Jean La Fontaine is professor emeritus of social anthropology at the London School of Economics. She has done fieldwork in Africa and the UK. She has published a book on children's sexual abuse and the Department of Health funded her research on ritual and organised abuse.From the late 1980s onwards there has been a fear that groups of adults were conspiring to prey on vulnerable children. Mostly they were thought to be paedophiles who were sexually interested in children; homosexual paedophiles caused particular anxiety.There were also allegations across Britain concerning groups of men and women who abused young children of both sexes during devil worship rituals and sacrificed them to Satan. The secrecy of the groups contributed to the fear because it implied they had the power and intelligence to frustrate attempts to find them or protect children from them.Most of the children concerned in cases where ritual or satanic abuse was alleged were already in care. There was evidence … [Read more...]
Stop the Panic {about Paedophiles inflitrating childrens homes} Jean La Fontaine
The Making of a Modern Witch Hunt – Book review – Jenni Bristow
Richard Webster's investigation into the North Wales children's home scandal raises crucial questions about how our society deals with allegations of child abuse.The Secret of Bryn Estyn: The Making of a Modern Witch Hunt , Richard Webster, Orwell Press.The Secret of Bryn Estyn, the former children's home in North Wales that became the focus of one of the biggest child abuse scandals of recent years, is, according to Richard Webster, the very opposite to the version of events supplied by the police, the media, the courts and the government. In a 700-page book, the result of nine years of research, Webster claims that, far from being members of a 'paedophile ring', staff at the North Wales children's homes were the victims of a modern witch hunt and grotesque miscarriages of justice. The bare bones of the Bryn Estyn story, also supplied on the Orwell Press website (1), are this. On 15 March 1992, 40 police officers arrested 16 men and one woman in and around Wrexham in North Wales. All … [Read more...]
FACT North Wales claim local authority staff treated unfairly
A PRESSURE group last night called for an inquiry into a North Wales council's handling of abuse allegations.According to FACT (Falsely Accused Carers and Teachers) North Wales, Wrexham County Borough Council is the most inflexible authority in the country.The group spoke out following the case of David Jones, head of Ysgol y Drindod, Wrexham.He was subjected to a four-month-long inquiry after being accused of holding a pupil by the arm and keeping vodka in his office.Mr Jones was eventually cleared but is unwell and has been unable to return to work.A FACT (North Wales) spokesman said the organisation had been asked to support several people in Wrexham in recent months.The spokesman said he was aware of several others who had been suspended for long periods."We know of one case that lasted almost seven years."And we are assisting in another which has gone on for over two years," he added.The organisation has twice written to chief executive Isobel Garner expressing concern and asking … [Read more...]
FACT North Wales critical of Council
Abuse claim staff 'unfairly treated' Jun 7 2004 By Gareth Hughes, Daily Post A PRESSURE group last night called for an inquiry into a North Wales council's handling of abuse allegations.According to FACT (Falsely Accused Carers and Teachers) North Wales, Wrexham County Borough Council is the most inflexible authority in the country.The group spoke out following the case of David Jones, head of Ysgol y Drindod, Wrexham.He was subjected to a four-month-long inquiry after being accused of holding a pupil by the arm and keeping vodka in his office.Mr Jones was eventually cleared but is unwell and has been unable to return to work.A FACT (North Wales) spokesman said the organisation had been asked to support several people in Wrexham in recent months.The spokesman said he was aware of several others who had been suspended for long periods."We know of one case that lasted almost seven years."And we are assisting in another which has gone on for over two years," he added.The organisation … [Read more...]
PAYOUT FIGHT FOR ABUSE VICTIMS
Lawyers are preparing to launch a mammoth compensation battle for 180 people who claim they suffered sexual, physical and mental abuse at Staffordshire children's homes. Solicitors are also urging other alleged victims to come forward and contact them before a cut-off date for fresh cases is imposed by the High Court.Hanley law firm Dicksons are working alongside legal experts from Derby on 180 claims against Staffordshire County Council.Proceedings are expected to begin 'reasonably soon' in civil courts on a mass group claim for cash concerning a catalogue of allegations, some of which date back to the 1950s.They relate to a variety of alleged abuse at former children's homes, including Riverside at Rocester, near Uttoxeter; and sites at Penkhull and Heron Cross in Stoke-on-Trent....Earlier this year, a new panel of leading solicitors and barristers urged relatives who believe their loved ones have been wrongly convicted of abuse to contact them.The Historical Abuse Appeal Panel, … [Read more...]
