Police Negligence

L (A Child) and Another v Reading BC (CA LSG 3 May p44)

Following the mother’s allegations that the father had sexually abused their child, a social worker and a police officer interviewed the child and the father and concluded that the complaint was well-founded. No criminal proceedings followed and it was subsequently established that the abuse allegations had been fabricated by the mother. The father contended the contents of the interviews had subsequently been misrepresented resulting in unnecessary family proceedings and the father and child brought actions against the local authority and the chief constable claiming damages for, among other things, negligence.