How long before Joe and Jane Average figure it out?
That a great percentage of the world’s top politicians, VIPs and societal elites are evil, depraved, mentally unbalanced individuals ‘with profound sociopathic / psychopathic tendencies”
over the weekend, some files called #FINCEN were leaked. They contain over 200,000 suspicious financial transactions worth over $2trillion that were facilitated by banks around the world, including UK bank HSBC. Both the US and UK Gov’t appears to have ignored them.
One of these dodgy transactions was for $8m and involved another Russian oligarch called Vladimir Chernukhin. He’s a close ally of Putin and a general bad guy. He’s been accused by US officials as “playing a key role in advancing Russia’s malign activities”.
Vladimir’s wife, Lubov Chernukhin, has donated £1.7m to the Tory party just before the Brexit vote. She’s paid £160,000 to Boris Johnson for a game of tennis too. The Chernukhin’s live in London.
Very powerful, wealthy, and loyal Russian oligarchs have set-up base in London. They own and use the British press and the UK’s generous tax avoidance network, including British banks, along with the inner sanctum of the Tory party to influence UK politics to their advantage.
Former Broadmoor psychiatrist faces investigation for role in Ecclesiastical abuse claims
16 Sep 2020
Professor Tony Maden, psychiatrist and the former head clinician of Broadmoor’s dangerous and severe personality unit, is facing two separate investigations by the General Medical Council for his role as an expert witness in Ecclesiastical insurance church abuse claims, Post has learned. One in eight claims submitted to the GMC are investigated. The possible outcomes of the investigation include: no further action, a warning, agreeing undertakings with the GMC to address a problem with their practice, or the case being referred to the Medical Practitioner Tribunal Service for a substantive hearing. Maden continues to practice. In one case it is alleged Ecclesiastical is citing litigation privileges, a legal right but a decision criticised as “immoral” by the claimant, to prevent the GMC from accessing relevant documentation. Ecclesiastical declined to comment. Maden has been contacted for comment. A Church of England spokesperson told Post: ”The Church is committed to listening to and responding well to survivors and voted unanimously at its Synod in February to work towards a more fully survivor-centred approach. We have made representations to EIG on behalf of a small number of survivors who asked us to do so, and this had included cases where Tony Maden had been used.” Professor Julie Macfarlane, a dispute expert based in Canada and survivor of church abuse in Chichester, is one of the complainants. Macfarlane and her lawyer were instrumental in drafting Ecclesiastical’s 2016 guiding principles for abuse claims. She has waived her right to anonymity. In Macfarlane’s complaint, seen by Post, she alleges Maden “breached both his duty to the court to provide an informed neutral assessment (it was neither informed nor neutral) and to his profession to act with integrity”. Quotes from Maden’s report into Macfarlane for her 2015 case, seen by Post, included as evidence in the complaint, included that: “The fact that she took so long to raise this issue suggests it cannot have seemed to her like much of a problem.” Maden further argued that the reason the claimant had gone far away for university was not to escape her abuser, former vicar Meirion Griffiths who was jailed for eight years in February, but because “home was not entirely happy for her”. Because Macfarlane went on to lead a successful life, according to Maden’s report, there is “little or nothing to suggest” she had been impaired by any mental illness. Macfarlane opposed points raised by Maden, including one which she says he suggested “I could certainly have stood up to the minister because I was assertive”. Macfarlane alleged in the complaint: “Maden does not exhibit the slightest shred of genuine understanding of sexual abuse, of power dynamics, of the fear but also the necessity victims feel about taking action, nor does he show any empathy for victims. What this report does exhibit in abundance is the use of every bit of tortured logic at Dr Maden’s disposal to reinforce the legal case of his employer: the Church of England. “In producing this report – which my psychologist, a regular expert witness herself, described as ‘the most ridiculous thing I have ever read’ – Dr Maden breached both his duty to the court to provide an informed neutral assessment (it was neither informed nor neutral) and to his profession to act with integrity.” Expressing concern for other claimants, Macfarlane told Post: “He’s supposed to be appointed as a neutral expert – that’s his role.” Desktop Maden was also the desktop expert in the case of a claimant, known as Tony, who was hospitalised on suicide watch at the time. The report produced attributed just 10% of the claimant’s problems in later life to abuse (reduced to 5% as one incident of abuse was not part of the claim), a factor in Ecclesiastical offering a lower amount in a further round of settlement negotiations than previously,as shown in documents obtained via a subject access request – a move blasted as “unethical” by a leading bishop and safeguarding expert Ian Elliot. In the 2016 case a request to use a joint expert had been rejected by Ecclesiastical. Tony told Post: “Maden’s own report on me was astonishing. It was written without even meeting me. To understand the impact of abuse on an individual you need to be able to understand that person and the difficulties they have faced and are facing. I believe it is medically and ethically improper to reach any percentage causation under such circumstances, with such limited experience and material. I strongly believe that this practice of producing remote ‘desktopping’ reports should be wiped out.” Tony continued: “If their experience of the civil claims system is adversarial and negative, it would be very uncharacteristic for a victim to complain about what has happened. To do so would involve re-visiting the original trauma – again, while also experiencing fresh trauma from the additional re-abuse. It is very uncommon that someone would complain. I have spoken to a number of fellow victims who have been through the ‘mill’, felt very let down and re-abused, but felt it would be too painful to re-visit the detail of their case to the detail that would be required to submit a complaint.” Earlier this year Maden confirmed to Post he was sometimes approached by insurers to produce desktop reports on claimants he was not expected to meet. Haringey The psychiatrist acted as an expert witness for the defence in a recent failed £1.1m Haringey Council appeal spearheaded by Mercantile Indemnity, based on action originally involving RSA as the insurer. Haringey Council, which faced anger from claimants and negative publicity over how the case was handled, blamed its insurers for the legal action and arguments within. Making a diagnosis of personality disorder, Maden had testified to inconsistencies in the claimant’s accounts, picking out details such as whether or not the claimant’s parents would have gone to see him perform in a play. In his report he had argued the abuse had not made “more than a minor contribution” to the claimants mental health problems, court documents show. The expert suggested it was substance abuse and work pressure that had contributed to a worsening of his personality disorder and led to the claimant’s breakdown in 2011, rather than the sexual abuse he had endured as a teenager at the hands of his PE teacher, Andrew Adams. The judge, Mrs Justice Cutts, found: “The reason that he [the claimant] has not been able to work since 2011 and will have difficulty finding work in the future is not confined to the 2011 breakdown. It is attributable to his complex PTSD, diagnosed after that breakdown and caused, as I have found, by the abuse. The damage arises from the sexual abuse.” The appeal judges agreed with her verdict – though flagged concerns about the acceptance of the diagnosis as an “error of law” because complex PTSD was not yet a published diagnosis. Lady Justice Nicola Davies noted: “Professor Maden conceded that if the court accepted the respondent’s account that he was groomed in the manner alleged, his opinion as to the contribution of the abuse to the respondent’s personality disorder would be different. Professor Maden’s evidence on causation was dependent on the findings of primary fact relating to the abuse with which I do not take issue. It follows that Professor Maden’s opinion upon causation is undermined by the court’s findings on those facts.” Consultant Using documents from publicly available court judgment archive Baili, Post found one instance of Maden acting on behalf of child sexual abuse claimants from 2016 onwards, compared to 16 appearances or examinations for defendants. Most historic child abuse cases are settled before they make it before a judge. This means there is no public record of many settlements and how they were reached. It is, therefore, not possible to say exactly how many cases an expert has been involved in. Consultant psychiatrists in CSA claims will generally sit with patients for upwards of an hour before supplying a report, with claimant lawyers suggesting experts will generally earn a fee of between £2500 to £4000 for each case. IICSA noted in 2019 it is less traumatic for claimants to use one joint expert, while it is specified in Ecclesiastical’s 2016 guiding principles that a joint expert should be used. Phil Johnson, the chair of survivor group Macsas, was assessed by Maden when he initiated his 2010 claim against Ecclesiastical. The insurer hired Maden to assess Johnson based on medical records, a previous report by another expert and a one page resume from a psychotherapist. The two met face-to-face once for “about 45 minutes” according to Johnson. After sending a letter pointing out 34 examples of alleged “inaccuracies, supposition, speculation and in places fabrication” in Maden’s 2010 assessment of him, seen by Post, Johnson alleges the psychiatric profile provided arguing he was “genetically predisposed” to mental health problems and, therefore, the abuse was not responsible for his difficulties was quietly dropped by the insurer’s lawyers. Many survivors will begin to make a claim because they have started on a course of therapy and are seeking to recoup the costs, according to Johnson. He has been involved with survivor groups for over 20 years, describing the claims process as like “horse trading” with very few cases ever making it to court. He accused insurers of using a “very hostile medical examination to undermine the victims”. “The purpose of it is really to minimise the damages,” Johnson criticised. Background Maden has acted as an expert witness in at least 30 court cases since 2010, including in compensation claims from victims of black cab serial rapist John Worboys and the case of teacher Shaiira Alexis whose student spiked her water with cleaning fluid after the educator allegedly called her a “white prostitute”. The psychiatrist is perhaps best known for his work at high-security psychiatric hospital Broadmoor, which has housed notorious individuals such as Ronnie Kray, Peter Sutcliffe and Ian Brady. Maden served as former lead clinician of Bracknell-based Broadmoor’s Paddock Centre, a dangerous and severe personality disorder unit shuttered by the government in 2012. He has appeared on television documentaries including Channel 5 show Meet the Psychopaths and Inside Holloway and features in journalist Jon Ronson’s book The Psychopath Test. The emeritus professor of forensic psychiatry at Imperial College London has written or contributed to at least 36 publications, with a focus on violent offenders and substance misuse. He does not appear to have contributed to literature around child abuse.
Kevin Spacey sued for alleged sexual assault of two teenagers in 1980s
Actor Anthony Rapp and another man file suit against Hollywood star at Manhattan court
Sept 10, 2020
Actor Anthony Rapp and another man filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against Kevin Spacey, accusing him of sexual assaults in the 1980s when they were teenagers.
Rapp, who starred in Rent on Broadway and in Star Trek: Discovery on TV, had first spoken out against the Oscar-winning Spacey in 2017, a decision that led to others speaking up and Spacey’s celebrated career coming to an abrupt end.
In the lawsuit, filed at the state supreme court in Manhattan, Rapp detailed what he has said publicly about Spacey: that the older actor made a sexual advance to him when Rapp attended a party as a teenager.
When Rapp first made the accusation, Spacey issued a statement saying he didn’t remember the encounter but apologised.
The other plaintiff, who goes by the initials CD, said that he met Spacey as a teenager while taking an acting class, and that Spacey invited him to his apartment on multiple occasions and engaged in sexual acts with him. In the lawsuit, the plaintiff said Spacey attempted to assault him sexually on his final visit.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.
An email seeking comment was sent to Spacey‘s attorney.
Since the allegations started emerging, Spacey has been embroiled in other legal cases. Last October, prosecutors in Los Angeles rejected a sexual battery case because the accuser had died.
In July, prosecutors in Massachusetts dropped a case after the 18-year-old man who accused Spacey of groping him refused to testify.
The Associated Press does not normally name people alleging sexual assault unless they come forward publicly, as Rapp has done.
Horror at Kensington Palace: Corpse is found in the ornamental lake outside William and Kate’s London home
A body had been retrieved from the pond outside Kensington Palace last week
Endellion Lycett Green, 51, had been missing for a week, police confirmed
Her family’s grief turned to relief after corpse turned out to be another woman
Overlooking one of London’s most beautiful parks has many advantages for the residents of Kensington Palace, who include the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children, as well as Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank.
But there was horror last weekend when word got round that a body had been retrieved from the ornamental lake in front of the palace.
For the family of artist Endellion Lycett Green, granddaughter of much-loved former poet laureate Sir John Betjeman, the discovery was heart-breaking because they were told that the body was hers.
Endellion, 51, who is known to her friends and family as Delli, had been missing for a week and the Metropolitan Police had made public appeals for help in finding her.
However, the family’s grief turned to deep relief when Delli was found alive this week and the corpse turned out to be that of another woman. It had been a case of mistaken identity.
‘My sister Endellion is alive, safe and well,’ her brother John Lycett Green said in a message shared with grateful friends. ‘Thank you all for the support and love you showed for Delli and her family.
‘Sorry to all of you that, like us, were grieving for the wonder that is Delli. We were told a body was found and was her. It was not, and Delli was found last night.’
He added: ‘RIP the soul that was found in Kensington Round Pond on Saturday morning.’
Endellion is a distinguished artist and good friend of David Cameron’s wife, Samantha, and The Wire actor Dominic West.
She lives in Wiltshire with her film editor husband Rob Nagel and their two children.
A friend of the family tells me: ‘Delli went through a bad patch, but it’s a huge relief to everyone that she is safe and well. It’s been a traumatic week.’
The body found in the pond remains unidentified. A Scotland Yard spokesman tells me: ‘The death is being treated as unexplained at this time, but is not thought to be suspicious. Inquiries are ongoing.’
The spokesman says Endellion’s family were contacted ‘as part of inquiries to establish the identity of the deceased’.
Former Fettes College pupil sues for alleged abuse during swimming lessons
A former pupil of Fettes College is suing the prestigious Edinburgh school following allegations she was sexually abused during swimming lessons.
30th August 2020
According to a report in the Mail on Sunday, the woman claims she was groped by a member of staff in the early 1990s.
The article states concerns were raised at the time but the teacher was not sacked.
Fettes College in Edinburgh.
The former pupil – who is due to give evidence later this year to the long-running Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry – said: “What happened to me and the way the school reacted has affected my whole life. The inappropriate touching in the pool and the way I was humiliated and bullied made me want some remedy.
“As a child I felt powerless, but I have a voice now.”
The law firm representing her, Thompsons, has more than 1000 sexual abuse survivors on its files.
The inquiry has been suspended amid the pandemic, but the woman has launched legal action seeking an apology and damages for the lack of care she claims she received in the junior school.
She added: “I remember tickles, being lifted from the water, having my ears nibbled. I hated it all.”
It is understood the teacher was banned from entering the pool after a colleague heard pupils talking about swimming lessons.
The colleague reported the member of staff to school management.
The former pupil added: “Next time we had swimming, he was furious, shouting that because of us he could not even enter his own pool.
“But he still had power over us. Before he was banned, he had worked out ways to touch us without being seen. It was frightening and humiliating.”
Laura Connor, head of Thompsons’ historic abuse unit, said: “What our client experienced while a child at Fettes is the stuff of nightmares. The effects of the abuse still live with her today and I am determined that Fettes will be held accountable for the appalling conduct of their employee.”
Years after the alleged abuse, the school reported the matter to police following complaints from parents.
A spokesperson for Fettes said: “The college co-operated fully with the police investigation in 1998. As was widely reported at the time, the case did not proceed.
QC John Watt facing child sex abuse charges to be extradited
August 24 2020
A Scottish lawyer is set to be extradited from America to face charges of child sexual abuse.
John Watt, QC, a former prosecutor, is accused of sexual assaults on four children in the 1970s and 1980s.
One of them is Susie Henderson, now 53, whose claims of a paedophile ring in the Scottish legal establishment led to a six-year police investigation. Among those she accused of sexual offences against children was Sir Nicholas Fairbairn, QC, the late Tory MP.
Mr Watt, 70, could be in Scotland by October after a US judge approved his removal despite his claims that his extradition should be stopped for “humanitarian” reasons due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
A federal court judge in Oklahoma rejected the request from Mr Watt, who faces one charge of rape and four charges of lewd and libidinous practices. Mr Watt has not yet entered a plea in relation to the charges.
His case will now go before Mike Pompeo, US secretary of state, who will have 60 days to approve extradition, which in most cases is a formality.
Mr Watt could file a writ of habeas corpus, a legal action which could delay the extradition. He was arrested at his home in Oklahoma on July 8 and has been held in custody since.
He appeared at federal court in Muskogee in a prison-issue top and trousers for a 20-minute hearing last week. The judge signed an order stating that the extradition should go ahead. He disregarded Mr Watt’s coronavirus plea as it was not among the extradition criteria.
The Police Scotland investigation started when Ms Henderson made allegations against some of the country’s leading lawyers. She said that her late father, Robert Henderson, QC, had repeatedly raped her and made similar allegations about a number of his friends.
Steve Bannon Indicted for Alleged Fraud and Money Laundering with Trump Border Wall Scheme
Bannon is the sixth person from the inner circle of Trump’s 2016 campaign to be criminally charged by the Trump-era Justice Department.
Steve Bannon, the chief executive officer of Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in New York. Bannon, who also served as chief White House strategist and senior counselor to the president, is accused, with three others, of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He was arrested by agents with the U.S. Postal Service and was expected to appear in court Thursday.
Prosecutors say Bannon, Brian Kolfage, Andrew Badolato, and Timothy Shea defrauded hundreds of thousands of donors with We Build the Wall, a crowdfunding campaign that raised more than $25 million amid promises to erect a barrier on the southern border. The campaign initially announced a $1 billion goal. According to We Build the Wall’s website, a number of high-profile figures in Trump’s orbit have sat on the group’s board, including anti-immigration activist Kris Kobach, Blackwater founder Erik Prince, baseball player turned right-wing blowhard Curt Schilling, former Milwaukee County sheriff David Clarke, and anti-immigration zealot Tom Tancredo.
A former butler to dead sex offender Jeffrey Epstein spoke to a French news channel and said that Epstein courted some famous guests at his Paris apartment, including former Trump chief strategist Steve Bannon,Prince Andrew and Bill and Melinda Gates.
The butler, identified by France Info only as Gabriel, said he “served crowned heads, diplomats, businessmen and politicians,” some of whom we just named above.
According to Gabriel, Bannon visited Epstein in Paris in the fall of 2018. This is what article, which was in French, said:
High-flying Paul Randle worked on security for the Royal family, saw action in Afghanistan, and was commended by Nato for his service. A judge described him as a “shameless paedophile“.
14 AUG 2020
A former RAF serviceman with a distinguished career in uniform has been exposed as a “shameless paedophile” addicted to looking at pictures of child abuse.
Paul Randle was found with more than 2,000 indecent images, some showing a newborn baby being sexually abused.
Swansea Crown Court heard there were another 118,000 pictures and videos on his computers which police had not examined or categorised.
Tom Scapens, prosecuting, said Randle was arrested after police raided his Ammanford house on the morning of November 6 last year.
Officers seized a number of devices including a Samsung tablet from the property, and a subsequent forensic examination found more than 2,000 indecent images of children – from categories A, the most serious kind, as well as B and C – along with software for accessing the dark web, open links to known paedophile sites, and a link to an online photo storage facility.
The prosecutor said among the images found was one of a naked newborn baby being sexually abused by a woman.
Another 118,000 images were located on various devices but not examined.
Officers also found 50-year-old Randle had been involved in extensive online chats about the sexual abuse of children using a number of platforms including Skype and Kik.
In his police interviews the defendant denied downloading indecent images, saying much of the computer equipment had been bought second hand. He said he had spent more than 20 years with the RAF police working IT, counter-intelligence, and security.
Randle later claimed to have been trying to expose paedophiles online, then said the images were part of his work, and then changed his story yet again to claim he was being blackmailed.
Randle, of Saron Road, Ammanford, had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children and three counts of distributing indecent images when he appeared in the dock for sentencing.
The court heard he has no previous convictions.
