Cyril Smith 'sexually and physically abused young boys'
Simon Israel Home Affairs Correspondent
Tuesday 27 November 2012 UK
Greater Manchester police have concluded that the former Liberal MP, Sir Cyril Smith, was guilty of physical and sexual abuse of young boys over a period of many years.
Allegations came from eight young men back in 1970. They alleged that Cyril Smith subjected them to various forms of abuse in the early sixties.
All were living were living at the privately run children's home Cambridge House hostel, in Rochdale, at the time, or were dependent on Cyril Smith for employment, money or welfare.
Lancashire Police opened a file and sent that off to the director of public prosecutions with 80 pages of evidence and a one-page letter from the then chief constable of Lancashire. He wrote -
"Any charges of indecent assault founded on these allegations, as well as being stale, would be , in my view, completely without corroboration. Further, the characters of some of these men young men would be likely to render their evidence suspect."
Outdated way of thinking
Today the Crown Prosecution Service says that way of thinking has gone and that, given the same today, Sir Cyril Smith would have been prosecuted
Nazir Afzal, chief crown prosecutor, said: "Prosecutors and police now recognise such crimes normally occur in private and that victims are often targeted because the offender doubts they will be believed.
http://www.channel4.com/news/cyril-smith-sexually-and-physically-abuse-young-boys
Exclusive: Eyewitness 'saw Thatcher aide take boys to abuse'
Tuesday 06 November 2012 UK
A former resident of the Wrexham care home at the centre of abuse allegations tells Channel 4 News that he saw evidence of abuse, and remembers seeing Sir Peter Morrison at the care home five times.
The former resident told Channel 4 News that although he did not recognise Sir Peter at the time, he later realised it was him.
Sir Peter, who died in 1995, was Margaret Thatcher's parliamentary private secretary and was at the heart of the Tory establishment during the 1980s. Recently, he has been publicly linked to abuse at the care home.
The former resident, who was not abused himself, said: "Going through some stuff recently and I saw his face. I know now he was the MP for Chester at the time. Morrison. Red, wavy hair. I recognised him straight away.
"I saw him at Bryn Estyn, he turned up in a car, boy went off in his car, don't know if he was in it. It was definitely his car, I saw him arrive in it then we went to bed and we saw it drive off....
David Cameron ordered an urgent investigation into whether the north Wales child abuse inquiry "properly did its job" after fresh allegations of abuse at Bryn Estyn emerged. It is alleged that a senior Thatcher-era politician, who has not been named, was involved....
Describing allegations of abuse from other residents, the former resident told Channel 4 News: "They said there was more than one, they said they were made to drink, there was a lot of people there, there was a party almost....
The resident said he did inform police: "I made a statement to South Wales Police with regard to some alleged offences in SW area - a statement was taken but didn't hear anything else about it."
However, describing the effect the events had had on him, he said: "I've been carrying this around for 35 years. It's destroyed every relationship in my life. I don't trust anybody.
http://www.channel4.com/news/exclusive-eyewitness-saw-thatcher-aide-take-boys-to-abuse
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Restitution for Child Victims Returns to the Supreme Court, More boys sexually abused at M'sian orphanage: NGO
Restitution for Child Victims Returns to the Supreme Court
By James R. Marsh on November 27, 2012
Today, the Marsh Law Firm, along with co-counsel Paul G. Cassell and Carol L. Hepburn, filed a petition for a writ of certiorari in the United States Supreme Court.
Almost 20 years ago, Congress enacted the Mandatory Restitution for Sexual Exploitation of Children Statute, 18 U.S.C. § 2259, to benefit victims of federal child pornography crimes, including petitioners like Amy and Vicky, whose child sex abuse images are traded and collected over the internet by countless individuals worldwide....
The question presented in this cert petition is whether the Mandatory Restitution for Sexual Exploitation of Children Statute, 18 U.S.C. § 2259, excuses a defendant from paying restitution for the itemized loss categories unless there is proof that the victim’s losses were the proximate result of an individual defendant’s child pornography crime.
The Supreme Court is expected to decide whether or not to grant this petition early next year. If the Court decides to hear the case, oral arguments and a decision are likely this term which ends on October 1, 2013.
http://www.childlaw.us/2012/11/restitution-for-child-victims-.html
More boys sexually abused at M'sian orphanage: NGO
Asia News Network By R.S.N. Murali in Malacca/The Star | Asia News Network – Fri, Nov 23, 2012
Malacca (The Star/ANN) - An NGO has claimed that more underage boys are being sexually abused at a government home for boys in Durian Daun in the Malaysian state of Malacca.
Three boys, aged 13 and 14, lodged police reports on Nov 12 at the state police headquarters in Malacca, Malaysian Welfare and Social Organisation (Perbak) president Muhammad Khairul Hafiz claimed....
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/more-boys-sexually-abused-msian-orphanage-ngo-090002503.html
By James R. Marsh on November 27, 2012
Today, the Marsh Law Firm, along with co-counsel Paul G. Cassell and Carol L. Hepburn, filed a petition for a writ of certiorari in the United States Supreme Court.
Almost 20 years ago, Congress enacted the Mandatory Restitution for Sexual Exploitation of Children Statute, 18 U.S.C. § 2259, to benefit victims of federal child pornography crimes, including petitioners like Amy and Vicky, whose child sex abuse images are traded and collected over the internet by countless individuals worldwide....
The question presented in this cert petition is whether the Mandatory Restitution for Sexual Exploitation of Children Statute, 18 U.S.C. § 2259, excuses a defendant from paying restitution for the itemized loss categories unless there is proof that the victim’s losses were the proximate result of an individual defendant’s child pornography crime.
The Supreme Court is expected to decide whether or not to grant this petition early next year. If the Court decides to hear the case, oral arguments and a decision are likely this term which ends on October 1, 2013.
http://www.childlaw.us/2012/11/restitution-for-child-victims-.html
More boys sexually abused at M'sian orphanage: NGO
Asia News Network By R.S.N. Murali in Malacca/The Star | Asia News Network – Fri, Nov 23, 2012
Malacca (The Star/ANN) - An NGO has claimed that more underage boys are being sexually abused at a government home for boys in Durian Daun in the Malaysian state of Malacca.
Three boys, aged 13 and 14, lodged police reports on Nov 12 at the state police headquarters in Malacca, Malaysian Welfare and Social Organisation (Perbak) president Muhammad Khairul Hafiz claimed....
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/more-boys-sexually-abused-msian-orphanage-ngo-090002503.html
Monday, November 26, 2012
Catholic officials knew of teacher's abuse, court files indicate
also: Brother convicted of sex abuse a church 'treasure'
Catholic officials knew of teacher's abuse, court files indicate
John Merzbacher, sent to prison, now seeks release
By Tricia Bishop, The Baltimore Sun
November 25, 2012
The Catholic-school teacher had a pre-teen student pinned to the ground in his Baltimore classroom, the girl's blouse open and her chest exposed when the doorknob suddenly turned and the school principal — a nun — burst in.
The screaming girl thought she was about to be rescued, according to court records that describe the scene at the Catholic Community Middle School in Locust Point. But Sister Eileen Weisman, who had a key to the room, merely chastised the teacher, John Joseph Merzbacher, for locking the door.
"[Weisman] looked down and her exact words were 'John, oh John, I told you never to lock the classroom door,'" Linda Tiburzi, who described the incident in a civil court deposition in the mid-1990s, said in a recent interview. "And then she looked at me and said 'I never want you staying after school again.' ... That's all she said, that's all she did, there was nothing, there was no investigation, there were no questions."
That incident is one of several outlined in court documents, analyzed in a Baltimore Sun investigation, indicating that Weisman and other Catholic officials were aware of the lay teacher's sexual abuse of students in the 1970s but did not report it until Merzbacher was criminally investigated in the 1990s.
Recent accounts from more than two dozen former pupils and a review of hundreds of pages of documents describe several situations in which critics claim the church had opportunities to protect schoolchildren from Merzbacher, but did not notify police of the allegations against the teacher.
The alleged failures took place in two phases. In the 1970s while the abuse was occurring, Weisman and at least two archdiocesan priests ignored the behavior, even when confronted with it directly, according to accusations in court records. Years later, Weisman and archdiocesan officials delayed reporting Merzbacher to enforcement agencies, despite a victim's allegations of abuse....
In court records, former students describe Merzbacher, now 71, as a charmer who drew them in with rock records, forbidden foul language, alcohol and marijuana, then terrorized them. The potbellied English teacher beat the boys and humiliated the girls, engaging in sexual acts with both genders and forcing the kids to turn against one another, his accusers claim in the documents. He once fired a revolver in class, students testified during Merzbacher's trial, and routinely used the weapon to threaten children with death....
Weisman and two archdiocesan priests — identified in court documents as Herbert Derwart and Richard Tillman — were involved in firing another teacher who said he brought concerns about Merzbacher to them in 1974. The officials allegedly told the teacher, Gary Homberg, that he could continue in his position "only under the condition [he] made no mention to anyone of [his] observations of John Merzbacher's sexual misconduct, the allegations and rumors about John Merzbacher, or the school's or church's knowledge of these allegations."
Weisman went to the archdiocese for guidance after Homberg's allegations, telling officials that Merzbacher may have brought a gun to school and may have been "interacting inappropriately with the students." Merzbacher was placed on leave, but reinstated after Weisman said she conducted an internal investigation....
Merzbacher was put on administrative leave while Weisman investigated the claims against him and reinstated shortly thereafter via a Feb. 22, 1974, letter from archdiocese attorney Joseph P. McCurdy Jr., which was submitted in court during the criminal case. That same day, the attorney sent a letter to Homberg advising him of his termination....
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-archdiocese-merzbacher-20121124,0,163396.story
Brother convicted of sex abuse a church 'treasure'
By Emma Alberici 11/26/12
The head of the Patrician Brothers in Australia has apologised after a brother jailed for child sexual abuse was referred to as a "treasure" in a church publication.
Patrician Brother Thomas Grealy was convicted of molestation and buggery charges in 1997.
He spent four years in jail for the rape and indecent assault of two boys when he was principal at the Patrician Brothers' Primary School at Granville in Western Sydney.
During his trial the court heard Brother Augustine, as Grealy was then known, would cover the statue of the Virgin Mary in his office with a coat to hide his shame before abusing the nine and 10-year-old boys in his care.
Not only does he remain a Patrician brother, but in a September newsletter Grealy is pictured standing alongside leaders of the Patricians in Australia and is referred to in the caption as one of three "Patrician treasures".
Lawyer Jason Parkinson represents five men who allege they were abused by Grealy in the 1970s.
"It's had such a detrimental effect on their life that there's been a number of suicide attempts and a number of serious issues in relation to self-harm," he said.
"[I] just couldn't believe that the order would refer to a child molester as a treasure.
"It just goes beyond belief that they would even be inviting him to remain within their group. He should've been shunned, should've been sent away. Shouldn't be allowed in the order."
Nearly 40 years later, Mr Parkinson said the Patrician Brothers had not taken responsibility for Grealy's behaviour and was squabbling with The Archdiocese of Sydney over responsibility....
Brother Philip Mulhall, the head of the Patrician Order in Australia, was until recently also the executive officer for national standards around dealing with child sex abuse claims for the entire Catholic Church in Australia.
He says the publication describing Grealy as a treasure was a "dreadful, sad mistake"....
Brother Mulhall said Grealy had never been dismissed from the order....
Another Patrician Brother was charged with child sexual abuse at the Patrician Brothers College at Blacktown about 12 months ago but remained at the school for two months before his removal....
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-11-27/brother-convicted-of-sex-abuse-a-church-treasure/4393618
Catholic officials knew of teacher's abuse, court files indicate
John Merzbacher, sent to prison, now seeks release
By Tricia Bishop, The Baltimore Sun
November 25, 2012
The Catholic-school teacher had a pre-teen student pinned to the ground in his Baltimore classroom, the girl's blouse open and her chest exposed when the doorknob suddenly turned and the school principal — a nun — burst in.
The screaming girl thought she was about to be rescued, according to court records that describe the scene at the Catholic Community Middle School in Locust Point. But Sister Eileen Weisman, who had a key to the room, merely chastised the teacher, John Joseph Merzbacher, for locking the door.
"[Weisman] looked down and her exact words were 'John, oh John, I told you never to lock the classroom door,'" Linda Tiburzi, who described the incident in a civil court deposition in the mid-1990s, said in a recent interview. "And then she looked at me and said 'I never want you staying after school again.' ... That's all she said, that's all she did, there was nothing, there was no investigation, there were no questions."
That incident is one of several outlined in court documents, analyzed in a Baltimore Sun investigation, indicating that Weisman and other Catholic officials were aware of the lay teacher's sexual abuse of students in the 1970s but did not report it until Merzbacher was criminally investigated in the 1990s.
Recent accounts from more than two dozen former pupils and a review of hundreds of pages of documents describe several situations in which critics claim the church had opportunities to protect schoolchildren from Merzbacher, but did not notify police of the allegations against the teacher.
The alleged failures took place in two phases. In the 1970s while the abuse was occurring, Weisman and at least two archdiocesan priests ignored the behavior, even when confronted with it directly, according to accusations in court records. Years later, Weisman and archdiocesan officials delayed reporting Merzbacher to enforcement agencies, despite a victim's allegations of abuse....
In court records, former students describe Merzbacher, now 71, as a charmer who drew them in with rock records, forbidden foul language, alcohol and marijuana, then terrorized them. The potbellied English teacher beat the boys and humiliated the girls, engaging in sexual acts with both genders and forcing the kids to turn against one another, his accusers claim in the documents. He once fired a revolver in class, students testified during Merzbacher's trial, and routinely used the weapon to threaten children with death....
Weisman and two archdiocesan priests — identified in court documents as Herbert Derwart and Richard Tillman — were involved in firing another teacher who said he brought concerns about Merzbacher to them in 1974. The officials allegedly told the teacher, Gary Homberg, that he could continue in his position "only under the condition [he] made no mention to anyone of [his] observations of John Merzbacher's sexual misconduct, the allegations and rumors about John Merzbacher, or the school's or church's knowledge of these allegations."
Weisman went to the archdiocese for guidance after Homberg's allegations, telling officials that Merzbacher may have brought a gun to school and may have been "interacting inappropriately with the students." Merzbacher was placed on leave, but reinstated after Weisman said she conducted an internal investigation....
Merzbacher was put on administrative leave while Weisman investigated the claims against him and reinstated shortly thereafter via a Feb. 22, 1974, letter from archdiocese attorney Joseph P. McCurdy Jr., which was submitted in court during the criminal case. That same day, the attorney sent a letter to Homberg advising him of his termination....
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-archdiocese-merzbacher-20121124,0,163396.story
Brother convicted of sex abuse a church 'treasure'
By Emma Alberici 11/26/12
The head of the Patrician Brothers in Australia has apologised after a brother jailed for child sexual abuse was referred to as a "treasure" in a church publication.
Patrician Brother Thomas Grealy was convicted of molestation and buggery charges in 1997.
He spent four years in jail for the rape and indecent assault of two boys when he was principal at the Patrician Brothers' Primary School at Granville in Western Sydney.
During his trial the court heard Brother Augustine, as Grealy was then known, would cover the statue of the Virgin Mary in his office with a coat to hide his shame before abusing the nine and 10-year-old boys in his care.
Not only does he remain a Patrician brother, but in a September newsletter Grealy is pictured standing alongside leaders of the Patricians in Australia and is referred to in the caption as one of three "Patrician treasures".
Lawyer Jason Parkinson represents five men who allege they were abused by Grealy in the 1970s.
"It's had such a detrimental effect on their life that there's been a number of suicide attempts and a number of serious issues in relation to self-harm," he said.
"[I] just couldn't believe that the order would refer to a child molester as a treasure.
"It just goes beyond belief that they would even be inviting him to remain within their group. He should've been shunned, should've been sent away. Shouldn't be allowed in the order."
Nearly 40 years later, Mr Parkinson said the Patrician Brothers had not taken responsibility for Grealy's behaviour and was squabbling with The Archdiocese of Sydney over responsibility....
