Two-year-old girl becomes youngest person to give evidence in British criminal court

A two-year-old girl became the youngest person in British history to give evidence against a paedophile after a specialist team was called in to interview her.

The defendant, whose name has not been released to keep the identity of the child hidden, was sentenced to more than ten years in prison for offences of a sexual nature following the testimony of the child.

A representative from the Ministry of Justice that deals with minors giving evidence in court cases came in to aid police with talking to the young girl.

The NSPCC and other child protection experts say that it has been a landmark case and should be a warning to paedophiles who think vulnerable witnesses or victims will remain silent.

Speaking to The Guardian, criminologist Dame Joyce Plotnikoff said that offenders usually target the most vulnerable in society in the belief that they won’t be able to tell what has happened to them. and in that sense it is an important case.

Ministry of Justice plans to increase their numbers have stalled without explanation.

The youngster was initially reluctant to talk, but eventually answered simple questions. However, when they needed to take a mouth swab from her, the girl initially became terrified of the site of a forensics officer wearing rubber gloves.

To counter this the MoJ expert made everyone wear gloves, and they spent a period pretending they were brushing their teeth, putting her at ease to give the sample.

According to a spokesperson, the NSPCC has urged the Ministry of Justice to drastically increase the availability of well-trained, independent experts to ensure justice is done.