Nicholas Wragg, for Randle, said his client had been working with a therapist since his arrest and was making a “dedicated effort” to address the issues he had.
He said Newport-born Randle had applied to join Gwent Police as a young man – but was rejected for being “a fraction too short” – and instead joined the Royal Air Force.
The barrister said during his career with the RAF he had worked in counter-intelligence, in security for the Royal family, had served in conflict zones including Afghanistan and Iraq – where he had conducted armed patrols, come under fire, and seen children blow-up by roadside bombs – and been commended by NATO.
He said: “The defendant says he is haunted by his past but does not talk about it.”
Mr Wragg added that there was nothing to indicate the 118,000 images not checked by police were indecent, and said they could merely be normal family snapshots and the like.
Judge Geraint Walters said some of the images the defendant had downloaded were “among the most appalling imaginable”.
He said it was “beyond the comprehension of human beings” how someone could get sexual gratification from looking at pictures of newborn babies being abused, and he described Randle as a “shameless paedophile who is addicted to child pornography”.
Giving the defendant a one-third discount for his guilty pleas the judge sentenced him to a total of two years and four months in prison. Randle will serve up to a half of that period in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.
The defendant will be on the sex offenders register for the next 10 years, and was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for the same length of time to control his access to the internet.
Essex police officers face action after investigator finds ‘inexcusable’ failures in paedophile ring case
10 August 2020
An investigation into a historic paedophile ring with Havering links is set to be reopened for the third time in five years, after a report found a series of failures by Essex Police.
The force’s Professional Standards Department (PSD) was asked to investigate after a victim of the ring made a lengthy complaint to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) over the way his case had been handled.
The year-long review of Essex Police’s behaviour concluded just in time for the final episode of Archant’s true crime podcast – Unfinished: Shoebury’s Lost Boys – which has been examining failures in successive police investigations into the so-called “Shoebury Sex Ring”.
Essex PSD upheld nine of the man’s 15 complaints and three officers now face management action.
PSD’s findings included:
The Essex PSD report, sparked by an IOPC complaint, was received just as the final episode of the Unfinished Shoebury podcast was being prepared. The episode had to be rewritten and re-recorded to incorporate the breaking news. Picture: Charles Thomson.
-The force gave a historic paedophile ring investigation to an inexperienced officer, who was then not properly supervised.
-There were “inexcusable” delays in the man’s case – with more than a year elapsing between him coming forward and police completing his interview.
-The man’s allegations against a retired police officer, who he was able to identify, were never logged as a crime and lines of enquiry about him were never investigated.
-This was despite the fact that a year earlier, unbeknownst to the complainant, another male had made similar allegations to another organisation about the same retired officer.
-The man’s allegations against other abusers were also not properly investigated.
In 1989, Southend children’s charities discovered dozens of local children had been groomed and abused. Charity workers have come forward in recent years to say there were suspicious failures in the police investigation.
Children were transported to addresses along the Thames corridor to be abused – including a property in Havering where they were filmed and photographed.
But the two ringleaders – Dennis King and Brian Tanner, both now dead – were given extremely generous plea bargains at the last minute and no other abusers were pursued.
Last year, Essex newspaper the Yellow Advertiser revealed King had been a registered police informant.
The man behind the complaint was approached by police in 2017 as part of a reinvestigation of the case. His name appeared in documents compiled by Social Services in 1990/91 as a suspected victim. It is believed he was named to professionals by other victims.
He initially declined to co-operate but changed his mind in October 2017, when he learned the case was being closed down without any charges.
After he agreed to co-operate in October, no police officers contacted him until two months later, after he rang police to ask what was going on. The PSD investigator said they were never given any explanation by police as to why he had not been contacted.
His case was then handed to a Pc who told him it was her first case since joining the child abuse team.
The investigator’s report stated: “There is no rationale as to why this was not allocated to a more experienced officer. This is clearly a complicated investigation… This is an organised abuse allegation involving multiple suspects and victims.”
He was not given his first on-camera interview until July 2018 and follow-ups were spaced weeks apart, the longest gap being more than 40 days.
The final interview concluded in November 2018. Days later, Dennis King died. The case had been dragged out for so long that the prime suspect could not now be questioned.
In the report, the investigator wrote: “This is an unjustified amount of time, which the investigating officer believes may be due to the lack of a supervisor’s footprint, and the investigation was allowed to slip.”
They continued: “There are many enquiries that have not been completed. These enquiries may have uncovered new witnesses, who may have been willing to give evidence to the police.
“His mother was not spoken to. His medical records were not obtained, despite having a signed consent form. Social Service records were not obtained. He was not taken on a drive around to identify addresses.
“No attempts seem to have been made to locate the people he talks about in interview, whether they may be suspects, victims or witnesses.”
As a result, the case has been referred for reinvestigation by Operation Quest, a taskforce set up to handle complex, historic cases.
The PSD report is included in the final episode of Unfinished, which was released on Friday.
The eight-episode series included interviews with whistleblowers and victims, telling the story of how the ring was uncovered, what went wrong in the police investigation and how the case came to be reopened more than 25 years later.
Search for victims of multi-millionaire paedophile priest believed to have abused children in Wales
Victims of Michael Studdert could be able to claim against his estate after a judge said he was ‘satisfied Studdert had committed historic sexual assault in England and Wales’
Aug 1, 2020
Michael Studdert
Authorities are searching for victims of a multi-millionaire paedophile priest who may be entitled to part of his estate.
Former Anglican minister Michael Studdert is believed to have abused children in Wales, England, Poland, Denmark, and Italy.
Studdert, who died aged 78 in August 2017, was convicted on three occasions of various charges relating to the possession, importing, making or distribution of indecent images of children between 1988 and 2006.
His £4.7m estate – most of which he left to a charity he set up to support families of clergy of the Church of England – cannot be spent while potential victims are found, the High Court has ruled.
A judge has also ordered the executors of Studdert’s estate to set up a website to try and find those who may have been abused by him.
He was jailed alongside Paedophile Information Exchange founder Thomas O’Carroll in December 2006 after more than 100,000 indecent images were found at his home in Surrey.
Studdert was banned from exercising any priestly function within the Church of England for the rest of his life shortly after that conviction.
He is not known to have ever been convicted of the sexual assault of a child but a judge has said he is “satisfied Studdert had committed historic sexual assault in England and Wales” as well as in Poland, Denmark and Italy.
Evidence compiled by a firm of solicitors appointed to manage his £4.7m estate found Studdert was “likely” to have had sexual contact with children in Poland, where he had “strong connections”, and had also travelled with O’Carroll “extensively” in eastern Europe.
The executors also received two letters sent to Studdert after his death by disgraced former Radio 1 DJ Chris Denning, who is currently “serving a 13-year sentence for sexual offences committed against boys” and “has a history of sexual offences committed in the Czech Republic and Slovakia”.
Studdert left most of his millions to the EAC Educational Trust, a registered charity he set up in 1985 to “relieve poverty and to advance education for the benefit of the public and particularly amongst the families of clergy of the Church of England, single-parent families, and other poor families”.
But his executors applied to the High Court “because they were rightly concerned that the estate might be subject to claims from survivors of historic abuse”, Chief Master Marsh said in a ruling on Friday.
Following a series of hearings between January 2019 and this April the court found “there is a real prospect that the deceased may have committed historic sexual assault both within the jurisdiction of England and Wales and outside the said jurisdiction in eastern Europe and in particular within Poland”.
The court also found that these historic assaults “may have given rise to personal injury claims against the deceased and hence his estate” although “no claims have been intimated and the (executors) are not aware of the identity of any possible claimants”.
Chief Master Marsh previously ordered the executors to pay the “relatively small” amounts Studdert had left to his “Polish friends” and also to contact the police and the Church of England to find out if they had any further information about potential abuse by Studdert.
By April the judge said he was “satisfied Studdert had committed historic sexual assault” in England and Wales and Poland, Denmark and Italy, and ordered Studdert’s executors not to distribute any of the rest of his estate.
He also ordered them to “create dedicated websites” in English, Polish, Danish and Italian with details of Studdert’s date of death and criminal convictions as well as advertising the website on Twitter, Facebook, and Wikipedia.
The judge concluded: “It remains to be seen what emerges from the steps that are taken by the (executors).
“It is clear, however, that a complete bar on the distribution of the estate should not remain in place indefinitely.”
Chief Master Marsh added: “Consideration may be given to setting up a compensation scheme if one is warranted.”
Inquiry Chair, Prof Alexis Jay, says it is “hard to avoid the conclusion” that the most vulnerable children in residential care were never a priority of #LambethCouncil or of a succession of directors of social services over decades. Ms Hudson: “I think that’s absolutely clear”
PAEDO PROMISE
New BBC boss Tim Davie reassures paedophile Jonathan King they still play his music
21 Jul 2020
NEW BBC boss Tim Davie has written a bizarre letter to paedophile Jonathan King to reassure him the corporation still plays his music.
The Beeb’s next Director- General, who takes over in September, tells him: “There is no ban on your music being played or you appearing on the BBC.
“The use of any material will be judged on a case-by-case basis by our editorial teams. Best wishes, Tim Davie.”
Pop mogul King sold an estimated 40million records using various names and discovered the rock group Genesis before he was convicted of sex assaults on five boys aged 14 and 15 in the 1980s.
He is currently Chief Executive Officer of BBC Studios.
A BBC Studios spokesman said: “The BBC receives hundreds of letters every day and we always respond to them.
“The BBC’s policy has always been that we don’t ban individuals but make judgements about content on a case by case basis; and anyone watching and listening, will know that those judgements have clearly been in one direction – no one should expect any change on that. This is simply a statement of the BBC’s long term position.”
During his time as acting director-general Davie oversaw the investigations into BBC management and conduct following revelations the broadcaster had known about sexual abuse by Jimmy Savile and then made false accusations against Alistair McAlpine.[5]
He was Director-General Mark Thompson’s first senior external appointment.
Davie is Chairman of Comic Relief, Trustee of the Tate and the Royal Television Society (Patron is Prince Charles), and in 2018 was appointed as Chairman of the Creative Industries Council.[21][22][23]
BBC chief Tim Davie defends failure to sack executives over Savile scandal
Tim Davie, the head of the BBC, has defended its failure to dismiss a single executive over the Jimmy Savile sex abuse scandal, saying: “Success for me is not necessarily how many people I dismiss.”
Senior council figures ‘lobbied for convicted paedophile to be allowed to foster’, inquiry hears
JULY 8, 2020
Senior figures at Lambeth Council lobbied for a convicted paedophile to be allowed to foster children in an angry showdown with a neighbouring local authority, an inquiry has heard.
Care home boss John Carroll’s bid to foster two boys in the late 1980s was blocked when Southwark Council discovered he had been convicted of sexually abusing a child in the past.
Southwark had been asked to provide an independent assessment of Carroll’s application to Lambeth Council, and was told not to be “too rigorous” as he was already in a trusted position running a care home.
Clive Walsh, a senior officer in social services at Southwark who blocked the fostering bid, told the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse on Tuesday he also made a recommendation that Carroll should no longer run a children’s home in Lambeth.
He was called to a showdown meeting between Lambeth and Southwark, and said an official who had overseen a discplinary hearing involving Carroll was “angry” that he had interfered in the council’s business.
“As it related to my decision, the preference was that that be overturned by instruction to me from Southwark, and that was clearly their preference”, he said.
“Their demand was that the record of my view of the inappropriateness of Mr Carroll working as a head of home be expunged from the record.”
He said Southwark politicians at the meeting were initial sympathetic to the view that “Lambeth’s business was Lambeth’s business”, until they realised that Carroll had committed a serious sexual offence against a child.
“They then became angry”, he told the inquiry. “They were outraged that there was a man running a children’s home in Lambeth who had a conviction as an adult for sexually assaulting a younger – a significantly younger – child.
“They were very angry about that, and they were also angry about the failure to disclose that to us.”
Mr Walsh insisted that Lady Janet Boateng, the former chair of Lambeth social services, was at the showdown meeting – believed to be in 1987.
However she told the inquiry yesterday she had left the council in 1986 and it was “absurd” to suggest she would have been involved in the application.
Carroll was later sacked for fiddling his expenses, and was jailed in 1998 for a slew of child sex offences.
Jeffrey Epstein victims cheer arrest of Ghislaine Maxwell
July 2, 2020
Jeffrey Epstein’s reputed longtime madam, Ghislaine Maxwell, has been arrested by federal authorities and is in the custody of federal authorities. She was detained at 8:30 Thursday morning in a residence in the small town of Bradford, New Hampshire.
The British socialite allegedly helped procure girls for the financier, who died in August 2019 in a jail cell after being arrested himself a month earlier on federal charges of sex trafficking.
Maxwell has been charged with four counts of sex trafficking a minor and two counts of perjury, according to the federal indictment.
The charges involve three girls who were under the age of 18 when Maxwell allegedly recruited them to engage in sexual acts with Epstein from the years of 1994 through 1997. According to the charges, Maxwell “groomed” the three girls for Epstein and, in one case, took part in the sexual activity. The girls were allegedly abused at multiple locations, including Epstein’s New York mansion, his estate in Palm Beach, his ranch in New Mexico and Maxwell’s personal residence in London.
“Maxwell’s presence as an adult woman helped put the victims at ease as Maxwell and Epstein intended,” said Audrey Strauss, the acting U.S. attorney, in announcing the charges against Maxwell at a Thursday news conference.
Speaking about the perjury charges brought against Maxwell, based on statements Maxwell made in 2016 in a civil suit brought by one of Epstein and Maxwell’s alleged victims, Strauss said, “Maxwell lied because the truth, as alleged, was almost unspeakable.”
Federal prosecutors asked that Maxwell be held without bail, saying she “poses an extreme risk of flight.”
“Maxwell has three passports, large sums of money, extensive international connections, and absolutely no reason to stay in the United States and face the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence,” prosecutors wrote in a filing Thursday.Maxwell made an appearance by video before U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrea Johnstone in New Hampshire Thursday afternoon and is being transferred by the U.S. Marshals Service to New York, where she will face a hearing on the government’s request to deny her bail.
Before the call started, a woman with her British accent could be heard sobbing on the line saying, “I don’t understand, I don’t understand.”
“Maxwell has three passports, large sums of money, extensive international connections, and absolutely no reason to stay in the United States and face the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence,” prosecutors wrote in a filing Thursday.
Maxwell made an appearance by video before U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrea Johnstone in New Hampshire Thursday afternoon and is being transferred by the U.S. Marshals Service to New York, where she will face a hearing on the government’s request to deny her bail.
Before the call started, a woman with her British accent could be heard sobbing on the line saying, “I don’t understand, I don’t understand.”
Maxwell is the daughter of the late British media mogul Robert Maxwell, who himself died under mysterious circumstances in 1991.
Maxwell’s whereabouts have been a subject of much interest since the new charges were filed against Epstein. Her lawyer claimed last year that Maxwell’s e-mail server had been hacked.
At times she appeared to play a cat-and-mouse game with the public, such as when she was photographed at a Los Angeles area In-N-Out Burger sitting at a table while holding a spy book — a photo published in the New York Post last August.
Rumors have linked both Maxwell and Epstein to intelligence agencies.
Federal authorities were monitoring Maxwell’s movements throughout the course of the investigation, said William Sweeney, the assistant director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s New York office.
“We had been discretely keeping tabs on Maxwell’s whereabouts as we worked this investigation and more recently we learned that she had slithered away to a gorgeous property in New Hampshire, continuing to live a life of privilege while her victims live with the trauma inflicted upon them years ago,” Sweeney said.
Lawyers representing alleged victims of Epstein and Maxwell said that their clients were relieved to see the charges.
“Today is a long time coming for many victims,” said Bradley Edwards, an attorney who represents more than 20 alleged victims. “I have talked with many of my clients this morning who are relieved that justice is being served. They are so thankful for the dedicated work of the New York prosecutors.”
Spencer Kuvin, an attorney representing a number of other alleged victims, said his clients hope the charges against Maxwell are the first of many against other Epstein associates alleged to have taken part in the sexual abuse of underage women.“With the arrest of Ghislaine Maxwell, this welcomed news will hopefully be the first of many co-conspirators to face the consequences of this horrific crimes,” Kuvin said in a statement.
One of Epstein’s alleged victims, Virginia Giuffre, stated in a defamation suit against Maxwell that Maxwell had recruited her in 2000 to be a personal masseuse for Epstein. Maxwell had seen Giuffre around the time of Giuffre’s 17th birthday reading at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, where Giuffre had been working at the time as a spa assistant, Giuffre said.
Giuffre said in court documents that she had been directed by Epstein and Maxwell to have sex with a number of prominent men, including Prince Andrew, former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, lawyer Alan Dershowitz, former U.S. Senator George Mitchell and Hyatt Hotels magnate Tom Pritzker, among others. The men have denied her accusations. The suit was settled in 2017. Dershowitz and Giuffre, meantime, have sued each other for defamation.Epstein’s many prominent friends over the years have included President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton. Giuffre said she was not directed to have sex with either of those men and had no knowledge of them having sex with any of the other girls allegedly recruited by Epstein and Maxwell.
Strauss said Thursday that the investigation into Epstein’s alleged co-conspirators is ongoing and encouraged anyone who believes they were victimized or has information about abuse to come forward.
She didn’t rule out trying to seek cooperation from Maxwell, despite the perjury charges.
David Weinstein, a former federal prosecutor, said that Maxwell could be looking at 10 to 20 years in federal prison, adding the fact that federal prosecutors are seeking her cooperation suggests there could be high-profile targets on their radar.
“They will use all of this to pressure her into cooperating against other known and unknown conspirators,’’ said Weinstein who is now in private practice. “Those co-conspirators would have to be high-profile individuals to warrant accepting her cooperation.’’
The fact that the case is being handled by the office’s public corruption unit, which typically handles investigations into misdeeds by public officials, has raised questions among some legal observers about the scope of the current federal investigation.
“If I was Alexander Acosta today, I would be having a very lousy weekend,’’ said Frank Figliuzzi, a former FBI assistant director.
“This case is not over. I’ve supervised these kinds of cases in big cities and I’ve never seen public corruption prosecutors involved and if they are still in it, there is a reason for it.’’
Acosta, who resigned last year shortly after Epstein’s arrest, would be someone that public corruption prosecutors would be looking at, he said.
“Because of the lenient posture that Acosta took with Epstein, it begs the question as to why he chose to go lightly on Epstein, and that question, and at what level and for whom he was doing this for — is likely the subject matter of investigation.’’
Lambeth child abuse inquiry: Paedophiles ‘filmed attacks at town hall’
Politicians ‘traded children for abuse’ in council scandal
7/1/2020
Prominent politicians and businessmen in Lambeth are accused of trading children for sexual abuse and filming some of the attacks in the town hall, an inquiry has heard.
Lawyers for victims of the Lambeth child sexual abuse scandal say paedophiles “infiltrated” the borough’s children’s homes in the Sixties and senior figures including councillors and police officers “turned a blind eye”.
Barrister Iain O’Donnell told the inquiry yesterday victims believed Lambeth was “corrupt to its core” and accused the council of being “nothing less than grossly negligent”.
He said: “You will hear allegations of the deliberate withholding of documentary evidence from police and inquiries, of other interference into investigations of complaints of sexual abuse from children in Lambeth’s care.”
He added that “of all the investigations heard by this inquiry this is the one where senior authority figures appear to have colluded to ensure that paedophiles were not investigated. As a result of which children continued to be sexually abused rather than protected.”
