This page will be updated
irregularly. It contains comments, which are not intended necessarily to
represent the views of ACAL, but rather a springboard for debate amongst
interested parties. Please feel free to contact
us if you have any
comments
25th
August 1999 - 22nd January 2000
15th
April 1999 - 17th August 1999
5th December
2000
Abuse Enquiry at top Catholic School
An investigation has been launched
into allegations of child abuse at the London Catholic school attended by Prime
Minister Tony Blair's two teenage sons.
The inquiry focuses on a
former chaplain and governor at the London Oratory School in Fulham, south-west
London, who died of a suspected Aids-related illness, several newspapers have
reported.
Former Southampton FC manager David
Jones has been cleared of all child abuse allegations against him. The case was
halted after the prosecution said no evidence was being offered in his trial at
Liverpool Crown Court. There were cheers from Mr Jones's family as the
not-guilty verdicts were announced.
2nd December
2000
British intelligence
services and the police are seeking powers to log all telephone calls, e-mails
and internet traffic in the country. A document obtained by The Observer
newspaper discloses that MI5, MI6 and the police are jointly requesting new
legislation requiring communication service providers to log phone calls and
keep the details for seven years.
30th November
2000
Pop Mogul bailed on sex charges
Pop impresario Jonathan King has been
remanded on bail after appearing in court charged with two serious sex offences
and an indecent assault. Mr King, 55, who discovered bands including Genesis
and 10cc and had a string of pop hits, appeared at Staines Magistrates Court in
Surrey.
28th November
2000
Child Abuse makes a mockery of
justice - this is
an article that appeared in the Times today. It is less biased and more
balanced than the Panorama program or the Observer on Sunday article, It calls
for less hysteria and a middle ground which ACAL would certainly be in favour
of, particularly as we are a professional organisation whose fervent intention
is to represent the survivors of abuse in as objective a fashion as is possible
considering the emotionally charged subject matter.
26th November
2000
Abuse Witch Hunt traps innocent in a
net of lies (Sunday
Observer) - I am sure you saw the Panorama program and went to the site, I am
also sure that you were as appalled as your webmaster at the lack of balanced
reporting portrayed on Television. I am concerned at the effect the program may
have had upon the victims of abuse throughout this country. If you are reading
this do not be discouraged.
14th November
2000
A long wait for victims of abuse
The law stands in the
way of successful compensation claims against institutions, says Roger Dobson.
More than 2,000 people have now begun proceedings for compensation for the
abuse they suffered while in care in England and Wales. Most of them are young
men, many have been pursuing claims for longer than five years and almost all
of them involve allegations of sexual or physical abuse in care more than ten
years ago.
This article features an
interview in the Times of Peter Garsden the press officer of ACAL
5th November
2000
Diocese's Shame over past abuse
Catholic parishioners in Wales were
told on Sunday their archbishop of 17 years, the Most Reverend John Ward, had
decided to ask the Pope to appoint a co-adjutor or parallel archbishop.
The new man will work
alongside the archbishop until he decided to retire or resign.
Panorama cover the story
tonight at 10.15pm. on BBC1
UK Church ignoring rules on abuse
An old yet interesting
story about how the BBC found that the Church is breaching its own rules on
child protection. Priest have been found in post after allegations have been
made against them
25th October
2000
New case on the lawfulness
of the disclosure of information by the Police concerning an investigation
which did not result in a conviction where as a result of the disclosure a
teacher's offer of a contract of employment was withdrawn. There were questions
of Data Protection and Human RIghts R v The Chief Constable of C & D Constabulary ex Parte A
18th October
2000
Eight Years Jail for Sex Priest
A Roman Catholic priest has been jailed for a total
of eight years at Cardiff crown court for a string of sex offences.
Father Joseph Jordan, 42,
of Barry, south Wales, pleaded guilty to six charges of indecent assault
committed between February 1987 and February 1989.
14th October
2000
People in Wales have voted overwhelmingly for a new
law to make public the names and addresses of sex offenders.
A poll for BBC Wales's Week
In Week Out programme found that 70% of those questioned said the details of
child sex offenders should be published.
