Prosecutors made the wrong decision in failing to press charges against hundreds of criminals later jailed after challenges by victims.
Crown Prosecution Service figures show 974 cases have gone through the courts following successful reviews over the past five years. More than half – 529 – resulted in convictions, including those of dozens of killers and sex offenders.
The CPS decisions were challenged under a scheme called the Victims’ Right to Review, launched in 2013. Among those brought to justice was Tracey Simmonds, 48, who was jailed for three years in May 2023 for the manslaughter of Jeremy Fitzsimmons, 44.
He died two years after being attacked by Simmonds and another man when he suffered from medical complications from stab wounds he sustained in the assault in Blackpool.
She and her accomplice, who has now died, were initially jailed for wounding in 2018 but, after Mr Fitzsimmons’s death, Simmonds was prosecuted again for manslaughter following a successful challenge by the victim’s family.
Another was recycling firm boss Stephen Jones, 60, jailed for nine years in 2022 for gross negligence manslaughter following a horrific baling machine accident at his firm in Kinmel Bay, North Wales.
Norman Butler, 60, had his left foot severed and died from massive blood loss. Jones was said to have prioritised profits over time-consuming and costly safety measures.
There were also 88 sex offence cases, 20 fraud cases and 262 crimes of violence where the defendant was convicted only after the victims complained about the prosecution being halted.
The Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales, Baroness Helen Newlove, said: “When a victim has the courage to come forward and report a crime, it is only right they are given every possible chance at justice. Some initial decisions have been overturned, defendants prosecuted, and convictions secured. Yet these outcomes were only possible because victims persevered.”
She added: “While the right to review is a core entitlement under the Victims’ Code, it remains virtually unknown among victims and can be poorly explained by police and CPS. This must change.”
A CPS spokesperson said: “It is vital victims have a voice in our justice system, so it is right that where eligible, they can request a further review in the small number of cases where they think we’ve made an incorrect decision.”