Brother Philip Mulhall, the head of the Patrician Order in Australia, was until recently also the executive officer for national standards around dealing with child sex abuse claims for the entire Catholic Church in Australia.
He says the publication describing Grealy as a treasure was a "dreadful, sad mistake"....
Brother Mulhall said Grealy had never been dismissed from the order....
Another Patrician Brother was charged with child sexual abuse at the Patrician Brothers College at Blacktown about 12 months ago but remained at the school for two months before his removal....
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-11-27/brother-convicted-of-sex-abuse-a-church-treasure/4393618
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Utah kidnap victim Elizabeth Smart preparing memoir.
Utah kidnap victim Elizabeth Smart preparing memoir.
The Associated Press
Nov 23, 2012
SALT LAKE CITY — Ten years after her kidnapping, Elizabeth Smart is preparing her story of being held captive by a homeless street preacher, her improbable rescue after nine months, and how she advocated for children after the ordeal.
St. Martin's Press bought the rights to the memoir from the now 25-year-old senior at Brigham Young University....
Smart has said she waited for the March 2011 sentencing of Brian David Mitchell before collaborating on the telling of her story, which has been in the works for nearly a year.
Mitchell, a onetime itinerant street preacher, was convicted of Smart's kidnapping and sexual assault. He is serving two life sentences at a federal prison in Arizona.
Authorities say he snatched the then-14-year-old Smart from her bedroom at knifepoint on June 5, 2002.
The book won't just be the story of Smart's captivity but also will depict how she organized the Elizabeth Smart Foundation and brought more attention and law enforcement techniques to the cases of missing and abused children, said her publicist Christopher Thomas.
"She started the foundation to get her message across, and book was another way to do it," Thomas said.
It will be the fourth book about the kidnapping that caused a national sensation.
http://www.pjstar.com/free/x1978608178/Kidnap-victim-Elizabeth-Smart-preparing-memoir
The Associated Press
Nov 23, 2012
SALT LAKE CITY — Ten years after her kidnapping, Elizabeth Smart is preparing her story of being held captive by a homeless street preacher, her improbable rescue after nine months, and how she advocated for children after the ordeal.
St. Martin's Press bought the rights to the memoir from the now 25-year-old senior at Brigham Young University....
Smart has said she waited for the March 2011 sentencing of Brian David Mitchell before collaborating on the telling of her story, which has been in the works for nearly a year.
Mitchell, a onetime itinerant street preacher, was convicted of Smart's kidnapping and sexual assault. He is serving two life sentences at a federal prison in Arizona.
Authorities say he snatched the then-14-year-old Smart from her bedroom at knifepoint on June 5, 2002.
The book won't just be the story of Smart's captivity but also will depict how she organized the Elizabeth Smart Foundation and brought more attention and law enforcement techniques to the cases of missing and abused children, said her publicist Christopher Thomas.
"She started the foundation to get her message across, and book was another way to do it," Thomas said.
It will be the fourth book about the kidnapping that caused a national sensation.
http://www.pjstar.com/free/x1978608178/Kidnap-victim-Elizabeth-Smart-preparing-memoir
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Jimmy Savile scandal: George Entwistle to give evidence at Newsnight inquiry
Jimmy Savile scandal: George Entwistle to give evidence at Newsnight inquiry
Ex-director general to appear before Nick Pollard inquiry into handling of programme's aborted investigation of presenter
Dan Sabbagh guardian.co.uk, Thursday 22 November 2012
George Entwistle, the former BBC director general, is expected to give evidence on Monday before Nick Pollard's inquiry into the handling of Newsnight's aborted investigation into sexual abuse by the late Jimmy Savile, in a demanding hearing that will see him grilled on what he knew about it by a silk.
The much criticised executive spent the last days of his short-lived director generalship preparing intensively for his appearance, which is expected to last several hours, and comes as the Pollard inquiry moves into its third week of evidence, having seen most of the senior BBC executives touched by the Savile film that never aired.
It is likely to be an exacting experience for a man who clearly struggled when he had to give evidence before MPs on on the culture media and sport select committee last month, and who performed poorly when interviewed by John Humphrys on the Today programme on the morning of what turned out to be the day he resigned....
However, he is likely to come under greater pressure over his handling of the Newsnight affair in the couple of months after the Savile allegations were first aired by ITV, and in particular will be questioned on why he relied for so long on the account of events provided by Newsnight's editor Peter Rippon, an account that had to be corrected at least three times. For instance, Rippon wrongly said that the police were aware of all Newsnight's unbroadcast material, when in fact one of the abuse victims filmed by the programme had never gone to the police....
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/nov/22/jimmy-savile-scandal-george-entwistle-evidence
Ex-director general to appear before Nick Pollard inquiry into handling of programme's aborted investigation of presenter
Dan Sabbagh guardian.co.uk, Thursday 22 November 2012
George Entwistle, the former BBC director general, is expected to give evidence on Monday before Nick Pollard's inquiry into the handling of Newsnight's aborted investigation into sexual abuse by the late Jimmy Savile, in a demanding hearing that will see him grilled on what he knew about it by a silk.
The much criticised executive spent the last days of his short-lived director generalship preparing intensively for his appearance, which is expected to last several hours, and comes as the Pollard inquiry moves into its third week of evidence, having seen most of the senior BBC executives touched by the Savile film that never aired.
It is likely to be an exacting experience for a man who clearly struggled when he had to give evidence before MPs on on the culture media and sport select committee last month, and who performed poorly when interviewed by John Humphrys on the Today programme on the morning of what turned out to be the day he resigned....
However, he is likely to come under greater pressure over his handling of the Newsnight affair in the couple of months after the Savile allegations were first aired by ITV, and in particular will be questioned on why he relied for so long on the account of events provided by Newsnight's editor Peter Rippon, an account that had to be corrected at least three times. For instance, Rippon wrongly said that the police were aware of all Newsnight's unbroadcast material, when in fact one of the abuse victims filmed by the programme had never gone to the police....
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/nov/22/jimmy-savile-scandal-george-entwistle-evidence
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Embattled Childhoods May Be the Real Trauma for Soldiers With PTSD
Embattled Childhoods May Be the Real Trauma for Soldiers With PTSD
ScienceDaily (Nov. 19, 2012) — New research on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in soldiers challenges popular assumptions about the origins and trajectory of PTSD, providing evidence that traumatic experiences in childhood -- not combat -- may predict which soldiers develop the disorder....
"Most studies on PTSD in soldiers following service in war zones do not include measures of PTSD symptoms prior to deployment and thus suffer from a baseline problem. Only a few studies have examined pre- to post-deployment changes in PTSD symptoms, and most only use a single before-and-after measure," says Berntsen....
Rather than following some sort of "typical" pattern in which symptoms emerge soon after a particularly traumatic event and persist over time, Berntsen and colleagues found wide variation in the development of PTSD among the soldiers.
The vast majority of the soldiers (84%) were resilient, showing no PTSD symptoms at all or recovering quickly from mild symptoms.
The rest of the soldiers showed distinct and unexpected patterns of symptoms. About 4% showed evidence of "new-onset" trajectory, with symptoms starting low and showing a marked increase across the five timepoints. Their symptoms did not appear to follow any specific traumatic event.
Most notably, about 13% of the soldiers in the study actually showed temporary improvement in symptoms during deployment. These soldiers reported significant symptoms of stress prior to leaving for Afghanistan that seemed to ease in the first months of deployment only to increase again upon their return home.
What could account for this unexpected pattern of symptoms?
Compared to the resilient soldiers, the soldiers who developed PTSD were much more likely to have suffered emotional problems and traumatic events prior to deployment. Childhood experiences of violence, especially punishment severe enough to cause bruises, cuts, burns, and broken bones actually predicted the onset of PTSD in these soldiers. Those who showed symptoms of PTSD were more likely to have witnessed family violence, and to have experienced physical attacks, stalking or death threats by a spouse. They were also more likely to have past experiences that they could not, or would not, talk about. And they were less educated than the resilient soldiers....
The findings challenge the notion that exposure to combat and other war atrocities is the main cause of PTSD.
"We were surprised that stressful experiences during childhood seemed to play such a central role in discriminating the resilient versus non-resilient groups," says Berntsen. "These results should make psychologists question prevailing assumptions about PTSD and its development."
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119140625.htm
Peace and War Trajectories of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms Before, During, and After Military Deployment in Afghanistan
Dorthe Berntsen, Kim B. Johannessen, Yvonne D. Thomsen, Mette Bertelsen, Rick H. Hoyle and David C. Rubin
Abstract
In the study reported here, we examined posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in 746 Danish soldiers measured on five occasions before, during, and after deployment to Afghanistan. Using latent class growth analysis, we identified six trajectories of change in PTSD symptoms. Two resilient trajectories had low levels across all five times, and a new-onset trajectory started low and showed a marked increase of PTSD symptoms. Three temporary-benefit trajectories, not previously described in the literature, showed decreases in PTSD symptoms during (or immediately after) deployment, followed by increases after return from deployment. Predeployment emotional problems and predeployment traumas, especially childhood adversities, were predictors for inclusion in the nonresilient trajectories, whereas deployment-related stress was not.
These findings challenge standard views of PTSD in two ways. First, they show that factors other than immediately preceding stressors are critical for PTSD development, with childhood adversities being central. Second, they demonstrate that the development of PTSD symptoms shows heterogeneity, which indicates the need for multiple measurements to understand PTSD and identify people in need of treatment.
http://pss.sagepub.com/content/early/2012/11/02/0956797612457389
ScienceDaily (Nov. 19, 2012) — New research on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in soldiers challenges popular assumptions about the origins and trajectory of PTSD, providing evidence that traumatic experiences in childhood -- not combat -- may predict which soldiers develop the disorder....
"Most studies on PTSD in soldiers following service in war zones do not include measures of PTSD symptoms prior to deployment and thus suffer from a baseline problem. Only a few studies have examined pre- to post-deployment changes in PTSD symptoms, and most only use a single before-and-after measure," says Berntsen....
Rather than following some sort of "typical" pattern in which symptoms emerge soon after a particularly traumatic event and persist over time, Berntsen and colleagues found wide variation in the development of PTSD among the soldiers.
The vast majority of the soldiers (84%) were resilient, showing no PTSD symptoms at all or recovering quickly from mild symptoms.
The rest of the soldiers showed distinct and unexpected patterns of symptoms. About 4% showed evidence of "new-onset" trajectory, with symptoms starting low and showing a marked increase across the five timepoints. Their symptoms did not appear to follow any specific traumatic event.
Most notably, about 13% of the soldiers in the study actually showed temporary improvement in symptoms during deployment. These soldiers reported significant symptoms of stress prior to leaving for Afghanistan that seemed to ease in the first months of deployment only to increase again upon their return home.
What could account for this unexpected pattern of symptoms?
Compared to the resilient soldiers, the soldiers who developed PTSD were much more likely to have suffered emotional problems and traumatic events prior to deployment. Childhood experiences of violence, especially punishment severe enough to cause bruises, cuts, burns, and broken bones actually predicted the onset of PTSD in these soldiers. Those who showed symptoms of PTSD were more likely to have witnessed family violence, and to have experienced physical attacks, stalking or death threats by a spouse. They were also more likely to have past experiences that they could not, or would not, talk about. And they were less educated than the resilient soldiers....
The findings challenge the notion that exposure to combat and other war atrocities is the main cause of PTSD.
"We were surprised that stressful experiences during childhood seemed to play such a central role in discriminating the resilient versus non-resilient groups," says Berntsen. "These results should make psychologists question prevailing assumptions about PTSD and its development."
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119140625.htm
Peace and War Trajectories of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms Before, During, and After Military Deployment in Afghanistan
Dorthe Berntsen, Kim B. Johannessen, Yvonne D. Thomsen, Mette Bertelsen, Rick H. Hoyle and David C. Rubin
Abstract
In the study reported here, we examined posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in 746 Danish soldiers measured on five occasions before, during, and after deployment to Afghanistan. Using latent class growth analysis, we identified six trajectories of change in PTSD symptoms. Two resilient trajectories had low levels across all five times, and a new-onset trajectory started low and showed a marked increase of PTSD symptoms. Three temporary-benefit trajectories, not previously described in the literature, showed decreases in PTSD symptoms during (or immediately after) deployment, followed by increases after return from deployment. Predeployment emotional problems and predeployment traumas, especially childhood adversities, were predictors for inclusion in the nonresilient trajectories, whereas deployment-related stress was not.
These findings challenge standard views of PTSD in two ways. First, they show that factors other than immediately preceding stressors are critical for PTSD development, with childhood adversities being central. Second, they demonstrate that the development of PTSD symptoms shows heterogeneity, which indicates the need for multiple measurements to understand PTSD and identify people in need of treatment.
http://pss.sagepub.com/content/early/2012/11/02/0956797612457389
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
$123M settlement Delaware abuse case, Institutional Abuse North Ireland, Rochdale, Gangs
- $123M settlement approved in Del. child abuse case
- Historic child abuse investigation will now cost £19m, Assembly told
- Rochdale child abuse case: exploited girls faced 'absolute disrespect'
- 45 children a day at risk from sexual exploitation by gangs, warns inquiry
- Groomed, raped, frightened: the victims of child sexual exploitation
$123M settlement approved in Del. child abuse case
Esteban Parra, The (Wilmington, Del.) News Journal Share
The former pediatrician last year was found guilty of raping or assaulting more than 100 girls he treated. His own videos helped to convict him.
November 20. 2012 -
GEORGETOWN, Del. — A Superior Court judge approved a $123 million class-action settlement related to the child sexual abuse committed by former Lewes, Del., pediatrician Earl Bradley.
Under the Monday settlement's terms, the money would be put into a pool for victims, similar to the system used for victims in priest sex-abuse cases.
A mediator will evaluate each claim and separate them into different categories based on the severity of abuse. A settlement amount then will be assigned to each category and all approved for that category will be paid.
"The approval of this class-action settlement marks the end of litigation arising from Dr. Bradley's 15-year reign of terror and abuse in Sussex County," Superior Court Judge Joseph R. Slights III wrote in his 56-page decision....
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/11/19/delaware-child-abuse-case/1715867/
Historic child abuse investigation will now cost £19m, Assembly told
By Lesley-Anne McKeown
Wednesday, 21 November 2012
Costs for an inquiry into historical institutional child abuse in Northern Ireland could reach £19m, the Assembly has been told.
Ulster Unionist MLA Mike Nesbitt, who chairs Stormont's OFMDFM committee, said MLAs had been informed in September that predicted costs had doubled from initial estimates.
The Strangford MLA added: “On the estimated costs of the inquiry the committee sought clarification from the department whether the figures in the financial and explanatory memorandum of between £7.5m and £9m remained accurate.
“Officials advised the committee that the estimated costs had been revised upwards — doubled in fact to £15-19m to take into account the complexities of the inquiry and the associated legal costs.”....
Initially, the inquiry was to look at cases between 1945 and 1995, but MLAs have since agreed to extend it back to 1922.
The probe comes after the Ryan Report uncovered decades of endemic abuse in some religious institutions in the Republic of Ireland.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/historic-child-abuse-investigation-will-now-cost-19m-assembly-told-16240341.html
Rochdale child abuse case: exploited girls faced 'absolute disrespect'
MPs question why the NHS crisis team that was praised for raising the alarm about sexual abuse in Rochdale has suffered job cuts
Rachel Williams The Guardian, Tuesday 20 November 2012
It was a simple yet powerful piece of evidence. Asked what lay behind the failures in Rochdale over sexual exploitation of teenage girls, Sara Rowbotham, co-ordinator of the local NHS crisis intervention team, paused before answering. "It was about attitudes towards teenagers," she told the home affairs select committee earlier this month. "It was absolute disrespect that vulnerable young people did not have a voice. They were overlooked. They were discriminated against. They were treated appallingly by protective services."
