Westminster child abuse inquiry to hear Margaret Thatcher was presented 'allegations of unnatural sexual proclivities', Prince Andrew denies sex abuse claims, NSW may extend time limit on child sex abuse claims

Westminster child abuse inquiry to hear Margaret Thatcher was presented 'allegations of unnatural sexual proclivities'

Secret document suggests claims against 'public figures' were taken to the PM at height of alleged paedophile scandal  Adam Withnal Wednesday 21 January 2015


A UK academic has uncovered a file which he claims could contain allegations of “unnatural” sexual activities against public figures at the height of the Westminster child abuse scandal.

Dr Chris Murphy, a security and intelligence lecturer at the University of Salford, found the classified document while searching the National Archives in Kew.

While its contents have not been made public, Dr Murphy said he was immediately alerted by the title showing it had been taken to the then-Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher.

The title read: “PREM19/588 – SECURITY. Allegations against former public [word missing] of unnatural sexual proclivities; security aspects 1980 Oct 27 - 1981 Mar 20.”

According to Sky News, the Cabinet Office has been made aware of the file and it will be made available to the ongoing panel inquiry into the alleged existence of a paedophile ring involving senior Westminster figures....
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/westminster-child-abuse-inquiry-to-receive-evidence-of-unnatural-sexual-proclivities-9991716.html 

'Unnatural Sex' File Given To Abuse Inquiry   The secret document was not handed over to a review into child abuse, the chief executive of the NSPCC tells Sky News.  UK, Wednesday 21 January 2015
By Tom Parmenter, Sky News Correspondent

A secret file on “unnatural” sexual behaviour was not handed over to a Government backed review that looked for official documents linked to child abuse.

The file prepared for then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s was found recently at the National Archives in Kew and is entitled:  "PREM19/588 - SECURITY. Allegations against former public [word missing] of unnatural sexual proclivities; security aspects 1980 Oct 27 - 1981 Mar 20".

The Cabinet Office still holds the file. Thirty-five years after it was prepared it remains closed on grounds of national security....

It is highly likely Margaret Thatcher saw the documents, and was briefed on the security implications, but the identities of those within them remain secret.

Dr Murphy added: "The fact that this file is concerning the Prime Minister and these allegations are being taken to the Prime Minister I think would strike anybody of being potentially of some interest."....

Mrs Thatcher's former press secretary, Sir Bernard Ingham, told Sky News he could not recall the file.

He did, though, confirm that both he and Mrs Thatcher were aware of allegations against a Government minister in the early 1980s.

Sir Bernard would not name the individual, but said: "I asked him about it and he denied it, so no, I didn't do anything else. What was the alternative?"....

Officials at the Cabinet Office have previously attempted to block requests for information relating to Cyril Smith, the late Liberal politician who is now known to have abused youngsters....
http://news.sky.com/story/1411734/unnatural-sex-file-given-to-abuse-inquiry   

NSW may extend time limit on child sex abuse claims
Royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse has shown survivors do not disclose or act on their experience until decades after abuse
Brad Hazzard
Attorney general Brad Hazzard: under the NSW Statute of Limitations people abused as children generally have three to 12 years from the time of the offence to launch a civil claim.
Australian Associated Press  Thursday 22 January 2015 

The NSW government is considering lifting the time limit in which survivors of child sexual abuse can sue for damages.

The NSW attorney general Brad Hazzard said the royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse had uncovered widespread claims about abuse and the legal barriers survivors face in pursuing justice many years after the crime.

“It is well documented that many survivors of child sexual abuse do not disclose their experiences or act on them until decades after the abuse, well after the time period has ended,” Hazzard said on Friday.

The government has released a discussion paper on whether to amend the Limitation Act 1969 and wants to hear from the public.

Under the NSW Statute of Limitations people abused as children generally have between three and 12 years from the time of the offence to launch a civil claim.

“People who have suffered at the hands of others sometimes take 20, 30 years just to build up the courage to be able to say anything ... it’s a bit strange that there’s a limitation in the law that says you can’t bring proceedings,” Hazzard told ABC radio on Friday....
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/jan/23/nsw-may-extend-time-limit-on-child-sex-abuse-claims

Prince Andrew denies sex abuse claims
By Laura Smith-Spark and Lindsay Isaac, CNN  January 22, 2015
(CNN)In his first public remarks since being accused of having sex with an underage American woman, Britain Prince Andrews briefly addressed the allegation before a crowd in Davos, Switzerland.

"Firstly, I think I must, want, for the record to refer to the events that have taken place in the last three weeks. And I just wish to reiterate and to reaffirm the statements which have already been made on my behalf by Buckingham Palace," he said Thursday at the World Economic Forum.

Earlier this month, Buckingham Palace issued a statement which said, "It is emphatically denied that the Duke of York [Andrew] had any form of sexual contact or relationship" with the woman. "Any claim to the contrary is false and without foundation."

Andrew is a son of Queen Elizabeth II and a brother of Prince Charles, the next in line for the British throne....

The woman, identified by Buckingham Palace as Virginia Roberts, first named the prince in a civil motion filed December 30 in the U.S. District Court in southern Florida in which she claims she was forced to have sex with several men. She is referred to as Jane Doe No. 3 in the legal filings.

In the letter the woman's lawyers sent to Buckingham Palace, attorneys Paul Cassell and Bradley Edwards asked to interview Prince Andrew "under oath regarding interactions that you had with Jane Doe No. 3 beginning in approximately early 2001. Jane Doe No. 3 was then 17 years old."

The letter includes a picture of the woman and Andrew which was taken around that time, they say. The lawyers also want to discuss subsequent interactions with their client in New York City later that year, the letter says....
http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/22/europe/prince-andrew-sex-abuse-allegations/