Former care home resident at Bryn Estyn turned down for child care post
A MAN who was abused when he lived in a North Wales care home was shocked to be bracketed with Soham murderer Ian Huntley when he applied for a job as a social worker. Darren Laverty, 36, was physically abused at the notorious Bryn Estyn home in Wrexham and later gave evidence to the North Wales Child Abuse Tribunal.After leaving council care he fell into a life of burglary, fighting, drug-dealing and other behaviour which he claims was typical of youngsters abused in care homes. But Mr Laverty, now a graduate, says he has no convictions on his record from the past 15 years, and nothing on that record relates to children.He was offered a job with Bryn Melyn, a Bala-based company which runs children's units in North Wales.But last month the job offer was withdrawn after the Care Standards Inspectorate for Wales (CSIW) expressed its concerns.The rejection letter from Simon Goulding, head of residential care at Bryn Melyn, said, "In the light of the recent Soham case, I hope that you … [Read more...]
New hope for child abuse accused
SEVEN Welsh carers and teachers serving a total of more than 80 years in jail for child abuse believe they are closer to proving their innocence.Lawyers acting for the men believe they have taken a major step forward in persuading miscarriage of justice investigators there may be questions over a number of convictions.The move could have far-reaching consequences for controversial police 'trawling' inquiries into allegations of abuse at children's homes and approved schools stretching back to the 1960s.There has long been concern about police trawling, in which detectives contact former residents of children's homes from the 1960s and 1970s to ask if they were abused. Critics believe the inquiries 'encourage' false allegations and that some alleged victims of abuse have made claims in the hope of compensation.And the Home Affairs Select Committee, which considered trawling in 2002, concluded the investigating technique, in general, had produced a "new genre of miscarriage of … [Read more...]
Claire Curtis Thomas’s contribution to the Parliamentary debate on investigations into alleged abuse in children’s homes.
Yesterday Parliament discussed the Government's response to the Select Committee's report on Abuse in Children's homes. You can read the debate as published in Hansard. Find out if you MP is on your side or against you.Hansard … [Read more...]
Wrexham Race Riot/Police Siege – what has this to do with false allegations
The leader of Wrexham Council Cllr. Sian Wilkinson has been quoted as saying that the two day race riot and police siege in Caia Park, Wrexham can be likened to a mob hunting for paedophiles. According to Ms Wilkinson, there were about 60 or 70 asylum seekers in the borough and in Caia Park, where the trouble flared, but that the number of refugees was low.She added: "What we saw last night is not that different from when you see mobs of people hunting for paedophiles.What is extra-ordinary about this statement is that Cllr Wilkinson's remarks might well be taken to excuse such behaviour. Not withstanding society's revulsion of paedophilia (which all in FACT share) her remarks are all the more inflamatory because the Queens Park estate in Wrexham (of which Caia Park covers a significant area) houses a considerable number of ex residents of the care system who made complaints to the North Wales Police and to the Waterhouse Tribunal. In a perverse twist of fete the Ward Councillor for … [Read more...]
Sex offender innocent says ex-cop
AN EX-POLICE officer has described the prison torment of a Welsh headteacher who claims he is innocent of abusing children in his care.The former detective, who was himself cleared of abuse, also said he was "100 per cent sure" of Derek Brushett's innocence.Mike Lawson spent nearly three years in Albany prison on the Isle of Wight, where Brushett remains.But he was released earlier this year when the Court of Appeal quashed his conviction for sex abuse.The 62-year-old dad-of-three says although Brushett has been insulted by fellow inmates and has 'dark days', he continues to argue he is not guilty.Mr Lawson and another man, Basil Williams-Rigby, had been jailed for offences alleged to have been committed at an approved school in Merseyside but judges ruled their convictions were unsafe.Mr Lawson - who had spent 15 years as a police officer before going into teaching - was jailed after the Operation Care investigation into allegations of abuse in children's homes in the 1970s and … [Read more...]
