A judge has demanded that a chief constable explain why a victim of sexually abusive calls was told by police to investigate the crime herself.
The petrified soldier’s wife, from Hull, East Yorkshire finally plucked up courage to call the police after being bombarded with calls over 18 months. She said that she was told to trace the caller herself and then to find out his network provider.
Jeremy Richardson, QC, the judge, has demanded answers about why the vulnerable victim was forced to “be her own detective” by the police.
The woman, who has not been named, told Hull crown court about the 18 months of sexually violent phone calls she received while her husband served in Afghanistan. She then “took the bull by the horns” and discovered that the withheld number belonged to an old schoolfriend. She recognised her tormentor’s voice on calling him.
The caller turned out to be Benjamin Lister, a father of six who had disguised his voice. The police later intervened and arrested the suspect, who has been told to expect a jail term.
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The judge has now asked the chief constable of Humberside police to explain why the victim was forced to solve her own case. He said: “I want the chief constable to write to me with an explanation.”
Lister, 27, from Market Weighton, east Yorkshire, admitted making the calls but said they were “part of a practical joke”.