crime the disposal was most commonly used for with 2,686 of these offences dealt with in that way.
More than 1,500 community resolutions were dealt out for thefts and more than 1,100 for criminal damage.
Community resolutions have been used for sexual offences 47 times in the last six years, with a third of those coming last year.
Other offences dealt with in this way include robbery, fraud, burglary and possession of weapons.
Explaining Cumbria Police's use of community resolutions, Detective Superintendent Jenny Beattie said: “In certain specific circumstances, Community Resolution can be the most suitable outcome to deal with a case involving a lower-level crime.
“When considering the final outcome of a crime, as well as the evidential test having to be reached, the victim’s feelings and circumstances are taken into consideration, in line with their Victims’ Code rights.
“This positive outcome can be used when the victim does not wish to go to court or when a charge is inappropriate for lower-level crimes.
“A Community Resolution provides the victim with an opportunity to have their say and be heard by the offender, in a safe and neutral environment and is evidenced as an effective way of addressing offender behaviour. Community Resolution requires the offender to face up to the consequences and impact of their actions."
According to the report, the officer said the disposal could be an effective way to deal with crimes committed by children without criminalising them.
“Community Resolution is never a standalone action," she added.
"Victims and offenders are both assessed for their safeguarding and welfare needs and offered professional support services in order to positively move forward.”
Fiona Mackenzie, of women's safety campaign group We Can't Consent To This, said: 'There is no justice for victims and no protection for the public in letting offenders off if they say sorry.
'So-called 'minor' sexual offences can be a path for offenders who go on to commit more and more serious crimes.'
And the policy has been blasted by Rotherham sex abuse survivor Sammy Woodhouse - who was abused by Arshid Hussain when she was a teenager.
Sammy said: 'I am furious. It is just insane. Why on earth would you allow a sex offender to say sorry and not be criminalised?
'I think it's fine to use this scheme for something like shoplifting. But I am struggling to find words on how I feel about it being used for rapists.
'What kind of message is this to be sending out? It's suggesting to sex offenders there will be no real consequences for their actions.'
A list of 159 paedophiles and perverts linked to Merseyside locked up this year for sex crimes.
The list of depravity includes a paedophile who raped a girl at least 60 times, a deputy headteacher who raped a child with her 'monster' boyfriend, and another couple who raped a little boy, then offered his mum cash.
Judges dealt with an exploitative paedophile who blackmailed girls into carrying out humiliating abuse, a sex offender who blamed his behaviour on an alter ego called 'Alex', and a foul pervert who called himself "Papa Bear".
They had to sentence a paedophile priest and a predatory ex-vicar; upskirt perverts and voyeurs who secretly recorded their victims; a KFC worker who sexually assaulted a colleague; and a sex predator whose video of him abusing a girl ended up being seen by her mum.
Courts heard details of how deviants collected disturbing images and in one case, even planned to have sex with a 13-year-old girl while her mum watched.
Meanwhile, one dangerous rapist was caught mid-attack thanks to a brave member of the public, who put him in a chokehold and punched him in the face.
Thanks to the courage of victims who reported their abusers and in some instances gave evidence against them in court, and of course the dedicated police officers and Crown Prosecution Service teams whose painstaking work built up cases against perpetrators, these twisted crooks were all locked up.
