Cases show justice has no time limit (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Cases show justice has no time limit

9:04am Monday 22nd March 2010 in Our View By Telegraph & Argus

The abduction and sexual assault of a four-year-old girl sent shockwaves across Bradford and district when it happened 20 years ago.

The young victim was grabbed in broad daylight from a park in Manningham while playing on a swing.

She was missing for hours – time that must have felt like an eternity to her mother – before she was found wandering in the city centre.

But despite the best efforts of the police at the time, no-one was brought to justice for this horrifying attack.

Up until fairly recently, that might have been the end of the matter and the case may have remained unsolved.

However, as readers will be aware, advances in DNA technology mean that forensic evidence that could not be unlocked all those years ago can now be made to give up its secrets.

As a result, more and more criminals like Terry McVicar, who attacked the little girl, are being made to pay for offences they thought they had got away with.

Everyone working on these ‘cold cases’ deserves credit for their successes because they are doing much more than solving mysteries.

Their efforts can bring some comfort to and justice for the victims, perhaps giving them a long-overdue sense of closure, while reminding other criminals that the law has a long memory.