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Cuts prompt drop in child sex abuse cases
MP slams 'appalling' decline in prosecutions

Coalition cuts are failing sexually abused children as the number of cases taken to court has plummeted by 28 per cent in the past two years, Labour claimed yesterday.

The party pointed to official figures showing that in 2012-13 a reported sexual offence against a child was 24 per cent less likely to be passed from the police to the Crown Prosecution Service than in 2010-11.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said: "This is an appalling drop of nearly a third in the number of child abuse cases that the police are referring for prosecution, even though more cases are coming forward.

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