HINDSIGHT is always crystal clear and it now seems obvious that convicted violent criminal Stuart Burton should have been remanded in custody when facing the latest in a long string of allegations, that he groomed and then slept with a 13-year-old girl.

Had he not been allowed to remain at liberty Burton would not have been in a position to attack and rape a woman in a Southampton park while awaiting trial for his involvement with the young girl.

As this paper’s report today explains (page seven), prosecutors still defend their actions in letting him remain free even though he had 21 previous convictions for 30 violent offences.

While few can deny the job of the courts is a difficult one when deciding who should be remanded in custody while awaiting trail and who should be let out on bail, at the very least the Crown Prosecution Service should own up to its mistake in the case of Burton and apologise. It does not.

In this case the public has every right to question the decision. Surely there was every chance such a violent and persistent offender would strike again? Surely Burton posed a real risk to the public if given his liberty?

Trust lies at the heart of every legal system.

Communities have to have confidence that those who act to protect them, and that includes the courts, will always put their safety first. In the case of Burton this trust appears to have been misplaced.