The Royal Court has said that sexual-offence cases must be dealt with “swiftly”, after a recent case involving teenagers took nearly two years to come to trial.
The warning came as the Court partly upheld the appeal of a teenager convicted of sexually assaulting a girl.
The 19-year-old, who Express has chosen not to name, was convicted in the Magistrate’s Court in February of six counts of sexual touching without consent.
The offences related to two incidents in late 2021, when the complainant was 13 and the defendant was 15.
In a judgment published this week, the Royal Court quashed one conviction but upheld the remaining five after hearing the appeal in June.
It also replaced his original sentence of 150 hours’ community service and nine months’ probation with a new nine-month probation order.
Deputy Bailiff Robert MacRae, who delivered the judgment with Jurats Elizabeth Dulake and Michael Berry, said the court found there was “insufficient evidence upon which the Assistant Magistrate could have reasonably concluded that [the complainant] did not consent” in relation to the first charge – which involved touching her breasts.
The Deputy Bailiff – who is set to become Bailiff at the end of the week – added that nearly two years passed between the victim’s first complaint and the trial, describing the delay as “unfortunate”.
He said: “It is important for allegations in relation to sexual offences to be pursued swiftly and even more so in the case of a young complainant and a young defendant.”
His comments come amid wider concerns over the length of time it takes to bring sexual offence cases to court.
Police figures published earlier this year showed that 111 rape investigations and 157 child sexual-abuse cases were still active at the end of 2024.
Jersey Action Against Rape chief executive Tracey Le Brocq described the figures as “deeply concerning” and called for “sustained” investment in police and prosecution resources.
Responding, Detective Superintendent Alison Fossey said many unresolved cases were historic and involved extensive evidence gathering.
She added that the average time from complaint to conviction for rape and serious sexual offences was around two years – which, while “challenging”, reflected “the care and diligence required to build a strong, evidence-led case that can stand up in court”.