Stephen Simblet, representing a group of victims, said claims will be made that children were filmed while being abused, and were used as currency. “There are allegations that council contractors had corrupt relationships with council officers, of secret societies, secret paedophile rings, the production and distribution of filmed sexual assaults on Lambeth children in care, with some … being filmed in council buildings, even it being said the town hall,” he said
“These were said to involve prominent politicians, councillors, businessmen and police officers. Sometimes trafficking children from Lambeth care homes and they were also used in blackmail to secure contracts and influence.”
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, headed by Professor Alexis Jay OBE, will hear how care home boss John Carroll was a convicted paedophile who was allowed to continue working with children and was later jailed for 10 years for a litany of sexual abuse.
Aswini Weereratne, representing ex- Lambeth councillor Anna Tapsell, said claims will be heard that a Scotland Yard detective was sacked while investigating Carroll, which some believe part of a cover-up. Samantha Leek, for the Met, said the officer had made “unfounded allegations”. The inquiry continues.
Ms Langdale QC explains that the cases will illustrate why the investigation of Lambeth matters. She states: “It would be an injustice to treat this investigation as though it is somehow of historical significance.
“The cases we will examine continue to affect adults now, and it is the culture which allowed this state of affairs to exist over such a long period of time that must be scrutinised
George Carey: Former archbishop suspended over abuse inquiry
June 16 2020
Former Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, has had his permission to officiate as a priest revoked.
There are no claims of abuse against him, and in a statement he said he was “dismayed” by the revocation.
Mr Smyth was accused of attacking boys whom he had met at a Dorset Christian camp in the 1970s and 1980s.
The independent inquiry was launched into the Church’s handling of allegations against Mr Smyth, a barrister who died aged 77 last year.
Permission to Officiate (PTO) is required for any Church of England priest to preach or minister.
In a statement Lord Carey said: “I am bewildered and dismayed to receive the news a short time ago that due to ‘concerns’ being raised during the review of John Smyth QC I have had my PTO revoked.
“I have been given no information on the nature of these ‘concerns’ and have no memory of meeting Mr Smyth.”
Lord Carey previously had his PTO revoked after a damning independent report found he had “colluded [with the convicted abuser Peter Ball] rather than seeking to help those harmed”.
He was later granted a PTO by the diocese in 2018, allowing him to preach at the church where he worships, conditional on no further concerns coming to light.
A spokesman for the diocese said: “A planned independent review into the Church of England’s handling of allegations against the late John Smyth QC is currently under way.
“In the course of that review, new information has come to light regarding Lord Carey, which has been passed to the National Safeguarding Team for immediate attention as per the agreed terms of reference set for the review.”
Lord Carey’s PTO has been withdrawn while the matter is being investigated and he is unauthorised to “undertake any form of ministry in the Diocese until further notice.”
The spokesman added: “However, for the avoidance of doubt, we wish to make clear that the new information received relates only to the review currently underway, and that there has not been an allegation of abuse made against Lord Carey.”
“Lord Janner’s daughter has been accused at a public inquiry of misusing her position as a rabbi to discredit child abuse allegations against her father. Rabbi Janner-Klausner’s campaign has made some of her congregation feel they would be unable to report their own experiences”
Harvard Gave Jeffrey Epstein His Own Office on Campus
5/2/2020
A new report published this week details the extensive ties between Harvard University and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who mysteriously died in a Manhattan prison last fall. Harvard reportedly gave Epstein his own office on campus in exchange for almost $10 million in donations he gifted to the university between 1998 and 2007.
According to a report by the Boston Globe, Harvard University gave Jeffrey Epstein an office on campus that he continued to visit after he was convicted of underage sex crimes in 2008. In fact, Epstein reportedly visited the campus more than 40 times after been released from jail in 2010. The office was reportedly equipped with Epstein’s personal keepsakes and a dedicated Harvard phone line.
Breitbart News reported in September 2019 that Harvard University President Lawrence Bacow said that the Ivy League institution feels “regret” accepting nearly $10 million in gifts from Jeffrey Epstein. The university blocked Epstein from donating in 2008 when Epstein was convicted on child sex charges.
However, individual professors at Harvard continued to solicit private donations from Epstein after 2008. Martin Nowak, Director of Harvard’s Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, used a $6.5 million donation from Epstein in 2003 to establish the program. Nowak reportedly rewarded Epstein with private office space on campus for his donation.
The controversy surrounding Epstein forced Bacow to address these private gifts in a letter to the Harvard community. “The report issued today describes principled decision-making but also reveals institutional and individual shortcomings that must be addressed — not only for the sake of the University but also in recognition of the courageous individuals who sought to bring Epstein to justice,” Bacow wrote.
Harvard announced on Friday that Nowak has been placed on paid administrative leave for a potential violation of the university’s grant funding policies.
Claudine Gay, Harvard’s dean of the faculty of arts and sciences, argued that faculty at elite universities should be held to a high moral standard. “We are reminded on a near daily basis what a privilege it is to be a member of this academic community,” Gay wrote. “With that privilege comes a responsibility to hold one another accountable and to make sure, as an institution, we align our practices with the highest ethical standards.”
Breitbart News reported in September 2019 that the Director of MIT’s Media Lab was forced to step down over his ties to Epstein. The decision came after the New Yorker published a report revealing Epstein’s extensive financial ties to the MIT program.
Harvard got $9.1 million from Jeffrey Epstein. Belatedly, it gave $200,000 to charity.
May 01, 2020
Harvard University joined its cross-town rival MIT in belatedly acknowledging deeper-than-disclosed, extensive ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
In a letter to alumni on Friday, Harvard President Lawrence Bacow detailed an internal review of the Ivy League school’s relationship with the late Epstein, concluding that the $9.1 million in gifts he gave directly came to a halt following his sex-crimes conviction in 2008. His relationship with the school continued, however, with gifts through surrogates and more than 40 visits to a program that he had given money to before his conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
He even maintained until 2017 what came to be “Jeffrey’s Office” on campus.
“The report issued today describes principled decision-making but also reveals institutional and individual shortcomings that must be addressed — not only for the sake of the university but also in recognition of the courageous individuals who sought to bring Epstein to justice,” Bacow said in concluding his letter to alumni.
Harvard launched an internal review last Sept. 12, barely a month after Epstein’s reported death by suicide on Aug. 10 in the Metropolitan Correctional Center amid circumstances still under investigation. At the time of Harvard’s review, the university had already determined he had given $9.1 million between 1998 and 2008. The giving ended when he was convicted of sex crimes and given a remarkably lax deal that became the basis for the Miami Herald’s Perversion of Justice series in November 2018 and later led to the resignation of Alexander Acosta, the Trump administration’s labor secretary who was a South Florida federal prosecutor involved in the deal.The revelations by Harvard follow a similar mea culpa by MIT earlier this year. MIT released a report on Jan. 10, spelling out nine visits to the campus by Epstein and donations of $850,000, many of which occurred when Epstein was already a notorious Level Three sex offender. For both elite schools, a relationship with Epstein has proven a profound embarrassment.
Results of the deeper Harvard review released Friday — led by Vice President and General Counsel Diane Lopez and covering more than 250,000 pages of documents — show that school administrators became aware of Epstein’s predatory sexual behavior only after his 2008 conviction.
“During the years before Epstein’s criminal activity became known to the public, various Harvard faculty and administrators pursued donations from him, knowing he was a wealthy individual interested in science and philanthropy,” Lopez wrote. “Some members of the Harvard community continued their relationships with Epstein even after his conviction, but these relationships in and of themselves did not violate Harvard policies.”
But in 2008, Harvard’s new president, Drew G. Faust, had to weigh a gift from Epstein. She learned of the allegations against him and ruled against any more gifts from the financier. In 2013, several faculty members sought to overturn that, requesting reconsideration by the then-dean of faculty of arts and sciences, Michael D. Smith. He too said no.
Presumably looking to restore his tattered reputation, Epstein persistently stayed involved with the prestigious higher-learning institution. Two faculty members, the Lopez report concluded, continued to receive funding from donors they were introduced to by Epstein, although the money was not apparently from him.
“Our review did not reveal information that would establish anything to the contrary. Nevertheless, development officers at Harvard knew about Epstein’s continued involvement in encouraging others to donate to Harvard and did not take steps to discourage these efforts despite knowing that gifts would not be welcome from him,” Lopez wrote Friday. “No one violated any Harvard policy in this regard, as there is none; a matter we recommend be rectified.”
Then there is the matter of repeated visits by Epstein to campus to visit the Program for Evolutionary Dynamics. Evolutionary dynamics involves study of the principles of mathematics that researchers think guided evolution, and Epstein initially funded the program in 2003 with his biggest gift — $6.5 million.
“Epstein maintained a relationship with the director of the PED, Professor Martin Nowak, over the next 15 years, including after Epstein’s release from prison,” Lopez wrote. “While we have not been able to determine the precise number of campus visits, we understand that Epstein visited the offices of PED in Harvard Square more than 40 times between 2010 and 2018.”
There was no evidence Epstein interacted with undergraduate students, she said, and the financier appeared to use the visits to speak to academics in the Cambridge area, covering both Harvard and MIT.
Lopez added that “aspects of his relationship to the PED, such as his access to the program’s offices, treatment on the PED’s website and interactions concerning one grant application do implicate Harvard policies and our findings and recommendations address these issues.”
Her comments, which accompanied the president’s letter to alumni, don’t do justice to what was actually in her 27-page report. For example, it detailed how Epstein retained a visitors keycard until at least 2017, and his own office, a premium in the cutthroat world of academics.
“But others who worked at PED, where office space was often scarce, generally did not view it as interchangeable with other offices, and believed it was reserved for Epstein’s use when he came. (Epstein did in fact use the office when he visited.) Until 2017, PED maintained a Harvard telephone line in that office identified as Epstein’s.”
The report recommended the school consider disciplinary action against Nowak, alleging he effectively allowed Epstein to launder his dirty image.
“When Professor Nowak agreed to devote a page of PED’s website to Epstein, and agreed to link Epstein’s own websites (containing false claims about Epstein’s donations to Harvard) to the PED website, it appears that Professor Nowak failed adequately to consider Harvard’s interest in seeing that its name is well used,” the report said..
Epstein’s rise from a poor kid in the New York suburbs to a high-flying financier with an estate valued at more than half a billion dollars at the time of his death is a story full of holes yet to be filled in. He never finished college and enjoyed none of the trappings associated with arriving at an Ivy League school. All that adds to the intrigue on how a college dropout later in life became a visiting fellow at Harvard, something Lopez addressed in more detail as well.
This screenshot of an internal investigation by Harvard University into its ties to Jeffrey Epstein describes how the disgraced financier maintained an office there long after his conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
The position then and now is one of an independent research and registered through Harvard’s Graduate School of the Arts and Science as a graduate research student. Lopez said Epstein’s name was submitted by Dr. Stephen Kosslyn, who between 1998 and 2002 had received $200,000 in donations for his work and did not disclose it in the submission for Epstein to become a visiting fellow. The timeline of the fellowship overlaps with the timeline of Epstein’s eventual arrest and conviction — the first complaint to child sex abuse coming to Palm Beach police in late 2005 and investigation that dragged into a June 2007 indictment.
“After reviewing these records, we conclude, and no one argues to the contrary, that Epstein lacked the academic qualifications Visiting Fellows typically possess and his application proposed a course of study Epstein was unqualified to pursue,” Lopez wrote. “Epstein’s application was, nevertheless, approved, having been supported by a department chair.”
As a visiting fellow, Epstein paid the necessary tuition and showed up for registration, but Lopez said he appeared to do little coursework. Epstein applied to be readmitted for the 2006-2007 academic year and was renewed but withdrew from that appointment later following his indictment.
Harvard said Friday it had donated nearly $201,000 of unused Epstein donation money to two Boston-area charities that combat sex trafficking.
Children subjected to ‘extreme violence and sadism’ during decades of hidden abuse in detention centres, inquiry finds
Children faced repercussions for reporting abuse while perpetrators ‘acted with impunity’ in 1970s and 1980s, report says
23 Apr 2020
Children detained for minor misdemeanours were subjected to “extreme violence and sadism” over decades of hidden abuse, a report has revealed.
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) found that some victims tried to kill themselves in youth detention centres, while the perpetrators “acted with impunity”.
A report released on Thursday said the abuse left survivors with a “life sentence” of mental health issues and struggles with substance abuse and unemployment.
IICSA’s Truth Project heard evidence from the 1950s to the modern day, but the majority of people who said they were sexually abused by staff members were detained in the 1970s and 1980s.
Numerous men who were jailed as children during the period previously told The Independentof beatings, humiliation and sexual assault, with one man comparing his experience to a “sadistic, brutal concentration camp”.
He was unmasked by The Telegraph last year and since then his victims have come forward on condition of anonymity to speak out about how the former vicar of Emmanuel Church, Wimbledon, south-west London, left them feeling “like a neglected and abused dog”.
They claim they were subjected to repeated sexually inappropriate comments and questions about masturbation, naked massages, beatings on their bare backsides, ice baths, bullying, intimidation and psychological manipulation over a number of years.
A complaint had been lodged against Mr Fletcher under the Clergy Discipline Measure (CDM) in 2017. Only now has it finally been processed.
It can now be revealed that the former vicar has had his name added to the ‘Lambeth List’, also known as ‘the Archbishops’ List’.
The list records information on activities of alleged wrongdoing for “all clerks in Holy Orders” and is kept in Lambeth Palace, home to the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby. It has never been published.
Church authorities have concluded, however, that Rev’d Fletcher has the right to keep his Holy Orders and still be referred to as ‘Rev’d Fletcher’ despite his inclusion on the list, but he is not allowed to minister within the Church of England.
This is despite him admitting to administering massages and beatings as part of “lighthearted forefeits” in a bid to maintain “healthy and holy living”.
Responding to the long-awaited results of the CDM, one of Rev’d Fletcher’s alleged victims said that the punishment is “a small step in the right direction that Jonathan Fletcher has at long last admitted to offences that have attracted a 10-year penalty”.
However, he criticised this as “a deal done behind closed doors, without due reference to victims and survivors, allowing Fletcher to retain (and continue to misuse) a prestigious title for a job he neither has nor is fit for”.
“A cultural change is needed where wrongdoing in public ministry is brought into broad daylight and dealt with in such a way that all might see justice has been served and those who have suffered are given hope, help and healing,” he added.
The former vicar has previously told The Telegraph that he is “deeply, deeply sorry for the people I’ve harmed” but has denied allegations that he humiliated people and made derogatory comments about their appearances.
Rev’d Fletcher has also said that massages and beatings were consensual and that he never gave ice baths, but did “very, very, very rarely” give “a cold bath”.
“Anything that happened was totally consensual and non-sexual,” he added. “The punishments were a) consensual, and b) mutual.”
In 2017, the Bishop of Southwark stripped the Rev’d Fletcher of his Permission to Officiate (PTO). Yet he continued to hold religious ceremonies.
Not only did he preside at communion administering the elements to two people at their bedside, he also led a committal during a cremation.
The CDM process was introduced in 2003 and is supposed to deal “efficiently and fairly with formal complaints of serious misconduct against members of the clergy”, however the system is currently under review after coming under criticism for “operating largely in the dark”.
The Telegraph understands that Rev’d Fletcher’s CDM was concluded in March. As part of this, he agreed with the Bishop of Southwark to a “10-year prohibition as a penalty by consent” and his name has been added to the ‘Archbishops’ List’.
However this means that Rev’d Fletcher still has his Holy Orders and is a Rev’d, but he is not allowed to minister within the Church of England.
Responding to the conclusion of his CDM, Rev’d Fletcher told The Telegraph: “I have apologised unreservedly to anybody I have hurt and I don’t know what else to say… I have done exactly what the Diocese have asked me to do.”
A spokeswoman for the Diocese of Southwark confirmed that following a complaint made under the CDM the Rev’d Jonathan Fletcher accepted a penalty by consent of prohibition from ministry for 10 years.
She added: “This means that his name is added to the Archbishop’s List which includes details of those who are not allowed to minister within the Church of England. After the period of prohibition, there is no automatic return to ministry.’
George Pell faces fresh child abuse allegations from new accuser just days after cardinal’s convictions were quashed by the High Court and he said he ‘wouldn’t be entirely surprised’ if police came after him again
George Pell reportedly under investigation over allegations by new accuser
He was released from prison just last week after child sex convictions quashed
New accusations – which police have not contacted Pell about – date to 1970s
Man who now works in a professional role understood to have made accusation
Archbishop Wesolowski found dead. He had more than 100,000 child abuse images.
@InquiryCSA
A public hearing into the investigation into institutional responses to allegations of Child Sexual Abuse involving the late Lord Janner of Braunstone Q.C, will be held later this year for three weeks.
Cardinal George Pell freed from prison after High Court overturns sex abuse conviction
The High Court “…did not ask whether Pell committed the offences. It asked whether…the Victorian Court of Appeal… made an error about the nature of the correct legal principles, or their application.”
Bill Gates’ Microsoft Cancel Marina Abramovic Campaign After People Flood Video Calling Her Out As a Satanist
Apr 15 2020
Bosses at Microsoft decided to scrap a new commercial featuring artist Marina Abramovic after conspiracy theories suggested she was affiliated with Satanism.
Abramovic had been featured in the advertisement for a Microsoft headset called the Hololens 2, which allows the user to see digital imagery with the outside world, where she discussed her new mixed reality project and interviewed the CEO of Christie’s auction house.
However, the clip was met with backlash, amassing 24,000 dislikes amid an online outcry over alleged Satanism.
we need to talk about why this unelected, unaccountable billionaire is ALLOWED to be the WHOs second biggest donor, and whether that brings at best, a conflict of interest, at worse, corruption and a leading of the priorities of the WHO & other global agencies
Why is a personality disordered software nerd with a eugenicist father, who hangs out with eugenicist paedophiles, telling us what to do? Why are governments paying him any attention?
@_whitneywebb
Hey guys, billionaire Bill Gates just wants you to stay healthy, it’s not like he also pours tons of money into injectable biometric ID systems and super creepy global surveillance systems…….oooo wait
Bill Gates REFUSES to reveal why he flew on Lolita Express with Jeffrey Epstein four years AFTER his release from prison while the billionaire was still chairman of Microsoft
Bill Gates and his spokespeople refuse to explain why he flew from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey to Palm Beach on March 1, 2013 with Jeffrey Epstein
Epstein told people in the past that he was a financial adviser to Gates, who was still the chairman of Microsoft at the time
A rep for Gates’ humanitarian foundation denied that Epstein ever worked for billionaire founder of Microsoft, but would not comment on the 2013 flight
Gates’ spokesperson also stated that there were no financial or charitable ties between the two men
Epstein had just been released from prison four years prior after pleading guilty to two counts of soliciting a minor
Dean Koontz – The Eyes of darkness. Published 1981
#Vaccines, for #BillGates, are a strategic philanthropy that feed his many vaccine-related businesses (including #Microsoft’s ambition to control a global vac ID enterprise) and give him dictatorial control over global health policy—the spear tip of corporate neo-imperialism.
Gates’ obsession with vaccines seems fueled by a messianic conviction that he is ordained to save the world with technology and a god-like willingness to experiment with the lives of lesser humans.
