Former Knox head admits he impeded child abuse investigation on purpose, Oxford child abuse report's key findings, Pastor held over ‘satanic sex abuse’

- Former Knox head admits he impeded child abuse investigation on purpose
- Former Knox Grammar headmaster Ian Paterson’s admissions rock Royal Commission  GLOWING REFERENCES FOR OFFENDERS
- Oxford child abuse report's key findings  Up to 370 girls may have been the victims of child sexual exploitation
- Pastor held over ‘satanic sex abuse’
- Four alleged rapists, molesters granted bail

Former Knox head admits he impeded child abuse investigation on purpose
Ian Paterson told police investigating paedophile teachers at the school he was not aware of any complaints, which he admits was a lie, royal commission hears   Bridie Jabour and agencies
Tuesday 3 March 2015

The former headmaster of Knox Grammar school has admitted deliberately impeding a police investigation into paedophile teachers working at the school.

Ian Paterson was approached by Inspector Elizabeth Cullen from the child protection enforcement agency about complaints of child sex abuse at the school in 1996. Paterson told Cullen he was not aware of any complaints, which he has admitted was a lie.

He made the admission in his second day of evidence at the royal commission into institutional responses to child abuse.

He also directed Cullen to files he knew would contain no information. It was not until 2009 that teachers from Knox were charged with child sex abuse offences which dated back to the 1980s.

In reply to counsel advising the royal commission, David Lloyd, Paterson agreed he knew this would impede the investigation.

Paterson told the inquiry on Tuesday he did not believe a student who complained a teacher touched him inappropriately in the 1980s because the student was a “drama boy”.

He also admitted to not contacting police after another student had his genitals groped by a man in a balaclava – suspected to be a teacher – while the boy was in his bed in one of the boarding houses.

Paterson said he did not report either incident to police because it did not occur to him and he was not aware groping was a crime.

He began his evidence with a statement apologising to the victims of child sex abuse at the school, which he was the headmaster of from 1969 to 1998. During that time there are multiple allegations of child sex abuse by multiple teachers with charges laid against some teachers in 2009.
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/mar/04/former-knox-head-admits-impeded-child-abuse-investigation-purpose


Former Knox Grammar headmaster Ian Paterson’s admissions rock Royal Commission
March 04, 2015
THE former headmaster of Knox Grammar has addressed allegations he groped a teenage girl at a school musical production in 1989.

Lucy Perry, the CEO of a global women’s health charity has told a child sex abuse inquiry Ian Paterson cupped her bottom and put his hand near her genitals during rehearsals for a joint school production of Guys and Dolls.

Dr Paterson said on Wednesday it was “absolutely not” true that he had inappropriately touched the then 15-year-old girl.

Giving evidence at the inquiry, Dr Paterson earlier admitted deliberately impeding a police investigation into pedophile teachers working at the school.

Fronting the royal commission into child sex abuse, Ian Paterson said on Wednesday that when a police inspector from the child protection unit approached him in 1996 about six teachers at Knox about whom there had been complaints, he did not give her full information....

The admission follows evidence given yesterday, when the man who was the principal over three decades of sex abuse at the prestigious Sydney school said he didn’t know touching was a crime and “wasn’t aware” that touching, groping, and cases of sexual molestation reported to him were a matter for the police.

Appearing before the Royal Commission into Child Sex Abuse, former Knox Grammar headmaster Ian Paterson confronted claims he had covered up sex abuse over his 30 years at the school’s helm from 1969 to 1998....

When a boy complained in 1989 that teacher Damien Vance had groped and propositioned him Dr Paterson told the 15-year-old to take time out — go to the library and think about the allegations.

When pressed by David Lloyd, counsel assisting the royal commission, as to why he did not tell police Dr Paterson said: “Because the boy was a drama boy”....

Dr Paterson didn’t report the incident to police of the Department of Family and Community services (then DOCS). He said it never crossed his mind.

He denied covering up the attack for the sake of the school’s reputation, but had not considered “touching” a crime.

