A man who had to wait two months for Enniskillen police to take a statement of complaint relating to sexual abuse he suffered as a child has “suffered further strain” and the delay has “compounded his psychological upset”.

The PSNI has acknowledged the victim’s “frustrations” but refused to clarify if the delay was caused by staff restructuring. 
Detective Chief Inspector Tara Nicholl, from the PSNI’s Public Protection Branch, told The Impartial Reporter: “We will prioritise our resources accordingly. There is no prescribed time-frame in relation to historic sexual abuse investigations.”

The man’s solicitor, Adrian O’Kane, of Patrick Fahy and Co Solicitors criticised the two month wait. 

He said: “Initial contact was made with Enniskillen PSNI on August 4, 2016 on behalf of my client reference a complaint of historical sexual abuse perpetrated upon him. 

“Clearly a formal statement of complaint was required, so police advised that they would be in contact. Further requests by my client asking police to record the complaint were met with a response that they were presently unable to due to staff restructuring issues. PSNI recorded my client’s statement of complaint on Thursday, October 6. Therefore a full two months elapsed before the statement was recorded.

“Understandably it was an emotional ordeal for my client to pluck up the courage to report the matter in the first instance, however the impact of the delay has really compounded his psychological upset.”

A friend of the victim – both men are from Fermanagh but wish to remain anonymous – told The Impartial Reporter: “The sexual abuse occurred 40 years ago when he was nine or 10 and [the perpetrator] was in his early twenties.

“His solicitor contacted police in August to say his client wanted to report a case of historical abuse.
“He went to Enniskillen police station a few weeks later and was told that someone would get back to him. He received a call from Enniskillen police station informing him that due to a change-over of staff, it could be one or two months before they get back to him to interview him.”

The friend continued: “Carrying this secret has been an awful strain on him.
“I am extremely angry with how this is being dealt with.
“For someone to carry that for all these years and to be told it could be two months; that’s not good enough in this day and age.
“He plucked up the courage to report it. This waiting has caused him further strain. There should be someone there immediately to deal with situations like this.”

In response, Detective Chief Inspector Tara Nicholl, stated: “The PSNI is committed to delivering a service to victims. It is our duty to protect the most vulnerable, deal with serious harm and pursue those responsible for committing crime.
“We acknowledge the frustrations of the victim in this case and the impact on them. Whilst it would be inappropriate to discuss individual cases, it is important to point out that our first priority must be to safeguard those who are at immediate risk and those cases where forensic and other evidential opportunities can be pursued. 
“We are committed to investigating allegations of historic sexual abuse but if there are no current safeguarding risks or evidential opportunities, we will prioritise our resources accordingly. There is no prescribed time-frame in relation to historic sexual abuse investigations.
“We are determined to pursue those responsible for sexual abuse, either today or in the past, and are committed to carrying out a full and thorough investigation into all allegations of historic sexual abuse. I would urge anyone who has experienced abuse to come forward and report it to police.”