News
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
Index to News Archives 25th December 2000 - 27th March 2001 5th February 2000 - 5th December 2000 25th August 1999 - 22nd January 2000 15^th April 1999 - 17^th August 1999
28^th November 2001
Police Raid Suspected Paedophiles
			Police seized computers and software, arrested nine people, and confiscated equipment from another suspect during dawn raids on 12 UK. The raids involved law enforcement on four continents. More than 130 suspects were targeted in 19 countries including Australia, Canada, France, America, South Korea and Japan.
22^nd November 2001
Pop Mogul Starts Jail Term
			Former music impresario Jonathan King has started a seven-year jail sentence for sexual abuse. King, charged under his real name Kenneth King, was found guilty of four indecent assaults and two serious sexual offences against boys aged 14 and 15, committed in the 1980s.
1^st October 2001
Lauren Case Prompt Calls for Reform
						"Child commissioners" could help monitor the work of social workers in protecting children, according to one of the UK's leading childcare charities. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) has unveiled proposals for reform following the death of Lauren Wright.
28^th September 2001
Child Abuse Worker Jailed (Tennal Assessment Centre, Birmingham)
					A man who sexually assaulted teenage boys at a former children's home in Birmingham has been jailed for seven years. Eugene Devoti, 79, had been found guilty of five indecent assaults against boys while working at Tennal Assessment Centre, Harborne, Birmingham, in the 1970s and '80s.
26^th September 2001
Climbie Case is Turning Point
					The man heading the public inquiry into the case of Victoria Climbie has said it will be a turning point in the protection of children. Lord Laming told the hearing, which opened on Wednesday, that the eight-year-old's death had shocked the nation.
23^rd September 2001
Abuse Drama Scoops Italian Award
					A BBC Wales drama inspired by real life tales of abuse in children's homes has added another award to its roll of honour. Made for BBC One, 'Care' claimed the Prix Italia 2001 in Bologna - its eleventh award this year.
17^th September 2001
"Root out Child Abuse" church told
						The Catholic Church has been told it should become an "example of excellence" in rooting out child abuse in its parishes. The final report for the church in England and Wales has recommended a raft of measures to tackle paedophile priests
13^th September 2001
The Day of Terror
	The bombing of the World Trade Centre in New York is not about child abuse but is such an important story that it cannot be overlooked by any news page on any site. Our prayers go out to all those affected in any way. Here is a summary of the stories so far from the excellent BBC News site
24^th August 2001 (Story from 26^th June 2001)
More payouts for abuse victims
						More victims of abuse in children's homes in north Wales - which led to the UK's biggest ever child abuse inquiry - have been awarded damages. Mr Justice Connell, sitting at the High Court, awarded sums ranging from £5,000 to £47,000 to 13 former residents of community homes.
11^th August 2001
Fresh Plea over alleged abuse in Middlesborough in Catholic Home (Peter Garsden has the original report which appeared in the Evening Gazette on July 28^th 2001)
Police have renewed appeals to Teeside men who may have been victims of abuse at a church run care home called St. William's Care Home in Market Weighton. "Operation Aldgate" im Middlesborough led by Detective Inspector Richard Kerman are anxious to trace as many as 2500 pupils and 500 staff who went to the home between the 1960's and its closure in1992. The home was run jointly by the Catholic Diocese of Middlesborough and the De Salle Order of Christian Brothers in Oxford. Anyone with any helpful information should contact the police on 01482 334804.
25^th July 2001
Priest Ordered to pay £70,000 damages
							A priest has been ordered to pay more than £70,000 in damages for sexually abusing a parishioner who sought his spiritual guidance. (This award included aggravated damages. The claimant's solicitor was Mark Hollinghurst Ed.)
Another old but related startling story from the states from 1998 - Catholic Church pays nearly $31 Million to 12 Child Abuse Victims - http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/americas/newsid_130000/130309.stm
2^nd August 2001
Channel 4 Brass Eye Programme is criticised by the Newspapers
				Press views on the controversial episode of Chris Morris's Brass Eye, which spoofed the media's reaction to paedophiles.
27^th July 2001
Couple Guilty of Rail Line Deaths
				A couple have been found guilty of manslaughter after their daughter and a friend were killed by a train while on a picnic. See similar stories noted alongside the story on the BBC site.