Promising to eradicate Polio with $1.2 billion, Gates took control of India ‘s National Advisory Board (NAB) and mandated 50 polio vaccines (up from 5) to every child before age 5. Indian doctors blame the Gates campaign for a devastating vaccine-strain polio epidemic that paralyzed 496,000 children between 2000 and 2017.
In 2017, the Indian Government dialed back Gates’ vaccine regimen and evicted Gates and his cronies from the NAB. Polio paralysis rates dropped precipitously. In 2017, the World Health Organization reluctantly admitted that the global polio explosion is predominantly vaccine strain, meaning it is coming from Gates’ Vaccine Program.The most frightening epidemics in Congo, the Philippines, and Afghanistan are all linked to Gates’ vaccines. By 2018, ¾ of global polio cases were from Gates’ vaccines.
In 2014, the #GatesFoundation funded tests of experimental HPV vaccines, developed by GSK and Merck, on 23,000 young girls in remote Indian provinces. Approximately 1,200 suffered severe side effects, including autoimmune and fertility disorders. Seven died. Indian government investigations charged that Gates funded researchers committed pervasive ethical violations: pressuring vulnerable village girls into the trial, bullying parents, forging consent forms, and refusing medical care to the injured girls. The case is now in the country’s Supreme Court.
In 2010, the Gates Foundation funded a trial of a GSK’s experimental malaria vaccine, killing 151 African infants and causing serious adverse effects including paralysis, seizure, and febrile convulsions to 1,048 of the 5,049 children.
During Gates 2002 MenAfriVac Campaign in Sub-Saharan Africa, Gates operatives forcibly vaccinated thousands of African children against meningitis. Between 50-500 children developed paralysis. South African newspapers complained, “We are guinea pigs for drug makers”
Nelson Mandela’s former Senior Economist, Professor Patrick Bond, describes Gates’ philantropic practices as “ruthless” and “immoral”.
In 2010, Gates committed $10 billion to the WHO promising to reduce population, in part, through new vaccines. A month later Gates told a Ted Talk that new vaccines “could reduce population”. In 2014, Kenya’s Catholic Doctors Association accused the WHO of chemically sterilizing millions of unwilling Kenyan women with a phony “tetanus” vaccine campaign.
Independent labs found the sterility formula in every vaccine tested.
After denying the charges, WHO finally admitted it had been developing the sterility vaccines for over a decade.
Similar accusations came from Tanzania, Nicaragua, Mexico and the Philippines.
A 2017 study (Morgensen et.Al.2017) showed that WHO’s popular DTP is killing more African than the disease it pretends to prevent. Vaccinated girls suffered 10x the death rate of unvaccinated children.
Gates and the WHO refused to recall the lethal vaccine which WHO forces upon millions of African children annually.
Global public health advocates around the world accuse Gates of – hijacking WHO’s agenda away from the projects that are proven to curb infectious diseases; clean water, hygiene, nutrition and economic development.
They say he has diverted agency resources to serve his personal fetish – that good health only comes in a syringe.
In addition to using his philanthropy to control WHO, UNICEF, GAVI and PATH, Gates funds private pharmaceutical companies that manufacture vaccines, and a massive network of pharmaceutical industry front groups that broadcast deceptive propaganda, develop fraudulent studies, conduct surveillance and psychological operations against vaccine hesitancy and use Gates’ power and money to silence dissent and coerce compliance.
In this recent nonstop Pharmedia appearances, Gates appears gleeful that the Covid-19 crisis will give him the opportunity to force his third-world vaccine programs on American children.
Oxford academic Peter J King jailed for child abuse images
19 March 2020
An Oxford University academic found with 3,000 child abuse images compared himself to “someone who starts a sticker collection and wants the whole set”, a court heard.
Philosophy lecturer Peter J King, 63, taught at several Oxford colleges from the 1980s until last month.
Girls as young as five were pictured in the indecent images found on his computer equipment.
He was jailed for seven months at Oxford Crown Court.
The court heard King was cautioned in 2008 after police found child abuse images on his equipment.
King, of Churchill, near Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, claimed he used them as research for a paper later published on the ethics of child pornography.
He was then arrested at his home in August 2018, where police found indecent images and also discovered that he had visited a Russian file-sharing website.
James Mulholland, representing King, said the defendant had admitted an “addiction or compulsion” to “repeatedly but intermittently” look at indecent images of children.
‘Rather late’
King most recently taught students at Pembroke College, Oxford.
It said it had suspended him on 19 February, when he informed them he was due to appear in court the next day.
King had admitted three counts of making indecent images of a child and another of possessing prohibited images of a child.
Judge Maria Lamb said two “no comment” interviews with police in 2018 and 2019 appeared to show King had accepted his guilt “rather late”.
She said he had compared having the pictures to a “sticker collection” to a probation officer who was preparing his pre-sentence report.
As well as the prison sentence, King will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.
Paula Appiah, from the CPS, said: “King held an esteemed position at a prestigious university, but his actions fell far short of the law.
CURRICULUM VITÆ PETER J. KING Address: Pembroke College, Oxford OX1 1DW, U.K. Telephone: (01608-) 659174 e-mail: peter.king@philosophy.ox.ac.uk Date of Birth: 27 iii 56 Place of Birth: Boston, Lincolnshire Nationality: English Marital status: Single Academic qualifications: B.A. (1st hons) Humanities (Middx) B.Phil. (Oxon.) D.Phil. (Oxon.) Formal Teaching Posts 2007 to present College Lecturer: St Edmund Hall, Oxford 2003 to present College Lecturer: Pembroke College, Oxford 1999 to present Course Tutor: University of Georgia at Athens, Oxford programme 1998–2003 Part-time Lecturer: University of Reading 1992–2003 Visiting Lecturer: the University of North London 2000–2001 College Lecturer: Christ Church and Somerville College, Oxford 1998–1999 College Lecturer: Brasenose College, Oxford 1994–1996 College Lecturer: St Hilda’s College, Oxford 1993–1994 College Lecturer: St Anne’s College, Oxford 1991 College Lecturer: New College, Oxford 1989–1991 Course Tutor (Certificate & Diploma in Philosophy): University of London Extra-Mural Department 1989–1990 College Lecturer and Organising Tutor in Philosophy: St Edmund Hall, Oxford (I have also taught on a casual basis for all the Oxford Colleges, for King’s College and Birkbeck College, London, and for the Sarah Lawrence Oxford programme.) Teaching experience Philosophers Topics Aristotle (Ethics: in translation) African Philosophy*† Descartes Epistemology Hume* Ethics (incl. practical ethics)* Leibniz (incl. Leibniz–Clarke correspondence) Formal logic Locke Metaphysics* Malebranche Philosophy of logic* Mill Philosophy of mind Plato (Euthyphro, Meno, Theætetus, & Republic: in Philosophy of parapsychology * translation) Philosophy of religion*† Spinoza Philosophy of science* (Philosophy of physics; Science & the human viewpoint [incl. social science]; (Undergraduate tutorials & seminars, plus: Philosophy of biology) *lectures Political Philosophy* †graduate teaching.) Realism, anti-realism, & idealism* PUBLICATIONS AND RESEARCH Publications: Books & Papers P One Hundred Philosophers (Barron’s, Apple, ABC 2004; foreign-language editions, 2005) • ‘Lycan on Lewis and Meinong’ (Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, XCIII, 2; 1993) • ‘Other times’ (Australasian Journal of Philosophy, 73; 1995) • ‘The problem of evil’ (Philosophical Writings, 9; 1998) • ‘Hereafter, in a later world than this’ (Sorites, 10; 1999) • ‘Parapsychology without the ‘para’ (or the psychology)’ (Think, 3; 2003) • ‘One man’s meat is another man’s person’ (in Mind and Its Place in the World, edd Alexander Batthyany & Avshalom Elitzur; Ontos Verlag, 2006) • ‘Petitionary prayer’ (Richmond Journal of Philosophy, 12; 2006) • ‘The ontological argument’ (Richmond Journal of Philosophy, 14; 2007) • ‘No plaything’ (Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, 11, 3; 2008) Publications: Short Articles • ‘Against tolerance’ (Philosophy Now, 11; 1995) • ‘R.M. Hare’ (Encarta Encyclopædia 1998) • ‘Mediæval philosophy’ (Encarta Encyclopædia 1998) • ‘Evil’ (Encyclopædia of Anthropology; SAGE Publications, 2006) • ‘Gods’ (Encyclopædia of Anthropology; SAGE Publications, 2006) • ‘Time’ (Encyclopædia of Anthropology; SAGE Publications, 2006) • ‘God and time’ (Encyclopædia of Time; SAGE Publications, 2009) • ‘Evil and time’ (Encyclopædia of Time; SAGE Publications, 2009) • ‘Theodicy’ (Encyclopædia of Time; SAGE Publications, 2009) • ‘Philosophy in the modern world’ (UNESCO Courier 2007) Publications: Reviews • African Philosophy: The Essential Readings, ed. Serequeberhan (Philosophical Books) • Classical Indian Philosophy, J.N. Mohanty (Philosophy in Review/Comptes Rendus Philosophiques) • Faith in Theory and Practice, edd Elizabeth S. Radcliffe and Carol J. White (Philosophical Books) • Good Natured: The Origins of Right and Wrong in Humans and Other Animals, Frans de Waal (Human Nature Review) • Metaphysics, Peter van Inwagen (International Journal of Philosophical Studies) • The Problem of Pornography, Susan M. Easton (Philosophy Today) • Readings in African Philosophy, ed. Safro Kwame (Canadian Philosophical Review) • Scepticism: Inter-Disciplinary Approaches (Philosophical Books) • The Uses of Philosophy, Mary Warnock (Mind) • What Spacetime Explains, Graham Nerlich (Canadian Philosophical Review) Work in progress or with editors P An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion — A set of dialogues (three of which – ‘The problem of evil’, ‘Petitionary prayer’, and ‘The ontological argument’ – have been published separately, see above). With Macmillan’s readers. • ‘Heaven’s first law’ — I look at the notion, central to most design arguments for the existence of god, that it is surprising that the world be ordered. [I read a version of this paper to the Joseph Butler Society, University of Oxford, in Trinity Term 1995.] • ‘The truth of the imagination’ — I discuss and defend Descartes’ rule that whatever can be clearly and distinctly perceived is certain. In doing so, I discuss the connection between conceivability and possibility, and develop a notion of conceiving that is strong enough to rule out the conception of the logically impossible while still serving Descartes’ purpose. • ‘And they that dwell therein: worlds, properties, and god’ — An examination of Alvin Plantinga’s use of world-indexed properties in his version of the ontological argument and in his discussion of the problem of evil. • ‘The probability of order’ — I argue that the claim underpinning most modern versions of the design argument for the existence of god – that the fact that the universe is ordered is surprising – is false, and that order is not only to be expected but is a necessary feature of the world. • ‘Hume, miracles, and the paranormal’ — I examine the way in which Hume’s argument against belief in miracles has been used against belief in the paranormal, argue that such a use is flawed, and then show that this flaw also applies to Hume’s own use. Memberships and Editorships Associate Editor of Sorites (from December 1996). Member of the Humanist Philosophers’ Group (from 2002). Referee for Philosophical Writings (from 2004). Member of the Society of Authors (from 2006). Member of Editorial Board for the SAGE Encyclopædia of Time (2006) Other details D.Phil thesis title: The Ontology of Possible Worlds. B.Phil. papers taken: The Rationalists; Philosophical Logic; The Philosophy of Science; thesis title: The Ontology of Possible Worlds. Secretary of the Ockham Society 1989–1990 Member of the London University Panel For Extra-Mural Studies 1988–1991 Member of the Oxford University Graduate Joint Consultative Committee for Philosophy 1988–1990 Captain of Brasenose College Bridge Team 1985–1989 President of Brasenose Hulme Common Room 1984–1985 Secretary of Brasenose Hulme Common Room 1986–1987 Secretary of the Brasenose College Philosophy Society 1984–1985 Member of the Executive Committee of the Oxford University Graduate Representative Council 1983–1984 Received Edna Fuller Memorial Prize 1983 Middlesex Polytechnic Student Representative 1982–1983 Founder-President of the Middlesex Polytechnic Philosophy Society 1981–1983 Other interests I maintain my own World-Wide Web site, primarily concerned with Philosophy on the Internet, though offering a wide variety of other material, serious and recreational. With Andrea Christofidou I translate Modern Greek poetry into English, especially that of K.P. Kavafis and K.G. Karyotakis. I occasionally publish poetry and translations in journals and anthologies. I have performed with Akouste! — a small group of musicians, performing music from many times and cultures, as well as my own compositions. We also did work in (mostly primary) schools. I’ve also played and performed with the Oxford Gamelan.
Kincora files destroyed as institutional abuse inquiry was set in motion
Mar 20, 2020
Files relating to the Kincora Boys’ Home were destroyed between 2010 and 2015, the Northern Ireland Office has said.
Six files relating to the east Belfast boys’ home that were created between 1981 and 1983 were disposed of.
The NIO confirmed the details in documents released under the Freedom of Information Act.
Lawyers acting for former Kincora resident Richard Kerr, who is suing police and a number of government bodies over claims he was abused at Kincora and other institutions, say there “must be an explanation” – or victims of abuse will continue to doubt the state.
Kincora Boys’ Home was subject to investigation by the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry (HIA) between May and July 2016.
The HIA Inquiry was announced in 2010, and was legislated for the following year, with its terms agreed in 2012. The inquiry began its work in 2014.
In a statement KRW Law said: “It is unclear why the NIO would have files destroyed which would have been subject to scrutiny by the HIA.”
According to information shared by the NIO in response to the FoI request, which was submitted by historian and biographer Andrew Lownie, three files relating to Kincora were destroyed between October and December 2010.
December 2010 was the month in which the HIA was announced following the publication of the Ryan Commission Report into historic institutional sexual abuse in the Irish Republic in 2009. It was the publication of the Ryan Report that prompted politicians at Stormont to announce the HIA.
Information shared in response to Mr Lownie’s FoI request revealed files were also destroyed in August 2014, June 2015 and October 2015 as the HIA was conducting its investigations.
The files all relate to Kincora and include the Terry Report, a report compiled by Sir George Terry, Chief Constable of Sussex to Sir John Hermon, Chief Constable of the RUC.
The Terry Report was available to the HIA through RUC records.
Kevin Winters, senior partner at KRW Law, said: “There remain far too many questions around The Kincora Boys’ Home. Our client Richard Kerr is seeking information by way of a civil action.
“It now transpires that documents – including the Terry Report – were destroyed by the British Government even as the HIA was being established and working.
“There must be an explanation for this. Otherwise, victims of abuse in Northern Ireland will continue to doubt the integrity of state agencies in confronting this particular aspect of the Legacy of the Past.”
A UK Government spokesperson said: “The NIO handles its records in line with guidance from the National Archive.
“Records are only destroyed in line with this guidance, generally because they consist of publicly available information such as press cuttings, or they are duplicate copies of records available elsewhere in the public domain.”
Last September this newspaper reported how 19 files on the Kincora scandal had been “closed” to the public.
In one case, the order remains in place until 2085 at the earliest. Around a dozen more of the files are closed – either fully or partially – until the mid-2060s and beyond.
Others which were scheduled to be declassified in recent years remain at least partly shut.
The department responsible for the records said they contained “sensitive personal data”.
The Kincora scandal shocked Northern Ireland when it emerged in 1980.
At least 29 boys were sexually abused at the care home.
Three senior staff members – William McGrath, Joseph Mains and William Semple – were jailed in 1981 for the abuse. However, claims persist of a cover-up.
Child sex abuser given ‘preferential treatment’, says damning report
14 Mar 2020
Inquiry criticises top civil servant and courtier over slowness to act and lag in response to victim
A top civil servant and a senior member of the royal household have both been criticised in an official report examining attempts by a victim of child sex abuse to have his abuser stripped of an honour.
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse recently found that Hubert Chesshyre – an acclaimed heraldry expert and a member of the Queen’s household – had been shown “preferential or exceptional treatment … because of their status and contacts, regardless of the known involvement of child victims”. Jimmy Savile and Cyril Smith enjoyed similar leniency.
Chesshyre was made Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in 2014, the year before he was charged and tried on a charge of sexual offences against a child.
He was by then suffering from dementia and found unfit to plead, but at a trial of the facts a jury agreed unanimously that he had committed two specimen counts of indecent assault against a child. A third charge was ordered to lie on file. Because Chesshyre had been found unfit to plead, no conviction ensued and he was granted an absolute discharge.
In October 2015, the victim, who provided a detailed witness statement to the inquiry about how Chesshyre groomed and abused him between the ages of 12 and 16, approached the honours and appointments secretariat at the Cabinet Office to ask how his honour could be rescinded.
He was told to contact Sir Alan Reid, keeper of the privy purse, as a CVO is the personal gift of the sovereign. But Reid, who has now retired, said that because Chesshyre was given an absolute discharge, “it would be wrong to submit a recommendation to the Queen”. Documents handed to the inquiry by Sir Jonathan Stephens, a senior civil servant who chairs the honours forfeiture committee, reveal that Reid received help in drafting his response from Thomas Woodcock, who is the Garter Principal King of Arms, the senior officer of the College of Arms, of which Chesshyre was a member for 40 years.
Reid asked Woodcock for some “suitable wording” to use in his response to the victim. On 4 November 2015, Woodcock wrote back to Reid enclosing a copy of a letter from Chesshyre’s solicitors containing their advice on the outcome of the trial of the facts. Reid thanked Woodcock “for providing the precise wording which I can use to answer [the victim’s] letter, and I have written to him today to this effect”. The inquiry judged that Reid’s response was “flawed and not impartial”.
A spokeswoman for Buckingham Palace said it did not comment on individual members of staff. “During an earlier review on the case, based on the facts that were presented, forfeiture was not recommended,” she said. “After this initial decision, we reviewed our processes, and changes were made to reflect lessons learned.”
After an intervention from the victim’s MP, Jim Dowd, the forfeiture committee recommended the Queen approve the removal of the honour. But the victim did not learn of this until five months after the decision. Stephens explained to the inquiry that this was because the forfeiture committee was considering “representations and new information provided to it by Chesshyre’s brother on his behalf”. The inquiry said that it was “regrettable that the Cabinet Office did not write to the victim during this period, at least to inform him that the process remained ongoing”.
The committee took the almost unprecedented decision not to publish the forfeiture in official journal of record the London Gazette. Stephens told the inquiry “that this was a reflection of how the case had been handled and, to a lesser degree, in light of Mr Chesshyre’s ill-health”.
The inquiry said neither reason was satisfactory. It also noted that Stephens had acknowledged that the failure to publish confirmation of the forfeiture had made it difficult for the victim to bring Chesshyre’s abuse to the attention of prestigious organisations of which he continued to be a member. “Most of those organisations have chosen not to cease their association with Chesshyre,” the inquiry said.
Chesshyre’s victim told the Observer: “I think that it is important that the IICSA has been able to consider evidence of the ways in which Mr Chesshyre used his position within the royal household to enable grooming and abuse. In light of the inquiry’s finding that there was not ‘a satisfactory explanation as to why an exception was made to the usual rule that forfeitures are published’, will the forfeiture now be published in the London Gazette?”
A government spokesman said: “The forfeiture process is confidential and it would be inappropriate to comment on individual cases.”