“I’m not aware that was a matter for the police or a crime.”

GLOWING REFERENCES FOR OFFENDERS

In 1991 Vance was given a “strong” reference by Dr Paterson. The reference allowed Vance to register with the Victorian Department of Education as a permanent teacher.

Dr Paterson was questioned about another incident, where a balaclava-wearing man hid under a boy’s dormitory bed and groped a 14-year-old student.

He had not considered this a “very grave sexual assault” and defended not calling the police.

The man was believed by students to be teacher Chris Fotis, the school’s boarding master at the time.

Fotis was later asked to resign over a separate incident when he was caught masturbating in a car outside the school, but didn’t leave without a glowing reference from Dr Paterson....

Fotis, a Knox old boy, was hired without any reference check. It later emerged he had two sex assault convictions....
http://www.news.com.au/national/courts-law/former-knox-grammar-headmaster-ian-patersons-admissions-rock-royal-commission/story-fns0kb3z-1227247304556


Oxford child abuse report's key findings  3 March 2015
Up to 370 girls may have been the victims of child sexual exploitation (CSE) across the county over the past 15 years.

It comes after a gang of men were jailed in 2013 for abusing six girls in Oxford between 2004 and 2012.

Here are the key findings of the report by the Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Board (OSCB).

The report found no evidence of wilful professional neglect or misconduct by police or social services but said there a "worrying lack of curiosity" about what was happening to the girls.

It said the issue of child sexual exploitation was not widely understood and officials failed to notice the signs of the abuse over a number of years.

Some of the girls were abused using objects such as knives and baseball bats while others were bitten, scratched, beaten or burnt.

The report said much of the extreme abuse was not escalated to senior managers but should have been.

In response to the question, "Could CSE have been identified or prevented earlier?" report author, Dr Alan Bedford, said: "The simple answer is yes."

Professional work was not good enough and the failure to recognise the signs of CSE, and the fact that cases were seen in isolation, meant it continued for longer than could have been the case....


The language used by professionals indicated they saw the girls as the cause of their extreme behaviour instead of as victims and they received much less sympathy as a result, the report said.

"The child victims and their families feel very let down," wrote Dr Bedford. "Their accounts of how they perceived professional work are disturbing and chastening."....
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-31708492


Pastor held over ‘satanic sex abuse’
March 3 2015 By Shain Germaner

Johannesburg - A suspected satanic ritual at a Boksburg church is at the centre of a case in which a 9-year-old boy was allegedly raped and molested by his grandparents, uncle and pastor.

The case was originally not pursued in 2013, when the boy was younger.

However, the SAPS’s Occult-Related Crime Unit was later brought in to investigate, culminating in the arrest of all four alleged abusers last month.

....Lieutenant-Colonel Hendrik de Jager said interviews with the child had revealed that over a period – possibly of several years – the group had allegedly raped and molested the boy multiple times.

On one occasion, the grandparents and uncle had allegedly taken the child to their place of worship, the Full Gospel Church of God in Witfield, Boksburg, where the pastor was based.

The four adults donned masks and red robes and constructed a circle of red stones, surrounding the child while they prayed in strange tongues.

They gave the child something to drink, while the pastor and uncle took off their clothes and began having sex.

The child was asked to touch the private parts of each of the adults while they, in turn, fondled him.

De Jager said the child was then told to take off his clothes.

The uncle then stood behind him and penetrated him – though it was not clear if this was done with an object.

The lieutenant-colonel told the court that the granting of bail to the four accused would be detrimental to the child’s mental health, as there had been numerous threats against the boy and his parents.

De Jager said a man who identified himself as a relative had phoned him to get off the case and threatened to strangle the child and his mother.

The parents had also reported that the uncle’s wife had driven past their house screaming: “We’re going to get you!”

He said the reason the boy was particularly frightened of the grandfather was that the elderly man had pointed a gun at the child and threatened to kill him if he spoke about the abuse.