9th October 2000
What a marvellous
compelling piece of drama on BBC 1 last night - "Care". When watched
by your Webmaster it invoked chilling memories of what we as lawyers know is
reality. It brought flashbacks of reading hundreds of statements and gave the
legal research that we all have to do some reality. Anyway enough of the
theatrics - what did the critics think of it and what is the backlash - read
about it
The Independent - too much gore to shock in a
"thin context" hmmm…
Well it did get a good
review in the Guardian but I could not find it. So here are the BBC stories
about the program
And the debate afterwards -
Indefinite jail term demanded for
child abusers
8th October 2000
10,000 Children abused in Care Homes
Christian Wolmar writes an
article for the Independent on Sunday in advance of his book coming out - to
research it he has consulted a number of members of ACAL who are quoted in the
article.
6th October 2000
Two Men arrested for abuse at Remand Home in Bristol
Two men have been arrested
by detectives investigating allegations of child abuse at a Bristol remand home
during the 1970s.
Child Abuse Risk for Sports Clubs
Half of all abused children
know their abuser through sports or leisure groups such as swimming clubs, a
study has found.
4th October 2000
Class Action in Seattle on behalf of 11000 Foster Children
Read about the startling
action on behalf of all the foster children in the State of Seattle who were
fed up of being passed from one foster family to another like a shuttle cock,
and how the case was going to be settled. One doubts whether the Legal Aid
Board would entertain such an action in England
16th September
2000
Straw Rules Out Sex Register Law
Parents will not be allowed access to the sex offenders' register - a so-called
Sarah's Law - Home Secretary Jack Straw has ruled. Instead, Mr Straw has
unveiled a package of measures to strengthen the protection of children. The
measures were prompted by public outcry over paedophiles, following the murder
of eight-year-old Sarah Payne in Sussex.
12th September
2000
Church Acts on Paedophile Priests
The Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales is to
introduce new measures to deal with priests who abuse children. In future, an
independent panel will investigate the way the Church handles such cases. The
move follows accusations that in the past, the Church has tried to cover up
child abuse.
11th September
2000
Panorama script published
On 10th March 1997 Panorama published a feature length documentary
on the North West Child Abuse cases. The script for the programme has now been
published on the BBC Website.
9th September
2000
Inquiry into Child Prostitution claims
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Tayside Police are investigating
allegations that children in the care of Dundee City Council social workers
were involved in prostitution.
A man has been charged in
the course of the inquiry and has been reported to the procurator fiscal, but a
police spokesman said the investigation was continuing.
30th August 2000
Call for National Sex Offender Unit
The Chief Inspector of
Prisons has called for a national unit to be established to deal with all sex
offenders.
Sir David Ramsbotham also
called for the establishment of a panel to oversee the rehabilitation and
treatment of such offenders, including those who refuse to acknowledge their
crimes.
Italy cracks down on Paedophiles
The Italian Government has announced new measures to
combat paedophile crime a week after two brutal murders of children who had
been sexually abused.
The government decided to
set up an inter-ministerial committee composed of the ministers of health,
justice, the interior, education and social affairs, to co-ordinate future
action against child abusers
Your Webmaster is
now going on a two week holiday for a well deserved rest. Normal service will
be resumed at the end of August
4th August 2000
Violence as police clear mob targetting sex offender
Police today dispersed a
mob of up to 200 people who went on the rampage outside the home of a man who
was "named and shamed" as a paedophile by a newspaper campaign.
One officer, who was hit in
the face by a rock thrown by a protester, needed stitches and suffered a
suspected broken nose after the violence in Paulsgrove, Portsmouth, last night.
News of the World has withdrawn its name and shame campaign
The editor of the News of the World
has vowed to name and shame any politician who impedes her newspaper's crusade
for tougher laws against paedophiles.
Rebekah Wade's pledge
followed the newspaper's announcement that it was to halt its campaign of
naming and shaming convicted paedophiles.
2nd August 2000
News of the World have a permanent Web Page devoted to the Sarah Payne story
so that any member of the public can access or deposit information. They are
meeting with the NSPCC and others about their campaign almost as this entry is
being typed.
1st August 2000
CICA are judicially
reviewed successfully (and rightly so - ed.) for refusing to accept that
an act of buggery between two boys at a childrens' home was a crime of
violence, because allegedly it was consensual. See the legal materials page for a report.
29th July 2000
Paper to name more paedophiles
The News of the World has said it will continue to "name and shame"
paedophiles this week despite strong criticism. Chief police officers, senior
politicians and groups representing offenders and children all expressed
concern when the paper began its campaign, publishing the names and photographs
of 49 sex offenders. They fear that exposing known paedophiles could drive them
underground and increase the risk of them re-offending.