Government’s reply to Select Committee Findings
The Government have today replied to the Select Committees Report into the Conduct of Investigations into Past Cases of Abuse in Children's Homes. For many in FACT the reply will a great disappointment.Government … [Read more...]
Operation Care Review – statement by Dep. Chief Constable
"The recent Home Affairs Select Committee report into "historical child abuse cases", made some sensationalist claims of "a new genre of miscarriages of justice" from what it perceived to be "the over enthusiastic pursuit" of abuse allegations in children's homes, many relating to incidents said to have occurred twenty or thirty years ago.If we look into the facts on which the Committee's claims are made, an entirely different picture is painted." Merseyside Police … [Read more...]
Merseyside Police – Response to Select Committee Findings
According to Mike Tonge, Deputy Chief Constable of Merseyside Police Deputy Chief Constable of Merseyside Police, the recent Home Affairs Select Committee report into "historical child abuse cases", made some sensationalist claims of "a new genre of miscarriages of justice" from what it perceived to be "the over enthusiastic pursuit" of abuse allegations in children's homes, many relating to incidents said to have occurred twenty or thirty years ago.He claims that the facts on which the Committee's claims are made, present an entirely different picture.Merseyside Police - News Release … [Read more...]
VICTIMS OF `ABUSE’ BY NUNS DEMAND APOLOGY
SCOTTISH victims of systematic abuse by cruel nuns yesterday united for the first time to demand a public apology.Nearly a hundred people from all over the UK recalled the harrowing years they spent in children's homes run by the Roman Catholic Church.Jim Buckley, who chairs INCAS - a support group for the alleged victims - organised the reunion in Glasgow to "open the floodgates".Daily Record Scotland … [Read more...]
Former head of Bryn Alyn wins appeal case
The former head of a number of children's homes in north Wales wins appeal following charges of sexual assaults on children in his care thrown out. The 44 charges against John Allen, 60, were thrown out by Judge John Rogers at Knutsford Crown Court in Cheshire. The judge decided that Allen would not be able to have a fair trial because of the publicity surrounding previous court appearances and because of the length of time which had passed since the alleged assaults.BBC … [Read more...]
Home Affairs Select Committee calls for new safeguards
The Home Affairs Select Committee has called for a range of new safeguards to cover the investigation and trial of people accused of sexual abuse in children's homes. In a report published today the Committee calls for audio or video recording of police interviews with alleged victims; anonymity for the accused; a tightening of the rules of evidence; and wider powers for the Criminal Cases Review Commission to enable alleged miscarriages of justice to be reviewed. The Committee says that "a new genre of miscarriages of justice" has arisen from what it calls "the over-enthusiastic pursuit" of abuse allegations in children's homes, many relating to incidents said to have occurred going back twenty or thirty years. It also says that a large number of people who are not charged may have had their lives ruined or seriously damaged by unfounded allegations. Home Affairs Committee Press Release (28) … [Read more...]
Lawyer reports on investigative flaws
Chris Saltrese, a solicitor who represented people accused of abuse in North Wales children's homes has given evidence to members of the House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee who are investigating possible miscarriages of justice in investigations into care home cases. In his report he is critical of police investigation techniques - outlines his concerns to the House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee BBC … [Read more...]
Put a time limit on compenstion claims
A FORMER headteacher at a South Wales approved school has demanded a time-limit is put on allegations of abuse.The man said it was impossible for former teachers and carers to disprove allegations that they had abused youngsters in their care up to 30 years ago.The former head, who has asked not to be identified, has more than 25 years' experience in approved and special schools' service. He has not been subject of any allegations himself.But he claims police "trawling" inquiries will eventually be exposed as "a massive miscarriage of justice, unique in the annals of the British judicial system".These investigations - which are being carried out by many forces in England and Wales - look at allegations of abuse at child care institutions, such as children's homes and approved schools, going back as far as the 1960s. They involve police officers visiting and revisiting people who were once in care and asking them if they ever experienced problems....IC Wales … [Read more...]
