Victims of the contaminated blood scandal have accused police of stalling a criminal investigation, describing the delay over a decision as a “living nightmare” for the families of those affected.
Police have yet to launch a criminal probe into the worst treatment disaster in NHS history – despite the devastating findings of a public inquiry into the scandal almost exactly two years ago.
The Infected Blood Inquiry found that the tragedy – which saw more than 30,000 people infected with diseases, including HIV and hepatitis C, after receiving NHS-supplied blood – was “largely avoidable”.
The final report in May 2024 described the scandal as a “calamity” caused by a “catalogue of failures” across successive governments, the NHS, and medical professionals. No individual has yet been held accountable for the scandal, which has led to the deaths of at least 3,000 people.
Police have now written to survivors of the scandal to apologise for a delay in determining “whether a criminal investigation would be possible”.
Acting deputy chief constable for Nottinghamshire Police, Robert Griffin, who is leading a National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) review into the inquiry’s findings, said their initial focus had been on “specific events” that took place at Lord Mayor Treloar College, in Alton, Hampshire, which was a school for disabled children.
In a letter seen by The i Paper, he said it was “hoped that reviewing this chapter in detail would provide sufficient clarity to determine whether a criminal investigation would be viable.”
“Regrettably, that has not proved to be the case,” Griffin said, adding that a “further, broader review” of the inquiry will now take place – and “inevitably extend the timeline”.
This news was met with fury by those affected by the scandal, with one describing the delay as a “kick in the teeth” and a “living nightmare”. There are also fears that time is running out for any successful prosecution, given the length of time since most were infected in the 1970s and 80s.
‘This is a living nightmare’
Gary Webster, 60, who went to Treloar’s from 1975 to 1983 and now has HIV and hepatitis B and C, said: “They have all the evidence for a UK-wide criminal investigation.
“This is a living nightmare for the families of the 122 haemophiliac boys that were recruited to the school in the 1970s and 80s of which more than 80 were, I believe, murdered because of the lack of care.”
The Infected Blood Inquiry found that children had been experimented on as part of medical trials in the 1970s and 80s without their knowledge or consent. Around 380 were infected with HIV and hepatitis C.
This included students treated for haemophilia at Lord Mayor Treloar College. More than 80 pupils died after contracting HIV and hepatitis C from infected blood products during their time at the school.
The inquiry, chaired by Sir Brian Langstaff, found Treloar’s pupils were treated with multiple commercial concentrates that were known to carry higher risks of infection. It also found that staff favoured the “advancement of research” above the best interests of the children.
In response to the inquiry, the government committed to paying £12bn in compensation to the victims – including a component of up to £60,000 for those who were experimented on as children.
In his letter to the victims, Griffin said the NPCC had sought advice from the Crown Prosecution Service and engaged with police forces to “gather locally held information that may assist the review”.
He said: “I want to acknowledge, openly and without reservation, that this additional delay, while necessary to ensure the review is thorough and defensible, is both deeply regrettable and understandably difficult.”
‘Dying victims lied to’
The delay comes as survivors prepare to gather at St Paul’s Cathedral on Tuesday for the first ever national memorial for victims of the scandal.
The event will draw into sharp focus the anger many feel at the lack of justice for those who continue to battle deadly illnesses – and those who have already died.
Mr Webster, Richard Warwick, Steve Nicholls and Adrian Goodyear, who all attended Treloar’s, met with Donna Jones, Hampshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, in the summer of 2024 to ask for a criminal investigation to be launched.
They are disappointed that they have been left waiting, while other major injustices, including the Post Office Horizon scandal, have led to criminal probes.
Mark Ward, 55, was 14 when he contracted both HIV and hepatitis C from contaminated blood products given to him at London’s Royal Free Hospital to treat his haemophilia. He has made several unsuccessful attempts to report criminal behaviour relating to his treatment to the police.
Mr Ward told The i Paper: “Dying victims have been lied to, grieving parents and loved ones treated with contempt, and survivors, like me, still seen as ‘an ill-educated cripple’ not deserving of justice or respect.”
Ward added: “We are now two years on from the Infected Blood Inquiry’s final report, compensation is being paid which will include a payment for the non-consensual research conducted on our small vulnerable community.
“It is absolutely unacceptable for the police to effectively ignore the wrongdoing which the government are clearly admitting to with their blood money.”
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