A FORMER soldier who claims he was molested as a boy says he's furious that his alleged abuser won't face justice for his crimes.

Shaun Jackson said he was sexually abused by a man when he was around the age of 13 and living in Worcester.

Mr Jackson, 43, has chosen to waive his legal right to anonymity as an alleged victim of a sexual assault, to raise awareness of his situation and that faced by others who report historic offences.

He said he reported the alleged abuse to police around three years ago but only found out that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) would not be charging the man accused around two months ago.

West Mercia Police said they treat all allegations of sexual offences seriously and investigate thoroughly but sometimes there's not enough evidence for the CPS to prosecute.

“I rang them and they video interviewed me," Mr Jackson said, speaking of when he first contacted police. "I got passed between detectives. One DC admitted that they were taking too long with the case.

"It took guts to tell the police and my family but now I feel I should have just kept it to myself.

“I had a feeling it was going to be like this. I thought ‘I’m 43 and a bloke, and not a woman reporting this.”

The former army private and signaller, who served in Bosnia in 1996, said having to wait three years to find out whether his alleged abuser would be prosecuted was too long.

Mr Jackson said: “Three years is too much for me. I have got mental health issues anyway. I have had mental health issues from a young age. I was in hospital for three months and I have started drinking more again now.”

Mr Jackson, who now lives in Cheltenham, added: “I have lost all faith in the system. I think if it hadn’t been passed around so much it would have had a different outcome."

Detective Chief Inspector Ian Wall, South Worcestershire crime manager, said the allegations made by Mr Jackson were thoroughly investigated.

“Whilst we cannot go into the specific details of the case, the investigation was subject to a full and thorough investigation into the crimes reported," said DCI Wall.

“A file of evidence was presented to the CPS who judged that the threshold was not met to charge any person with criminal offences against Mr Jackson.

“Allegations of non-recent sexual abuse present inherent difficulties to investigators given the lapse in time involved. This inevitably makes these investigations complex and time consuming, but we will always treat these allegations seriously and advance any investigative opportunities that are available.

“Whilst we have not been able to secure a successful prosecution in this matter we have bought a number of offenders to justice in other non-recent offences and know how positive this can be for the victims involved.

“Here in Worcestershire we have a number of specially trained officers who work closely with partner agencies on serious sexual offences and I would strongly urge anyone who has been a victim of sexual abuse, whenever it took place to get in touch with us.

“Alternatively if they are not ready to do this they can contact the West Mercia Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre who are a charity who can provide support in confidence. They will not pass details to the police without consent. 01905 724514 wmrsasc.org.uk.”

A CPS spokesman added: “We received all of the available evidence from the police by July 2019 and we made our decision in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors in September 2019.”