A man cleared of child sex abuse has been named in the House of Commons by his MP – who says he is guilty and ”getting away scot-free”.
Geoffrey Genge, 67, was found not guilty of raping girls more than 50 years ago after the Crown Prosecution Service dropped the case.
Three alleged victims had come forward but prosecutors failed to offer any evidence and a judge found him not guilty of all charges.
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But MP Gary Streeter says he has ”absolutely no doubt” Genge is guilty and made the unusual move of naming him in Parliament.
The Conservative MP for South West Devon was protected by parliamentary privilege, meaning he cannot be prosecuted for slander or libel.
Mr Streeter says the alleged victims have been let down by the not guilty verdict and called on the Attorney General to review the case.
He identified Genge because the case had been handled ”disastrously”’ and to ”ensure justice is done”.
Mr Streeter told Parliament: “I have absolutely no doubt that Mr Genge abused my constituents when they were children, and he is getting away scot-free.
”This is not British justice. If action can be taken in relation to offences by Jimmy Savile who is dead, if others are in the firing line about incidents relating to 30 or 40 years back, why can a prosecution not take place against Mr Genge?
“The CPS must get their act together. Every effort must be taken to ensure that justice is done.”
Genge, of Plymouth, Devon, was charged with five offences of rape and sexual abuse, between 1957 and 1961, and pleaded not guilty.
He was accused of the rape and attempted rape of one girl, the attempted rape of a second youngster and the attempted rape and indecent assault of a third girl.
A trial date was set for March 26, 2012, but on January 10 the case against him was dropped and prosecutors said they could offer no evidence.
Judge Francis Gilbert QC thew out the case at Plymouth Crown Court and recorded a ‘not guilty’ verdict on all five counts.
Mr Streeter told Parliament one alleged victim Margaret Felwick – who waived her legal right to anonymity – had contacted police in February 2011.
She reported a serious sex offence allegedly carried out against her by Genge 50 years ago when he was aged between 12 and 16,
Mr Streeter said she spoke out after discovering two others had allegedly been abused and all three went to the police.
He said the police reassured them it was not too late to prosecute as “there was strong evidence to support the case”,
Mrs Felwick of Plympton, Devon, was notified by the CPS in August, 2011, that the prosecution would go ahead.
Mr Streeter told Parliament that prosecutors had believed there was a realistic prospect of conviction and believed it was ”more likely than” not that he would be found guilty.
But he said the CPS dropped the case after learning the defendant’s solicitor was preparing an “abuse of process” defence.
The defence would argue that too much time had passed since the alleged offences so prosecutors “would not have a proper chance to put up the evidence they wanted to”.
Mr Streeter told the Commons Mrs Felwick was “a gentle, reasonable and decent human being” but the handling of the case had been a ”disaster”.
He said: “So the police believed the victims, and the CPS found them to be credible, but the case was stopped over consideration for Mr Genge.
”No reference was made to the victims at all. Naturally my constituents felt like victims all over again.”
Solicitor General Oliver Heald said it was not possible to reopen the case, but would raise the matter with the Director of Public Prosecutions.
He said: “In this case the CPS specialist rape prosecutor who was dealing with the case, once he had the benefit of advice from counsel, he considered that a defence application to the court to stop the proceedings would be likely to succeed.
“So the decision was taken reluctantly by the CPS mindful of the distress that it could cause the complainant. But it does not follow from the decision that the complainants were or are not believed. Put simply the decision was taken because in this particular case the passage of time may have undermined the fairness of the proceedings on the individual facts of the case.”
Following the not guilty verdict Genge’s solicitor described the evidence as ‘weak’, the charges ‘odious’ and the case “a shocking waste of taxpayers’ money”.
In a statement following Mr Streeter’s comments, Mr Genge’s legal representative said: “Mr Genge says that these allegations are false. On 9 January 2012 the prosecution offered no evidence in this case and Mr Genge was acquitted of all charges.
“Whilst we are relieved that the CPS took this decision finally, we remain concerned about the matter being pursued that far.”