25^th July 2001 Six Freed as Abuse Case Collapses
				The trial of six men accused of sex abuse has collapsed amid concern for the emotional state of a key child witness. The judge, Lord MacLean, told the jury at the High Court in Edinburgh that medical opinion revealed it would not have been in the best interests of the eight-year-old boy to give further evidence.
See also the stories of the trial published on 4th and 5th July. (Webmaster comments. Something must be done to protect the psychological health of child witnesses in this situation. Alan Levi QC on Radio 4 commented that it was scandalous that the government has still not implemented the recommendations of the Piggott committee some 11 years after it had been published whereby the evidence of the child is given immediately after the event a long time before the trial)
10^th July 2001 3 - Year Time Limit for Claims of Abuse Victims of child abuse should have no more than three years to bring a claim after reaching the age of 18 unless courts give them special permission, the Law Commission recommends today. To view the full Law Commission Report or a summary see our Legal Materials Page
20^th June 2001
Campaigner admits abduction charge
				A Scottish anti-paedophile campaigner has admitted being involved in the abduction of a nine-year-old child.
15^th June 2001
Bishop kept quiet over paedophile
				The defence argues its case on Friday in the trial of a French bishop charged with concealing information that a Roman Catholic priest was sexually abusing young boys.
7^th June 2001 New site for viewing and comment Go to www.abny.demon.co.uk/ACALNew. Have a look at our new proposed front page and let us have your comments. Obviously there will be something better in the middle than just a blank screen.
31^st May 2001
Climbii inquiry could call killers
				The chairman of the public inquiry into the death of an eight-year-old girl who suffered months of abuse has said it could hear evidence from her killers. Victoria Climbiι's great aunt Marie Therese Kouao and her boyfriend Carl Manning were convicted of murder in January after the court heard how Victoria had suffered a harrowing catalogue of abuse. (See story on trial and other related stories online and on this site 13th January 2001)
18^th May 2001
				Paedophile Priest has sentence cut A paedophile priest from Cardiff who was jailed for a total of eight years has had his sentence reduced at the Court of Appeal.
Judges cut Joe Jordan's two-and-a-half year sentence for attempting to pervert the course of justice to 18 months.
4^th May 2001 Schools must pay victims of abuse by teachers This was the Independent's interpretation of the change in the law caused by the Lister v. Hesley Hall Ltd. Decision yesterday. Peter Garsden gave an interview to Radio 5 on "Drive Time" and was on for less than a minute. The decision revolutionises the law in favour of claimants and makes compensation claims much easier. To read about the law go to the Legal Materials page
27^th April 2001 Child Abuse Sex Enquiries "will top 100" An old article from January 2001 makes very interesting reading as it contains nationwide statistics about child abuse police enquiries countrywide. 26^th April 2001 Fire in Ice launch their new Web Site They describe themselves as follows " Merseyside self help project run by and for the adult male survivors of childhood abuse, especially those who have suffered while in residential care. Fire in Ice aims to enable men who have suffered child abuse and their families to make positive change in their lives, also aims to make the care experience safe for children and young people. Fire in Ice offers 1 to 1, group and telephone support in a friendly empathic environment. We are not social workers, councillors, psychiatrists or "do gooders", Fire in Ice is made up of ordinary men who have overcome their abuse and want to help others do the same." Their contact details are Helpline: 0151 707 2614 (Open Mondays 5-9pm.) Office:0151 708 6339 Open Monday- Friday 10am-4pm. Email:fireinice@freenet.co.uk Address : Suite 1, Blackburne House, Blackburne Place, Liverpool L8 7PE. www.fireinice.co.uk 17^th April 2001 Catholic review body urges checks on Priests The Catholic Church have now seen the Nolan report which was commissioned by the church to look into the problem of paedophilia in the Catholic Church. The report contains 50 recommendations including the setting up of a child protection officer for each parish and the proper vetting of priests before entering the priesthood. This is the first part of the report. The second is due out in June 2001. ACAL was asked to make recommendations for the report, and did so. Lee Moore, Richard Scorer and Peter Garsden all gave interviews to the media. Your webmaster tried to find a BBC news story & picture in vain. The Independent did a story when the report was commissioned last September. Click here
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