Simon’s Law UK is a campaign calling for reform of how the UK criminal justice system handles elderly sexual offenders who develop dementia or are deemed unfit to stand trial. The campaign was inspired by the experience of survivor Simon Byrne, whose abuser was diagnosed with dementia a couple of days before the original criminal trial in November 2024. As a result, the trial could not proceed in the usual way.
Six months later, in May 2025 the case was heard as a trial of the facts, where a jury determined that the sexual abuse had occurred. However, because the defendant had been ruled mentally unfit to stand trial, he could not be formally convicted. He received an absolute discharge and was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for five years. This devastated Simon, and we knew things had to change so others survivors wouldn’t go through the same process. This is why Simon’s Law UK was founded.
Simon’s Law UK seeks to reform this legal gap by introducing clearer procedures and safeguards in cases where defendants develop dementia before trial. The campaign calls for reforms including earlier and repeated cognitive assessments, clearer legal outcomes when a court determines abuse occurred in a trial of the facts, appropriate secure or supervised care placements where necessary, and stronger recognition of victims’ rights and voices in the process.
The campaign aims to balance compassion for those with serious cognitive illness with accountability, ensuring survivors are heard and that the justice system continues to protect the public.
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My Journey: From Silence to Simon’s Law UK
Written by Simon Byrne
For decades, I carried a secret that shaped my life in ways I could never fully explain.
The abuse I suffered as a child followed me into adulthood—into my thoughts, my relationships, and my sense of who I was. Like many survivors, I convinced myself that the safest thing to do was to stay silent. I told myself that speaking out would only reopen wounds that had never properly healed.
But silence can be a heavy burden to carry.
Eventually, after years of living with the impact of what had happened, I realised that the truth deserved to be heard.
Finding the Strength to Speak
In April 2021, after decades of silence, I made the decision to report the abuse to the police. It was one of the hardest decisions of my life.
Coming forward meant revisiting painful memories and trusting a system that many survivors fear may not protect them. It meant speaking about experiences I had spent most of my life trying to forget.
The investigation was carried out by Greater Manchester Police. The process was long and emotionally exhausting, but I believed that by telling the truth, justice might finally be possible.
In June 2023, my abuser was charged.
For the first time in my life, I felt that accountability might finally happen.
Waiting for Justice
The criminal trial was scheduled for November 2024. After so many years of silence, it felt like the moment when the truth would finally be heard in court.
But the path to justice does not always go the way survivors hope.
Before the trial could begin, the defendant was diagnosed with dementia and was deemed unfit to stand trial. As a result, the criminal trial scheduled for November 2024 could not proceed.
After decades of living with the abuse, years of investigation, and preparing myself emotionally to face a trial, the opportunity for a criminal conviction disappeared.
It was devastating.
It felt as though the justice system had simply run out of time.
Fighting to Have the Truth Heard
Despite the criminal trial collapsing, I was determined that the truth should not simply disappear.
We fought for a fact-finding trial so that the evidence could still be examined by a court. Eventually, a hearing was secured in May 2025 at Manchester Crown Court.
A fact-finding trial cannot deliver a criminal conviction, but it allows the court to hear the evidence and determine whether the abuse occurred.
For me, this process became about ensuring that the years of silence, the courage it took to report the abuse, and the impact it had on my life were not simply forgotten.
Turning Pain Into Purpose
My experience revealed something deeply troubling about the justice system.
Historical abuse cases often involve defendants who are older or in declining health. When cases are delayed, there is a real risk that justice may never be delivered.
Survivors who finally find the courage to come forward deserve a system that recognises the urgency of these cases.
Out of that realisation came Simon’s Law UK.
Simon’s Law is a campaign calling for reforms so that cases involving historical sexual abuse—particularly those involving elderly or medically vulnerable defendants—are prioritised within the justice system. The goal is simple: to ensure that survivors do not lose the opportunity for justice because the system moves too slowly.
Why Speaking Out Matters
Speaking publicly about abuse is never easy. It means confronting painful memories and sharing deeply personal experiences with others.
But silence protects perpetrators, not survivors.
By telling my story, I hope other survivors know they are not alone. And I hope that by highlighting the gaps in the system, meaningful change can happen.
No survivor should wait decades to report abuse only to lose the chance for justice because the system could not act quickly enough.
My journey has been long and difficult, but if speaking out helps bring change for others, then it will have been worth it.