Since nine men were jailed in May for "sharing" five girls, plying them with fast food, drink and drugs so they could use them for sex, a picture has emerged of missed opportunities to help young girls being exploited – based on a mistaken belief they were simply "making their own choices". The NHS team has emerged as one of the few services that got it right. But staff numbers on the team, which offers one-to-one sexual health advice to vulnerable teenagers, have been cut from 10 to seven over the past three years.
A Guardian investigation this year found the crisis intervention team made more than 100 referrals about girls it thought were either being sexually exploited, or at risk of it, to Rochdale borough council social services and Greater Manchester police between 2004 and the end of 2010. A report published in September by the local safeguarding children board (SCB) was damning of the "poor response" of Rochdale's children's social care department. It also praised the crisis intervention team's ability to understand that girls were victims of abuse, rather than consenting young adults. Its work, Rowbotham told the select committee, had helped secure the recent convictions, because the victims' evidence was corroborated by the service's case notes....
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/nov/20/rochdale-child-abuse-case
45 children a day at risk from sexual exploitation by gangs, warns inquiry
Local authorities, police and healthcare professionals ignoring warning signs displayed by those at risk, says interim report
Alexandra Topping
The Guardian, Tuesday 20 November 2012
As many as 45 children a day are at risk of rape, violence and sexual exploitation at the hands of gangs who prey on their vulnerability, according to the biggest study of its kind carried out in England....
The inquiry's interim report found that 2,409 children had been sexually exploited in a 14-month period form August 2010 to October 2011, but the real figure was likely to be "far greater" because of lack of data and confusion in reporting sexual exploitation. As many as 16,500 children were identified as being at "high risk" of sexual exploitation – displaying three or more warning signs including running away from home, drug or alcohol misuse and criminality.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/nov/21/child-risk-sex-exploitation-gang
Groomed, raped, frightened: the victims of child sexual exploitation
Children living in residential care are particularly at risk of sexual exploitation, according to report
Alexandra Topping The Guardian, Tuesday 20 November 2012
Teegan, a white British girl, told report authors she had been sexually exploited from the age of 12. After being groomed she was taken to "parties" across England in nice houses, sometimes mansions, where men could choose which girls they wanted to have sex with from a book with photographs and ages of all of the girls available. Teegan thought she cost around £500 a hour, and said in some cases one girl could be hired for a group of men over an evening. If Teegan refused, she would be beaten and her family threatened. After the abuse, she took several overdoses, was placed in secure accommodation, and self-harmed – sometimes on a daily basis. She said she was too scared to make a formal complaint.
Marina, 16, and her 14-year-old sister were sexually exploited after being groomed by white British shop owners in return for alcohol and cigarettes. Marina also had a "boyfriend" in his late 30s, of North African origin, who would pass her around his friends for sex. She told the report that she was driven to "parties" where she would be raped by multiple men before being dropped off at home.
In another case, when Sahida, a 17-year-old British Pakistani girl, said a family member had sexually abused her she was threatened with a forced marriage. After the threats she began spending time with older Asian males, and was moved to multiple locations by them. She is now pregnant and has been physically assaulted by her family as a punishment.
Children living in residential care are particularly at risk of sexual exploitation, according to the report. A specialist sexual exploitation service told the report that a particular home was repeatedly targeted by groomers, and that new girls coming into the home were likely to be sexually exploited....
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/nov/21/groomed-raped-victims-sexual-exploitation
- Historic child abuse investigation will now cost £19m, Assembly told
- Rochdale child abuse case: exploited girls faced 'absolute disrespect'
- 45 children a day at risk from sexual exploitation by gangs, warns inquiry
- Groomed, raped, frightened: the victims of child sexual exploitation
$123M settlement approved in Del. child abuse case
Esteban Parra, The (Wilmington, Del.) News Journal Share
The former pediatrician last year was found guilty of raping or assaulting more than 100 girls he treated. His own videos helped to convict him.
November 20. 2012 -
GEORGETOWN, Del. — A Superior Court judge approved a $123 million class-action settlement related to the child sexual abuse committed by former Lewes, Del., pediatrician Earl Bradley.
Under the Monday settlement's terms, the money would be put into a pool for victims, similar to the system used for victims in priest sex-abuse cases.
A mediator will evaluate each claim and separate them into different categories based on the severity of abuse. A settlement amount then will be assigned to each category and all approved for that category will be paid.
"The approval of this class-action settlement marks the end of litigation arising from Dr. Bradley's 15-year reign of terror and abuse in Sussex County," Superior Court Judge Joseph R. Slights III wrote in his 56-page decision....
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/11/19/delaware-child-abuse-case/1715867/
Historic child abuse investigation will now cost £19m, Assembly told
By Lesley-Anne McKeown
Wednesday, 21 November 2012
Costs for an inquiry into historical institutional child abuse in Northern Ireland could reach £19m, the Assembly has been told.
Ulster Unionist MLA Mike Nesbitt, who chairs Stormont's OFMDFM committee, said MLAs had been informed in September that predicted costs had doubled from initial estimates.
The Strangford MLA added: “On the estimated costs of the inquiry the committee sought clarification from the department whether the figures in the financial and explanatory memorandum of between £7.5m and £9m remained accurate.
“Officials advised the committee that the estimated costs had been revised upwards — doubled in fact to £15-19m to take into account the complexities of the inquiry and the associated legal costs.”....
Initially, the inquiry was to look at cases between 1945 and 1995, but MLAs have since agreed to extend it back to 1922.
The probe comes after the Ryan Report uncovered decades of endemic abuse in some religious institutions in the Republic of Ireland.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/historic-child-abuse-investigation-will-now-cost-19m-assembly-told-16240341.html
Rochdale child abuse case: exploited girls faced 'absolute disrespect'
MPs question why the NHS crisis team that was praised for raising the alarm about sexual abuse in Rochdale has suffered job cuts
Rachel Williams The Guardian, Tuesday 20 November 2012
It was a simple yet powerful piece of evidence. Asked what lay behind the failures in Rochdale over sexual exploitation of teenage girls, Sara Rowbotham, co-ordinator of the local NHS crisis intervention team, paused before answering. "It was about attitudes towards teenagers," she told the home affairs select committee earlier this month. "It was absolute disrespect that vulnerable young people did not have a voice. They were overlooked. They were discriminated against. They were treated appallingly by protective services."
Since nine men were jailed in May for "sharing" five girls, plying them with fast food, drink and drugs so they could use them for sex, a picture has emerged of missed opportunities to help young girls being exploited – based on a mistaken belief they were simply "making their own choices". The NHS team has emerged as one of the few services that got it right. But staff numbers on the team, which offers one-to-one sexual health advice to vulnerable teenagers, have been cut from 10 to seven over the past three years.
A Guardian investigation this year found the crisis intervention team made more than 100 referrals about girls it thought were either being sexually exploited, or at risk of it, to Rochdale borough council social services and Greater Manchester police between 2004 and the end of 2010. A report published in September by the local safeguarding children board (SCB) was damning of the "poor response" of Rochdale's children's social care department. It also praised the crisis intervention team's ability to understand that girls were victims of abuse, rather than consenting young adults. Its work, Rowbotham told the select committee, had helped secure the recent convictions, because the victims' evidence was corroborated by the service's case notes....
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/nov/20/rochdale-child-abuse-case
45 children a day at risk from sexual exploitation by gangs, warns inquiry
Local authorities, police and healthcare professionals ignoring warning signs displayed by those at risk, says interim report
Alexandra Topping
The Guardian, Tuesday 20 November 2012
As many as 45 children a day are at risk of rape, violence and sexual exploitation at the hands of gangs who prey on their vulnerability, according to the biggest study of its kind carried out in England....
The inquiry's interim report found that 2,409 children had been sexually exploited in a 14-month period form August 2010 to October 2011, but the real figure was likely to be "far greater" because of lack of data and confusion in reporting sexual exploitation. As many as 16,500 children were identified as being at "high risk" of sexual exploitation – displaying three or more warning signs including running away from home, drug or alcohol misuse and criminality.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/nov/21/child-risk-sex-exploitation-gang
Groomed, raped, frightened: the victims of child sexual exploitation
Children living in residential care are particularly at risk of sexual exploitation, according to report
Alexandra Topping The Guardian, Tuesday 20 November 2012
Teegan, a white British girl, told report authors she had been sexually exploited from the age of 12. After being groomed she was taken to "parties" across England in nice houses, sometimes mansions, where men could choose which girls they wanted to have sex with from a book with photographs and ages of all of the girls available. Teegan thought she cost around £500 a hour, and said in some cases one girl could be hired for a group of men over an evening. If Teegan refused, she would be beaten and her family threatened. After the abuse, she took several overdoses, was placed in secure accommodation, and self-harmed – sometimes on a daily basis. She said she was too scared to make a formal complaint.
Marina, 16, and her 14-year-old sister were sexually exploited after being groomed by white British shop owners in return for alcohol and cigarettes. Marina also had a "boyfriend" in his late 30s, of North African origin, who would pass her around his friends for sex. She told the report that she was driven to "parties" where she would be raped by multiple men before being dropped off at home.
In another case, when Sahida, a 17-year-old British Pakistani girl, said a family member had sexually abused her she was threatened with a forced marriage. After the threats she began spending time with older Asian males, and was moved to multiple locations by them. She is now pregnant and has been physically assaulted by her family as a punishment.
Children living in residential care are particularly at risk of sexual exploitation, according to the report. A specialist sexual exploitation service told the report that a particular home was repeatedly targeted by groomers, and that new girls coming into the home were likely to be sexually exploited....
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/nov/21/groomed-raped-victims-sexual-exploitation
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Survivorship Webinar - How can we survive the holidays - December 1st
Another great webinar coming up!
"How we can survive the holidays"
Saturday, December 1, 2012
12:00 noon Pacific Time
Presenters: Jan White and Neil Brick
This webinar will be an open discussion of ideas around how survivors can survive the holidays with the additional help of their support systems. Jan and Neil will open the discussion with their ideas and encourage participants to add theirs. Survivor support people are welcome to join.
Jan White is the Vice-President of the Survivorship Board of Directors. She has survived incest, ritual abuse and gov. mind control. She is in training in Kairos Bodywork. She has been privileged to be a member of Survivorship since 1990.
Neil Brick is the founder of S.M.A.R.T. (Stop Mind Control and Ritual Abuse Today) at http://ritualabuse.us. He is a survivor of ritual abuse and a survivor advocate. He works on developing supports for survivors and getting information out to the general public about ritual abuse. He runs yearly ritual abuse conferences on the east coast of the United States every year at http://ritualabuse.us/smart-conference. Links to his presentation transcripts and research papers are http://neilbrick.com
REGISTRATION
Registration closes Thursday evening November 29th , 2012
For information on joining Survivorship, go to http://www.survivorship.org/about/membership.html
Complete details on all our webinars are at http://www.survivorship.org/webinars.html
If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact Shamai@survivorship.org
"How we can survive the holidays"
Saturday, December 1, 2012
12:00 noon Pacific Time
Presenters: Jan White and Neil Brick
This webinar will be an open discussion of ideas around how survivors can survive the holidays with the additional help of their support systems. Jan and Neil will open the discussion with their ideas and encourage participants to add theirs. Survivor support people are welcome to join.
Jan White is the Vice-President of the Survivorship Board of Directors. She has survived incest, ritual abuse and gov. mind control. She is in training in Kairos Bodywork. She has been privileged to be a member of Survivorship since 1990.
Neil Brick is the founder of S.M.A.R.T. (Stop Mind Control and Ritual Abuse Today) at http://ritualabuse.us. He is a survivor of ritual abuse and a survivor advocate. He works on developing supports for survivors and getting information out to the general public about ritual abuse. He runs yearly ritual abuse conferences on the east coast of the United States every year at http://ritualabuse.us/smart-conference. Links to his presentation transcripts and research papers are http://neilbrick.com
REGISTRATION
Registration closes Thursday evening November 29th , 2012
For information on joining Survivorship, go to http://www.survivorship.org/about/membership.html
Complete details on all our webinars are at http://www.survivorship.org/webinars.html
If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact Shamai@survivorship.org
Meet the Woman Who Exposed Jerry Sandusky
Meet the Woman Who Exposed Jerry Sandusky
She's Sara Ganim and she's just 24. In a Glamour exclusive, she tells how she broke the story of Penn State's sex-abuse scandal and changed college sports forever.
by Liz Brody
"Anything else going on?" Sara Ganim asked her source late one night in 2009. As the crime reporter for a small newspaper in State College, Pennsylvania, it was a question she always ended with. And this evening, to Ganim's surprise, the source replied, "Well, actually, a boy just came forward to the police and alleged sex crimes against Jerry Sandusky."....
Ganim, a Penn State grad and a football fan herself, knew her way around the university's online message boards. There she quickly found gossip about Sandusky getting too friendly with young boys. So she started asking around. "I'd say, 'Hey, have you heard anything strange about Jerry Sandusky?'" And though people knew about the rumors, Ganim says, "almost no one believed they were true."
For the next two years, Ganim tried to get real facts—"I just started knocking on doors," she says—and pursued the story aggressively after joining the staff of Harrisburg's The Patriot-News in January 2011.....
"Some people closed their doors in my face, and others definitely did not tell me the truth," she says. "But many were relieved—they were done keeping the story bottled up inside." What she uncovered was staggering: She identified two alleged victims and learned that Sandusky was under investigation by a grand jury for sexual abuse. (In Pennsylvania such proceedings are held in secret.) Ganim kept digging and, by this time last year, had enough evidence to write the first story exposing the grand jury hearing, as well as accusations that the former coach had molested at least one boy in the university's locker room.
Some readers savaged the paper for printing "gossip." But other media and sports reporters ignored the news, even as Ganim continued to report the story. "It felt like we were living in the Twilight Zone," says The Patriot-News' editor, David Newhouse. Adds Ganim, "Particularly with the local papers, I thought [that] was pretty irresponsible." It took a full seven months—after Sandusky was arrested and publicly charged with the sexual abuse of eight boys he met through his charity, The Second Mile—for national news media to pounce. The horrifying charges included repeated oral sex and sodomy; one victim testified that he screamed in vain from the Sandusky family basement, knowing the coach's wife was upstairs....
On November 8, based on Ganim's reporting, The Patriot-News published a front-page editorial calling for the resignations of Penn State's president, Graham Spanier, and its head coach of 45-plus years, Joe Paterno. The day after the editorial, the university forced out both men, and the campus erupted in student riots. It was only then that Ganim realized just how huge her story had become....
In one blistering article, she detailed how an incident witnessed by then grad student Mike McQueary had been watered down with every retelling—from "anal rape," as McQueary described it to Paterno, to "something of a sexual nature," as the coach retold it to the school vice president, to what Spanier eventually characterized as "conduct that made someone uncomfortable"—without ever being reported to police. (It later came out that Spanier and the board of trustees had known about the Sandusky investigation for months and done next to nothing.) Ganim's discerning coverage made sure Penn State and other schools started taking abuse allegations seriously; soon after, similar cases drew attention at Syracuse University and The Citadel.
http://www.glamour.com/inspired/magazine/2012/02/meet-the-woman-who-exposed-jerry-sandusky
She's Sara Ganim and she's just 24. In a Glamour exclusive, she tells how she broke the story of Penn State's sex-abuse scandal and changed college sports forever.
by Liz Brody
"Anything else going on?" Sara Ganim asked her source late one night in 2009. As the crime reporter for a small newspaper in State College, Pennsylvania, it was a question she always ended with. And this evening, to Ganim's surprise, the source replied, "Well, actually, a boy just came forward to the police and alleged sex crimes against Jerry Sandusky."....
Ganim, a Penn State grad and a football fan herself, knew her way around the university's online message boards. There she quickly found gossip about Sandusky getting too friendly with young boys. So she started asking around. "I'd say, 'Hey, have you heard anything strange about Jerry Sandusky?'" And though people knew about the rumors, Ganim says, "almost no one believed they were true."
For the next two years, Ganim tried to get real facts—"I just started knocking on doors," she says—and pursued the story aggressively after joining the staff of Harrisburg's The Patriot-News in January 2011.....
