It was almost a decade after Alison’s death my older sister Sarah and I found out what had happened. Mum had known but kept quiet. She carries lots of demons and was ashamed. My mum is not proud of this but I don’t blame her for not speaking out. The real shame lies with the person who took advantage of Alison and the people who sat back and let it happen.
In 2001 we approached Cumbria NHS and Cumbria Police to tell them what we had discovered and to get justice for Alison. We made the mistake of thinking they would be interested. Cumbria Police were indifferent, asking why it mattered as it had happened years ago. The NHS then lost Alison’s Medical Records and it became my job to track them down. I found a copy of the abortion certificate and medical notes from a GP who treated Alison in Doncaster and I gave this evidence to the Police and Cumbria NHS.
The records I found showed Alison had an abortion when a patient of the NHS. They also showed the pregnancy and abortion were omitted from key records. This meant what she had been through was withheld from people who could have helped; the illicit illegal sex, the crisis pregnancy, and resulting abortion were all brushed under the carpet by those who turned a blind eye.
In February 2002 Cumbria police told us the CPS were dismissing our case for lack of evidence. I wrote to ask why. Cumbria police then misled me, assuring me there was nothing more to be done. What we didn’t know is they had “lost” the evidence we gave them and the Chief Executive of North Cumbria NHS had not shared relevant information with them. It seems clear none of the institutions involved wanted the case to progress. Cumbria Police did not even bother to create a crime report or investigation plan.
Alison's Story 