I am posting on behalf of a friend.
When she was 13 she was pursued and bought gifts by a 19 year old, who was then 20 whilst she was still 13. He started to become physically affectionate towards her, and told her he was her boyfriend. He went on to do sexual things with her, to which she could not consent. Her family did not know about him and he would meet her in secret at community gatherings. She told friends at school that she had a bf and bf had told her to tell people she had a bf. After a year or so, and after a particularly bad experience with him she distanced and avoided him at all costs. He began stalking her turning up outside her school etc. She did not at the time tell anyone this, and was terrified of this man, also came to realise it is not normal for a man of that age to be interested in a 13 year old.
She reported this 17 years later. She has gone through a long investigation with the police/cps who have said they won't be taking it any further, because in school records they found that she had describe him as a bf so documented that she had an adult bf, which implied consent, and she did not state at the time anything sexual had happened. Obvs she is distraught, feels totally blamed, and let down.
I can't understand how the police can say that, apparently she was told its not against the law for a man to be in love with a child but it is if he was to do anything sexually, but as there is no recorded evidence from the time about sexual activity they won't do anything.
Any thoughts?
Thank you