Lord Janner Makes First Court Appearance

Lord Janner has made his first court appearance following charges of historical sexual abuse and 22 abuse allegations against nine young boys.

The suspended peer, Greville Janner faces a string of allegations that go back to the 1960s, however, the case has gained substantial media attention, not just due to the high-profile nature of the accused, but of the desperate attempt from solicitors of Janner to have the case thrown from court.

An independent review in April overturned an original ruling on the matter from the director of public prosecutions, Alison Saunders. It was initially ruled that Janner should not be charged for alleged child sex crimes because he had a severe form of Alzheimer's. Justifying the original decision Saunders said: "It wasn't an easy decision to make. I'm very aware of the disappointment and frustration".

"Dementia itself isn't a bar to either a trial or a trial of the facts, but you have to look at the need to have a trial of facts for the public protection."

Much of the decision from Ms Saunders was based on the fact that there was "no ongoing risk to the public" according to the opinions of four medical experts.

Despite the decision, there was outcry over the verdict with many legal experts and MPs had argued for a trial of the facts with the eventual ruling deeming such a trial would be most appropriate due to the severity of his condition.

Claims Against Janner

Lord Janner, who was MP for Leicester West for 27 years, denies any wrongdoing with members of his family says he "is entirely innocent".

He attended court for 55 seconds at the beginning of the criminal proceedings relating to 22 allegations of historical sexual abuse against nine children during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. He confirmed his name and according to many media reports was noticeably confused.

Janner was then taken away as the charges against him were read out, with the next date for the trial set for the 1st September. Despite the appearance of Janner in the first case, it remains to be seen in Janner will attend the second case date to the nature of his illness. The solicitor for Lord Janner argued that due to the fragile nature of the peer, he should be able to attend court via a video link, however, this has been deemed unlaw by the defence and judge with only criminals who are in custody offered video links.

Although the family of Janner strongly deny the charges that occurred at a local children's home, the Janner case has gained a substantial media following and divided opinions over whether Janner should be charged or not.

Trial of the Facts

Following a potential trial in Scotland (after the English court deemed he should not be tried) the decision to offer a trial of the facts was reached. Under such a trial, which is exceptionally rare the defendant cannot put forward a defence, no verdict is reached and the court does not pass sentence. The only decision that is made by the court is to decide whether the offences were committed as charged.

Operation Hydrant

Under the overall operation launched by police forces across the UK, there have been many allegations of child abuse, historical sexual abuse and cover-ups to protect those in privileged positions. The operation that is led by the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) has a number of other operations, however it is the centralised point of all inquiries and looks to see if there has been an oversight in an operation or if there are any other cases relating to an individual in another police investigation. According to the latest figures released by the Operation Hydrant team, numerous police forces and operations are investigating more than 1,400 men with 261 high-profile individuals in a number of public areas over allegations of historical child abuse.

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