At least 13,000 child abduction warning notices – letters with zero legal muscle – were sent to suspected paedophiles between 2008 and 2025. Critics say Keir Starmer, once Britain’s top prosecutor, presided over a system that preferred writing cautionary notes rather than locking these predators up.
‘Starmer Has Blood on His Hands’ Says Bereaved Mother
Susan Boxall’s daughter Georgie died aged 17 after a 25-year-old man, who had been hit with two warning notices by police, gave her a fatal overdose. She lashed out: “Starmer has blood on his hands. I begged the police to act, but nobody did. They had two abduction orders, and he breached them.”
The man had been grooming Georgie since she was 13. Despite police contacts, he was never charged with sexual offences.
Warning Notices: Useless Paper Tigers
A 2014 case review slammed the warning notices as fatally flawed. The letters failed not because of “individual errors” but due to a “weak legal premise.”
Documents reveal Starmer drafted and approved these notices with police chiefs. Whistleblowers claim they were handed out to suspected child rapists as part of the CPS’s strategy to combat crimes against women and girls.
“They were like an Asbo for paedophiles,” said Maggie Oliver, the detective who blew the whistle on Rochdale grooming gangs. She added, “Instead of serious charges, some men just got warnings. It was a way to tidy up cases.”
Political Fallout: Starmer’s ‘Completely Untenable’
Reform UK spokesman Zia Yusuf hit out: “Starmer presided over a system sending out weak, useless warning letters instead of fighting vile grooming gangs with the full force of the law.”
Reports claim the notices were often used in place of proper evidence gathering. One whistleblower from Rotherham said cops were “dishing out notices like confetti” while ignoring breaches.
Police have leaned heavily on these warnings to “disrupt” child exploitation networks, especially after scandals in Rochdale and Rotherham. Yet these CAWNs, which junior officers can issue to suspected offenders, carry no legal penalties if ignored.
Susan Boxall warned the notices give a “dangerous illusion of police action.” The man who killed Georgie breached his warnings repeatedly, with no consequences.
Government Defends Warning Notices, But Questions Remain
No 10 refused to comment on Georgie’s case but insisted warnings have been used since the early 2000s and are “a first line of defence.”
A Prime Minister’s spokesman said: “Starmer secured the first grooming gang prosecutions over a decade ago. The government is now reviewing over a thousand historic cases and boosting support for survivors.”
Still, critics say Starmer’s position is “completely untenable.” The government hasn’t revealed how many of these 13,000+ warning notices led to prosecutions or disciplinary action when breached.
