Archive for historical abuse
There is an interesting article in the Catholic Times (here) written on Thursday, 24 March 2011 by William Oddie concerning abuse allegations made against Priests. Mr Oddie not only draws attention to claims which are are both truthful and claims which are fraudulent but concludes that more clergy than we realise are falsely accused but there are almost certainly far more of them than most of us realise.
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Our attention has been drawn to a Court of Appeal judgment in which a man was cleared of convictions relating to offences said to have occurred between 37 and 40 years prior to their disclosure.
Neutral Citation Number: [2011] EWCA Crim 726
Case No: D1/201002010
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE COURT OF APPEAL (CRIMINAL DIVISION)
ON APPEAL FROM WOOLWICH CROWN COURT
HIS HONOUR JUDGE SHORROCK
T20097440
B e f o r e
LORD JUSTICE JACKSON
MR JUSTICE SILBER
and
THE COMMON SERJEANT, HHJ BARKER QC,
SITTING AS A JUDGE OF THE COURT OF APPEAL CRIMINAL DIVISION
Ms Teresa Hay (instructed by Crown Prosecution Service) for the Respondent
Ms Maria Dineen (instructed by Registrar ...
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RE: Hereworth v R. [2011] EWCA Crim 74 (01 February 2011)
The Court of Appeal recently considered the issue of missing historic documentation in case of alleged historic abuse in a domestic situation.
The appellant was convicted on three counts of indecent assault and four counts of rape in November 2009 against M, whose mother had formed a relationship with this appellant. M was about 12-13 at the time. The appellant was also convicted of two further counts of indecent assault against her sister, E. The offences were alleged to have taken place ...
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A father of three says he has lost two decades of his life after being falsely accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl.
Ian Henderson served 16 months in jail alongside sex offenders at Wandsworth prison after being convicted of indecent assault in 1990.
The former coach driver, 47, is in line for substantial compensation after his alleged victim, Carrie Crownshaw, confessed to making up the accusations, 20 years after her evidence saw him jailed.
Mr Henderson, from Stanmore, says his wrongful conviction is the main reason why he has not worked since 2002. In recent years, many jobs would have been ...
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A vicar and former teacher accused of molesting pupils more than 30 years ago has been acquitted by a jury on all counts.
The Rev James Wilson was found not guilty by a jury of 16 counts of indecently assaulting children under the age of 13 which he had faced.
Canon Wilson, the Rector and Rural Dean of Calstock in South East Cornwall, left the dock without saying a word after the verdicts were read out.
The jury had deliberated for seven hours and six minutes following the eight-day trial at Plymouth Crown Court.
Yesterday, the ...
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A potentially ground-breaking judgement [in the Civil Court] has been made that should help social services departments defend themselves against past child abuse claims.
For the first time, a judge has barred a claim on the grounds that a fair trial could not be held because the case was brought so long after the events complained of.
In a case involving Wirral Council the claimant alleged abuse by her mother and step-father and that the local authority had failed to protect her from the abuse by failing to take her into care.
Kathy Perrin, ...
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A blind musician from Sheffield has been cleared of all charges after being accused of molesting a schoolboy over 20 years ago.
Keyboard player Michael Higgins, aged 46, of Portland Court, Langsett, had denied two allegations of indecent assault which the supposed victim claimed happened in 1987.
Mr Higgins was acquitted at the Old Bailey in London yesterday afternoon after a trial spanning four weeks.
His solicitor Chris Saltrese told The Star afterwards: “The jurors are to be congratulated in reaching their verdict. It is an immense relief to Mr Higgins and his partner, who have suffered a great deal of anxiety and ...
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A blind musician from Sheffield has been cleared of all charges after being accused of molesting a schoolboy over 20 years ago.
Keyboard player Michael Higgins, aged 46, of Portland Court, Langsett, had denied two allegations of indecent assault which the supposed victim claimed happened in 1987.
Mr Higgins was acquitted at the Old Bailey in London yesterday afternoon after a trial spanning four weeks.
His solicitor Chris Saltrese told The Star afterwards: “The jurors are to be congratulated in reaching their verdict. It is an immense relief to Mr Higgins and his partner, who have suffered a great deal of anxiety and ...
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According to the Yorkshire Evening Post an investigation is underway into alleged sexual and physical abuse of teenagers at Leeds care homes.
West Yorkshire Police’s Homicide and Major Enquiry Team is handling the inquiry into what they refer to as “historic” allegations which date back almost three decades.
Detectives are looking into alleged incidents committed during the 1980s at unnamed children’s care homes across the city.
Officers were contacted more than a year ago by a victim who was a teenager when some of the alleged incidents are said to have taken place.
The YEP also understands West Yorkshire law firm Jordans, which has offices ...
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A Dublin priest who was falsely accused of abuse has been commended for the manner in which he handled the case.
Of the 46 cases of sexual abuse examined, only one priest was found to be falsely accused. In two other cases there were suspicions or concerns, but no actual complaint of child sexual abuse.
“Fr Ricardus” was ordained in the 1960s and worked in various parishes around Dublin. In January 2003 a man accused him of sexual assault, buggery and attempted oral rape when he was aged seven.
The complaint was made to another priest and was passed on to the archdiocese ...
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The Report by Commission of Investigation into the handling by Church and State authorities of allegations and suspicions of child abuse against clerics of the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin is published today.
The Commission came about because of the RTÉ Prime Time programme Cardinal Secrets, broadcast in October 2002. Produced by Mary Raftery, with Mick Peelo reporting, it investigated the handling of clerical child sex abuse allegations in Dublin’s Catholic archdiocese.
The then minister for justice, Michael McDowell, said he was “very alarmed” by the programme, which he found “deeply disturbing”. It led to the Commission of Investigation Act 2004, which allowed for ...
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A personal perspective on FACT’s first ten years:
Who would have thought, amongst the 40 supporters of Basil Williams-Rigby attending their first meeting at Kensington Community Centre in Liverpool in November 1999, that the organisation they were about to create would still be alive and well ten years later – an organisation known as F.A.C.T., which has had such an impact on the lives of so many of its members.
Basil had been caught up in the grossly mis-named Operation Care and convicted in the August of that year. So, too, had Dave Jones, ex-Everton and then manager of Southampton who, because ...
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A former Calderdale social services chief has been arrested by detectives investigating alleged sex offences at a children’s home in the 1960s.
Dr Rod Ryall, who spent 14 years with Calderdale from 1974 to 1988, has been questioned about his time as a housemaster at the secure Aycliffe Approved School at Newton Aycliffe, County Durham. These days it is known as Aycliffe Young People’s Centre.
Dr Ryall, a 67-year-old Oxford University graduate, lived at Scar Bottom Lane, Greetland. He was arrested in Dewsbury and has been released on police bail until mid-July.
A spokesman for Durham Police confirmed Dr Ryall was charged yesterday.
He said: ...
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