We are delighted to announce that John Siddal and Ian Brooke have been acquitted by the Court of Appeal of allegations that they sexually abused children in their care. The case was referred back to the Court of Appeal by the
Criminal Cases Review Commission. A full report appears in the Yorkshire Post (
here)
The following press announcement has been released by F.A.C.T.
Press Release
F.A.C.T. (Falsey Accused Carers and Teachers) welcomes the news that John Siddall and Ian Brooke have both been cleared in the Court of Appeal of allegations of sexual abuse which were said to have been committed when they worked at care homes in West Yorkshire some ten years ago.
What the judgement shows is that both men did not receive a fair trial in that documents which might have established their innocence were not put before the jury, and that the complainants evidence could no longer be relied upon.
A F.A.C.T. spokesmen said that cases of this sort are becoming increasingly common and that new arrangements are needed for dealing with historical allegations of child abuse. Far too often there is a presumption of guilt and documents which might demonstrate a person innocence are either impossible to find or withheld.
In July 2002 of the Home Affairs Select Committee Report (Cmmd HC 836-1) concluded that “a new genre of miscarriage of justice” has arisen as a result of abuse allegations in children’s homes. They said many people who had worked in children's homes were likey to be innocent and wrongly convicted. Yet the Government have done nothing to address this problem. This is scandalous. Everyone has a right to justice.
Carers and teachers fully understand that every allegation of child abuse has to be investigated. However they are entitled to expect the child protection agencies, the police, and the prosecution authorities carry out a thorough investigation in the first place. This did not happen in this case and two men were needlessly sent to prison.
This case also demonstrates how easy it is to give credible and convincing accounts of events which did not take place. It is time the general public realised how vulnerable carers and teachers are to exaggerated, false or indeed malicious allegations of child abuse. The pendulum has swung too far.
We urgently need a Royal Commission to look into investigative practice in cases of alleged child abuse so that no more innocent teachers or carers are sent to prison. We call on the Government to take immediate action to protect those who work with children from false allegations and faked crime.
End
This judgement is is also useful in that the Appeal Court judges were also critical of Criminal Cases Review Commission for the delay in submitting the cases and for its sloppy approach in presenting the paper work.