Miscarriages of justice ? (recommended reading)
Campaigners claim that former staff in children's homes are being convicted of crimes involving the abuse of children that they did not commit. Rachel Downey reports.Three weeks ago former care worker Roy Shuttleworth left prison after spending five-and-a-half years behind bars for abusing children. Throughout his sentence he maintained he did not commit the crimes of which he was convicted.He is not the only one protesting his innocence after being convicted of abuse carried out in institutions. Derek Brushett, Mike Lawson, Barry Strettle and Brian Ely all claim they did not abuse. Campaigners claim that about 25 men are serving, or have completed, prison terms for crimes they did not commit.Since allegations of abuse at children's homes in north Wales first emerged in 1993, hundreds of staff in children's homes have been arrested, charged, acquitted or convicted of abuse, both sexual and physical. Police officers have interviewed thousands of former residents and at least 200 former … [Read more...]
Child abuse trials end as police are accused of ‘wild prosecutions’
A three-year investigation into allegations of historic sexual and physical abuse at children's homes in the North East ended last week with the final trial, that of Esme Allenby, who was cleared. Northumbria Police's Operation Rose led to the charging of 32 suspects with 142 offences. A total of 260 residents and former residents of 61 children's homes made over 500 allegations of rape, buggery, indecent assault, assault and physical restraint involving 197 care workers. Six people were found guilty of a variety of charges with five jailed for a total of 25 years and one sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment suspended for two years. Four suspects died before the trial. The inquiry began in the summer of 1997 after a woman in her twenties disclosed to a social worker that she and a friend had been sexually and physically abused while living in a children's home. As part of their investigations the police inquiry team wrote to 10 per cent of former residents informing them that an … [Read more...]
Abused charity worker charged
A charity worker will appear in court this week charged with the theft of £60,000 from a sex abuse victim support group. It follows an extensive police investigation launched into the running of the group set up to help victims of one of Britain's biggest sex abuse scandals. Thousands of pounds of public money was used to help set up NORWAS in North Wales so that people who were abused as youngsters in children's homes could have help and support. But police were called in to investigate the running of the organisation and its chairman Steven Messham was arrested and questioned over the alleged theft of the organisation's assets. Messham, 39, of Wrexham, now faces five counts, two of theft, two of deception and one of false accounting. The theft charge involves £29,960, the deception charges £14,865 and the false accounting £18,997. He is to appear before Wrexham Magistrates Court on Wednesday. Messham is the leading light in the organisation and has been an outspoken critic of … [Read more...]
Police stand by five year ‘trawl’ for child abuse
Police leading a huge but largely abortive child abuse inquiry denied yesterday they had encouraged false allegations and wrecked the lives of innocent teachers and care workers by "trawling" for evidence in children's homes. Dozens of professionals in the north-east, backed by MPs, have lodged complaints about the blunderbuss effect of the five year Operation Rose that saw more than 200 people investigated but in the end only six convicted. The £5m inquiry led to 558 claims of assault, rape and other sexual abuse from 277 residents or former residents of 61 care homes. The methods used by Northumbria police have been referred to the Commons home affairs committee, which is studying the handling of hundreds of similar child abuse allegations in care homes. The scale of the north-east inquiry has emerged with the lifting of a legal gag. The two years of reporting restrictions on the trials of 32 north-east care workers and teachers linked to 142 allegations of child abuse, ended on … [Read more...]
Manchester pays compensation to abuse victims
Manchester City Council has made the first a series of payouts over physical and sexual abuse at its own children's homes. Legal bosses at the Town Hall have, in the last few weeks, agreed out-of court settlements with seven alleged victims, although they have not admitted liability. Solicitor Peter Garsden, who handled the claims, says he has another 50 pending and that the figure could rise. … [Read more...]
Wrexham Man – Stephen Messham – loses bid to sue Council
A Wrexham man who claims he suffered years of physical and sexual abuse at North Wales children's homes lost his High Court bid to be allowed to sue Flintshire County Council today. Steven Messham, founder of a pressure group called the North Wales Abuse Survivors, was seeking to overturn an earlier High Court ruling which barred him from suing the council, who ran the homes, for abuse he alleges he suffered in the 1970s. In April a top official of the High Court's Queen's Bench Division, Master Ungley, ruled that because Mr Messham had filed a similar claim at Telford County Court in 1995, which was struck out, his second case should suffer the same fate. Butterworths archive (link no longer active) … [Read more...]
Bryn Alyn Residents Refused Compensation
All Zak Savio wanted was the chance to rebuild his life shattered by sexual and physical abuse, but according to Linda Jackson the legal system failed him. Guardian … [Read more...]