"Some people closed their doors in my face, and others definitely did not tell me the truth," she says. "But many were relieved—they were done keeping the story bottled up inside." What she uncovered was staggering: She identified two alleged victims and learned that Sandusky was under investigation by a grand jury for sexual abuse. (In Pennsylvania such proceedings are held in secret.) Ganim kept digging and, by this time last year, had enough evidence to write the first story exposing the grand jury hearing, as well as accusations that the former coach had molested at least one boy in the university's locker room.
Some readers savaged the paper for printing "gossip." But other media and sports reporters ignored the news, even as Ganim continued to report the story. "It felt like we were living in the Twilight Zone," says The Patriot-News' editor, David Newhouse. Adds Ganim, "Particularly with the local papers, I thought [that] was pretty irresponsible." It took a full seven months—after Sandusky was arrested and publicly charged with the sexual abuse of eight boys he met through his charity, The Second Mile—for national news media to pounce. The horrifying charges included repeated oral sex and sodomy; one victim testified that he screamed in vain from the Sandusky family basement, knowing the coach's wife was upstairs....
On November 8, based on Ganim's reporting, The Patriot-News published a front-page editorial calling for the resignations of Penn State's president, Graham Spanier, and its head coach of 45-plus years, Joe Paterno. The day after the editorial, the university forced out both men, and the campus erupted in student riots. It was only then that Ganim realized just how huge her story had become....
In one blistering article, she detailed how an incident witnessed by then grad student Mike McQueary had been watered down with every retelling—from "anal rape," as McQueary described it to Paterno, to "something of a sexual nature," as the coach retold it to the school vice president, to what Spanier eventually characterized as "conduct that made someone uncomfortable"—without ever being reported to police. (It later came out that Spanier and the board of trustees had known about the Sandusky investigation for months and done next to nothing.) Ganim's discerning coverage made sure Penn State and other schools started taking abuse allegations seriously; soon after, similar cases drew attention at Syracuse University and The Citadel.
http://www.glamour.com/inspired/magazine/2012/02/meet-the-woman-who-exposed-jerry-sandusky
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Savile guided prince in choice of top aide, so close to Prince Charles
Savile's sickening confession in his own memoir: 'I said I'd do the event if I could sleep in a tent with six girls. They arrived in matching miniskirts and boots and looked good enough to eat'
He spent night with six girls wearing matching mini-skirts and white boots
They 'fell about and over each other, making enough noise to wake dead'
Savile describes being spotted on beach by girl who took off clothes for him
New stories have come to light in his out-of-print 1974 book As It Happens
Meanwhile Leeds University could strip Savile of his honorary law doctorate
And crime experts call for probe into presenter's links to Yorkshire Ripper
It's claimed Savile even advised Prince Charles on senior aide's appointment
Savile 'hoarded toys left by public in Diana's memory meant for sick children'
By Mark Duell 4 November 2012
....He claimed a council chairman called him as he wanted the annual mayoral ball to become a youth dance, because the event had previously only attracted a few hundred locals in the past.
The presenter told the chairman: ‘I will come if you will arrange for me to sleep in a tent up the local hillside with another tent alongside with six girls to sleep there as my bodyguards.
He added: ‘My demands really put the dance on the map and 2,000 tickets went like hot cakes.
'My ultimatum of “no tents, no girls, no me” meant the council had to go through with it.’
Meanwhile, Savile was said to be so close to Prince Charles that he advised him on the appointment of Sir Christopher Airy as his private secretary in 1990, it was claimed today by the Sunday Times.
Savile and Charles met former major-general Airy before he was offered the post, portraying an extraordinary close friendship between the heir to the throne and the disgraced TV star.
'Savile was in and out of the palace at that time pretty frequently,' a source said. 'His bling and his tracksuits made him rather unconventional and I think that was appealing to Prince Charles.’
Ex-royal press secretary Dickie Arbiter said Savile was a ‘brought in by an aide as a sort of “Jim’ll Fix It” to fix the state of the marriage’ of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, ‘but of course it didn’t work’.
St James’s Palace said it had no record of Savile being at Airy’s interview. Airy refused to comment....
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2227586/Jimmy-Savile-demanded-young-girls-stay-tent-return-charity-appearance.html
Savile guided prince in choice of top aide
The shamed TV star forged close ties with Charles and helped him vet his private secretary
Kate Mansey and Simon Trump Published: 4 November 2012
JIMMY SAVILE was so close to Prince Charles that he advised him on the appointment of one of his most senior aides, The Sunday Times has learnt.
In an indication of the power and privilege extended to Savile by the royal family, Charles asked the DJ and television presenter for advice before selecting Sir Christopher Airy to be his private secretary in 1990.
Savile and Charles met Airy, a former major-general, before he was offered the post, according to an informed source.
The revelation shows the close friendship between the heir to the throne and the television presenter, who the prince grew to rely on in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
It also raises questions about the judgment of Charles and his decision to befriend Saville... http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/newsuknewssavileinquiry/article1159135.ece
He spent night with six girls wearing matching mini-skirts and white boots
They 'fell about and over each other, making enough noise to wake dead'
Savile describes being spotted on beach by girl who took off clothes for him
New stories have come to light in his out-of-print 1974 book As It Happens
Meanwhile Leeds University could strip Savile of his honorary law doctorate
And crime experts call for probe into presenter's links to Yorkshire Ripper
It's claimed Savile even advised Prince Charles on senior aide's appointment
Savile 'hoarded toys left by public in Diana's memory meant for sick children'
By Mark Duell 4 November 2012
....He claimed a council chairman called him as he wanted the annual mayoral ball to become a youth dance, because the event had previously only attracted a few hundred locals in the past.
The presenter told the chairman: ‘I will come if you will arrange for me to sleep in a tent up the local hillside with another tent alongside with six girls to sleep there as my bodyguards.
He added: ‘My demands really put the dance on the map and 2,000 tickets went like hot cakes.
'My ultimatum of “no tents, no girls, no me” meant the council had to go through with it.’
Meanwhile, Savile was said to be so close to Prince Charles that he advised him on the appointment of Sir Christopher Airy as his private secretary in 1990, it was claimed today by the Sunday Times.
Savile and Charles met former major-general Airy before he was offered the post, portraying an extraordinary close friendship between the heir to the throne and the disgraced TV star.
'Savile was in and out of the palace at that time pretty frequently,' a source said. 'His bling and his tracksuits made him rather unconventional and I think that was appealing to Prince Charles.’
Ex-royal press secretary Dickie Arbiter said Savile was a ‘brought in by an aide as a sort of “Jim’ll Fix It” to fix the state of the marriage’ of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, ‘but of course it didn’t work’.
St James’s Palace said it had no record of Savile being at Airy’s interview. Airy refused to comment....
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2227586/Jimmy-Savile-demanded-young-girls-stay-tent-return-charity-appearance.html
Savile guided prince in choice of top aide
The shamed TV star forged close ties with Charles and helped him vet his private secretary
Kate Mansey and Simon Trump Published: 4 November 2012
JIMMY SAVILE was so close to Prince Charles that he advised him on the appointment of one of his most senior aides, The Sunday Times has learnt.
In an indication of the power and privilege extended to Savile by the royal family, Charles asked the DJ and television presenter for advice before selecting Sir Christopher Airy to be his private secretary in 1990.
Savile and Charles met Airy, a former major-general, before he was offered the post, according to an informed source.
The revelation shows the close friendship between the heir to the throne and the television presenter, who the prince grew to rely on in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
It also raises questions about the judgment of Charles and his decision to befriend Saville... http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/newsuknewssavileinquiry/article1159135.ece
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Role of Ritual in the Organised Abuse of Children, Lawyer alleges church cover-up as late as 2005
The Role of Ritual in the Organised Abuse of Children
Michael Salter 13 NOV 2012 Child Abuse Review Vol. 21 Issue 5
DOI: 10.1002/car.2215
Over the last 30 years, allegations of ritual child sexual abuse have emerged from child protection cases and legal proceedings and from adults and children in psychotherapy. These allegations have been met with disbelief from many practitioners and academics. Children and adults disclosing ritual abuse continue to present in a range of circumstances and recent substantiations of ritual abuse allegations call for a grounded analysis of their claims. This paper is based on qualitative interviews with 16 adults who described experiencing ritual abuse in childhood. They described the ways in which sexually abusive groups generated shared rationales of religious or mythological justifications for organised abuse. Participants were forced to internalise these rationales in degrading and dehumanising ordeals, whereupon they became active in facilitating their own abuse and/or the abuse of others. Ritual abuse can therefore be conceptualised as a device or strategy that enjoins the participation of victims in organised abuse whilst simultaneously accomplishing exculpation for perpetrators.
"The evidence base for ritual abuse is complex, including successful convictions in child sex prosecutions where ritual abuse was alleged, and a range of studies documenting long-term and serious psychological harm amongst children and adults disclosing organised and ritual abuse (for a summary, see Noblitt and Perskin, 2000, chapter 6). In recent years, ritual abuse has been substantiated in criminal investigations in North America (for newspaper reports, see Gyan, 2010; Lemoine, 2008a, 2008b), the UK and Europe (de Bruxelles, 2011; Kelly, 1998), and it has been documented in African and European child trafficking networks (International Organization of Migration, 2001). A recent resurgence in publications on ritual abuse highlights that adults and children are continuing to disclose ritual abuse in a variety of settings (Epstein et al., 2011; Noblitt and Perskin-Noblitt, 2008; Sachs and Galton, 2008; Sarson and MacDonald, 2008)."
"Conclusion
This analysis of survivors’ accounts of ritual abuse has shown how rituals serve as legitimising practices within organised abuse. In participants’ accounts, abusive groups utilised ritual practices to generate a private discourse about the righteous domination of abusive men over women and children, a discourse often marked with references to the ‘natural’ or ‘supernatural’ order. In this context, ritualistic practices were not simply a deviant form of religious activity, but rather they served to imbue organised abuse with metaphysical or religious overtones, thereby recasting sexual abuse as a masculine right, even a duty, rather than as a practice of control and power. The internal and private discourses of abusive groups, with their copious mentions of Satan, magical powers and eternal damnation, may appear jarringly naive and even garish to those unfamiliar with the abusive contexts in which they have arisen. However, for victims of ritual abuse, they invoke a metaphysical order in which they are required to submit to further abuse and torture. Within traumatic rituals in which they were forced into contact with a range of taboo substances, participants’ views of themselves ultimately came to accord with the view of their abusers. In accordance with the mythos of the abusive group, they came to view themselves as polluted and contaminated vessels whose lot was to endure ongoing abuse and violence at the hands of men who claimed a natural or supernatural mandate to do so."
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/car.2215/abstract
Lawyer alleges church cover-up as late as 2005
By Suzanne Smith Wed Nov 14, 2012
The senior lawyer who reviewed the Catholic Church's Towards Healing protocols says the church was still covering up sexual abuse as late as 2005.
Professor Patrick Parkinson was cited by Cardinal George Pell as the man who had reviewed the church's protocols on two occasions and had given them his tick of approval.
But Professor Parkinson has told Lateline he has withdrawn his support for the protocol because the church failed to take action over clergy who do not comply.
He alleges a church cover-up as late as 2005 put children at risk.
And he says the church behaviour alleged by New South Wales Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox and Victorian police amounts to "organised criminality".
Responding to the announcement of a royal commission into institutionalised child sexual abuse, Cardinal Pell drew on the authority of Professor Parkinson.
"We follow the Towards Healing procedures here in Sydney. They were set in place in early 1997. They have been twice reviewed by Professor Parkinson, one of the leading authorities in the area," Cardinal Pell said.
"Since 1997 one of the significant protocols that's in place is, [it's] completely prohibited to shift priests who have been charged, to shift them around.
"If and where that has been done, that is against the protocols."
Professor Parkinson was involved in regularly reviewing the Towards Healing protocol up until 2009.
He says he no longer supports the document, or the church body that it established to investigate any failures.
"My disagreement with the Catholic Church has been that I have challenged them over failures to comply with the letter and spirit of the protocols," he said.
"As a matter of integrity I could no longer support the National Committee of Professional Standards while there was a gap between their rhetoric and their actions."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/4372512
Michael Salter 13 NOV 2012 Child Abuse Review Vol. 21 Issue 5
DOI: 10.1002/car.2215
Over the last 30 years, allegations of ritual child sexual abuse have emerged from child protection cases and legal proceedings and from adults and children in psychotherapy. These allegations have been met with disbelief from many practitioners and academics. Children and adults disclosing ritual abuse continue to present in a range of circumstances and recent substantiations of ritual abuse allegations call for a grounded analysis of their claims. This paper is based on qualitative interviews with 16 adults who described experiencing ritual abuse in childhood. They described the ways in which sexually abusive groups generated shared rationales of religious or mythological justifications for organised abuse. Participants were forced to internalise these rationales in degrading and dehumanising ordeals, whereupon they became active in facilitating their own abuse and/or the abuse of others. Ritual abuse can therefore be conceptualised as a device or strategy that enjoins the participation of victims in organised abuse whilst simultaneously accomplishing exculpation for perpetrators.
"The evidence base for ritual abuse is complex, including successful convictions in child sex prosecutions where ritual abuse was alleged, and a range of studies documenting long-term and serious psychological harm amongst children and adults disclosing organised and ritual abuse (for a summary, see Noblitt and Perskin, 2000, chapter 6). In recent years, ritual abuse has been substantiated in criminal investigations in North America (for newspaper reports, see Gyan, 2010; Lemoine, 2008a, 2008b), the UK and Europe (de Bruxelles, 2011; Kelly, 1998), and it has been documented in African and European child trafficking networks (International Organization of Migration, 2001). A recent resurgence in publications on ritual abuse highlights that adults and children are continuing to disclose ritual abuse in a variety of settings (Epstein et al., 2011; Noblitt and Perskin-Noblitt, 2008; Sachs and Galton, 2008; Sarson and MacDonald, 2008)."
"Conclusion
This analysis of survivors’ accounts of ritual abuse has shown how rituals serve as legitimising practices within organised abuse. In participants’ accounts, abusive groups utilised ritual practices to generate a private discourse about the righteous domination of abusive men over women and children, a discourse often marked with references to the ‘natural’ or ‘supernatural’ order. In this context, ritualistic practices were not simply a deviant form of religious activity, but rather they served to imbue organised abuse with metaphysical or religious overtones, thereby recasting sexual abuse as a masculine right, even a duty, rather than as a practice of control and power. The internal and private discourses of abusive groups, with their copious mentions of Satan, magical powers and eternal damnation, may appear jarringly naive and even garish to those unfamiliar with the abusive contexts in which they have arisen. However, for victims of ritual abuse, they invoke a metaphysical order in which they are required to submit to further abuse and torture. Within traumatic rituals in which they were forced into contact with a range of taboo substances, participants’ views of themselves ultimately came to accord with the view of their abusers. In accordance with the mythos of the abusive group, they came to view themselves as polluted and contaminated vessels whose lot was to endure ongoing abuse and violence at the hands of men who claimed a natural or supernatural mandate to do so."
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/car.2215/abstract
Lawyer alleges church cover-up as late as 2005
By Suzanne Smith Wed Nov 14, 2012
The senior lawyer who reviewed the Catholic Church's Towards Healing protocols says the church was still covering up sexual abuse as late as 2005.
Professor Patrick Parkinson was cited by Cardinal George Pell as the man who had reviewed the church's protocols on two occasions and had given them his tick of approval.
But Professor Parkinson has told Lateline he has withdrawn his support for the protocol because the church failed to take action over clergy who do not comply.
He alleges a church cover-up as late as 2005 put children at risk.
And he says the church behaviour alleged by New South Wales Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox and Victorian police amounts to "organised criminality".
Responding to the announcement of a royal commission into institutionalised child sexual abuse, Cardinal Pell drew on the authority of Professor Parkinson.
"We follow the Towards Healing procedures here in Sydney. They were set in place in early 1997. They have been twice reviewed by Professor Parkinson, one of the leading authorities in the area," Cardinal Pell said.
