AN ALLEGED sex abuse victim has accused police of letting him down after officers failed to find the man he is accusing, yet The Argus tracked him down.

The man went to Sussex Police in late 2012 to report having been sexually abused by a senior member of staff at his school over several years in the mid-to-late 1970s. We have chosen not to name the alleged abuser, who is no longer alive, at this stage.

The alleged victim said the abuse took place while he was at Abbotsford Special School in Burgess Hill, which is now shut and not connected to the school which is now on the same site.

Detectives took a video interview from the man and checked archives and databases following what one detective described as “all reasonable lines of enquiries”.

But they shelved the case 12 months later, telling the alleged victim “a decision has been made by a chief inspector that, due to not being able to trace [the alleged perpetrator], the paperwork and your interview with regards to this case will be filed.”

However, after the victim contacted The Argus, we found two men living in Sussex who both confirmed they were former staff at the school and said the alleged abuser had died about 20 years ago in Brighton. (There is no suggestion anyone knew about the alleged abuse.)

A death certificate from the General Registry Office matching his details shows he poisoned himself in 1986 and an inquest was held by the coroner for the western district of East Sussex.

While the alleged perpetrator’s death means there is no prospect of a court case, the relative ease with which his fate appears to have been found raises questions for his accuser about how fully his complaint was investigated by police.

The alleged victim told The Argus: “I am saddened and sickened that the police did not investigate my complaint fully after all the information and video statement I had given them regarding the sexual abuse I suffered over many years at school in the mid-late 1970s. I want to see an investigation as to their conduct regarding this case.”

A Sussex Police spokesman told The Argus the “information was investigated by detectives over a period of some 12 months and no evidence could be found that identified the person suspected of being responsible”. He added that the force had received no other allegations in rela- tion to this matter.

Police said they did not hold incident records from as far back as 1986, except for major crimes.

The spokesman added: “We will take all such reports very seriously, no matter how long ago offences are said to have occurred, and we continue to encourage people to come forward with information at any time.

“In many cases we have been able to help achieve justice for the victims.”

Sussex Police said anyone with information can email 101@sussex.pnn.police.uk or call 101.

rachel.millard@theargus.co.uk