§ Mr. Peter AtkinsonTo ask the Solicitor-General when the trials of those accused of serious offences arising from Northumbria police's Operation Rose will be restarted; and if he will make a statement. [159529]
§ The Solicitor-GeneralOperation Rose is a large scale investigation by Northumbria police into allegations of historic physical and sexual abuse made by former residents of local authority care homes in the counties of Tyne and Wear and Northumberland, dating back to the 1960s. Operation Rose began in 1997, and the first prosecution was brought in the same year. The first trial of an Operation Rose case took place at Newcastle Crown court in 1998.
Thereafter, Operation Rose continued, in a number of distinct phases, throughout 1998, 1999 and 2000. The investigation is now almost complete, and there have been a number of prosecutions during this period.
449WSo far, 27 defendants have been charged with various offences. Nine separate Crown court trials have taken place within the period from 1 January 2000 to 31 March 2001 and one retrial has taken place.
Of the 27 defendants prosecuted, five have been found guilty, eight acquitted by a jury and two have been found not guilty at the direction of the judge. Indictments in respect of seven of the defendants have been stayed by the trial judge in three separate trials, two defendants have died awaiting trial and three defendants are to be tried later this year at Newcastle Crown court.
Trial dates have been set for June and September 2001, in respect of two of the outstanding cases, and it is anticipated that the trial of the final case will take place before the end of the year, although a firm date has yet to be fixed. No further prosecutions are anticipated at this time.