NO REASONABLE person can criticise any of the Bullfinch victims for a reluctance to appear in future court cases.

Today we report that two of them, only identified publicly as Girl 3 and Girl 5, feel they will not be able to face walking into a courtroom again if and when police arrest more of their abusers.

They feel they have done all they can to go into the witness box for that first trial and help bring to justice seven men now serving sentences totalling 95 years.

After the abuse they suffered – and remember, you will never know the true extent of the horrors they faced, because it cannot be responsibly reported to the public – they then had to relive that for the jury before being scrutinised by the defence barristers.

They have done everything and more that anyone could do.

But there are other men out there and there are almost certainly other victims, so we hope the justice system makes good quickly on its promise to institute changes to minimise the trauma for such witnesses.

How our justice system deals with victims of this nature is a hugely complex and nuanced issue. There is no black and white element to it.

The police comment that anyone who promises victims it will be an easy process is talking nonsense are absolutely right.

And there must be safeguards to ensure that defendants can reasonably test allegations made against them, otherwise miscarriages of justice will occur.

But we need to recognise that we must take care of victims of sexual abuse, given the emotional scars they carry, because by helping them we are actually helping juries get reliable and credible evidence to bring abusers to justice.