28th July 2000
R v Worchester County Council ex parte SW. Queen's Bench. Crown Office - interesting case
on the challenge to the Consultancy Index which keeps information on potential
child abuser for the benefit of local authorities. It was challenged on Human
Rights grounds.
Phelps - the Dyslexia
case is successful in the House of Lords
27th July 2000
Clampdown on Clergy abusers planned
Clergy who abuse their position of trust to sexually
exploit young people could face jail under proposals to be considered by the
government.
The Home Office confirmed
it would examine a plan to amend the Sexual Offences Bill to include the
clergy, as well as teachers and care workers, under the new offence of abuse of
trust.
26th July 2000
New Baby - Congratulations to Nicola Harney one
of our executive committee and her husband who are now the proud parents of a
new baby boy called Benjamin. He weighed in at a healthy 8lbs and is healthy
and well.
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Also there is an interesting new case reported on the Legal Materials page on
the reasonableness of suspending an employee when an allegation of child abuse
is made by a child at a children's home, and whether damages for psychiatric
damage caused as a result are recoverable. Gogay v. Hertfordshire CC
Abuse Victims awarded Compensation
Eleven former residents of children's homes have been awarded more than
£300,000 compensation for the abuse they suffered while in care in north Wales.
24th July 2000
News of the World controversially names Paedophiles on the back of the Sara Payne murder
investigation. Ray Wyre gives a quote as does a High Court Judge Sir Morris
Drake.
21st July 2000
This is a story from the
end of May, but it is important as there are ACAL members with clients
affected.
A former PE teacher who
abused pupils at a boarding school for boys with behavioural problems in the
1970s has walked free from Bristol Crown Court after admitting 12 charges of
indecent assault. The court heard that 50-year-old Keith Figes abused seven
boys aged between 10 and 14 at Badgeworth Court School, near Cheltenham,
between September 1973 and December 1974.
19th July 2000
Archbishop defends paedophile move
One of the most senior figures in the Catholic Church
in England and Wales has defended his decision to allow a known paedophile to
continue working as a priest, despite warnings he would re-offend.
A BBC investigation found
evidence suggesting Archbishop Cormac Murphy-O'Connor ignored the advice of
doctors and therapists that Father Michael Hill would carry on assaulting
children.
A BBC News investigation in 1999 revealed evidence that some Catholic bishops
in the UK were failing to follow the church's child protection guidelines,
allowing priests accused of child abuse to continue working.
17th July 2000
Victims of Rape will be offered new identities
Rape victims are to be
offered new identities and addresses in an attempt to increase convictions. The
plan, drawn up by the Home Office, is intended to help women who are threatened
with violence and intimidation by men whom they have accused of rape. Ministers
are concerned that although there has been a 165 per cent increase in cases of
reported rape in the past nine years, only one in ten allegations leads to an
offender being sentenced. In 1998, 6,000 women made a complaint of rape but
only 675 men were convicted.
13th July 2000
Lawyers to get £40 Million for Human Rights cases
Lawyers are to be given an
extra £40m to help people bring new cases under the Human Rights Act when it is
introduced in October. Yesterday the Government pledged a total of £65m to
cover the cost of implementing the European Convention on Human Rights.
The Legal Aid budget will get
£39m of that to pay lawyers taking cases for those who believe their rights
have been violated. And £21m more will pay for the extra court hearings.
Community closes ranks after a paedophile is shot dead
Inside William Malcolm's
scruffy flat, you can still see bloodstains on the floor where he was gunned
down. His murderers shot him once in the head, but it took him several minutes
to die.
11th July 2000
Abuse Claims mark major inquiry in Lancashire
Police have launched a major inquiry into allegations of child abuse in care
homes dating back 30 years. Officers in Lancashire already have the names of 11
people they want to interview over allegations of abuse at seven residential
care homes across the county. Allegations centre on private and local authority
children's homes, residential schools and care establishments from the 1970s,
80s and early 90s, police said.
Your Webmaster
has spent some time decorating which has meant that he has been away from the
computer. Normal service however will now be resumed.
23rd May 2000
Judge calls for law to stop Net Paedophile attacks
A senior judge has called
for tough laws to deal with cyber-paedophiles after news that a man who
admitted to attempting to procure a child for sex via the internet would spend
only three months in prison.