"Since 1997 one of the significant protocols that's in place is, [it's] completely prohibited to shift priests who have been charged, to shift them around.
"If and where that has been done, that is against the protocols."
Professor Parkinson was involved in regularly reviewing the Towards Healing protocol up until 2009.
He says he no longer supports the document, or the church body that it established to investigate any failures.
"My disagreement with the Catholic Church has been that I have challenged them over failures to comply with the letter and spirit of the protocols," he said.
"As a matter of integrity I could no longer support the National Committee of Professional Standards while there was a gap between their rhetoric and their actions."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/4372512
Monday, November 12, 2012
Keyon Dooling, Australia church sex abuse - alleged pedophile ring
Keyon Dooling stayed in a psychiatric hospital this summer, talks with Katie Couric about his history of abuse (VIDEO)
By Eric Freeman | Ball Don't Lie – 11/12/12
In late September, veteran Boston Celtics guard Keyon Dooling surprised the NBA world when he announced his retirement less than two months after signing a new contract. However, it turned out that Dooling had an excellent reason for his decision. After years of suppressing a history of sexual abuse, Dooling understood that he had to open up about his experiences, that he needed a change in his life, and that he had to spend more time with his family. It was a brave choice for a man who had earned the respect of teammates, opponents, coaches, and employers over the course of 12 seasons in the league.
Until now, though, we haven't heard much about the experiences this summer that led Dooling to step away from basketball. As detailed by David Aldridge of NBA.com, Dooling dealt with hallucinations and related issues brought on by a form of post-traumatic stress disorder and had to spend a significant amount of time in a psychiatric hospital....
Dooling was exhibiting behaviors familiar to soldiers returning from war zones. But Post Traumatic Stress Disorders aren't limited to those who fight in wars. Police officers, firefighters, anyone subject to a severe emotional episode can suffer from PTSD.
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/keyon-dooling-stayed-psychiatric-hospital-summer-talks-katie-225458656--nba.html
Policeman says inquiry should spur church to change 11/13/12
The senior policeman who blew the whistle on an alleged police cover-up of church sex abuse in New South Wales has called on the Catholic Church to make radical changes to fix problems plaguing the church.
Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox spoke to Lateline just hours after Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced the creation of a royal commission into institutional responses to instances of child sexual abuse.
Pressure had been building on the Government to react to growing social and political outrage at the latest series of revelations of paedophilia in society.
Most are centred on the Catholic Church, but Ms Gillard says that it is not the only focus of the inquiry, which will look into claims across the breadth of society.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/4368086
Gillard launches royal commission into child abuse
By Simon Cullen and staff Mon Nov 12, 2012
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has announced the creation of a national royal commission into institutional responses to instances of child sexual abuse.
The decision was taken at a meeting of federal cabinet this afternoon.
Ms Gillard had been under pressure to act following growing calls for a national inquiry into explosive allegations by a senior New South Wales police investigator that the Catholic Church covered up evidence involving paedophile priests.
A number of senior Labor MPs, as well as key independents, had already voiced their support for action on a national scale.
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott also declared his support for a "wide-ranging" royal commission into child sex abuse but said it should not just focus on claims involving the Catholic Church....
http://www.abc.net.au/news/4367364
Ex-teacher, Catholic brother face assault charges
Lateline By Matthew Carney and staff 11/13/12
Sydney police have arrested a former teacher and a Catholic brother over alleged assaults against children dating back more than two decades.
Detectives from the Sex Crimes Squad arrested the 58-year-old former teacher in Blacktown in the city's west late on Monday afternoon. A 59-year-old Catholic brother was arrested an hour later at The Entrance on the NSW central coast....
Police allege the offences involved two 13-year-old boys in 1987 and an eight-year-old girl in 1985, with some of the incidents taking place at a Catholic college in Blacktown and a primary school at Lalor Park.
ABC TV's Lateline program reported the arrests are linked to an alleged paedophile ring, and it understands more arrests are to follow....
http://www.abc.net.au/news/4367886
By Eric Freeman | Ball Don't Lie – 11/12/12
In late September, veteran Boston Celtics guard Keyon Dooling surprised the NBA world when he announced his retirement less than two months after signing a new contract. However, it turned out that Dooling had an excellent reason for his decision. After years of suppressing a history of sexual abuse, Dooling understood that he had to open up about his experiences, that he needed a change in his life, and that he had to spend more time with his family. It was a brave choice for a man who had earned the respect of teammates, opponents, coaches, and employers over the course of 12 seasons in the league.
Until now, though, we haven't heard much about the experiences this summer that led Dooling to step away from basketball. As detailed by David Aldridge of NBA.com, Dooling dealt with hallucinations and related issues brought on by a form of post-traumatic stress disorder and had to spend a significant amount of time in a psychiatric hospital....
Dooling was exhibiting behaviors familiar to soldiers returning from war zones. But Post Traumatic Stress Disorders aren't limited to those who fight in wars. Police officers, firefighters, anyone subject to a severe emotional episode can suffer from PTSD.
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/keyon-dooling-stayed-psychiatric-hospital-summer-talks-katie-225458656--nba.html
Policeman says inquiry should spur church to change 11/13/12
The senior policeman who blew the whistle on an alleged police cover-up of church sex abuse in New South Wales has called on the Catholic Church to make radical changes to fix problems plaguing the church.
Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox spoke to Lateline just hours after Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced the creation of a royal commission into institutional responses to instances of child sexual abuse.
Pressure had been building on the Government to react to growing social and political outrage at the latest series of revelations of paedophilia in society.
Most are centred on the Catholic Church, but Ms Gillard says that it is not the only focus of the inquiry, which will look into claims across the breadth of society.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/4368086
Gillard launches royal commission into child abuse
By Simon Cullen and staff Mon Nov 12, 2012
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has announced the creation of a national royal commission into institutional responses to instances of child sexual abuse.
The decision was taken at a meeting of federal cabinet this afternoon.
Ms Gillard had been under pressure to act following growing calls for a national inquiry into explosive allegations by a senior New South Wales police investigator that the Catholic Church covered up evidence involving paedophile priests.
A number of senior Labor MPs, as well as key independents, had already voiced their support for action on a national scale.
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott also declared his support for a "wide-ranging" royal commission into child sex abuse but said it should not just focus on claims involving the Catholic Church....
http://www.abc.net.au/news/4367364
Ex-teacher, Catholic brother face assault charges
Lateline By Matthew Carney and staff 11/13/12
Sydney police have arrested a former teacher and a Catholic brother over alleged assaults against children dating back more than two decades.
Detectives from the Sex Crimes Squad arrested the 58-year-old former teacher in Blacktown in the city's west late on Monday afternoon. A 59-year-old Catholic brother was arrested an hour later at The Entrance on the NSW central coast....
Police allege the offences involved two 13-year-old boys in 1987 and an eight-year-old girl in 1985, with some of the incidents taking place at a Catholic college in Blacktown and a primary school at Lalor Park.
ABC TV's Lateline program reported the arrests are linked to an alleged paedophile ring, and it understands more arrests are to follow....
http://www.abc.net.au/news/4367886
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Ex-BBC producer arrested over Jimmy Savile abuse claims, BBC's Entwistle resigns
Ex-BBC producer arrested over Jimmy Savile abuse claims
11 November 2012
A former BBC producer has been arrested in connection with the inquiry into abuse claims made against Jimmy Savile.
Wilfred De'Ath, who is in his 70s, was held in Cambridgeshire at 07:15 GMT.
A Met Police spokesman did not confirm his name but said a man was arrested on suspicion of sexual offences and taken into police custody locally, before being bailed until December.
He added the man was held as part of the Operation Yewtree probe into claims Savile sexually abused young people.
Police believe the former BBC TV presenter and DJ, who died last year aged 84, may have abused as many as 300 people over a 40-year period.
Mr De'Ath once produced a Jimmy Savile radio show. Neighbours at his flat in Cambridge said detectives removed bags from the property.
A number of individuals are being investigated as part of the operation. These include people who allegedly carried out abuse with Savile as well as others who are suspected of abusing independently of Savile....
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-20286308
Developments in Britain's child sex-abuse scandal involving Jimmy Savile, BBC
By Associated Press 11/12/12
LONDON — The BBC's top executive, George Entwistle, resigned Saturday night amid a flood of controversy over the broadcaster's handling of child sex-abuse cases.
His resignation caps a difficult month for the broadcaster, which first came under fire for not airing allegations of child sex abuse committed by one of its star hosts, the late Jimmy Savile. Just weeks later, the BBC's prestigious investigative program, "Newsnight," wrongly implicated a British politician in a child sex-abuse scandal.
It was the same program that had earlier shelved a report into Savile....
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/developments-in-britains-child-sex-abuse-scandal-involving-jimmy-savile-bbc/2012/11/10/2c1b29f8-2ba0-11e2-aaa5-ac786110c486_story.html
11 November 2012
A former BBC producer has been arrested in connection with the inquiry into abuse claims made against Jimmy Savile.
Wilfred De'Ath, who is in his 70s, was held in Cambridgeshire at 07:15 GMT.
A Met Police spokesman did not confirm his name but said a man was arrested on suspicion of sexual offences and taken into police custody locally, before being bailed until December.
He added the man was held as part of the Operation Yewtree probe into claims Savile sexually abused young people.
Police believe the former BBC TV presenter and DJ, who died last year aged 84, may have abused as many as 300 people over a 40-year period.
Mr De'Ath once produced a Jimmy Savile radio show. Neighbours at his flat in Cambridge said detectives removed bags from the property.
A number of individuals are being investigated as part of the operation. These include people who allegedly carried out abuse with Savile as well as others who are suspected of abusing independently of Savile....
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-20286308
Developments in Britain's child sex-abuse scandal involving Jimmy Savile, BBC
By Associated Press 11/12/12
LONDON — The BBC's top executive, George Entwistle, resigned Saturday night amid a flood of controversy over the broadcaster's handling of child sex-abuse cases.
His resignation caps a difficult month for the broadcaster, which first came under fire for not airing allegations of child sex abuse committed by one of its star hosts, the late Jimmy Savile. Just weeks later, the BBC's prestigious investigative program, "Newsnight," wrongly implicated a British politician in a child sex-abuse scandal.
It was the same program that had earlier shelved a report into Savile....
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/developments-in-britains-child-sex-abuse-scandal-involving-jimmy-savile-bbc/2012/11/10/2c1b29f8-2ba0-11e2-aaa5-ac786110c486_story.html
Friday, November 9, 2012
Former priest alleges 'system of abuse cover-ups'
Former priest alleges 'system of abuse cover-ups'
A former New South Wales priest claims to have witnessed a "system of cover-ups" within the Catholic Church to hide child sexual abuse.
Kevin Lee was ordained as a priest 20 years ago and worked as a police chaplain for some of that time, but was relieved of his parish responsibilities in Western Sydney this year when he admitted to marrying a woman in secret.
His comments follow those of Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox who told Lateline on Thursday night that the Catholic Church is involved in cover-ups and paedophile priests have destroyed evidence to avoid prosecution.
Mr Lee told Lateline on Friday that abuse is widely covered up in the church and that he first became aware of it as soon as he was in the seminary.
"People used to tell me and people in the first parish I was in started to confess their frustration with the authorities and the church for not dealing with the abuse that happened to their sons," he said.
"I became aware that some of the other priests were actually paedophiles and were not necessarily becoming priests because they wanted to help people, but because they were paedophiles who wanted the opportunity," he said.
Mr Lee says a church protocol was in place for dealing with cases of child sexual abuse, but it was not actually used.
"I saw a system of cover-ups, a system of blind-eye turning and just ignorance of the fact that it was happening," he said.
He says he took his concerns to superiors within the church but was knocked back.
"In my earlier years as a priest, I was having these people coming to me in confession or just sharing in counselling sessions their experience of frustration and anger with the church that had ignored their pleas of justice when their children had been abused and I started writing the notes down," he said.
"I was speaking to a barrister at one point and I thought he was going to help my case by putting it forward in some legal process.
"He said 'document everything you have', and everything I had I took to authorities within the church and I was told I needed more evidence."
Mr Lee says church authorities told him the allegation he brought them were hearsay.
"In the end I got frustrated with the fact that it was like the hierarchy in the Church was saying we don't believe you, you're a liar, you're making it up," he said....
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-11-10/former-priest-claims-to-have-seen-child-sex-abuse-cover-ups/4364572
A former New South Wales priest claims to have witnessed a "system of cover-ups" within the Catholic Church to hide child sexual abuse.
Kevin Lee was ordained as a priest 20 years ago and worked as a police chaplain for some of that time, but was relieved of his parish responsibilities in Western Sydney this year when he admitted to marrying a woman in secret.
His comments follow those of Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox who told Lateline on Thursday night that the Catholic Church is involved in cover-ups and paedophile priests have destroyed evidence to avoid prosecution.
Mr Lee told Lateline on Friday that abuse is widely covered up in the church and that he first became aware of it as soon as he was in the seminary.
"People used to tell me and people in the first parish I was in started to confess their frustration with the authorities and the church for not dealing with the abuse that happened to their sons," he said.
"I became aware that some of the other priests were actually paedophiles and were not necessarily becoming priests because they wanted to help people, but because they were paedophiles who wanted the opportunity," he said.
Mr Lee says a church protocol was in place for dealing with cases of child sexual abuse, but it was not actually used.
"I saw a system of cover-ups, a system of blind-eye turning and just ignorance of the fact that it was happening," he said.
He says he took his concerns to superiors within the church but was knocked back.
"In my earlier years as a priest, I was having these people coming to me in confession or just sharing in counselling sessions their experience of frustration and anger with the church that had ignored their pleas of justice when their children had been abused and I started writing the notes down," he said.
"I was speaking to a barrister at one point and I thought he was going to help my case by putting it forward in some legal process.
"He said 'document everything you have', and everything I had I took to authorities within the church and I was told I needed more evidence."
Mr Lee says church authorities told him the allegation he brought them were hearsay.
"In the end I got frustrated with the fact that it was like the hierarchy in the Church was saying we don't believe you, you're a liar, you're making it up," he said....
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-11-10/former-priest-claims-to-have-seen-child-sex-abuse-cover-ups/4364572
Survivorship Webinar "Trauma Treatment" Judy Byington - Nov 17
Survivorship Webinar "Trauma Treatment" Judy Byington - Nov 17
REMINDER
Another great webinar coming up!
Saturday, November 17
12:00 noon Pacific Time
Presenter: Judy Byington, MSW, LCSW, ret.
"Trauma Treatment"
Judy Byington, MSW, LCSW, ret presents a historical perspective on the growth of the Dissociate Identity Disorder and Post Traumatic Stress diagnoses, showing underlying causes using her twenty year research with over fifty ritually abused victims while writing the biography "Twenty-Two Faces: Inside the Extraordinary Life of Jenny Hill and Her Twenty-Two Multiple Personalities."
Byington tracks the ever-present phenomenon of denial as to recognition of dissociation; explains birth of alter personalities within a traumatized child's developing brain in order to cope with ongoing trauma; shows how alternative thinking patterns function to protect the core personality and encourages survivors and practitioners to re-evaluate their treatment modalities to better confront, cope and heal from trauma so as to lead more productive lives.
Judy Byington, MSW, LCSW, ret, has dedicated her life to humanizing and raising public awareness about the little-known effects of ritual abuse and mind-control programming that tragically cause formation of multiple personalities in children. The CEO of the Trauma Research Center; retired therapist; Supervisor, Alberta Canada Mental Health and Director, Provo Utah Family Counseling Center is Author of the newly-released biography, Twenty-Two Faces: Inside the Extraordinary Life of Jenny Hill and Her Twenty-Two Multiple Personalities (Tate Publishing: Oklahoma).
