Standard UK guidelines could be allowing paedophiles to escape criminal prosecution, research to be published on Thursday shows.

Currently, police officers and social workers in the UK often avoid questioning alleged victims of abuse who are under the age of six. These children are not seen as reliable sources of evidence, as their ability to recall past events is viewed as erratic, and it is thought they are unable to recognise that listeners do not possess the same knowledge of their experiences.

As a result of this, far fewer cases go beyond the investigative stage and are brought to court, and if they are it is exceedingly rare for the children themselves to be called upon as a witness.

New research challenges this, and could lead to a far-reaching review of standard investigative practices.

The study, carried out jointly by Cambridge University, the University of Haifa, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development US and the Israeli Child Investigation Unit, provides evidence that suggests testimonies from small children should become a legal tool with which to convict abusers.

Three hundred alleged victims of abuse, all of whom were between the ages of three and six were interviewed in Israel about their experiences. Michael Lamb, Professor of Psychology at the University of Cambridge, warned of the severe risks involved in under-estimating children’s memory and issued a dire warning.

He said: “In the light of this recent research, we need to rethink the way in which we approach young witnesses.

Young children are often the only possible sources of information about abuse, and if we do not interview them, we will not be able to protect them or other possible victims.”

Details of the rates of conviction and the breakdown of ages for child sex abuse are not available in the UK, an issue which the NSPCC has been actively lobbying the government about since 2007. In the last year figures are available for, 2008-2009, there were 21,618 recorded incidences of child sexual abuse in England and Wales, according to Home Office figures.

This research’s findings demonstrate that children can give an accurate account when they are interviewed in an understanding and sensitive manner. It is published in the journal Child Development Today.