Kenneth Lockley, a
£50,000-per-year computer specialist, was yesterday jailed for 18 months when
he appeared at the Old Bailey after an elaborate "sting" involving
British and American detectives.
19th May 2000
The leader of a child porn ring has
been jailed in France's biggest paedophile trial.
Bernard Alapetite, 47, who
was charged with organising the paedophile ring, was sentenced to three years
in jail by the court in Macon, south western France.
25th April 2000
Peter Garsden is
the guest of the day on the Nicky Campbell show on Radio 5. The interview was
moving for all concerned. Most of the callers were not put through because they
were too emotional. The interview was arranged on the back of the article in
the Independent. See the 28th March 2000
28th March 2000
'Abuse stories nearly finished me"
This week the trial of the victims of the abuse in children's homes in North
Wales begins. Solicitor Peter Garsden (Senior
Partner) tells Jon Robins that the trauma will be so great that lawyers need to
know what they are letting themselves in for.
16th February 2000
The Waterhouse Report gives the many victims of child abuse in north Wales
homes the opportunity to speak out about their ordeals. "Within a matter
of days I was physically abused and sexually abused and that went on for two
years," one victim said.
Children in care in north Wales
endured years of "appalling suffering", the UK's largest child abuse
investigation has revealed. "It is a tragedy that such treatment should
have been meted out to children in care," Welsh Secretary Paul Murphy told
the House of Commons. Mr Murphy said there was no evidence of a high-level paedophile
conspiracy, but that a paedophile ring around Cheshire and Wrexham had preyed
on young people in care in the 1970s and 1980s.
The report condemns social
workers, children's home staff, police and local councils and makes 72
recommendations to protect 4,000 children currently cared for by local
authorities in Wales.
Children in Care - then and now
"In the 1970s and 80s
residential homes, although not independent, were run like closed
institutions," he said. "You didn't have the flow of people coming
and going that you have today. "You did have inspections, but if a
charismatic, controlling individual was running the home he could get round
inspectors." The second important realisation, he said, was that the
looked-after child must be listened to - on issues ranging from not liking the
food, through bullying, to serious abuse allegations. "Children's views
must be heard," Mr Linehan said. "If you don't do that you start
undervaluing them. If you do that they'll start to undervalue themselves
12th February 2000
Abuse Victims evidence was Harrowing
A judge heading a massive inquiry into abuse at childrens'
homes in north Wales has spoken of the "harrowing" evidence
uncovered. Sir Ronald Waterhouse was speaking at the Listening to Children
conference in London about some of the lessons learned from the investigation
into allegations of abuse. He revealed that nearly half of the 260 witnesses
needed counselling for psychiatric help after giving evidence.
9th February 2000
Painful Truth
Gill Pugh on the minefield Barnardo's has to tread in opening up its
confidential files.
In 1995, Barnardo's opened
its original records to adults who had been in its care as children. The
charity's files, going back to 1866, cover most of the 350,000 children cared
for in its homes until the late 1970s. Inquirers had previously received information
in the form of a written summary, but now original documents were available.
The article gives the different and varying effects upon former children in
care when they see their records for the first time in many years and discover
their past as it really was.
A Step out of Darkness
With the report on sexual and physical abuse in north Wales children's homes
due next week, former Barnardo's boy Phil Frampton calls on the government to
follow Canada's lead by introducing compensation schemes for child victims (A
very interesting read - tells of a government compensation scheme in Canada for
the victims of child abuse in children's homes many years ago - it seems that we
exported this commodity to Canada - See the story on Jacobi v. Curry)
5th February 2000
FA on the attack as paedophiles target football's talent factories
Former Scottish
international Alan Brazil is one who suffered physical abuse as a young player.
Now at last a campaign has begun to cleanse soccer of a long-standing scandal .
The Football Association are concerned that youth football is being infiltrated
by paedophiles as various prosecutions are initiated against coaches. Read the
article in the Sunday Observer of a few weeks ago which an archive search
revealed
4th February 2000Cruelty
and neglect kill 1,000 children in decade The Independent 4th February 2000 by
Roger Dobson ( a dedicated journalist in this field who has written many
excellent articles on the subject)Charity calls for wide-ranging overhaul of
procedures as murder of boy highlights deeply flawed review process. Nearly
1,000 children have been killed by abuse or neglect in Britain within the last
10 years, according to the NSPCC, which called on the Government yesterday to
set up independent review teams to investigate child deaths.
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