The former Eton College teacher, 48, charged with sexually assaulting three boys after being dismissed from the more than £40,000-a-year school attended by Boris Johnson
Matthew Mowbray, 48, was dismissed from leading public school in Berkshire
He appeared at Slough Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday charged with 11 offences
Former teacher also accused of voyeurism and three counts of indecent photos
Mowbray was granted bail and will appear at Reading Crown Court on March
6 March 2020
Matthew Mowbray, a senior Eton master, has been charged with sexual assault against three pupils. The 48-year-old Geography teacher will face trial next month.
He was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault in May last year and suspended from his job while police trawled through his computer and cameras. He has since been dismissed from his post.
The South African-born teacher appeared before Slough magistrates on Tuesday charged with 11 offences, including seven counts of sexual assault relating to three victims.
He is also charged with three counts of making indecent photographs or images of children, some of which are in the most serious category, and one count of voyeurism.
Judge Heather Norton yesterday lifted reporting restrictions on identifying Mowbray. He will face trial next month, according to a letter from Eton headmaster Simon Henderson to parents.
The college has deleted all mention of Mowbray from its website.
Mowbray, who lives in the village of Locks Heath near Southampton, was granted bail and will next appear at Reading Crown Court for a hearing on March 31.
Mr Mowbray has also been charged with three offences of making indecent photographs, or pseudo-photographs, of a child and one of voyeurism.
The long-serving teacher, who is married, appeared at Slough magistrates’ court on Tuesday. He was granted bail and the case has been sent to the crown court, where a hearing will be held next month.
Magistrates imposed reporting restrictions to prevent his identification and other details but these were successfully challenged by The Times. Eton, which charges £42,000 a year, did not request the restrictions.
The prospect of a trial could be hugely damaging for the reputation of the school, renowned for educating 20 prime ministers, including Boris Johnson and David Cameron. Prince William, Prince Harry and some foreign royal children have attended the school, as well as leading figures in the world of business and the media.
Mr Mowbray was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault on May 17 last year. He was suspended from the school on the day of his arrest and has now been dismissed. Simon Henderson, the headmaster, has invited parents to several emergency meetings.
He said in a letter that he understood news of the charges was “desperately difficult to process”.
“I appreciate that many of you were very close to Mr Mowbray. I know that you and your sons will be shocked and upset by this news and we wish to do all we can to support you,” he said.
The 1,300 boys at the school have been told of the charges. Mr Henderson told parents to encourage their sons to talk and, if they wanted to go home, to feel free to collect them.
Eton has engaged counselling through the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, the child sexual abuse charity, to offer support to boys and staff. It has also arranged a dedicated NSPCC helpline.
One parent said: “I feel very sorry for the school but it has been as open as it can be so there is no sense of us being kept in the dark.”
The school is also contacting former pupils and their parents. Eton issued a statement confirming the charges.
It said: “As a result of information passed by the school to the local authority designated officer and to the police, a member of staff was arrested in May, 2019, suspended from work and subsequently dismissed. He has been charged with a number of criminal offences and given the ongoing proceedings, we cannot comment further.”
Housemaster Matt Mowbray, celebrated Eton photographer, showed a series of images of boys in his House in which he seeks to capture both their characters and their interests. A visit to The Charteris Rooms to look at four modern Leavers’ ..
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse has today announced that the public hearing into institutional responses to allegations of child sexual abuse involving the late Lord Janner of Braunstone QC will commence on 12 October 2020.
Issues relating to the anonymity of a witness mean that much of the hearing will be held in closed session.
Eton teacher (Matthew Mowbray) accused of sexual assault and making indecent photographs of children
The married teacher at the £40,000-a-year Eton near Windsor, whose former pupils include Prince William, Prince Harry and Prime Minister Boris Johnson, appeared in court this week
5 Mar 2020
A senior master at Eton has been charged with sexual assault, voyeurism and making indecent photographs of children.
The married teacher at the £40,000-a-year private school near Windsor was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault in May last year.
He was suspended from his role on the day of his arrest and has since been dismissed, Mail Online reports.
Former pupils at the prestigious school include Prince William, Prince Harry and Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
The master is charged seven counts of sexual assault relating to three victims, three counts of making indecent photographs of children and one count of voyeurism.
Simon Henderson, Eton headmaster, sent a letter to parents of boys at the school stating the teacher will face trial next month.
Radio 1 DJ found with 500 child abuse images on his yacht
26 Feb 2020
Michael Willis aka DJ Steve Mireke, has been jailed for 18 months
A former BBC Radio 1 DJ has been jailed after police found 500 child abuse images on a yacht that he lived on. Michael Willis, 74, who went by the stage name Steve Merike , was jailed for 18 months for the stash of abusive images kept on a computer, laptop and memory stick. It is his second conviction for the possession of indecent images of children. They were discovered during a police raid on his boat at Plymouth Yacht Haven in 2017, the Plymouth Herald reports. Willis was a BBC Radio 1 DJ in the 1970s before working at Radio Trent in the 1980s. He was previously handed a suspended sentence at Leicester Crown Court in 2015 after admitting nine counts of downloading indecent images and videos of children between 2006 and 2013.
Jurors heard he was in possession of those images while standing as a parliamentary candidate for the Lib Dems in Loughborough at the 2010 general election. The former DJ denied possession of 238 of the most serious Category A indecent images of children, showing them being sexually abused by adults. He also denied having 226 Category B images on his computer. Willis pleaded guilty to having 10 pictures in the least severe class, Category C, on a memory stick. Giving evidence at Plymouth Crown Court, he said he found some of the more severe images ‘absolutely disgusting’ and claimed he had no idea how they appeared on his laptop, desk top and memory stick. He claimed some of the images had appeared because his computer had been hacked. Jurors dismissed his claims and found him guilty by unanimous verdict after a two-day trial. Judge James Townsend sentenced him to an 18 month prison term.
Star solicitor helped VIP avoid paedophilia prosecution
26 February 2020
Prominent defence solicitor Sir David Napley played a role in helping a public figure escape prosecution for paedophilia offences in the 1970s, it emerged today. In a vignette of a bygone age of deference, a report by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse reveals how Napley was able to go directly to the director of public prosecutors on behalf of his client, a diplomat who was a member of the discredited Paedophile Information Exchange (PIE).
Sir David Napley, founder of London firm Kingsley Napley, was one of the most celebrated legal figures of the 1970s, acting in cases including the Thorpe trial and the Steve Biko inquest. He served as Law Society president from 1976 to 1977. In 1978, he acted for Sir Peter Hayman, a high-ranking diplomat and MI6 officer who was arrested after his briefcase containing child sexual images was found on a bus.
According to the inquiry report, Sir David contacted the police to ask who was dealing with Hayman’s case at the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. The officer knew it was a solicitor named Jeremy Naunton, but ‘did not wish to land Mr Naunton with a call from Sir David Napley and so he told Sir David he would find out and get back to him’. To that, Sir David replied: ‘Don’t bother. I’ll talk to Hetherington’.
Sir Thomas Hetherington was director of public prosecutions at the time. A decision was subsequently taken only to caution Hayman.
Today’s report … describes the Hayman case as ‘the best example’ of a culture of deference existing in the 1970s. ‘There is no question but that Hayman was the beneficiary of preferential, differential and unduly deferential treatment as a person of public prominence.’
“The political establishment in Westminster repeatedly failed to deal with allegations of child sexual abuse, covering up claims & protecting high-profile MPs including Sir Cyril Smith & Sir Peter Morrison, the damning report says.”
Yet, the Dailymail headline says this?
£118m child sex abuse inquiry finds no evidence of Westminster paedophile network at the heart of government despite Tom Watson’s 2012 claims from Nick the Fantasist
@InquiryCSA
Our WestminsterReportfinds clear evidence of deference towards people of public prominence by parties, police and prosecutors for many years
A culture was fostered which prioritised political status over safeguarding for too long.
In 1973, the Cabinet Office informed MI5 of rumours that Christopher Chataway engaged in Sexual activities with children.
Sir Chris Chataway (centre), Sir Roger Bannister (left) and Chris Brasher (right) come together 40 years after Bannister became the first to break the four-minute mile, Chataway and Brasher acting as his pacemakers that day in 1954. Chataway died Sunday aged 82.
Chris Chataway supported his friend Chris Brasher when he established the London Marathon and was President of the Commonwealth Games Council for England, 1990-09. He was knighted in 1995 for services to aviation.
Christopher Chataway knew Roger Bannister, the Top Doctor famous for running the first sub-four minute miles and one of the many who helped keep the lid on Dafydd’s activities.
Sir Christopher Chataway, was known as an athlete and TV broadcaster as well as a Tory politician. Chataway was born in Chelsea and spent his childhood in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan; his father was a member of the Sudan Political Service. Chataway was educated at Sherborne School and Magdalen College, Oxford, where he was a successful long-distance runner.
After leaving university, Chataway took an executive job with Guinness. It was Chataway who suggested to Sir Hugh Beaver of Guinness – who came up with the idea for the Guinness Book of Records – that his old university friends Norris and Ross McWhirter should be Editors.
After competing in the 1956 Olympics, Chataway retired from international athletics.
It wasn’t long after leaving Oxford that Chataway decided to aim for a political career and he thought that a suitable job in TV might help.
In Aug 1955 Chataway secured a job with ITN. Chataway and Robin Day were ITN’s first two newscasters. Robin Day was a good friend of Ronnie Waterhouse and it is Waterhouse who is credited with being responsible for Day’s TV broadcasting career.
After six months, when loss-making ITV cut back on its news output, Chataway switched to the BBC and was for three and a half years one of ‘Panorama’s’ team of reporters. Christopher Chataway was the ‘Panorama’ journo who took part in an experiment which involved Chataway taking psychedelics and then being filmed. Ronnie Waterhouse was one of those who raised concerns that the allegations of abuse by former kids in care in north Wales could not be believed because the people making the allegations had been involved in the drug scene.
Chataway had been elected as a Tory to the London County Council in 1958 in Lewisham North and was then selected to stand for Parliament in the same seat. Chataway was the Tory MP for Lewisham North, 1959-66. He served as a PPS before being appointed as a junior Education Minister in Macmillan’s Gov’t in July 1962. In 1966 Chataway lost his seat.
Operation Ore Part 2: The Bryn Alyn Scandal and the Abuse of Care Homes by an Elite Paedophile Ring.
In the early 90’s, Scallywag magazine’s Angus James published the shocking revelations that the magazine was in possession of documentary evidence implicating Lord McAlpine, Derek Laud and Alan Beck, all prominent government members, of underage sex with young boys, specifically involving the abuse of children in the care of state care homes. The homes, collectively termed the ‘Bryn Alyn’ network, operated underage brothels out of care homes in Wrexham, Holyhead, Gwynedd, Shropshire and London and were accused of crimes with boys as young as 4 being used for prostitution. Turning over in excess of £12m a year, the homes were taking around £1,000 – 1,200 a week in public money, much of which went missing (440,000 alone in one month in 1987, according to Supt. Ackerly who was heading up the investigation) this money was spent on luxury apartments and flats in London and elsewhere.
At the time of the Scallywag article, a suspect only named as Mr. X was on trial for heading the paedophile ring. Mr. X was linked to Mcalpine, Lord Kenyon, Wyn Roberts MP, Adam Mars-Jones (son of Justice Jones) and 6 police officers, one of which being “prominent Freemason” and former supt. Gordon Angelsea, all of whom were charged with raping a minor.Angelsea went on to sue Private Eye for the allegations, but they were reported in the Independent, HTV and the Observer. Scallywag notes, even in the early 90’s, that:
“No one has dared mention the name of Lord Mcalpine in connection with sex with an underage boy, even though there is in existence a sworn affidavit from the victim and a sworn police statement, and despite the fact that the police in the case against Mr X seem to take the victim seriously enough to use him as a chief witness for the prosecution”
Angus Young, Scallywag Magazine
Mr X, up until 1989 had operated with impunity and the Bryn Alyn network seemed to be immune from prosecution. The physical abuse at the homes in north Wales had been covered up by the police and despite the rumours ‘gushing’ out of these homes, rumours that the investigation showed the police were fully aware of, nothing was done to investigate them. The 146 allegations spanning a decade that came out of one home in Clwyd alone, caused Malcolm King, chairman of Clwyd’s social services at the time, to label it “the biggest failure to protect children in the history of Britain”.
A former North Wales Police Authority Chairman claimed his call for an enquiry 6 years before the scandal were stifled, the Welsh coordinator for the National Association of Young People in Care, Alex Saddington, was beaten and had chemicals sprayed in his eyes, a local BBC journalist working on the case was burgled and in a shadowy prediction of modern times the most public of the abused boys, Steven Messham and Mark Humphries, were subject to intimidation and Messham in particular, was beaten up on more than one occasion. The allegations centred mostly on the aforementioned ‘prominent freemason’ George Angelsea and Mr X, and the investigation ended with Mr X prosecuted on 10 counts of sexual abuse.
The files on Angelsea, and 5 other officers under suspicion, Sgt Mike Roach, Sgt Geraint Morgan, PC David Rogers, PC Peter Sharman and DC Gary Probert, were sent to the Crown Prosecution service. Their answer? As printed in Scallywag: “It is not in the pubic interest to prosecute these police officers” All of them were ‘early retired’, with commutations and pensions of course. It is worth noting that Angus Jones pointed out all of them were active freemasons, with the prominence of Angelsea being alluded to many times.
In a strange twist, the tale of Mr X turned out to be decades older than first thought. His empire of child pornography and prostitution was run in a business-like fashion, his favourites being lavished with gifts and shopped around his brothels in London for his VIP clientele. Former Big Brother contestant Derek Laud was shown to be one of the men setting up private viewings of Mr X’s material in Winchester St., Pimlico. Under the nickname ‘Golly’, Laud had accompanied Michael Portillo and his wife with his boyfriend Michael Brown MP on their holidays, and as the nephew of Lord Pitt, Laud had reached such political heights as being the “black face pictured at the window” whist Thatcher was peeping through the curtains on the day she quit, as Angus Young puts it.
He was alleged to have introduced the young Justin Fashanu to the seedier side of Westminster, before Fashanu began denying his own testimony in the scandal following the death of MP Steven Milligan, of which he claimed to have knowledge. Laud had holidayed with Peter Lilley,Chris Chataway and Jeffrey Archer, and was seen in fashionable spots entertaining people with known ties to Royalty. Laud appeared to be active in the paedophile network due to his ties to the infamous Dolphin square restaurant, where the Portillo’s dined frequently and which for a time, was under scrutiny by HM customs in relation to ‘intercepted paedophile material’.
John Gorst MP, who supported George Ward throughout the Grunwick strike has an interesting background
John Gorst involved with radio: – He was secretary of the Local Radio Association – a pressure group
In 1972 Wilfred Proudfoot forced through, with John Gorst and Ray Mawby, an amendment preventing London’s news radio station from supplying stations elsewhere. The trio also managed to bar newspapers from taking a stake in their local station, only for the sponsoring minister, Chris Chataway, to overrule them, saying that otherwise papers’ advertising revenues would be threatened.
The death on Sunday of Sir Chris Chataway at the age of 82 will bring sadness around the world because of the impact he had on athletics – and beyond.
European Athletics joins so many in passing its condolences on to Chataway’s family and friends at this sad time.
And as Sebastian Coe, the double Olympic 1500m champion, said: “He was a ‘Renaissance Man’ and although his international career was relatively short, he packed an enormous amount in it.
Bannister led the tributes to Chataway, telling the BBC: “He was gallant to the end. Our friendship dated back over more than half a century.
In 1995 he was knighted for his services to aviation, four years after becoming chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority.
But athletics was always in his blood and his enthusiasm showed at the Great North Run a few years ago, when he ran the race deep into his 70s.
Named in documents found by an MI5 witness relating to child abuse:
Maurice Oldfield
Peter Hayman
Tom Driberg
Peter Morrison
Leon Brittan (an MP associate rumour)
Christopher Chataway
Charles Irving
Anthony Lambton
Colin Peters
William van Staubenzee
Janner inquiry stalled by last-minute anonymity request
Feb 21, 2020
Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse was due to hear evidence but one witness didn’t want to be named, so hearing can no longer be public
In the wake of the Jimmy Savile revelations, the Crown Prosecution Service reviewed the file on Janner and finally decided to charge him with 22 counts of sexual assault in 2015, when he had advanced dementia. He died later that year. A civil case was also later avoided.
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse (IICSA) had been due to hear evidence from alleged victims – their last chance to do so – but this week one witness claimed their legal right to complete anonymity, meaning the hearing can no longer be held in public. It has now adjourned proceedings.
Chris Jacobs, a lawyer representing the alleged victims, said they had “been involved in this process for a number of years and are entitled to a legitimate expectation that the investigation will proceed”.
He added: “Aside from the trauma and distress that such a decision would visit on my clients… the waste of public funds in stopping their process now would be substantial and disproportionate.”
Brian Altman QC, a lawyer working for the inquiry, said the witness’s request for full anonymity “will have a major impact on how much of any hearings in this investigation can take place in public”.
If the process continued to hear evidence on matters relating police and prosecutors’ response to allegations, he said “a very substantial part of it would have to be held in closed session”. Only “peripheral issues” could be heard in public.
He added that there were no good options, because discontinuing the process “would have a devastating effect” on the alleged victims “and would mean that important matters of public concern remain un-investigated by this Inquiry”.
A barrister representing Janner’s family said their father was “a law-abiding person,” adding: “The inability to report on the evidence that lies at the heart of this case undermines its fairness and any investigations can only be advanced at a disproportionate case.”
He added that reputations were being “interfered with, as is the grief and family name of his children,” before arguing that the public interest in continuing “is sorely diminished because there can be no public enquiry into the central allegations”.
Margaret Thatcher knighted Scottish Conservative MP Nicholas Fairbairn despite warning he ‘attacked Fife schoolgirl’
20 Feb 2020
MARGARET Thatcher knighted a Scottish MP despite a warning that he had attacked a schoolgirl.
Nicholas Fairbairn was made a sir by the then-PM in 1988 – weeks after the Tory chief received a letter from the girl’s mother detailing the assault in Fife.
The QC, who had been solicitor-general for Scotland, was knighted in recognition of his “political service” to the nation.
But it has been revealed that Thatcher had been contacted by the mum shortly before his award with the claim that Fairbairn had physically – but not sexually – attacked her daughter.
In a letter sent directly to the PM, it was written that the drunken MP had hit the schoolgirl “across the face and chest” near his home at Fordell Castle in 1986 – with witnesses confirming the attack.
The mum, a life-long Tory voter, also claimed a local police sergeant feared arresting Fairbairn would damage his career.
The letter was submitted to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), which is chaired by Edinburgh academic Alexis Jay.
Jay is set to publish her findings next week. According to The Times, the previously unseen letter from June 1988 was held in a government chief whip’s file entitled “MP’s unparliamentary conduct”.
The letter, sent after the mum found out Fairbairn was to be honoured, details the attack.
It reads: “Mr Fairbairn approached her, shouted and repeatedly swore at her and struck her across the face and chest.
““The police were called and they interviewed six witnesses who confirmed her story.
““The sergeant from Dalgety Bay station would not go to Mr Fairbairn’s home on the Saturday evening. He said he preferred to wait until the Sunday when Mr Fairbairn would have sobered up.
“The sergeant said he did not want to remain a ‘tea boy’ for the rest of his working life.
“Since the announcement of the Queen’s Birthday Honours List I feel I must write to ask you why Fairbairn should get away with assault and then receive a knighthood.
“Mr Fairbairn approached her, shouted and repeatedly swore at her and struck her across the face and chest.”
