In 2011, the little girl was raped by the 12-year-old son of a family friend.

But, more than three years later the family are still waiting for justice - despite the offender admitting the offence in a recorded interview and being given a youth caution.

Why? Because, according to reports, police officers wrongly claimed that they had reported the case to the Crown Prosecution Service, failed to have the rapist's name added to the Sex Offenders Register and neglected to take fingerprints, DNA samples or photographs.

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Now the little girl, aged eight, has written a heartbreaking letter to officers about what had happened to her.

It reads:

When I was five something very bad happened and it was your job to make sure he was properly dealt with and punished. But you didn't do your job and you let me down.

This makes me sad, upset and angry because I am only a little girl. I was five then, three years have gone past and he has still not been punished.

*Did you do this on purpose because he was 12? *

I trusted you to push me up but instead you pushed me down.

I thought police are meant to be good and catch the bad people but you didn't. So you are in the wrong and should know better.

I hope you know that I am very disappointed in you. I think you should write me a letter to say sorry, that's what I do to my friends it I have done something wrong to them.

I hope you behave better in the future and do the right thing. I hope one day he gets what he deserves.

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Today Nick Alston, PCC for Essex, has said he is "deeply sorry" for how his force failed a child victim of rape who wrote to officers questioning how they investigated the crime.

He said: "It has left a victim and her family utterly bereft of justice. Leads to other potential offences were not properly investigated at the time.

"Furthermore, it may have caused people in our county who need the help of Essex Police wondering if they can trust them."

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Alston added: "I feel deeply sorry for the victim and her family. Essex Police should not have let them down but they did.

"It is my role to ensure that all the actions taken subsequently have been conducted diligently, and especially that what was wrong that can be put right, has been put right.

"Most sadly, for the victim the innocence of childhood cannot be restored."