REGISTRATION
Registration closes Thursday evening November 15th , 2012
To reserve a space in the webinar, see http://www.survivorship.org/webinars.html
COST
Webinars are on a sliding scale from $50.00 to full scholarship (while we offer full scholarships for webinars please consider paying whatever you are able to. Even $5 will help to cover the cost of the webinar provider). Please remember to factor in the cost of the telephone call if you don’t have a computer headset. The PayPal button is near the bottom of the page at http://www.survivorship.org/webinars.html
If you wish to pay by check please send it to: Survivorship, Family Justice Center, 470 27th Street, Oakland, CA 94612.
PAST WEBINARS
Survivorship members may listen to past webinars in the members’ section.
We strive to present all webinars in our archives, and sometimes, for technical reasons, we are unable to.
For information on joining Survivorship, go to http://www.survivorship.org/about/membership.html
Complete details on all our webinars are at http://www.survivorship.org/webinars.html
REMINDER
Another great webinar coming up!
Saturday, November 17
12:00 noon Pacific Time
Presenter: Judy Byington, MSW, LCSW, ret.
"Trauma Treatment"
Judy Byington, MSW, LCSW, ret presents a historical perspective on the growth of the Dissociate Identity Disorder and Post Traumatic Stress diagnoses, showing underlying causes using her twenty year research with over fifty ritually abused victims while writing the biography "Twenty-Two Faces: Inside the Extraordinary Life of Jenny Hill and Her Twenty-Two Multiple Personalities."
Byington tracks the ever-present phenomenon of denial as to recognition of dissociation; explains birth of alter personalities within a traumatized child's developing brain in order to cope with ongoing trauma; shows how alternative thinking patterns function to protect the core personality and encourages survivors and practitioners to re-evaluate their treatment modalities to better confront, cope and heal from trauma so as to lead more productive lives.
Judy Byington, MSW, LCSW, ret, has dedicated her life to humanizing and raising public awareness about the little-known effects of ritual abuse and mind-control programming that tragically cause formation of multiple personalities in children. The CEO of the Trauma Research Center; retired therapist; Supervisor, Alberta Canada Mental Health and Director, Provo Utah Family Counseling Center is Author of the newly-released biography, Twenty-Two Faces: Inside the Extraordinary Life of Jenny Hill and Her Twenty-Two Multiple Personalities (Tate Publishing: Oklahoma).
REGISTRATION
Registration closes Thursday evening November 15th , 2012
To reserve a space in the webinar, see http://www.survivorship.org/webinars.html
COST
Webinars are on a sliding scale from $50.00 to full scholarship (while we offer full scholarships for webinars please consider paying whatever you are able to. Even $5 will help to cover the cost of the webinar provider). Please remember to factor in the cost of the telephone call if you don’t have a computer headset. The PayPal button is near the bottom of the page at http://www.survivorship.org/webinars.html
If you wish to pay by check please send it to: Survivorship, Family Justice Center, 470 27th Street, Oakland, CA 94612.
PAST WEBINARS
Survivorship members may listen to past webinars in the members’ section.
We strive to present all webinars in our archives, and sometimes, for technical reasons, we are unable to.
For information on joining Survivorship, go to http://www.survivorship.org/about/membership.html
Complete details on all our webinars are at http://www.survivorship.org/webinars.html
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Wales child abuse: PM orders sex abuse inquiry probe
Wales child abuse: PM orders sex abuse inquiry probe
5 November 2012
The prime minister is appointing a "senior independent figure" to look into the way allegations of sexual abuse at north Wales children's homes in the 1970s and '80s were dealt with.
Victim Steve Messham has said that the Waterhouse inquiry of 2000 only covered a fraction of the alleged assaults.
Another of the homes' residents says it did not hear all of the abuse claims.
Earlier, Downing Street said it would investigate Mr Messham's claims of abuse by a 1980s Tory politician.
Mr Messham is to meet the Welsh secretary on Tuesday....
Mr Cameron also urged anyone who knows anything about the allegations of abuse to contact police.
Abuse allegations
Allegations of abuse centred around the Bryn Estyn care home in north Wales and involving almost 40 children's homes in Wales began to emerge in the 1990s, but a report commissioned in March 1994 by Clwyd County Council was never published amid legal concerns.
The-then Welsh Secretary William Hague ordered an inquiry in 1996 into the abuse, which heard from 650 people over three years who had been in care from 1974, and was published in 2000 by Sir Ronald Waterhouse, who died in 2011.
Carwyn Jones urged abuse victims who felt their cases were not investigated properly to contact the police
Concerns have now been raised that the remit of the inquiry had been too narrow and that it had failed to consider allegations about children being taken out of the homes to be made available to abusers.
Speaking on BBC Newsnight on Friday, Mr Messham said he believed the Waterhouse inquiry had not heard all the available evidence.
"I don't understand why on earth we had an inquiry if we had to leave out 30% of the abusers, and basically I was told to do that. I was told I couldn't go into detail about these people, I couldn't name them, and they wouldn't question me on them."
"They didn't give me a reason, they just said 'you were not allowed to do so'."
A source close to Mr Hague - who is now foreign secretary - has told the BBC that no concerns were raised with him about the terms of the inquiry he established when he was Welsh secretary, and that as the report was published more than two years after he left office, his successor could have changed those terms.
Keith Gregory, a Wrexham county borough councillor, told the BBC he was sexually, physically and mentally abused at Bryn Estyn in the 1970s, by staff and others from the local community.
He said he was "shocked and really devastated" that the Waterhouse inquiry had not looked into allegations children had been brought out of homes to be made available to abusers....
The inquiry identified 28 alleged perpetrators but they were never identified in public.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20204687
5 November 2012
The prime minister is appointing a "senior independent figure" to look into the way allegations of sexual abuse at north Wales children's homes in the 1970s and '80s were dealt with.
Victim Steve Messham has said that the Waterhouse inquiry of 2000 only covered a fraction of the alleged assaults.
Another of the homes' residents says it did not hear all of the abuse claims.
Earlier, Downing Street said it would investigate Mr Messham's claims of abuse by a 1980s Tory politician.
Mr Messham is to meet the Welsh secretary on Tuesday....
Mr Cameron also urged anyone who knows anything about the allegations of abuse to contact police.
Abuse allegations
Allegations of abuse centred around the Bryn Estyn care home in north Wales and involving almost 40 children's homes in Wales began to emerge in the 1990s, but a report commissioned in March 1994 by Clwyd County Council was never published amid legal concerns.
The-then Welsh Secretary William Hague ordered an inquiry in 1996 into the abuse, which heard from 650 people over three years who had been in care from 1974, and was published in 2000 by Sir Ronald Waterhouse, who died in 2011.
Carwyn Jones urged abuse victims who felt their cases were not investigated properly to contact the police
Concerns have now been raised that the remit of the inquiry had been too narrow and that it had failed to consider allegations about children being taken out of the homes to be made available to abusers.
Speaking on BBC Newsnight on Friday, Mr Messham said he believed the Waterhouse inquiry had not heard all the available evidence.
"I don't understand why on earth we had an inquiry if we had to leave out 30% of the abusers, and basically I was told to do that. I was told I couldn't go into detail about these people, I couldn't name them, and they wouldn't question me on them."
"They didn't give me a reason, they just said 'you were not allowed to do so'."
A source close to Mr Hague - who is now foreign secretary - has told the BBC that no concerns were raised with him about the terms of the inquiry he established when he was Welsh secretary, and that as the report was published more than two years after he left office, his successor could have changed those terms.
Keith Gregory, a Wrexham county borough councillor, told the BBC he was sexually, physically and mentally abused at Bryn Estyn in the 1970s, by staff and others from the local community.
He said he was "shocked and really devastated" that the Waterhouse inquiry had not looked into allegations children had been brought out of homes to be made available to abusers....
The inquiry identified 28 alleged perpetrators but they were never identified in public.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20204687
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
New children's home sex abuse probe
New children's home sex abuse probe
Nov 6 2012
The National Crime Agency (NCA) is to mount an investigation into fresh allegations of abuse in children's homes in North Wales amid claims that a senior Tory was among the perpetrators.
Home Secretary Theresa May said the director general of the NCA Keith Bristow would review the original police handling of the case - which dates back to the 1970s and 1980s - as well as looking at the latest allegations by one of the victims.
"The Government is treating these allegations with the utmost seriousness," she told MPs in a Commons statement. "Child abuse is a hateful, abhorrent and disgusting crime and we must not allow these allegations to go unanswered."
Mrs May said she would also consider Labour calls for a wider, over-arching inquiry into child abuse - including the allegations involving the late DJ and BBC presenter Jimmy Savile - if the evidence was shown to justify it.
Labour backbencher Tom Watson, who has raised claims of a past paedophile ring linked to No 10 and of a former Cabinet minister allegedly involved in child abuse, dismissed the latest moves as simply "the next stage of a cover-up".
The announcement comes after David Cameron said he would be appointing a senior figure to review the original public inquiry into abuse at the Bryn Estyn children's home led by Sir Ronald Waterhouse, a retired high court judge.
The investigations followed renewed allegations last week by one of the victims, Steve Messham, who said the inquiry examined only a fraction of the claims of abuse. He told BBC2's Newsnight that he was taken out of the home and "sold" to men for sexual abuse at a nearby hotel and that a senior Tory from the time was among the perpetrators....
http://www.chesterchronicle.co.uk/chester-news/uk-world-news/2012/11/06/new-children-s-home-sex-abuse-probe-59067-32177960/
Nov 6 2012
The National Crime Agency (NCA) is to mount an investigation into fresh allegations of abuse in children's homes in North Wales amid claims that a senior Tory was among the perpetrators.
Home Secretary Theresa May said the director general of the NCA Keith Bristow would review the original police handling of the case - which dates back to the 1970s and 1980s - as well as looking at the latest allegations by one of the victims.
"The Government is treating these allegations with the utmost seriousness," she told MPs in a Commons statement. "Child abuse is a hateful, abhorrent and disgusting crime and we must not allow these allegations to go unanswered."
Mrs May said she would also consider Labour calls for a wider, over-arching inquiry into child abuse - including the allegations involving the late DJ and BBC presenter Jimmy Savile - if the evidence was shown to justify it.
Labour backbencher Tom Watson, who has raised claims of a past paedophile ring linked to No 10 and of a former Cabinet minister allegedly involved in child abuse, dismissed the latest moves as simply "the next stage of a cover-up".
The announcement comes after David Cameron said he would be appointing a senior figure to review the original public inquiry into abuse at the Bryn Estyn children's home led by Sir Ronald Waterhouse, a retired high court judge.
The investigations followed renewed allegations last week by one of the victims, Steve Messham, who said the inquiry examined only a fraction of the claims of abuse. He told BBC2's Newsnight that he was taken out of the home and "sold" to men for sexual abuse at a nearby hotel and that a senior Tory from the time was among the perpetrators....
http://www.chesterchronicle.co.uk/chester-news/uk-world-news/2012/11/06/new-children-s-home-sex-abuse-probe-59067-32177960/
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
JANET STREET PORTER: Your tragic Savile letters show this isn't just hysteria
JANET STREET PORTER: Your tragic Savile letters show this isn't just hysteria By Janet Street Porter
5 November 2012
The BBC has decided not to broadcast repeats of Top Of The Pops hosted by Jimmy Savile, as if belatedly culling the evil court jester from our screens constitutes an act of cultural cleansing.
Since I discussed the scandal on Question Time on October 4, the day after ITV broadcast their shocking documentary, I have received a huge number of emails and letters.
Every day brings more revelations — involving hospitals, prisons and places where vulnerable people thought they were safe....
Stories of abuse going back half a century are being told for the very first time, and there are calls for previous investigations into abuse at children’s homes in Wales and in Jersey to be re-opened.
The initial exposure of Savile has uncovered abuse that seems to have permeated every aspect of society, unacceptable behaviour that those in authority accepted for decades. Only last week, Rick Parfitt of Status Quo blithely told a female journalist ‘everybody was at it’ at Top Of The Pops ‘…there was a lot of groping’.
Yesterday, a newspaper asserted that the unit investigating sexual misconduct at the Corporation has received complaints involving 29 BBC staff and presenters.
Let’s be clear, the media are not pursuing a witch hunt against the BBC (as Jonathan Dimbleby asserts), but responding to the righteous indignation of the mistreated, ordinary men and women who were never believed up to now.
When I said on television that my hairdresser touched me inappropriately when I was about ten or 12, and my mother just slapped me and called me a liar, loads of you recounted similar stories.
They describe being abused as teenagers, never able to tell their stories, or if they did, they were routinely disbelieved. One man kept quiet about being abused by a group of older boys at school until he was in his 60s, and then had a breakdown.
Men and women have written to me who worked in television make-up and costume departments when they were young, who endured routine molesting from big stars with fragile egos as part of the job. This isn’t mass hysteria — we are at the start of a healing process, and the tragedy is that many of the perpetrators are dead.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2227852/Your-tragic-Jimmy-Savile-letters-isnt-just-hysteria.html
The BBC has decided not to broadcast repeats of Top Of The Pops hosted by Jimmy Savile, as if belatedly culling the evil court jester from our screens constitutes an act of cultural cleansing.
Since I discussed the scandal on Question Time on October 4, the day after ITV broadcast their shocking documentary, I have received a huge number of emails and letters.
Every day brings more revelations — involving hospitals, prisons and places where vulnerable people thought they were safe....
Stories of abuse going back half a century are being told for the very first time, and there are calls for previous investigations into abuse at children’s homes in Wales and in Jersey to be re-opened.
The initial exposure of Savile has uncovered abuse that seems to have permeated every aspect of society, unacceptable behaviour that those in authority accepted for decades. Only last week, Rick Parfitt of Status Quo blithely told a female journalist ‘everybody was at it’ at Top Of The Pops ‘…there was a lot of groping’.
Yesterday, a newspaper asserted that the unit investigating sexual misconduct at the Corporation has received complaints involving 29 BBC staff and presenters.
Let’s be clear, the media are not pursuing a witch hunt against the BBC (as Jonathan Dimbleby asserts), but responding to the righteous indignation of the mistreated, ordinary men and women who were never believed up to now.
When I said on television that my hairdresser touched me inappropriately when I was about ten or 12, and my mother just slapped me and called me a liar, loads of you recounted similar stories.
They describe being abused as teenagers, never able to tell their stories, or if they did, they were routinely disbelieved. One man kept quiet about being abused by a group of older boys at school until he was in his 60s, and then had a breakdown.
Men and women have written to me who worked in television make-up and costume departments when they were young, who endured routine molesting from big stars with fragile egos as part of the job. This isn’t mass hysteria — we are at the start of a healing process, and the tragedy is that many of the perpetrators are dead.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2227852/Your-tragic-Jimmy-Savile-letters-isnt-just-hysteria.html
Monday, November 5, 2012
Tory child sex abuse ring claim: Cameron races to control scandal
• PM's office unveils two inquiries into child sex abuse claim
• North Wales inquiry and police response to be reviewed
• As many as five child abuse inquiries 'imminent'
• Tom Watson praises PM but calls for wider investigation
Patrick Wintour, political editor
guardian.co.uk, Monday 5 November 2012 13.04 EST
The government is racing to stay ahead of the swirl of allegations about child abuse in the UK by announcing two further inquiries into an alleged abuse ring in north Wales in the 1970s and 1980s.
The first inquiry will look into the conduct of the original official inquiry into the child sex abuse ring and the second into the police handling of complaints at the time.
Faced by allegations that senior Conservative politicians may have been involved in the scandal at the time, David Cameron, while on an official visit to the Middle East, announced he would establish an urgent investigation into the conduct of the official inquiry held between 1996 and 2000.
In addition, the prime minister's spokesman in London said a separate inquiry will be held into the way in which the police handled the investigation.
The spokesman conceded as many as five different inquiries were now underway, or imminent, looking into aspects of child abuse.
The spokesman did not rule out an over-arching figure being asked to look at the lessons to be drawn from the inquiries now covering the BBC, the NHS, the police and government.
Cameron rushed to act as the media threatened to identify the senior Tory figure close to Lady Thatcher alleged to have been involved in the child abuse.