De Jager said that, based on information from the child, police were able to find the grandfather’s firearm – further proof of the alleged threat.

Defence lawyer Henk Strydom insisted that his four clients would deny all the allegations, and that they wished to prove their innocence in court.

He insisted that the State’s case was weak, as the medical reports taken in 2013 had indicated there were no signs of abuse.

Strydom said police had found no evidence of any satanic rituals going on at the church. No red robes or masks were ever found.

De Jager said the lapse in time between the laying of the charge and now meant much of the evidence could have been hidden....
http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/pastor-held-over-satanic-sex-abuse-1.1825989


Four alleged rapists, molesters granted bail
The magistrate granted bail, saying the case against the four accused wasn’t strong enough.

Masego Rahlaga | March 3, 2015

JOHANNESBURG - Four men accused of raping and molesting a nine-year-old boy at a church in Boksburg were granted bail in the Germiston Magistrates Court.

The boy’s grandparents, his uncle and a priest have been implicated and appeared in court on Tuesday afternoon.

The magistrate granted bail, insisting the case against the accused was not strong enough and gave the state time to investigate further.

The suspected satanic ritual allegedly happened at the Full Gospel Church of God in Boksburg.

The case was originally opened in 2013, but not pursued until the police’s occult-unit stepped in.

It was revealed in court on Monday that the abuse occurred over a period of several years and that the child and his parents had been threatened multiple times by the alleged perpetrators.

The four are expected back in court on 17 March....
http://ewn.co.za/2015/03/03/Alleged-rapists-molesters-granted-bail-in-Boksburg
 

Satanic murder accused tells of beating, Oxford sex gang

- Satanic murder accused tells of beating
- Witness not warned of satanic killing
- Child rapist's jail term appeal fails - "satanic" sex abuse 
- Loving parents. An utterly respectable home. So how did Rachel, 11, fall prey to the Oxford sex gang?

Satanic murder accused tells of beating  May 17 2013 by Meggan Saville    Johannesburg

The case against four people accused of killing teenager Kirsty Theologo in an alleged satanic ritual was postponed by the High Court sitting in the Palm Ridge Magistrate's Court on Friday. Judge Geraldine Borchers postponed the matter until Monday, when one of the accused, Harvey Isha, would testify. Kirsty Theologo, 18, and her friend, who was 14-years-old at the time, were tied up, doused with petrol, and set alight on a hill in Linmeyer, south of Johannesburg, on October 21, 2011. Theologo died in hospital, but her friend survived.

Jeremy King and Lester Moody admitted to the crime and were both sentenced to 17 years in jail, five of which were suspended.
The other four accused - Isha, Robin Harwood, Lindon Wagner, and Courtney Daniels - have pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, attempted murder, and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. On Friday, Lydia van Niekerk, for Wagner, cross-examined State witness King about the killing. The court heard that Wagner admitted hitting Theologo with a rock on the hill where the ritual took place.... http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/satanic-murder-accused-tells-of-beating-1.1517745


Witness not warned of satanic killing May 17 2013 by SAPA

Johannesburg - A youth present when a teenager was set alight in an apparent satanic ritual was not warned he would witness a killing, a State witness said on Friday. Jeremy King, 20, told the High Court sitting at the Palm Ridge Magistrate's Court the youth was only told King and his friends would perform a "soul-selling" ritual.

Kirsty Theologo, 18, and her friend, who was 14-years-old at the time, were tied up, doused with petrol, and set alight on a hill in Linmeyer, south of Johannesburg, on October 21, 2011. Theologo died in hospital, but her friend survived.

King and Lester Moody confessed to the crime and were both sentenced to 17 years in jail, five of which were suspended. The other four accused - Harvey Isha, Robin Harwood, Lindon Wagner, and Courtney Daniels - have pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, attempted murder, and assault to cause grievous bodily harm....
http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/witness-not-warned-of-satanic-killing-1.1517657


Child rapist's jail term appeal fails  Saturday, May 18, 2013 By Court staff

A child rapist who posed as a holy man to subject three victims to "satanic" sex abuse has failed to convince judges his 18-year prison sentence is too long.