Letter from Scottish mother to Margaret Thatcher
“We are now wondering if there is one law for MPs and another for members of the public.”
Thatcher’s principal private secretary replied to the mother, claiming the attack was not for the consideration of the PM.
It read: “The prime minister’s practice is not to comment on names which appear in the honours lists.
“As regards the allegations made in your letter, these are not matters for the prime minister.”
Fairbairn was an MP for Kinross and Western Perthshire from 1974-1983, when the constituency was abolished.
He then served the new Perth and Kinross constituency until his death in 1995, aged 61.
She shared the Any Questions? panel with the Tory MP and, in an interview with Channel 4 News, said: “I suddenly realised, that he had his hand up my crotch. I was so furious, but also scared.
“If I said what I would say to him two or three years later; ‘if you do that again I will tell Jonathan Dimbleby [the show’s host] that I can’t answer any questions until Sir Nicholas takes his hand out of my crotch.’
“I didn’t say it, but I always wished I had done.”
The Scottish Sun Online has approached the Conservatives for comment.
Liberal Democrats ‘to expel ex-leader David Steel’ over his failure to pass on suspicions about paedophile MP Cyril Smith
Lord Steel set to be first politician expelled by national child sex abuse inquiry
19 Feb 2020
Former Liberal leader Lord Steel faces expulsion from his party over his failure to pass on his suspicions about paedophile MP Cyril Smith.
He is set to be the first politician singled out for censure by the national child sex abuse inquiry, it was reported last night.
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) is set to publish its conclusions next week.
Last night the Liberal Democrats declined to comment – but it is understood a committee of senior MPs and peers is being convened to discuss Lord Steel’s future.
Close colleagues, including former Liberal Democrat leader Lord Campbell, are considering quitting if Lord Steel is expelled.
The inquiry will also criticise Lord Steel for his decision to recommend Smith for a knighthood.
Smith, who died in 2010, is accused of sexually abusing scores of boys. He was never charged in his lifetime.
The report is understood, according to sources close to the inquiry, to be highly critical of his failure to notify authorities after an admission by Smith that claims about him in Private Eye magazine were true.
Under questioning, Lord Steel told IICSA of a conversation he had with Smith in 1979, in which the then MP admitted his behaviour was investigated a decade earlier.
The Private Eye article accused Smith of spanking boys and conducting intimate ‘medical examinations’ at a Rochdale hostel, but Smith had insisted police took no further action.
Lord Steel told IICSA last March that he ‘assumed’ Smith had actually committed the offences.
Bernard Kerik accepted a “loan” of $250k from Israel billionaire when meeting with Israel to discuss counter-terrorism 2 weeks before 9/11. And he was the police commissioner that oversaw 9/11, was pardoned today.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday pardoned Bernard Kerik, the former New York police commissioner who rose to national fame in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and was later sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to felony charges including tax fraud and lying to White House officials.
The White House announced Tuesday that Trump had granted a full pardon to Kerik, as well as a commutation for disgraced former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
Today Trump has granted clemency or pardoned 11 people all convicted of corruption. But the one that bothers me the most is Kerik.
He accepted a $250,000 interest-free “loan” from Israeli billionaire Eitan Wertheimer and failed to report it. Kerik first met the billionaire, whose vast holdings include major defense contractors, when Kerik took a four-day trip to Israel less than two weeks before September 11, 2001 to discuss counter-terrorism with Israeli officials.
Giuliani had appointed Kerik the 40th Police Commissioner of New York City on August 21, 2000 and oversaw 9/11 and made it to the WTC three minutes after the first plane hit.
After 16 months of working under Giuliani he left his position when Giuliani’s term ended December 2001.
Women’s wear mogul Peter Nygard accused as vile sexual predator, hosted ‘pamper parties’ to rape and abuse aspiring models and underage girls, according to Manhattan lawsuit
Feb 13, 2020
Peter Nygard seen at Fame and Philanthropy’s Celebrates the 86th Academy Awards on Sunday, March 2, 2014 at The Vineyard Beverly Hills in Los Angeles, CA.
Rags-to-riches garment business legend Peter Nygard was accused of sex trafficking paid underage “girlfriends” to both satisfy his perverse sexual peccadilloes and lure new victims to drug-fueled “pamper parties” at his beachfront Bahamas home, a stunning new lawsuit alleged Thursday.
The Manhattan Federal Court filing claimed the 76-year-old Nygard raped seven teenage girls, ages 14 to 16, at his private Nygard Cay getaway in the Bahamas — with some of the terrified teens drugged before they were sexually assaulted.
Among the guests at Nygard’s luxury property over the years was Prince Andrew, who came under scrutiny for his close ties to Jeffrey Epstein before the accused sex fiend committed suicide last year.
Nygard, 76, amassed a decades-old database of more than 7,500 women and underaged girls, dating back to 1987 and maintained by the Nygard Companies’ IT department, according to the class action suit that identified 10 “Jane Does” as plaintiffs.
The victims were often recruited through regular company events known as “pamper parties,” where women promised interviews for high-end modeling jobs were instead used for sex at wild parties featuring cocaine and alcohol inside the Bahamas residence, the federal court paperwork charged.
“Nygard used his considerable influence in the fashion industry, his power through corruption of officials, and a network of company employees under his direction to groom and entice underage girls and women,” the lawsuit alleged.
“Nygard would use means of alcohol, drugs, force fraud and/or other forms of coercion to engage in commercial sex acts with these children and women … in many cases, with knowledge that they were less than eighteen years old.”
An email to Nygard’s business for comment on the salacious allegations was not returned Thursday.
Two years ago, the company — with its Times Square global headquarters — marked its 50th anniversary, the culmination of its founder’s unlikely ascension from Finnish immigrant to worldwide success and head of his eponymous clothing empire. The self-made man, who borrowed $8,000 to launch his women’s clothing business, once lived in a Manhattan apartment near his flagship Midtown store.
A Daily News reporter was escorted from the building after asking about Nygard and the lawsuit.
According to the lawsuit, some of the girlfriends were placed on the Nygard Companies payroll and paid monthly for “modeling and promotional services” rather than their duties as full-time sex workers.
Designer Peter Nygard arrives for Norby Walters’ 24nd Annual Night Of 100 Stars Oscar Viewing Gala held at the Beverly Hills Hotel in 2014. It’s unknown if the unidentified women pictured with Nygard here are part of the lawsuit.
Nygard, known for a flowing mane of hair spilling down to his shoulders and a buff physique belying his age, launched his business in 1968. He has steered clear of the Bahamas property since he was sentenced last year to 90 days in jail and a $150,000 in fines for alleged environmental violations at Nygard Cay.
Back in 1987, Nygard designed and built the luxurious property that, according to the lawsuit, was turned into a den of torture where underaged girls were routinely assaulted.
The new lawsuit alleged that local Bahamian police were paid by Nygard to harass or threaten any sexual abuse victims considering legal action against their accused tormentor.
“Due to his power and influence in the Bahamas and worldwide, Nygard’s victims reasonably believe that he can have them killed if they pursue their claims,” the lawsuit alleged.
“…been a part of what was essentially a “sex trafficking ring”.
‘The prince and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson stayed at Nygard Cay, near Nassau, with daughters Beatrice and Eugenie (pictured with Nygard)’
ROYAL LINK
Prince Andrew’s visit to second tycoon facing child rape claims as fashion boss Peter Nygard accused of abusing 10 teens
14 Feb 2020
PRINCE Andrew visited a billionaire tycoon accused of raping 10 teens at a Bahamas mansion.
Peter Nygard, 77, is the second of the Duke’s associates to be accused of sex offences, following his friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Fashion mogul Nygard is alleged to have invited ten girls to his lavish estate under the guise that he would help them with their modelling careers.
Prince Andrew reportedly stayed with Nygard’s mansion in the Bahamas with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson in 2000.
A lawsuit filed in the Southern District of New York claimed that Nygard plied his subjects with alcohol and drugs before they were violently assaulted, raped and sodomised.
Nygard, worth a reported £1.3bn and runs women’s clothing company Nygard International, has strongly denied the allegations.
There is no suggestion he knew of Nygard’s alleged criminality.
In the case against Nygard, the teenagers, some as young as 14, launched a class action lawsuit in Manhattan – claiming to have been a part of what was essentially a “sex trafficking ring”.
The suit alleges the girls would be entertained at so-called “pamper parties” where Nygard would have bartenders at his Mayan-themed vacation home spike their drinks with Rohypnol.
The lawsuit details how one of the victims who was 15-years-old at the time had been taken to Lyford Cay, Nygard’s estate.
During the evening, Nygard allegedly tried to anally sodomise her before raping her and then asking her to defecate and urinate in his mouth in a bizarre sexual fetish known as Coprophilia.
Another of complainants tells how her encounter with Nygard began with him showing her pornography.
ROYAL LINK
Nygard then asked her to use a sex toy on him and when it ended, he raped her “causing her extraordinary trauma and pain”.
A press release about the lawsuit stated: “This horrific episode is just one of many like it detailed in the complaint against Nygard and his business entities by 10 brave women.
“The class action lawsuit accuses Nygard of sex trafficking and rape – all financed and facilitated by his family of corporations and their employees.”
Ten women in total, now aged between 18 to 36, have detailed their alleged encounters.
Nine of the women are from the Bahamas while one is from the US, although none have had their names revealed in the suit.
Three of the women were 14-years-old at the time of the alleged rapes which took place between 2008 and 2015, while three others were 15.
Phillip Schofield came out to the British nation saying that he is gay. Schofield, 57, has been married for 27 years and has two children. The presenter interviewing him said that it was important to make clear that his hand wasn’t forced in coming out. In other cases of British celebrities coming out as gay that isn’t even mentioned.
Questions began to rise after this coming out, like from Joan Collins who asked the question why now? The days have been going by and the information coming out points to a sinister reality behind this.
Schofield appears to have first met Matthew McGreevy back when he was 10-years-old at the 2 faced theater academy. The former is a patron of the theater company and suspiciously shut down their website.
At the age of 15 Phillip Schofield followed the 15-year-old McGreevy on Twitter. In McGreevy’s bio it says “A 15 year old cheeky chap , performer and twin :).” To this very day Schofield follows this account of Matthew McGreevy.
In 2015 the two were spotted out on some kind of date at a restaurant after many years of what strongly appears to be grooming.
One of Britain’s top paparazzis George Bamby-Salvador on Facebook posted some very powerful claims against the host. He said that Matthew McGreevy had a deal in place with the Sunday papers to sell his story so he could tell what happened to him at the hands of Schofield. This paparazzi has worked for BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5 in his career.
According to a show insider, Matthew McGreevy was furious that Phillip Schofield “f*cked him over” and that he was going to go to the press to tell what happened to him.
There are many crucial questions that need to be answered as this information comes out. Phillip Schofield lied about when he first met Matthew McGreevy. Why did Phillip Schofield lie about something that the powers that be want us to believe is innocent? They met when he was 10-years-old at the 2 faced theater academy and that group deleted its website after that picture came out. Why did they do that if? What else were they hiding? Who there benefits from that? Phillip Schofield followed Matthew McGreevy on Twitter when he was 15. Why did Phillip Schofield follow 15-year-old Matthew McGreevy on Twitter espeically if he didn’t know him? Those two were out on a date. What was going on there? If all these people like George Bamby-Salvador, Perez Hilton, Joan Collins and others who either hint that something sinister is happening are lying wouldn’t you think Phillip Schofield would sue them? Libel laws in Britian are much tougher than in America. Probably the most important question in this is, where on earth is Matthew McGreevy? Is he alive or dead, safe or in danger, in the UK or elsewhere, and what does he have to say about all of this?
Why did Phillip Schofield follow a 15-year-old boy on Twitter when he was 48? Why did Schofield later invite him to the ITV studios? Why did he (Matthew Mcgreevy) later get a job working for ITV?
Phillip Schofield surprises charity with £20,000 donation
A HENLEY charity has received a surprise £20,000 donation thanks to Chris Evans and Phillip Schofield.
The Chiltern Centre, which offers support to young adults with learning or physical disabilities, only learned about the money when the donation was made on live television.
Schofield, who lives in Fawley, was interviewing Evans on ITV’s This Morning show about Carfest, an annual family music and motoring festival that was founded by the radio presenter in 2011 and raises funds for children’s charities.
Evans revealed he had two cheques for £20,000 each from the funds raised at the event, which he was giving to Schofield and his co-presenter Holly Willoughy to donate to the charities of their choice.
Schofield chose the Chiltern Centre, of which he has been patron since 2009. Later, he posted on Instagram, where he has 2.6 million followers, said: “Thank you, Chris Evans and Carfest, for the £20,000 you have so generously donated to the Chiltern Centre.
Carfest, which is held in Cheshire and Hampshire, gave half of the money it raised this year, to the BBC’s Children in Need appeal, while the other beneficiaries included the Teenage Cancer Trust, the Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity and the Starlight Children’s Foundation.
Willoughby chose to donate her £20,000 to Short Lives, a children’s charity of which she has been patron since 2008.
McAlpine agrees settlement with ITV | Financial Times
Nov 22, 2012 – “ITV and Phillip Schofield apologise unreservedly to Lord Alistair McAlpine, have agreed the terms of a statement to be made in open court and have .
Masons from Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire raised over £42,000 at the Chiltern Centre Diamond Jubilee Family Day at Fawley Hill, near Henley, in Oxfordshire. Held at the Fawley Hill Railway and Museum, thanks to the generosity of Sir William and Lady McAlpine, the event was in aid of the Chiltern Centre for Disabled Children, which has lost significant government funding.
Chiltern Centre Chair of Trustees, Paul Barrett, said the day ‘exceeded expectations with more than 3,000 people attending’. The masonic team was led by John Clark (Buckinghamshire), Roger Hampshire (Oxfordshire) and Gerry Hann (Berkshire)
Phillip Schofield’s daughter Ruby Schofield: charity work
Ruby Schofield has also been involved in charity work over the years, raising £15,000 for Teenage Cancer Trust as well as volunteering at The Chiltern Centre – a charity for disabled children
Not much chance of avoiding his fans last week, when Phillip Schofield took a short holiday on Cunard’s newest cruise ship, Queen Elizabeth (above),which was making its maiden round-Britain voyage.
Back on our TV screens last week after a summer break, he was soon off again, travelling to Liverpool to board the ship, sailing to Dublin for a taste of the black stuff and then on to Cork where he disembarked to fly home.
While on board, he shaved and put on a smart jacket and crisp white shirt to be shown around the bridge by Captain Chris Wells (below).
^ So Phillip Schofield was also on the maiden cruise in 2011, as was Savile
Savile following on 4 people on twitter – Phillip Schofield, Russell Brand, Jonathan Ross, Chris Moyles
Savile sailed with Cunard on a number of occasions. Notably, he travelled onboard the Queen Elizabeth on its first voyage around Britain in September 2011, the month before he died, and attended the ceremony when the Queen named the ship in 2010.
In January 2011, when plans were made for the memorial tribute, a Cunard spokeswoman described Savile as “a true friend of Cunard,” according to the BBC.
Savile enjoyed complimentary cruises onboard both Cunard and P&O Cruises for many years. It has been claimed he was kicked off P&O’s Canberra in Gibraltar by the captain who heard claims he abused a 14-year-old girl, according to a report in the Mirror.
Hiding in plain sight: Well, for a start there was Paul Trotter who slipped through Cunard’s oh so strict vetting procedure to become a pianist and youth counsellor, supervising kids in the on-board children’s PlayZone. But there were more …
The BBC on Thursday appointed Royal Opera House chief Tony Hall as Entwistle’s replacement,charged with pulling the broadcaster out of crisis in the wake of the McAlpine row and a separate child sex scandal over its late star Jimmy Savile.
Allegations that Savile abused hundreds of children over four decades have sparked three internal BBC probes and a major police investigation.
Four days earlier, the BBC had broadcast an investigation wrongly implicating him in allegations of child sex abuse at a Welsh children’s home in the 1970s.
While the report by the BBC’s flagship current affairs programme “Newsnight” did not identify McAlpine, he was widely named on social networking sites.
The botched report forced BBC director-general George Entwistle to resign on November 10 and the BBC has paid out $295,056 in damages to McAlpine.
The BBC on Thursday appointed Royal Opera House chief Tony Hall as Entwistle’s replacement, charged with pulling the broadcaster out of crisis in the wake of the McAlpine row and a separate child sex scandal over its late star Jimmy Savile.
Allegations that Savile abused hundreds of children over four decades have sparked three internal BBC probes and a major police investigation.
When Boris resigned as MP for Henley in 2008, having been elected Mayor of London, the Tory hierarchy apparently made it clear elder Johnsons need not apply. I was not deterred.
When, a few months later, the Wycombe seat became free, I started sniffing around – and found myself plunged into a Conservative controversy.
To explain: Sir William McAlpine, president of the Wycombe Conservatives, and his wife Judy had invited potential candidates to drinks at their house, including me. When I arrived, Judy was on the phone and clearly in the middle of a row with Central Office.
‘If I believe members of the local association should be offered an informal drink with potential candidates, I will invite them,’ she was saying. The drinks went ahead. But the following Tuesday, Bill McAlpine rang me:
‘Central Office has cancelled the selection process.’ He sounded furious.
Judy later explained. ‘A young man began screaming at me that he must speak to Sir William, saying they must STOP the selection process immediately.’
Judy later sent me a copy of the letter she had written to David Cameron. As Private Eye used to put it, ‘Phew, what a scorcher!’ Realistically, Wycombe was probably my last best chance to catch the eye of the selectors.
Mr Cameron, who did not look at the list, said he was “worried” that speculation about unproven allegations could lead to a “witch-hunt particularly against people who are gay” and advised anyone with evidence of abuse should go to the police.
After the show, Mr Schofield was forced to apologise amid suggestions that the names on the card could be seen by viewers because of a “misjudged camera angle”.
The TV presenter insisted he had not been accusing anyone of anything and “it is essential that it is understood that I would never be part of any kind of witch-hunt”.
Asked about the exchange on Friday during a visit to Cumbria, Mr Cameron said it was “not sensible nor right to hand over a piece of paper with a few names you have just quickly scrubbed off the internet.
“Effectively you are casting aspersions about lots of people without any evidence…I don’t think it was the right approach and I am sure that ITV agree with that.
“I don’t want to get into a great shouting match with anybody but I don’t think it is the right way to approach this extremely serious matter.”
‘No evidence’
In other reaction, Mayor of London Boris Johnson said “it was a pretty rum piece of journalism” and “a very curious thing for the producers to allow to happen”.
Speaking on BBC London 94.9, he said the presenter had produced a list “without any real substantiation or proper journalistic efforts to get to the bottom of whatever allegations were made about the individuals who might have been named on that bit of paper.”
Mr Cameron, a former senior executive with ITV company Carlton, had behaved in “a very dignified way and dealt with it very calmly”, Mr Johnson added.
Gay rights campaigners have criticised Mr Cameron’s use of language during the interview.
“There is no reason why he should link the current scandals with gay people or warn of an anti-gay witch-hunt,” long-standing campaigner Peter Tatchell said.
Boris Johnson commenting on the Phillip Schofield’s child abuse list
…Boris Johnson’s father, Stanley Johnson attended the funeral of Sir William McAlpine, brother of Alistair McAlpine.
Boris Johnson was MP for Henley-on-Thames – where the Chiltern Centre is located and where William McAlpine had a home.
