A press release was issued by the Metropolitan Police Service which stated that the complainant was under 16. The CPS was not a party to this release and did not issue any other release. The CPS does not retain records of publicity resulting at the time.<\/p>
<\/p>
When the case was reviewed in 2014 for charging, the complainant and the witness clearly stated that the complainant had been 15 when the incident took place in 1986. <\/p> The CPS was supplied with the memorandum of conviction referred to on 17 September 2014. <\/p> No steps were taken to publicise the fact that the charge was later amended in open court to remove the assertion that the complainant was under 16.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1560", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Jeremy Wright"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Kenilworth and Southam"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Jeremy Wright"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2016-06-14", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "true", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "previousAnswerVersion" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/524189/answer/previousversion/3723", "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1560", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Jeremy Wright"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Kenilworth and Southam"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Jeremy Wright"}
}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2016-06-14T13:53:54.987Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
], "questionFirstMinisteriallyCorrected" : [{"_value" : "2016-06-24T09:44:08.533Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "88"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Attorney General"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Attorney General"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2016-06-09", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Gurpal Virdi"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Attorney General, how and why the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) joined the Metropolitan Police in announcing that retired police sergeant Gurpal Virdi was charged with misconduct in public office and with indecent assault on a person under 16 years; what publicity the CPS recorded as resulting at the time; when the memorandum of a conviction proved 1 April 1987 for offences on 7 November 1986 of a defendant born on 5 September 1970 with informant or complainant recorded as PC Markwick came to the attention of the CPS; what steps were taken to put right the effect of the wrong statement; when those steps were taken; and what the results of those steps were.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/117", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Peter Bottomley"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Worthing West"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Sir Peter Bottomley"}
], "uin" : "40180"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/387884", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Attorney General"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/387884/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " Decisions on whether or not to bring criminal charges are taken by prosecutors who are independent from government and independent from Parliament. I am confident of the independence and the integrity of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Alison Saunders, in making the difficult judgements the job of a prosecutor involves.<\/ins><\/p> The Victims\u2019 Right to Review, which Alison Saunders helped to bring in, allows any victim of crime who is dissatisfied with a decision taken by a prosecutor not to proceed with their case to ask for the decision to be reviewed. This review has operated as it was designed to in the case of Greville Janner.<\/ins><\/p> We are world leaders in offering that safeguard for victims and since Alison Saunders has been DPP, the CPS has prosecuted and convicted more child sex offenders than ever before.<\/ins><\/p> <\/p> In addition Mr Virdi also said in interview that the complainant had been 15 at the time of the incident.<\/del> The police summary stated that the complainant was 15. However the complainant\u2019s date of birth and the date of his arrest were known and this mistake should not have been made.<\/p>The indictment was formally amended thereafter.<\/del><\/p>In the year to 31st <\/sup>December 2014, the Law Officers personally considered 469 cases and referred 128 offenders to the Court of Appeal under the unduly lenient sentence scheme. Leave was granted by the Court in 95% of cases which included some of the most serious violent and sexual offences, including murder, rape and sexual assault.<\/del><\/p>