The Labour MP Tom Watson also urged the government to act after victim Steve Messham said that the Waterhouse inquiry of 2000 only covered a fraction of the alleged assaults.....
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/nov/05/tory-child-sex-ring-claim
• PM's office unveils two inquiries into child sex abuse claim
• North Wales inquiry and police response to be reviewed
• As many as five child abuse inquiries 'imminent'
• Tom Watson praises PM but calls for wider investigation
Patrick Wintour, political editor
guardian.co.uk, Monday 5 November 2012 13.04 EST
The government is racing to stay ahead of the swirl of allegations about child abuse in the UK by announcing two further inquiries into an alleged abuse ring in north Wales in the 1970s and 1980s.
The first inquiry will look into the conduct of the original official inquiry into the child sex abuse ring and the second into the police handling of complaints at the time.
Faced by allegations that senior Conservative politicians may have been involved in the scandal at the time, David Cameron, while on an official visit to the Middle East, announced he would establish an urgent investigation into the conduct of the official inquiry held between 1996 and 2000.
In addition, the prime minister's spokesman in London said a separate inquiry will be held into the way in which the police handled the investigation.
The spokesman conceded as many as five different inquiries were now underway, or imminent, looking into aspects of child abuse.
The spokesman did not rule out an over-arching figure being asked to look at the lessons to be drawn from the inquiries now covering the BBC, the NHS, the police and government.
Cameron rushed to act as the media threatened to identify the senior Tory figure close to Lady Thatcher alleged to have been involved in the child abuse.
The Labour MP Tom Watson also urged the government to act after victim Steve Messham said that the Waterhouse inquiry of 2000 only covered a fraction of the alleged assaults.....
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/nov/05/tory-child-sex-ring-claim
Sunday, November 4, 2012
BBC warned it could face a full public inquiry, as Jimmy Savile sex abuse scandal rumbles on, Child Abuse and the British Public
BBC warned it could face a full public inquiry, as Jimmy Savile sex abuse scandal rumbles on
Monday 5 November 2012
THE BBC could face a full public inquiry into the Jimmy Savile sex abuse scandal if its own investigations fail to “get to the bottom” of the accusations, Culture Secretary Maria Miller has warned.
The BBC has launched an inquiry into the culture and practices at the corporation in the era of the late TV and radio presenter’s alleged sexual abuse. It is also investigating the decision-making process that saw a Newsnight investigation into the Jim’ll Fix It star’s activities shelved.
Speaking about the double investigation, Mrs Miller said: “The real challenge for the BBC is to make sure that the outcome of these reviews really gets to the bottom of these accusations.
“If the investigations are considered not to suffice because of issues around transparency, process or other such things, then a public inquiry remains an option.”....
http://www.scotsman.com/news/bbc-warned-it-could-face-a-full-public-inquiry-as-jimmy-savile-sex-abuse-scandal-rumbles-on-1-2614200
Light Entertainment
Andrew O’Hagan writes about child abuse and the British public
London Review of Books Vol. 34 No. 21 · 8 November 2012 pages 5-8 | 7344 words
On 23 May 1949, Lionel Gamlin, producer of the Light Programme’s Hello Children, wrote to Enid Blyton to ask whether she would be willing to be interviewed about the best holiday she could remember. ‘Dear Mr Gamlin,’ Blyton wrote the next day. ‘Thank you for your nice letter. It all sounds very interesting but I ought to warn you of something you obviously don’t know, but which has been well known in the literary and publishing world for some time – I and my stories are completely banned by the BBC as far as children are concerned.’....
In the issue of Lilliput magazine for May 1943 Gamlin wrote an essay called ‘Why I Hate Boys’, which is signed ‘A School-Master’. It was a developing theme, boys, children, whatever, and in 1946 Methuen published a book written by Gamlin and Anthony Gilbert called Don’t Be Afreud! A Short Guide to Youth Control (The Book of the Weak). The book is just about as funny as it wants to be, with author photographs (‘aged 7 and 8 approx’) and a caption: ‘The authors on their way to the Psychoanalyst’. Gamlin, in common with later youthquakers such as Jimmy Savile, never liked children, never had any, never wanted any, and on the whole couldn’t bear them, except on occasion to fuck. And, again like Savile, Gamlin managed all this quite brilliantly, hiding in plain sight as a youth presenter full of good sport but who didn’t really care for youth and all its pieties. This was in the days before ‘victims’ – days that our present media and their audiences find unimaginable – but it gives context and background to the idea of an eccentric presenter as a teasing anti-hero within the Corporation. Auntie was essentially being joshed by a child abuser posing as a child abuser. ‘Before we examine the second stage of the malignant disease of Youth with a capital Y (sometimes conveniently glossed over by the mystic term “adolescence”),’....
A friend of Gamlin’s remembers going to see him in a flat in All Souls Place in the 1950s, just round the corner from Broadcasting House. A man from Light Entertainment used the flat during the working week and Gamlin often stayed there with young boys. It was clear to the friend that both men were renting the boys, and that the boys were young: ‘They were boys with the kind of good looks that would seem very lewd in a woman.’ He also remembers going for a coffee with one of the boys from the flat. ‘The boy was nice,’ he said, ‘very young. He thought he might get a job or something of that sort. And it was clear the men were using him for sex. Broadcasting House was well stocked with men interested in sleeping with young boys. It was a milieu back then. And people who sought to be sexual predators knew that. It wasn’t spoken about.’....
Day by day over the past month details have emerged about the shelving of the Newsnight investigation into Savile. Girls from Duncroft children’s home had given evidence: some of them were 14 when Savile began coercing them into giving him blow-jobs. They felt it would be ‘an honour’ to be in the company of someone so famous. He promised them visits to the BBC studios....
The Newsnight programme was well sourced and strong, but it clashed – in the old-fashioned, scheduling sense – with two tributes to Savile the BBC had planned. The investigations will continue, but the bigger story is missing from all the discussions around Savile, the bigger story being the milieu that existed not only at the BBC but in the light entertainment firmament.
http://cdn.lrb.co.uk/v34/n21/andrew-ohagan/light-entertainment
Monday 5 November 2012
THE BBC could face a full public inquiry into the Jimmy Savile sex abuse scandal if its own investigations fail to “get to the bottom” of the accusations, Culture Secretary Maria Miller has warned.
The BBC has launched an inquiry into the culture and practices at the corporation in the era of the late TV and radio presenter’s alleged sexual abuse. It is also investigating the decision-making process that saw a Newsnight investigation into the Jim’ll Fix It star’s activities shelved.
Speaking about the double investigation, Mrs Miller said: “The real challenge for the BBC is to make sure that the outcome of these reviews really gets to the bottom of these accusations.
“If the investigations are considered not to suffice because of issues around transparency, process or other such things, then a public inquiry remains an option.”....
http://www.scotsman.com/news/bbc-warned-it-could-face-a-full-public-inquiry-as-jimmy-savile-sex-abuse-scandal-rumbles-on-1-2614200
Light Entertainment
Andrew O’Hagan writes about child abuse and the British public
London Review of Books Vol. 34 No. 21 · 8 November 2012 pages 5-8 | 7344 words
On 23 May 1949, Lionel Gamlin, producer of the Light Programme’s Hello Children, wrote to Enid Blyton to ask whether she would be willing to be interviewed about the best holiday she could remember. ‘Dear Mr Gamlin,’ Blyton wrote the next day. ‘Thank you for your nice letter. It all sounds very interesting but I ought to warn you of something you obviously don’t know, but which has been well known in the literary and publishing world for some time – I and my stories are completely banned by the BBC as far as children are concerned.’....
In the issue of Lilliput magazine for May 1943 Gamlin wrote an essay called ‘Why I Hate Boys’, which is signed ‘A School-Master’. It was a developing theme, boys, children, whatever, and in 1946 Methuen published a book written by Gamlin and Anthony Gilbert called Don’t Be Afreud! A Short Guide to Youth Control (The Book of the Weak). The book is just about as funny as it wants to be, with author photographs (‘aged 7 and 8 approx’) and a caption: ‘The authors on their way to the Psychoanalyst’. Gamlin, in common with later youthquakers such as Jimmy Savile, never liked children, never had any, never wanted any, and on the whole couldn’t bear them, except on occasion to fuck. And, again like Savile, Gamlin managed all this quite brilliantly, hiding in plain sight as a youth presenter full of good sport but who didn’t really care for youth and all its pieties. This was in the days before ‘victims’ – days that our present media and their audiences find unimaginable – but it gives context and background to the idea of an eccentric presenter as a teasing anti-hero within the Corporation. Auntie was essentially being joshed by a child abuser posing as a child abuser. ‘Before we examine the second stage of the malignant disease of Youth with a capital Y (sometimes conveniently glossed over by the mystic term “adolescence”),’....
A friend of Gamlin’s remembers going to see him in a flat in All Souls Place in the 1950s, just round the corner from Broadcasting House. A man from Light Entertainment used the flat during the working week and Gamlin often stayed there with young boys. It was clear to the friend that both men were renting the boys, and that the boys were young: ‘They were boys with the kind of good looks that would seem very lewd in a woman.’ He also remembers going for a coffee with one of the boys from the flat. ‘The boy was nice,’ he said, ‘very young. He thought he might get a job or something of that sort. And it was clear the men were using him for sex. Broadcasting House was well stocked with men interested in sleeping with young boys. It was a milieu back then. And people who sought to be sexual predators knew that. It wasn’t spoken about.’....
Day by day over the past month details have emerged about the shelving of the Newsnight investigation into Savile. Girls from Duncroft children’s home had given evidence: some of them were 14 when Savile began coercing them into giving him blow-jobs. They felt it would be ‘an honour’ to be in the company of someone so famous. He promised them visits to the BBC studios....
The Newsnight programme was well sourced and strong, but it clashed – in the old-fashioned, scheduling sense – with two tributes to Savile the BBC had planned. The investigations will continue, but the bigger story is missing from all the discussions around Savile, the bigger story being the milieu that existed not only at the BBC but in the light entertainment firmament.
http://cdn.lrb.co.uk/v34/n21/andrew-ohagan/light-entertainment
Penn State charges raise questions about Paterno's culpability, Jimmy Savile case may lead to inquiry against seven forces
Penn State charges raise questions about Paterno's culpability
Charges that three former university administrators covered up child sexual abuse allegations against Jerry Sandusky suggest former Coach Joe Paterno could have been charged had he lived, some say.
By Peter Hall, Morning Call
November 4, 2012
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The charges filed last week accusing three former Penn State administrators of engaging in a "conspiracy of silence" to cover up child sexual abuse allegations against Jerry Sandusky raise questions about whether legendary football Coach Joe Paterno could have been charged if he were still living.
Former university President Graham Spanier and the others face charges including perjury and endangering the welfare of children.
"To be fair and consistent, you have to read this as a posthumous indictment of Joe Paterno," said law professor Wes Oliver of Duquesne University in Pittsburgh....
Those who have watched the case said the grand jury presentment released Thursday paints Paterno as an active participant in the conspiracy.
"The reality is that he knew. He knew early on, and he chose to protect the image of the football program and to protect Penn State," said Jennifer Storm, a victims advocate who has worked with two of the young men Sandusky molested when they were boys.
But Bruce Antkowiak, a former federal prosecutor who teaches at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa., said that without knowing everything that state prosecutors in the case know, it's not fair to conclude that there was probable cause to charge Paterno.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-paterno-20121104,0,5553402.story
Jimmy Savile case may lead to inquiry against seven forces
Calls for inspectorate to assess how abuse allegations were handled by police
Jamie Doward, Mark Townsend and Gemma O'Neill
The Observer, Saturday 3 November 2012
Several police forces could be investigated over their handling of sexual abuse allegations against Jimmy Savile after the police watchdog confirmed that an inquiry was a possibility and a lawyer representing alleged victims said there were urgent questions to be answered.
Alan Collins, a solicitor at the law firm Pannone, who is representing five of Savile's alleged victims and has been approached by at least 20 others, said the case for the police to be investigated had become paramount. Collins said it should be the job of Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC), the independent body set up to assess police forces, to investigate how and when officers had investigated Savile....
At least three forces – Surrey, Sussex and Jersey – are known to have been aware of allegations against Savile, but the true number is believed to be as high as seven.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/nov/03/jimmy-savile-case-inquiry
Friday, November 2, 2012
Jim fixed nothing: Growing up in 1970s England with Jimmy Savile
Jim fixed nothing: Growing up in 1970s England with Jimmy Savile
Top of The Pops producers who first signed up Jimmy Savile in the 1960s thought he was 'dodgy' because of his background on the club scene in Leeds
Savile's background sparked initial concerns among the show's bosses
It is claimed he was thought of as 'dodgy' and 'you didn't cross him'
But despite that the BBC hired him and he went on to be a regular Top of the Pops presenter for 20 years
The Corporation now embroiled in a sex scandal after scores of women claim they were abused by the DJ
By Leon Watson 2 November 2012
The BBC producers who first signed up Jimmy Savile to present Top of the Pops had doubts over whether he was suitable and thought he was 'dodgy', it was claimed last night.
Savile's background as a club DJ and manager sparked initial concerns among the show's bosses in the early 1960s before the allegations of sex abuse that have now engulfed the BBC emerged.
Paul Jackson, the producer of hits shows Red Dwarf and The Young Ones, and a former head entertainment at both the BBC and ITV, said BBC entertainment producers initially rejected Savile....
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2227128/BBC-producers-doubts-Jimmy-Savile-1960s.html
Jimmy Savile was an emperor with no clothes – and a celebrity cloak
Savile's invisible but dazzling cloak of fame stopped everyone from suggesting he was exactly the scary, child-catching creature he seemed to be
Deborah Orr The Guardian, Friday 2 November 2012
It's part of the grooming process to persuade the victim it's wrong to think badly of the abuser. In that respect, Jimmy Savile groomed the nation. Children rarely said the emperor was naked – sometimes all too literally. But even when one did, the cry was never taken up. Adults also kept their suspicions quiet, even when they were strong. It seemed wrong to think badly of Savile, though many secretly did.
It's telling, this collective failure to point at Savile and suggest he was just the scary, child-catching creature of nightmare he appeared to be. People tend to believe what's easier to bear. Sadly it's easier for a child to bear the idea that they deserve abuse than it is for them to believe the adult world does not protect the innocent....
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/nov/02/jimmy-savile-emperors-new-clothes
Jim fixed nothing: Growing up in 1970s England with Jimmy Savile
Magical figure now accused of widespread abuse
Chris Jones Theater critic November 4, 2012
....There have been so many claims made against him — many of which entail stories of abuse involving girls, barely in their teens — that Savile's estate was frozen Thursday by bankers who have realized that they will likely need to pay compensation. If Savile's knighthood had not officially died with him in 2011, that would likely be gone too. His name has been stripped from buildings. An honorary degree has been rescinded. Even his gravestone has been broken up and sent to a landfill.
As with the Jerry Sandusky affair at Penn State University — with which the Savile affair has many horrible similarities — there has been a great deal of fallout from what appears to have been a multi-decade sequence of abuse by a TV star, cloaked in philanthropic good works, who had his own keys allowing him access to children's hospitals and so much power that nobody dared take him on. There is the question of why his bosses and colleagues at the BBC, many of whose careers are now besmirched, did not confront him, given the repeated rumors of his attraction to young girls. As at Penn State, Savile's bosses did nothing for, it seems, much the same reasons: It would be messy; it wasn't entirely clear, if you didn't want it to be; it might upset bigger bosses; and the brand of the organization (both, strikingly, are nonprofits) would be hurt by the finding out of the truth.