McAlpine family’s Fawley Hill residence near Henley-on-Thames
……………..
British commercial television network ITV on Thursday said it had paid out $199,362 to a senior politician who was wrongly linked to child sex abuse by one of its programmes and the BBC.
ITV apologised “unreservedly” to Lord Alistair McAlpine, who is at the centre of a row that felled the BBC’s director-general, and said they had agreed to pay his legal costs on top of the $199,362 settlement.
The presenter of chat show “This Morning”, Phillip Schofield, had ambushed Prime Minister David Cameron earlier this month with a list of Conservative politicians that were being named in Internet gossip as paedophiles.
Lawyers for McAlpine, who was Conservative treasurer under former premier Margaret Thatcher, said the stunt sparked an avalanche of libellous Internet posts falsely linking him to paedophilia in the wake of a BBC report that did the same.
Four days earlier, the BBC had broadcast an investigation wrongly implicating him in allegations of child sex abuse at a Welsh children’s home in the 1970s.
While the report by the BBC’s flagship current affairs programme “Newsnight” did not identify McAlpine, he was widely named on social networking sites.
The botched report forced BBC director-general George Entwistle to resign on November 10 and the BBC has paid out $295,056 in damages to McAlpine.
ITV said in a statement: “ITV and Phillip Schofield have now reached agreement with Lord McAlpine to settle his libel claim, made in relation to the This Morning programme broadcast on 8 November 2012.
“ITV and Phillip Schofield apologise unreservedly to Lord McAlpine, have agreed the terms of a statement to be made in open court, and have agreed to pay him damages of $199,362 and his legal costs.”
The BBC on Thursday appointed Royal Opera House chief Tony Hall as Entwistle’s replacement, charged with pulling the broadcaster out of crisis in the wake of the McAlpine row and a separate child sex scandal over its late star Jimmy Savile.
Allegations that Savile abused hundreds of children over four decades have sparked three internal BBC probes and a major police investigation.
A man has been charged with further non-recent sex offences against children during his time as a choirmaster in West Sussex.
Mark Burgess, who lives in Portsmouth, was initially charged on 3 February this year with 58 counts of offences including indecent assault, gross indecency with a child, inciting sexual activity with a child, and sexual touching.
This week (April 27th – 30th), detectives from Hampshire Constabulary’s Operation Marmion team charged him with a further 15 offences against an additional two victims, bringing the total up to 73 offences.
The offences relate to 13 children in total, who were under the age of 16, during Burgess’s time as a choirmaster for the All Saints church choir in Portsmouth, and Westbourne Choir in West Sussex between 1975 and 2009.
Mr Burgess was bailed to appear at Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court on 23 July.
A former choirmaster has been charged with dozens of sex offences against children in Hampshire and West Sussex.
Mark Burgess, 66, from Hilsea, Portsmouth, is accused of abusing 11 children under the age of 16 between 1976 and 2009.
He faces 58 counts relating to his time as choirmaster at All Saints’ Church in Portsmouth and Westbourne Choir, near Emsworth, Hampshire Constabulary said.
Charges include indecent assault and gross indecency.
He will appear before Portsmouth magistrates on 3 March.
Detectives from Hampshire Constabulary’s Operation Marmion team have charged a man with non-recent sex offences against children
5 Feb 2020
In 1971 Burgess won a place at the London Guildhall School of Music and Drama where he studied organ with the world famous teacher Nicholas Danby. He was the first organ student at St Paul’s Cathedral, London and helped out in his third year alongside Christopher Dearnley, gaining FRCO in later years.
For many years Mark has been involved with RSCM local events and nationally-run residential courses and has worked with Gerald Knight and Martin How and latterly John Wardle.
He has been Director of Music at many local schools and was DoM at All Saints Portsea for 21 years and then at Westbourne Parish Church for 16 years.
Currently Mark plays for St Colman’s Cosham and is DoM at St Agatha’s church whilst currently being an assistant at St John’s Cathedral. He also directs the Portsmouth Chorus formerly the Portsmouth Glee Club.
Former Southampton Football Coach Convicted of Non-recent Child Sex Abuse
May 23, 2019
A former Southampton youth football coach who abused young boys for a quarter of a century between 1971 and 1996 has today (Thursday 23 May) been convicted.
Robert ‘Bob’ Higgins, 66, was branded a ‘predatory paedophile’ in court as he faced 51 counts of indecent assault relating to 24 boys, most of whom were youth football players at the time of the offences.
Today, Higgins was convicted of 45 offences following a trial by jury.
Higgins had already been convicted of indecently assaulting another boy at a previous trial which began in May 2018.
Detectives from Hampshire Constabulary’s Operation Marmion team, who specialise in investigating non-recent child sex abuse, first started making enquiries in November 2016.
What followed was a lengthy and complex investigation spanning two trials which has now concluded with today’s verdicts.
Mark Burgess – Musical director – Portsmouth Chorus
Musical Director
MARK BURGESS
GGSM(lond) FRCO(CHM) FTCL LRAM ARCM(perf) PGCE
Mark was born in 1953 in Rustington East Sussex, at a nursing home in a village which has the name of a very well known hymn tune composed by C. H. H. Parry. Adopted and educated at Portsmouth Technical high school, his main influence was Reginald Wassell. His first organ teacher was Ernie Hines and then Russell Shepherd at St Mark’s North End. In 1971 he won a place at the London Guildhall School of Music and Drama where he studied organ with the world famous teacher Nicholas Danby. He was the first organ student at St Paul’s Cathedral, London and helped out in his third year alongside Christopher Dearnley, gaining FRCO in later years.
For many years Mark has been involved with RSCM local events and nationally-run residential courses and has worked with Gerald Knight and Martin How and latterly John Wardle. He has been Director of Music at many local schools and was DoM at All Saints Portsea for 21 years and then at Westbourne Parish Church for 16 years.
Currently Mark plays for St Colman’s Cosham and is DoM at St Agatha’s church whilst currently being an assistant at St John’s Cathedral. He also directs the Portsmouth Chorus formerly the Portsmouth Glee Club.
Christopher Dearnley, who has died in Australia aged 70, served the cause of cathedral music in two hemispheres with great distinction for half a century. As organist and director of music at St Paul’s cathedral from 1968-90, he masterminded the music for many state occasions: the thanksgiving service for the Queen’s silver jubilee in 1977, the wedding of the Prince and Princess of Wales in 1981 and the Falklands war thanksgiving service in 1982.
Dearnley and his wife emigrated to Australia in 1990, ostensibly to live quieter lives as naturists (nudists)
Jonathan Clayton: Primary school supply teacher guilty of sexual abuse
4 February 2020
Jonathan Clayton carried out sexual assaults on primary school pupils as young as seven
A primary school supply teacher has been convicted of sexually assaulting six pupils at his place of work.
Jonathan Clayton, 27, from Stockton, was found guilty of 13 sex assault charges on girls aged between seven and 11 in North Yorkshire.
He had faced a similar allegation involving a pupil at a previous school he was teaching at in 2017, although charges were dropped.
He was remanded in custody for sentence at Teesside Crown Court on 26 February.
Clayton had said there was nothing sexual about his behaviour but admitted he hugged children, helped them get dressed – even though they were old enough to dress themselves – and let them sit on his knee.
‘Suitable to work’
The head of the school told the court they had no idea about the original claims in 2017.
Supply teacher firm Vision for Education said information about the first allegation was “withheld” and claimed that the first school, where Clayton worked between 2016 to 2017, recommended him.
A spokeswoman said: “In this instance, all of the statutory checks relating to the candidate were clear but information relating to the previous allegations was withheld from us and, instead, the school where the first allegations were made expressly confirmed that the candidate was suitable to work with children and that they would recommend the candidate for employment.”
The spokeswoman added they suspended Clayton immediately after they were informed about the latest accusations, made at the second school last year.
Richard Crane, Durham County Council’s head of education and skills, said that after the first allegation was made “appropriate steps were taken by the school and relevant agencies were informed”.
Det Con Gillian Gowling from North Yorkshire Police said: “Clayton had abused the trust of young girls in his care and took advantage of his position as their primary school teacher.”
Judge Howard Crowson remanded Clayton in custody 26 after learning he had tried to find work in China after he was barred from working in the UK following the latest allegations.
David Mitchell, with the London mayor Sadiq Khan, is taking one of the most influential roles in the capital’s Jewish community
Rabbi accused of bullying gets senior job at synagogue
January 13 2020
David Mitchell, 40, will become senior rabbi at the West London Synagogue, which describes itself as “the UK’s flagship Reform Synagogue” when Baroness Neuberger steps down in March. The role is one of the most influential in the community. Members of the congregation include the historians Sir Simon Schama and Simon Sebag-Montefiore, the actress Maureen Lipman and Marie van der Zyl, the president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews.
The appointment has concerned former staff who complained in 2016 that Mr Mitchell, who ran the synagogue’s education department, bullied staff, reduced colleagues to tears, used obscene language and made derogatory comments about colleagues.
His promotion to senior rabbi has created tension in the Jewish community. The issue made the front page of The Jewish Chronicle and was debated on social media. The synagogue’s management board met last week to discuss the situation.
The Charity Commission has demanded to know why the synagogue, which is a registered charity, did not tell it about the allegations against Mr Mitchell. A spokeswoman for the commission said: “We would expect trustees to report allegations of this nature to us. We are assessing the issues and will make contact with the trustees imminently.”
Senior community figures told The Times that although the allegations dated from 2016 they continued to have concerns about Mr Mitchell’s suitability to lead the congregation.
Rabbi David Mitchell has been suspended by West London Synagogue “Allegations from former staff include hearing him joking and laughing about seeing kids’ genitalia and running programmes with young people unsupervised with the intent of getting them into their ‘dark place'”
Leading Reform rabbi accused of bullying and inappropriate behaviour is set to become the shul’s senior rabbi
@JamesRusbridger
“One employee said examples of inappropriate, unprofessional behaviour included hearing Rabbi Mitchell make references to ‘kike cock’, ‘lesbian cock doctor’ and ‘eating muff’ in a professional environment.” “Westminster child protection services has investigated Rabbi Mitchell.”
The charity’s annual fundraiser, the Butterfly Ball, is attended by many celebrities famously devoted to children. Butterfly Ball guests have included Esther Rantzen, Simon Cowell, Lionel Blair, Max Clifford, Elton John, and the Duchess of York, all doing their bit for children.
Michael Barrymore documentary: ‘Arrogance’ of discredited pathologist who missed evidence in Stuart Lubbock’s death
6 FEB 2020
Dr Michael Heath’s post-mortem after the death of Stuart Lubbock in Michael Barrymore’s swimming pool may have played a part in hampering the police’s murder investigation
Dr Michael Heath, pictured in 2002, was the first expert to examine Stuart’s body. He was later criticised by a government disciplinary panel for his involvement in a separate investigation
A report by a since-discredited pathologist who was the first to examine Stuart Lubbock’s body may have played a part in hampering the police investigation into what happened at Michael Barrymore’s £2million Essex home.
Dr Michael Heath, a Home Office pathologist, conducted the first autopsy after Stuart, 31, was pronounced dead in hospital on March 31, 2001 – hours after he was found unconscious in Barrymore’s swimming pool.
But the experienced medical expert missed evidence that other pathologists have said could indicate Stuart was asphyxiated during an all-night party, just hours after meeting Barrymore at a nightclub.
Initially, police believed Stuart had accidentally drowned in the pool without the eight other guests at the party noticing.
But Dr Heath failed to note evidence that that could suggest a darker theory.
It was only when three other pathologists challenged Dr Heath’s findings that clues were finally picked up.
But that came weeks after Stuart’s death, meaning police didn’t return to Barrymore’s property for a thorough search for a long time.
During the delay, two pieces of evidence are believed to have gone missing.
A pool thermometer that had been lying on the side of Barrymore’s hot tub vanished, as did a broken shed handle – and police told a press conference one or both of the items could have been used to sexually assault the victim.
The delay prompted an Independent Police Complaints Commission investigation off the back of 36 complaints by Stuart’s father Terry Lubbock. The IPCC upheld six of them in 2009, including that the force missed evidence, and failed to ensure crucial forensic tests were completed until six years after the death.
Other evidence on Stuart’s body were not connected to the sexual assault theory by Dr Heath.
Marks on the victim’s forehead known as petechiae – small haemorrhages from the bursting of blood capillaries – weren’t noted by Dr Heath, but were picked up by the three other experts.
In their reports, they said the marks could be a sign of asphyxia, possibly as a result of having an arm clamped around his throat during a violent attack.
The Lubbock family’s barrister, Matthew Gowen, said in 2002 that the police investigation could have gone a different way entirely had all the facts been presented at the initial autopsy.
Dr Heath continued to stand by his findings in the wake of the other three pathologist reports, telling The Independent On Sunday in 2002: “It is not unusual for pathologists to disagree with one another. It happens all the time, but it is only in high-profile cases that it is noticed. It would be wrong for me to say that Mr Lubbock died from asphyxiation because he didn’t.”
During cross-examination at the five-day inquest, Dr Heath said he saw no sign of the petechiae and told the coroner the likelihood was that Stuart had drowned.
The coroner recorded an open verdict but criticised the fact she had not got the full story.
Michael Barrymore pool death cop says victim ‘WAS raped and murdered’ as fresh investigation launched
2 Feb 2020
DCI Jennings told Channel 4: “I believe very much that Stuart Lubbock was raped and murdered that night.”
An inquiry was launched into the original investigation in 2007 by the Independent Police Complaints Commission, and confirmed police permission was given to tidy up some of the house.
DCI Jennings said: “After we’d managed to photograph the scene, items have gone missing and we’ve never seized them.”
MISSING ITEMS
He said he believes the missing items – a handle from a cupboard and a pool thermometer – could have been taken to hide evidence.
A postmortem revealed Lubbock suffered severe internal injuries.
The cause of death was never established, and a coroner recorded an open verdict following four conflicting pathologist’s reports.
Barrymore invited Lubbock back to his home for a private party after meeting him at the Millennium Nightclub in March 2001.
Barrymore was arrested on suspicion of rape and serious sexual assault in 2007 along with two others, but he was never charged.
Trump impeachment defense lawyers Ken Starr and Alan Dershowitz share disturbing problem
While the president still stands accused of sexual misconduct by more than 20 women, two of his lawyers are embroiled in their own sexual misconduct and assault scandals.
Jan. 23, 2020
There’s been a lot of talk about President Donald Trump’s choice of Alan Dershowitz and Ken Starr as lawyers participating in his Senate impeachment trial defense. Most of this has rightly focused on the arguments both men presented at President Bill Clinton’s impeachment in 1999, which stand in almost laughable contradiction to the arguments they now seek to present. But when these two hired guns are examined alongside their latest famous client, another more troubling thread emerges, one that has been all too common for those in Trump’s orbit. These guys really don’t like women.
While the president still stands accused of sexual misconduct, including rape, by more than 20 women, both of these lawyers are deeply embroiled in their own sexual misconduct and assault scandals.
Dershowitz’s involvement with Epstein goes considerably further. Not only did Dershowitz help negotiate the part of the plea deal that granted total immunity for named Epstein co-conspirators and unnamed “potential co-conspirators,” but the lawyer himself stands accused of participating in the abuse, a charge he vehemently denies.
Here’s some of what we know about Dershowitz. Although Dershowitz prides himself on being a tenacious defender of civil liberties and a staunch advocate of everyone’s constitutional right to a defense, he has a long record of defending a certain type of client: prominent men accused of committing violence against women. He chose to help O.J. Simpson when the former NFL star was accused of murdering his wife; he crafted a defense for Jeffrey MacDonald, the former Green Beret doctor convicted of killing his wife and two daughters; he led the appeal for British socialite Claus von Bulow, who was accused of attempting to murder his wife; and he represented boxer Mike Tyson, who had been convicted of raping an 18-year-old Miss Black America contestant. He also joined the team defending former movie mogul Harvey Weinstein from a civil suit (that case has reached a tentative settlement).
There’s nothing wrong with a constitutional lawyer coming to the aid of well-known men accused of horrible crimes; everyone deserves the best defense possible. But Dershowitz has also admitted to getting massages at Epstein’s home — going so far as to note he kept on his underwear — hardly standard lawyer/client behavior, and certainly not the kind of high-minded ideals to which our system aspires.
Many of the most disturbing things about Dershowitz are things he himself has said. In a Los Angeles Times op-ed on May 7, 1997, titled, “Statutory Rape Is an Outdated Concept,” Dershowitz challenged the laws that criminalize sex with underage girls. In that piece, the former Harvard University law professor argues that the age of consent “certainly should not be as high 17 or 16. Reasonable people can disagree over whether it should be as low as 14.”
The prominent professor’s views on statutory rape and the age of consent become even more creepy when viewed through the lens of his most current personal predicament. In 2014, Virginia Roberts Guiffre, an alleged underage victim of Jeffrey Epstein, said in her court filing that Epstein let his friends borrow her for sex — friends including Dershowitz. Dershowitz denies the allegations and calls Epstein’s victim a liar. After Guiffre sued Dershowitz for defamation, the lawyer filed a countersuit against his accuser.
Some of Dershowitz’s views, while no less disturbing, are of a more typical attempted woman-shaming variety. In his defense of Tyson, Dershowitz attacked the victim by asserting she was a “sexually active young woman” who “hung out in nightclubs.” Dershowitz also seems to hold the view that women should be blamed for prostitution. In a 1985 article in the Gainesville Sun of Florida, Dershowitz proposed that a john “who occasionally seeks to taste the forbidden fruit of sex for hire” should not be arrested.
It would seem Starr holds similarly eyebrow-raising views on sex crimes and punishment. The former Clinton independent counsel was fired from his job as president of Baylor University in 2016 in the wake of accusations he ignored sexual assault issues on campus.
“It seems very clear that he governed over a policy that was, at best, indifferent to what was happening to Baylor women,” a lawyer representing 15 women in an ongoing case against Baylor recently told NPR.
The Baylor scandal began after one of the Division I school’s football players was convicted of rape. (In July, an appeals court ordered a new trial.) During the trial it was revealed that while Baylor investigated the allegations against the player, the university took no punitive action against him. After the conviction, numerous female students came forward with additional sexual assault allegations and additional convictions eventually followed. An investigation by an outside law firm found a “fundamental failure” in the university’s handling of sexual assault cases under Starr.
There have been many lawsuits against Baylor from women who said their allegations of assault by football players were mishandled or ignored. During one such case, lawyers alleged that Starr and other university officials helped a student they knew to be accused of sexual harassment. The university eventually settled with several accusers.
There is also the matter of Starr’s most famous case, the Clinton impeachment. Many found the Starr Report, with its detailed descriptions of sex acts, perhaps needlessly prurient. In a 2018 Vanity Fair essay, Monica Lewinsky described meeting with Starr. “His demeanor, almost pastoral, was somewhere between avuncular and creepy. He kept touching my arm and elbow, which made me uncomfortable.” Lewinsky could have been speaking for many when she weighed in on Starr’s appointment last week on Twitter.
What does all this have to do with Trump? Depending on who’s counting, about two dozen women accuse the president of sexual assault or misconduct from the 1980s through the 2000s. Many of these alleged victims have provided detailed accounts, corroborating records and evidence that they shared about the nonconsensual encounters with others. Trump categorically denies each of these accusations, as he does the stories of infidelity with and hush money payments to an adult film actress and a Playboy centerfold model. But we need only listen to the president’s own words for the most revealing insight into how Trump views and treats women, from the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape to his Howard Stern appearance, when he talked about getting away with “inspecting” beauty pageant contestants.