The man claimed he had black magic powers and told the children, who were as young as 10, that if they did not submit to "religious massage", evil spirits would remain in their bodies and their mothers would die....
The man was jailed at Leicester Crown Court after he was convicted in November 2011 of three counts of rape, one of another serious sexual offence and four counts of sexual activity with a child.

Three senior judges at London's Court of Appeal this week rejected his challenge against his sentence, saying he had committed the crimes "under the cloak of religion" and deserved the sentence imposed. The man had denied all the offences but was found guilty by a jury, with the sentencing judge saying he had "deliberately frightened the children" so he could carry out "satanic abuse"....
http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/Child-rapist-s-jail-term-appeal-fails/story-19020011-detail/story.html



Loving parents. An utterly respectable home. So how did Rachel, 11, fall prey to the Oxford sex gang?

    Victim started not turning up for family suppers at 7.30pm
    Lured into life of sex slavery by Oxford gang with gifts of cocaine, cannabis, cigarettes and vodka
    By age of 13, she had 700 men's names on Facebook
    Mother: 'We did everything to try to keep her indoors, locking all windows and doors at night'  By Sue Reid  18 May 2013 

....As her mother, Georgina, says today: ‘Rachel loved school and was the teacher’s pet. She was excited about going to the big secondary with her friends. She is the youngest of our big family and we doted on her. We called her our baby.’

Yet five months after the holiday picture, Rachel’s childhood was abruptly ended. Instead of returning home straight after school, she started staying out in the park with the same group of girls who used to come to her home for tea.

She would arrive late for the 7.30pm family supper. And — after a time — she often did not come home at night and went missing for days on end.
Now her horrified mother knows the reason for her daughter’s worrying behaviour. She was being seduced by a predatory gang of paedophiles, who lured her into a life of sex slavery by giving her gifts of cocaine, cannabis, cigarettes and vodka.

By the age of 13, Rachel had more than 700 men’s names on her Facebook page. Hundreds of others were sending text messages and even naked photos of themselves to her pink mobile phone.
She changed her online identity to a Muslim name. And when she did come home, she often had savage bruises and bites all over her face and body....

Rachel was the youngest of six girls who bravely gave evidence at an Old Bailey trial that ended this week as seven men from Oxford were convicted for brutal sex assaults on them over eight years.
The men, five of Pakistani origin and two North African brothers, were convicted of 23 rapes, 15 charges of rape  conspiracy and nine of child prostitution, as well as other offences including trafficking the girls for sexual exploitation and having sex with a child.

Scandalously, police and social workers knew in 2005 that the Oxford girls were being preyed on by  the gang, but did little to stop the nightmare unfolding before they finally started to investigate  in 2010.

As with similar outrages in Rochdale, Derby, Rotherham and Telford in Shropshire, where street-grooming gangs have been convicted recently....
Georgina contacted Oxford social services hundreds of times to ask for help with her out-of-control daughter and says they did not return her calls.
She stormed down to their offices in Oxford and says she was ignored.
She phoned the police, who to their credit often went out searching for Rachel, but officers (and social services) failed to tell Georgina that a gang of men, predominantly British-born Pakistanis, was operating a sex-grooming ring in the city and any white girl was at risk from them....
Today, she is in the care of Oxford social services and living in another part of the country. It is a unit where she is secure so the gang cannot contact her — nor she them.

Aged 16, she is not allowed a mobile phone or computer access. She can speak to her family only when a phone call is made for her by a warden at the home.

Suffering from post-traumatic stress because of her five-year ordeal, she is studying for her GCSEs  and is visited by her mother regularly....
Oxford police said this week that 60 other girls may have been abused by 50 men from similar gangs in Oxford....
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2326381/Loving-parents-An-utterly-respectable-home-So-did-Rachel-11-fall-prey-Oxford-sex-gang.html