If the Sandusky affair revealed much that was disturbing about the culture of college sports, the Savile affair has done the same for the British media, especially in those tightly controlled pre-Internet days, when personal brands were carefully protected, bad behavior was laughed off as good showbiz fun and outside reporters could easily be manipulated or purchased. Savile, it now is clear, was a master of such manipulations, maintaining distinct private and public personas with formidable care. So potent was his brand and so associated was it with the unassailable, he just had to dangle a few threats about charities and money he raises for children, and the nosy reporter would look elsewhere for those rumors about underage girls. Ordinary pop stars didn't raise all that cash for kids. Easier to bring them down.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/theaterloop/chi-growing-up-jim-savile-england,0,1030384.column
Top of The Pops producers who first signed up Jimmy Savile in the 1960s thought he was 'dodgy' because of his background on the club scene in Leeds
Savile's background sparked initial concerns among the show's bosses
It is claimed he was thought of as 'dodgy' and 'you didn't cross him'
But despite that the BBC hired him and he went on to be a regular Top of the Pops presenter for 20 years
The Corporation now embroiled in a sex scandal after scores of women claim they were abused by the DJ
By Leon Watson 2 November 2012
The BBC producers who first signed up Jimmy Savile to present Top of the Pops had doubts over whether he was suitable and thought he was 'dodgy', it was claimed last night.
Savile's background as a club DJ and manager sparked initial concerns among the show's bosses in the early 1960s before the allegations of sex abuse that have now engulfed the BBC emerged.
Paul Jackson, the producer of hits shows Red Dwarf and The Young Ones, and a former head entertainment at both the BBC and ITV, said BBC entertainment producers initially rejected Savile....
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2227128/BBC-producers-doubts-Jimmy-Savile-1960s.html
Jimmy Savile was an emperor with no clothes – and a celebrity cloak
Savile's invisible but dazzling cloak of fame stopped everyone from suggesting he was exactly the scary, child-catching creature he seemed to be
Deborah Orr The Guardian, Friday 2 November 2012
It's part of the grooming process to persuade the victim it's wrong to think badly of the abuser. In that respect, Jimmy Savile groomed the nation. Children rarely said the emperor was naked – sometimes all too literally. But even when one did, the cry was never taken up. Adults also kept their suspicions quiet, even when they were strong. It seemed wrong to think badly of Savile, though many secretly did.
It's telling, this collective failure to point at Savile and suggest he was just the scary, child-catching creature of nightmare he appeared to be. People tend to believe what's easier to bear. Sadly it's easier for a child to bear the idea that they deserve abuse than it is for them to believe the adult world does not protect the innocent....
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/nov/02/jimmy-savile-emperors-new-clothes
Jim fixed nothing: Growing up in 1970s England with Jimmy Savile
Magical figure now accused of widespread abuse
Chris Jones Theater critic November 4, 2012
....There have been so many claims made against him — many of which entail stories of abuse involving girls, barely in their teens — that Savile's estate was frozen Thursday by bankers who have realized that they will likely need to pay compensation. If Savile's knighthood had not officially died with him in 2011, that would likely be gone too. His name has been stripped from buildings. An honorary degree has been rescinded. Even his gravestone has been broken up and sent to a landfill.
As with the Jerry Sandusky affair at Penn State University — with which the Savile affair has many horrible similarities — there has been a great deal of fallout from what appears to have been a multi-decade sequence of abuse by a TV star, cloaked in philanthropic good works, who had his own keys allowing him access to children's hospitals and so much power that nobody dared take him on. There is the question of why his bosses and colleagues at the BBC, many of whose careers are now besmirched, did not confront him, given the repeated rumors of his attraction to young girls. As at Penn State, Savile's bosses did nothing for, it seems, much the same reasons: It would be messy; it wasn't entirely clear, if you didn't want it to be; it might upset bigger bosses; and the brand of the organization (both, strikingly, are nonprofits) would be hurt by the finding out of the truth.
If the Sandusky affair revealed much that was disturbing about the culture of college sports, the Savile affair has done the same for the British media, especially in those tightly controlled pre-Internet days, when personal brands were carefully protected, bad behavior was laughed off as good showbiz fun and outside reporters could easily be manipulated or purchased. Savile, it now is clear, was a master of such manipulations, maintaining distinct private and public personas with formidable care. So potent was his brand and so associated was it with the unassailable, he just had to dangle a few threats about charities and money he raises for children, and the nosy reporter would look elsewhere for those rumors about underage girls. Ordinary pop stars didn't raise all that cash for kids. Easier to bring them down.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/theaterloop/chi-growing-up-jim-savile-england,0,1030384.column
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Jimmy Savile, Gary Glitter, Rochdale child sex ring
- Jimmy Savile, Gary Glitter and the politics of paedophile rings
- Rochdale police and council 'repeatedly warned' about sex abuse risk in town
- Rochdale child sex ring: council head to be questioned by MPs
Leader to be asked why social workers 'missed opportunities', as lawyer for victims considers legal action against authority
- Rochdale abuse scandal: Victims likely to sue
Jimmy Savile, Gary Glitter and the politics of paedophile rings 2 November 2012 Michael Salter
In Britain, the sexual abuse allegations against television personality Jimmy Savile have now implicated glam rocker Gary Glitter and comedian Freddie Starr. Police have intimated that other high-profile arrests are forthcoming.
These developments have finally given credence to the accounts of many victims – who over the years have maintained that Savile was part of an organised group of men who shared his sexual interest in minors....
Victims can find it very difficult finding someone to take them seriously. An independent 2010 report into child protection in Britain, which was not made public but was quoted in the UK print media, found child victims of sexually abusive groups were often ignored by the authorities. One victim complained:
The authorities did not understand what was happening to us, either because they did not believe us or because they could not comprehend that something as serious as this was possible.
Until his death in 2011, Savile was a much-loved British media personality. Now, he is the subject of allegations of sexual abuse from at least 300 victims dating back decades. Questions have been raised about how much friends and colleagues knew about, and potentially colluded in, these crimes....
Accounts of organised abuse have circled around Savile for some years. They have not been acted upon until now. Investigations into Savile’s involvement in the abuse of children at the Haut de la Garenne children’s home in Jersey, dismissed in 2008 for “lack of evidence”, have now been reopened. New evidence has not emerged. Simply put, there is new pressure on the relevant authorities to be seen to be taking these allegations seriously....
https://theconversation.edu.au/jimmy-savile-gary-glitter-and-the-politics-of-paedophile-rings-10461
Rochdale police and council 'repeatedly warned' about sex abuse risk in town
NHS team made 83 referrals to borough council from 2004-10 in town harbouring gang of nine finally jailed over child sex ring Rachel Williams The Guardian, Wednesday 26 September 2012
Social workers and police in a town where nine men were found guilty of running a child sexual exploitation ring had been warned dozens of times that local girls were at risk of abuse in the years before charges were brought in that case, the Guardian can reveal.
Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show that an NHS team providing sexual health services to vulnerable young people made 83 referrals to Rochdale borough council about girls they thought were either being sexually exploited, or were at risk of exploitation, between 2004 and the end of 2010.
Staff on the crisis intervention team (CIT) also made 44 referrals to Greater Manchester police in the same period.
The revelations come as Rochdale's safeguarding children board (SCB) publishes a review concluding there were "many missed opportunities" over the past five years to safeguard children and young people affected by sexual exploitation. A working group set up by the SCB in 2007 identified in its first year 50 young people affected by, or at risk of, exploitation, the report reveals.
At a Liverpool crown court trial this year, nine men were found to have "shared" five girls in Rochdale, plying them with fast food, drink and drugs so they could "pass them around" and use them for sex.
The victims, were raped, physically assaulted and forced to have sex with several men in a day, several times a week....
Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk said: "The Guardian's investigation shows without any doubt that police and social services ignored an endemic problem of abuse.
"Time and again, the local authority were alerted to the fact these girls were being abused and they failed to do anything. We now need to know what action is being taken against these people that turned a blind eye to abuse and ignored numerous cries for help from young, vulnerable girls."
The father of the victim referred to in the review said he believed that social workers were incompetent: "Case files show that social workers in Rochdale believed girls who were being systematically abused were 'making their own choices'. By their neglect, they were complicit in prolonging the abuse. If they had being doing their job, they could have stopped this abuse years ago."....
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/sep/27/rochdale-police-sex-abuse-girls
Rochdale child sex ring: council head to be questioned by MPs
Leader to be asked why social workers 'missed opportunities', as lawyer for victims considers legal action against authority
Lizzy Davies The Guardian, Thursday 27 September 2012
The head of Rochdale council will be questioned by MPs over why his social workers "missed opportunities" to stop the sexual exploitation of young girls, it has emerged, as a lawyer for some of the victims said it was "very likely" they would take legal action against the local authority....
It revealed that, in 2007, a working group set up by the RBSCB had identified 50 young people – most aged between 10 and 17 – whom it believed to be affected by or at risk of exploitation.
Figures obtained separately by the Guardian showed social workers and police had made dozens of referrals concerning girls considered either to be victims or potential victims.....
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/sep/27/rochdale-sex-ring-council-legal-action
Rochdale abuse scandal: Victims likely to sue
Paul Keaveny Thursday 27 September 2012
Victims of a child sex ring may take legal action against the authorities for failing to protect them after a damning report laid bare the extent of their failings.
Social workers, police and prosecutors "missed opportunities" to stop a child exploitation ring abusing young girls, a report into the scandal revealed today.
"Deficiencies" in the way children's social care responded to the victims' needs in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, were caused by "patchy" training of frontline staff, the Rochdale Borough Safeguarding Children Board (RBSCB) said in its 29-page report into child sexual exploitation (CSE)....
The picture which emerges from the report is one of vulnerable young girls, some as young as 10, who were being targeted for sexual abuse, being written off by those in authority who believed the girls were "making their own choices" and "engaging in consensual sexual activity".
In reality, girls were being raped and often violently beaten.
The judge who sentenced the nine men said they treated their victims "as though they were worthless and beyond any respect".
Richard Scorer, a solicitor for some of the abused girls, said it was "very likely" they would be taking legal action against the authorities for failing to protect them....
The gang of nine men received jail sentences of between four and 19 years in May.
The offences happened in and around Rochdale in 2008 and 2009.
The five girls - aged between 13 and 15 - were given alcohol, food and money in return for sex but there were times when violence was used.
Police said the victims were from "chaotic", "council estate" backgrounds and as many as 50 girls could have been victims of the gang.
A chance to stop the gang was missed in 2008 and both the police and the CPS were forced to apologise for their failings....
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/rochdale-abuse-scandal-victims-likely-to-sue-8181056.html
- Rochdale police and council 'repeatedly warned' about sex abuse risk in town
- Rochdale child sex ring: council head to be questioned by MPs
Leader to be asked why social workers 'missed opportunities', as lawyer for victims considers legal action against authority
- Rochdale abuse scandal: Victims likely to sue
Jimmy Savile, Gary Glitter and the politics of paedophile rings 2 November 2012 Michael Salter
In Britain, the sexual abuse allegations against television personality Jimmy Savile have now implicated glam rocker Gary Glitter and comedian Freddie Starr. Police have intimated that other high-profile arrests are forthcoming.
These developments have finally given credence to the accounts of many victims – who over the years have maintained that Savile was part of an organised group of men who shared his sexual interest in minors....
Victims can find it very difficult finding someone to take them seriously. An independent 2010 report into child protection in Britain, which was not made public but was quoted in the UK print media, found child victims of sexually abusive groups were often ignored by the authorities. One victim complained:
The authorities did not understand what was happening to us, either because they did not believe us or because they could not comprehend that something as serious as this was possible.
Until his death in 2011, Savile was a much-loved British media personality. Now, he is the subject of allegations of sexual abuse from at least 300 victims dating back decades. Questions have been raised about how much friends and colleagues knew about, and potentially colluded in, these crimes....
Accounts of organised abuse have circled around Savile for some years. They have not been acted upon until now. Investigations into Savile’s involvement in the abuse of children at the Haut de la Garenne children’s home in Jersey, dismissed in 2008 for “lack of evidence”, have now been reopened. New evidence has not emerged. Simply put, there is new pressure on the relevant authorities to be seen to be taking these allegations seriously....
https://theconversation.edu.au/jimmy-savile-gary-glitter-and-the-politics-of-paedophile-rings-10461
Rochdale police and council 'repeatedly warned' about sex abuse risk in town
NHS team made 83 referrals to borough council from 2004-10 in town harbouring gang of nine finally jailed over child sex ring Rachel Williams The Guardian, Wednesday 26 September 2012
Social workers and police in a town where nine men were found guilty of running a child sexual exploitation ring had been warned dozens of times that local girls were at risk of abuse in the years before charges were brought in that case, the Guardian can reveal.
Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show that an NHS team providing sexual health services to vulnerable young people made 83 referrals to Rochdale borough council about girls they thought were either being sexually exploited, or were at risk of exploitation, between 2004 and the end of 2010.
Staff on the crisis intervention team (CIT) also made 44 referrals to Greater Manchester police in the same period.
The revelations come as Rochdale's safeguarding children board (SCB) publishes a review concluding there were "many missed opportunities" over the past five years to safeguard children and young people affected by sexual exploitation. A working group set up by the SCB in 2007 identified in its first year 50 young people affected by, or at risk of, exploitation, the report reveals.
At a Liverpool crown court trial this year, nine men were found to have "shared" five girls in Rochdale, plying them with fast food, drink and drugs so they could "pass them around" and use them for sex.
The victims, were raped, physically assaulted and forced to have sex with several men in a day, several times a week....
Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk said: "The Guardian's investigation shows without any doubt that police and social services ignored an endemic problem of abuse.
"Time and again, the local authority were alerted to the fact these girls were being abused and they failed to do anything. We now need to know what action is being taken against these people that turned a blind eye to abuse and ignored numerous cries for help from young, vulnerable girls."
The father of the victim referred to in the review said he believed that social workers were incompetent: "Case files show that social workers in Rochdale believed girls who were being systematically abused were 'making their own choices'. By their neglect, they were complicit in prolonging the abuse. If they had being doing their job, they could have stopped this abuse years ago."....
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/sep/27/rochdale-police-sex-abuse-girls
Rochdale child sex ring: council head to be questioned by MPs
Leader to be asked why social workers 'missed opportunities', as lawyer for victims considers legal action against authority
Lizzy Davies The Guardian, Thursday 27 September 2012
The head of Rochdale council will be questioned by MPs over why his social workers "missed opportunities" to stop the sexual exploitation of young girls, it has emerged, as a lawyer for some of the victims said it was "very likely" they would take legal action against the local authority....
It revealed that, in 2007, a working group set up by the RBSCB had identified 50 young people – most aged between 10 and 17 – whom it believed to be affected by or at risk of exploitation.
Figures obtained separately by the Guardian showed social workers and police had made dozens of referrals concerning girls considered either to be victims or potential victims.....
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/sep/27/rochdale-sex-ring-council-legal-action
Rochdale abuse scandal: Victims likely to sue
Paul Keaveny Thursday 27 September 2012
Victims of a child sex ring may take legal action against the authorities for failing to protect them after a damning report laid bare the extent of their failings.
Social workers, police and prosecutors "missed opportunities" to stop a child exploitation ring abusing young girls, a report into the scandal revealed today.
"Deficiencies" in the way children's social care responded to the victims' needs in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, were caused by "patchy" training of frontline staff, the Rochdale Borough Safeguarding Children Board (RBSCB) said in its 29-page report into child sexual exploitation (CSE)....
The picture which emerges from the report is one of vulnerable young girls, some as young as 10, who were being targeted for sexual abuse, being written off by those in authority who believed the girls were "making their own choices" and "engaging in consensual sexual activity".
In reality, girls were being raped and often violently beaten.
The judge who sentenced the nine men said they treated their victims "as though they were worthless and beyond any respect".
Richard Scorer, a solicitor for some of the abused girls, said it was "very likely" they would be taking legal action against the authorities for failing to protect them....
The gang of nine men received jail sentences of between four and 19 years in May.
The offences happened in and around Rochdale in 2008 and 2009.
The five girls - aged between 13 and 15 - were given alcohol, food and money in return for sex but there were times when violence was used.
Police said the victims were from "chaotic", "council estate" backgrounds and as many as 50 girls could have been victims of the gang.
A chance to stop the gang was missed in 2008 and both the police and the CPS were forced to apologise for their failings....
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/rochdale-abuse-scandal-victims-likely-to-sue-8181056.html
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