THE MP for Banbury has asked the Lord Chancellor whether it was acceptable for barristers in last week’s Banbury grooming gang trial to describe victims of child abuse of as “slags”.

In an open letter to the Rt Hon Chris Grayling, Sir Tony Baldry has suggested that those defending the six in the dock “besmirched” the six children who were groomed and abused.

He asked the minister to consider where the line must be drawn between “properly representing one’s clients, and improperly adding to the hurt of children who have already been abused”.

He wrote: “I suspect that as a consequence of the Rotheram and Oxford cases, other child victims of sexual abuse will come forward and that in due course Crown Courts elsewhere in England are going to have to consider cases of this kind.

“I think this begs the question as to what guidance the Lord Chief Justice should give to Trial Judges as to the latitude that Defence Counsel should be given to be able to accuse child victims of such things as 'being slags', or Defence Counsel being allowed to suggest to juries that children can in some way be responsible for their own abuse.

Our top stories

“I think there are also some issues here for the Bar Standards Board, the Bar Council and the Criminal Bar Association, as to where are the appropriate boundaries for Defence Counsel between properly representing one’s clients, and improperly adding to the hurt of children who have already been abused.”

Five men and a youth  from Banbury were convicted of sex offences against the children at Oxford Crown Court on Friday.