In a new book, “A Very Stable Genius,” written by Washington Post reporters Philip Rucker and Carol D. Leonnig, Trump is described as “verbally and emotionally abusive” toward then-Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. According to the book, the president mocked Nielsen’s height and believed “she was not physically intimidating.”
Robert Porter, who served as White House staff secretary for over a year, resigned amid allegations of domestic abuse by both his former wives. These allegations were no secret to the White House. Porter’s security clearance was delayed because the FBI shared the claims with decision-makers at the White House.
And who was sitting behind Starr in one of the clips now circulating from his Clinton impeachment testimony? None other than Brett Kavanaugh, Trump’s Supreme Court nominee whose confirmation amid sexual misconduct allegations remains an unhealed wound.
There is a theorem that “creeps of a feather flock together.” But there’s more to it than the affinity bad men share for each other. The commonality between Trump’s approach to life and the posture of the people he’s selected to defend him echoes the “Access Hollywood” tape: “When you’re a star, they let you do it.”
Except now they — Trump, Starr and Dershowitz — are trying to collectively assault us all by defiling our Constitution. That should have every one of us, men and women alike, equally outraged.
Two former staff members at St Paul’s school still being investigated over historic sexual abuse
Jan 17 2020
Two former staff members at St Paul’s school are still being investigated over historic sexual abuse.
The Met Police on Thursday (January 16) confirmed that “on October 23 2017, police received an allegation of non-recent sexual abuse said to have taken place in the Barnes area between 2000 and 2002.”
Later, on February 15, 2018, they received an allegation of “non-recent sexual abuse said to have taken place in the Barnes area between 1988 and 1989.”
Officers from the Met’s Central Specialist Crime Command are investigating
They said they were “aware” of the Serious Case Review report published by Kingston and Richmond Local Safeguarding Children Board, but due to ongoing investigations they were not in a position to comment further.
This week (January 13) a review was published into systemic abuse over five decades at St Paul’s School in Barnes that demanded the school make an “unambiguous statement” that it accepts full responsibility for the abuse experienced by pupils at the school.
In recent years, five former staff have been convicted of sexual offences, while one former staff member stood trial and was found not guilty.
But how was it uncovered and who was convicted?
2014
Analysis by The Times newspaper showed that teachers at 130 independent schools had been implicated in sex crimes against hundreds of children.
This prompted ex-pupils and survivors to contact the newspaper and the police to tell their stories, resulting in arrests.
The police launched a criminal inquiry into decades of alleged sexual abuse at St Paul’s School and Colet’s Court (a junior division of St Paul’s Preparatory School), principally focussing on the period between the 1960s and 1990s.
A former head of history at St Paul’s received a two-year prison sentence, suspended for two years, for possessing indecent images of boys.
Alan Doggett, director of music at Colet Court, is named as a teacher accused of historic sexual abuse. It is revealed he was allowed to resign from the school after suspected serial abuse of a young pupil was exposed, but was then allowed to teach at the City of London School. He died by suicide in 1978 shortly after being charged with indecently assaulting a boy at another school.
It is revealed that another teacher, Paul Topham, was said to have committed offences against a boy in the late 1960s and was part of an inquiry held in 2000. However, he denied any impropriety and was not prosecuted. He died in 2012 aged 80.
2015
An ex-Classics teacher was given a four-month sentence, suspended for two years, after admitting possession of thousands of indecent images of boys on his school computer.
Operation Winthorpe, which was was initially run by the Metropolitan police’s child abuse unit, becomes part of Operation Winter Key.
This is led by Detective Superintendent Ang Scott, of Scotland Yard’s homicide and major crime command.
2016
Former PE teacher, Michael Ellis, was jailed for eight-and-a-half years for indecently assaulting two teenage boys.
David Sansom-Mallett received 14 years and nine months in jail for a catalogue of abuse at Colet Court.
Another teacher who was accused of buggery and indecent assaults involving three boys was formally found not guilty after the Crown offered no evidence against him.
Court orders prevented reporting of their convictions until 2017, at the end of Patrick Marshall’s trial.
2017
Geography teacher and rowing coach Patrick Marshall is jailed for 18 years at Southwark Crown Court after being found guilty of 24 counts of indecent assault on 10 former pupils at St Paul’s and another school during the 1970s and 80s.
A serious case review into decades of alleged abuse is commissioned by Richmond Safeguarding Children Board.
2018
The serious case review notes that a science teacher who had previously taught at the school for 17 years was arrested in the Thames Valley Police area. He was tracked by the police having ‘sexualised’ online communication with someone he believed to be a 13-year-old girl.
2020
The serious case review is published and demands the school make an “unambiguous statement” that it accepts full responsibility for the abuse experienced by pupils at the school.
By this point, 16 teachers alleged to have abused boys are deceased.
The report makes 28 recommendations to improve safeguarding of children, nine of which related specifically to the school.
A spokesperson from St Paul’s School, said the school accepts its recommendations.
They add: “We accept full responsibility for the past abuse experienced by pupils at the school and have previously apologised to survivors and our wider school community. Today, we repeat that apology unreservedly to those who have come forward and to those who have not felt able to. Our modern safeguarding regime is of a very high standard and we are determined to ensure, through continuous improvement of practice, that we never forget the lessons of our past.”
Dead cat strategy, or Deadcatting, refers to the introduction of a dramatic, shocking, or sensationalist topic to divert discourse away from a more damaging topic.[1][2]
The strategy, or at least the “dead cat” metaphor to describe it, is particularly associated with Australian political strategist Lynton Crosby.[3][4]
Friendship with Prince Charles made paedophile bishop Peter Ball ‘impregnable’
BBC2 documentary shows how establishment figures rallied round cleric
14 JAN 2020
The disgraced paedophile bishop Peter Ball made himself apparently “impregnable” by cultivating friendships with Prince Charles and other senior establishment figures who later rushed to support him when he was accused of sexual abuse, according to a BBC documentary.
Ball, the former bishop of both Lewes and Gloucester who died last year, boasted of his role as “counsellor to royalty”, Cliff James, one of his victims, says in the programme. He cultivated friendships with Margaret Thatcher, peers of the realm, senior judges and headmasters of leading public schools.
The former bishop was investigated by police in the early 1990s, which resulted in a police caution. In 2015, he was convicted of sexual offences against 17 teenagers and young men and jailed for 32 months. He was released in February 2017 after serving half his sentence.
The second episode of the BBC’s two-part documentary, to be broadcast on Tuesday evening, draws on the testimonies of survivors and material and evidence given to the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse (IICSA), which conducted a case study into how the Church of England handled allegations against Ball.
James said Ball boasted of his connections. “He kept mentioning his friendship with Prince Charles in a flippant way, [as] anyone would talk about a friend – but he’s talking about Prince Charles,” he said.
“Here he was having a friendship with someone as low down as me … The next minute he’s dropping into the conversation, ‘oh, he’s counsellor to royalty’. It just reinforced his specialness and the idea he was impregnable.”
The family of Neil Todd, who made the first allegation of abuse in 1993 and killed himself in 2012, said he had been portrayed as a liar and a “mischief-maker” by Ball’s friends in high places.
At a hearing last year, the independent inquiry heard how members of the establishment, including the heir to the throne, the then archbishop of Canterbury and a senior member of the judiciary, rallied to support Ball.
“The story of Peter Ball is the story of the establishment at work in modern times,” William Chapman, representing survivors, told the inquiry. “It is the story of how the establishment minimised the nature of Peter Ball’s misdeeds … and silenced and harassed those who tried to complain.”
Prince Charles told Ball in a letter in February 1995, two years after the bishop had accepted the police caution, which was read to the inquiry: “I wish I could do more. I feel so desperately strongly about the monstrous wrongs that have been done to you and the way you have been treated.”
Charles later arranged for the Duchy of Cornwall to buy a house to be rented by Ball and his identical twin, Michael, also a bishop.
In a six-page statement to the inquiry, Charles said he had been deceived over a long period of time “about the true nature” of Ball’s activities, but denied he had sought to influence the outcome of police investigations. He said he was unsure whether he was told about Ball’s caution until 2009.
In its report published last year, the IICSA concluded that the church had put its own reputation above the needs of victims of sexual abuse, and that Charles and other members of the establishment were misguided in their expressions of support for Ball.
Review reveals scale of abuse scandal at London private school
More than 80 complaints made against 32 members of staff at St Paul’s school in Barnes
13 Jan 2020
An inquiry into allegations of sexual abuse at a leading private school for boys has revealed that more than 80 complaints have been made by former pupils against 32 members of staff covering a period spanning six decades.
An independent serious case review was set up almost three years ago to look into a proliferating number of abuse allegations at St Paul’s school in Barnes, south-west London, after five former members of staff were convicted of sexual offences.
The findings of the review, published on Monday, reveal for the first time the full scale of the allegations. In total, 59 former pupils or their families were interviewed as part of the inquiry and a number of new claims have been passed on to the police for investigation.
The majority of complaints date from the 1960s to the 1990s, but some of the staff implicated were working at the school up until 2017. While the review focused on St Paul’s, its 28 recommendations are intended to inform practice more broadly and address what it describes as gaps in the national safeguarding system.
“St Paul’s is unlikely to be different from many other institutions of its time,” the report states. “We should not judge response of the school in the past by today’s standards, but equally we should not forget that for some ex-pupils, the abuse that took place affected their school life and has continued to haunt them through adulthood.”
St Paul’s is one of the most high-profile independent schools in the country and has been attended by the likes of the former chancellor George Osborne, the fertility expert Robert Winston, the foreign correspondent John Simpson and the historian Dan Snow. Termly fees are £8,636 and boarding costs £12,997.
According to the 112-page review, at times sexual abuse appears to have been “known and tolerated by staff” at the school. The report includes details of allegations from the 1960s of boys being made to swim naked in the school pool and pupils having to remove their trousers for private caning.
The regime was described as “sadistic” and “brutal”, with physical violence when boys were struggling academically. Pupils were most at risk of sexual abuse from teachers who were friendly and seen as “cool” and who portrayed themselves as the “good guy”. One convicted abuser socialised with the rowing team in the pub; another invited boys for sherry in his study on Sundays.
The report describes grooming behaviours and “blurred boundaries” in the 1970s and 80s, with teachers buying alcohol for pupils and inviting them to their homes. One former pupil who was abused over an 18-month period said: “Once you have been groomed, when the individual strikes it is too late to get away either physically or emotionally.”
Ex-pupils told the inquiry there was a protective culture among staff and a fear that if you spoke out it would be held against you. One parent went further, saying that speaking out was impossible if you wanted to remain at the school.
The report details further physical violence in the 80s and 90s, including a teacher dragging a pupil around the classroom and throwing him out of the door and another dangling boys out of windows by their ankles.
Questions were also raised in the review about the rigorousness of recruitment practices at the school. One member of the PE team was found during the course of police investigations to have a previous conviction for gross indecency against a 15-year-old boy.
The report also details some of the consequences of the abuse. One pupil who was emotionally abused and humiliated between 2003 and 2005 experienced mental ill-health as an adult and killed himself while at university.
Since 2000 there have been four allegations of sexual abuse. Pupils and parents have become increasingly confident about speaking about abuse and the school has become increasingly aware of its responsibilities.
“We accept full responsibility for the past abuse experienced by pupils at the school and have previously apologised to survivors and our wider school community,” a spokesman for St Paul’s said.
“Today we repeat that apology unreservedly to those who have come forward and to those who have not felt able to. Our modern safeguarding regime is of a very high standard and we are determined to ensure, through continuous improvement of practice, that we never forget the lessons of our past.”
Chris Robson, the chair of the Richmond safeguarding children’s board, said: “I am grateful to the independent reviewers, professionals that worked with them and most importantly those who contributed, often giving very personal and difficult accounts. Through this process we have been able to understand what happened, why it happened and what it means for safeguarding practice going forward.”
Police won’t say where Prince Andrew’s guards were on night he’s accused of sex with teen
Jan 14 2020
EXCLUSIVE: The Met Police have come under fire after refusing to reveal where the royal’s protection team was on the day Virginia Giuffre – who was trafficked by paedophile Jeffrey Epstein – claimed to have had sex with Andrew when she was 17. The Duke of York said he was at Pizza Express in Woking.
Police have come under fire for refusing to release details about Prince Andrew’s bodyguards’ movements on the night he allegedly had sex with a teenage girl.
Prince Andrew infamously claimed he was at Pizza Express in Woking, Surrey, on March 10, 2001 – the day he’s accused of having sex with Virginia Roberts, now Virginia Giuffre, in London.
Virginia, who was 17 at the time, says she was trafficked by the prince’s paedophile billionaire pal, Jeffrey Epstein.
Mirror Online submitted a Freedom of Information Act request asking for details of his police bodyguards’ movements on that day – but the Met has knocked it back, claiming the information could put national security at risk and aid criminals.
“In my opinion the police are keen not to risk embarrassing the royals and are misusing legitimate exemptions to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to let themselves off the hook”?
And he continued: “The police are tasked with protecting the royals from physical harm, not from legitimate inquiry, criminal investigation or embarrassment.
“I hope this decision will be challenged as far it needs to go.”
BBC to air two-part documentary about Bishop Ball’s abuse
A NEW BBC documentary detailing the case of the serial abuser Peter Ball, a former Bishop of Lewes and Gloucester, and the decades-long battle of survivors to bring him to justice, is to be screened next week.
Ball was sentenced in 2015 to 32 months in prison for a series of offences, including misconduct in public office and indecent assault, more than 20 years after the first allegations against him were made (News, 7 October 2015). He served 16 months of his sentence. Further charges were allowed to lie on file. He died last year aged 87 (News, 24 June).
The two-part programme, Exposed: The Church’s dark secret, is to air on BBC2 on Monday and Tuesday nights after the watershed. It is expected to include testimonies from victims, police, and church officers, as well as dramatic reconstructions.
Darren Kemp, the programme’s executive producer, said on Friday: “Exposed: The Church’s darkest secret details the years of abuse faced by teenagers and young people at the hands of Peter Ball, and their campaign for justice, told primarily through the honest, unflinching testimony from survivors of his abuse, some of which is previously unheard.
“We wanted to make the programme to allow survivors to have a platform to tell their stories. We gained so much insight from them, not least about how systemic the abuse truly was and the long-lasting impact it still has on people to this day.”
The first hour-long episode will cover the Ball’s rise in the Church, his character, and how his power and influence allowed him to abuse young men unchallenged.
The second episode will focus on the battle survivors had to expose Ball. One of the stories will be that of the late Neil Todd. His disclosure of allegations against Ball in 1992 eventually led to the Bishop’s first arrest in 1992. Ball accepted a police caution and resigned. Mr Todd had been repeatedly abused by Ball during the 1980s and ’90s, and later took his own life.
It is understood that the C of E’s National Safeguarding Team has offered support to survivors and worked with the producers of the programme. A statement on Tuesday said: “We have supported a number of people, at their request, who have given interviews to the programme, but no official comment has been requested from the Church.”
The statement goes on to describe Ball’s actions as “a grievous abuse of trust”, and points out that the Archbishop of Canterbury had commissioned a review by Dame Moira Gibb into the Church’s handling of the case.
The documentary is expected to be heavily influenced by the Gibb report, An Abuse of Faith, which was published in 2017, and detailed the events and circumstances that eventually led to Ball’s imprisonment (News, 30 June 2017). The report strongly criticised the conduct of senior church leaders, including a former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, for failing to respond to repeated expressions of concern and allegations against Ball.
The case was also the subject of a public hearing carried out by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) in July 2018. The Inquiry, which has been investigating the extent to which the Anglican Church failed to protect children from sexual abuse, is due to produce its final report in the summer (News, 19 July 2018).
Twitter accused of aiding child abuse by allowing ‘explosion’ of online paedophile communities
9 Jan 2020
Twitter has been accused of aiding child abuse by allowing paedophiles to openly organise and form associations on its service.
The social network lets users discuss their “attraction towards minors” and talk about child abuse as a phenomenon as long as they do not “promote or glorify” actual child abuse “in any way”.
The result has been to create an online home for self-declared “non-offending” paedophiles, who often call themselves “minor-attracted persons” (MAPs) and declare their “age of attraction” in their user profiles.
‘Wicked’ ex-care home boss John Allen jailed over further historical child sex offences
The 78-year-old, already serving a life sentence sentence, has been convicted of eight further offences against boys
8 Jan 2020
Allen ran several Bryn Alyn community children’s homes based in the Wrexham area denied all 16 charges of indecent assault, two of illegal sex acts and two of trying to carry out other illegal sexual acts.
The jury found guilty him guilty of seven counts of indecent assault and one of a serious sexual offence against children who at the time had been placed in his care.
Letter sent to @JustinWelby@HowardDellar about secretive masonic-style clubs connected to @churchofengland and whether they should have register of members & interests. Also sent to @churchstate and all bishops in House of Lords. Emails redacted.
MI5/Cabinet Office material related to Straubenzee – former President of Nobody’s which dines @lambethpalace and hosts congratulatory speeches during the mint thins. One of the most exclusive and powerful dinner clubs in Britain.
Straubenzee in Nobody’s. Sir Michael Havers also member. As Attorney General, he made sure the Hughes Inquiry into Kincora had a ludicrously restricted TOR. Armstrong received the MI5 files and passed them to Thatcher. All 3 men were Nobody’s.
…David Greenwood’s chronicle of the Peter Ball affair in a privately published book,Basically Innocent. This appeared a day or two before Christmas. It contains a factual and yet horrifying account of Ball’s abuses and the subsequent establishment cover-up of his behaviour. Then on the 27th/28th came the extensive further Telegraph coverage of the Jonathan Fletcher affair. The newspaper and the journalist Gabriella Swerling have evidently been working hard on the story since they published their first exposé about Fletcher back in June. What they have produced is fascinating, not merely for the details of alleged abuses, but for the way that the paper has made many connections between individuals and institutions.
The stories about Ball and Fletcher have proved to be as much about institutional behaviour and misbehaviour as that of individuals. Each man offended in the context of having a senior institutional role. In neither case did the institutions involved seems capable of checking the behaviour of their senior representatives. Nor did they show much remorse after the nefarious deeds had been exposed. These institutional failures will probably be what is remembered by history. Individuals have been seriously harmed, not only by the actions of evil men, but by the subsequent failure of institutions that should have protected them and helped them to heal.
…the deceitful tricks used by Ball’s allies to harass and undermine those who accused him of wrongdoing. The then Bishop of Chichester, Dr Eric Kemp, oversaw a policy of non-cooperation and obstruction of the police in their legitimate enquiries. Questions of truth and falsehood and good and bad seemed not to play any part in his calculations. All that seemed to matter was a determination to protect ‘one of us’, Peter Ball, together with the good name of the institution that he had done so much to dishonour. Obstructing the pursuit of justice by a considerable number of distinguished Ball supporters is a key part of the Greenwood account.
…consistent pattern of spiritually exploitative manipulative behaviour that seemed designed merely to satisfy the narcissistic and sexual needs of the abuser. But, once again the story is remarkable, not just for these actions but for the way that countless other people have been involved as bystanders or protectors. Back in October I wrote a blog piece http://survivingchurch.org/2019/10/03/the-jonathan-fletcher-story-continues/ on Fletcher commenting on the fact that no fresh news since the Telegraph stories of June had emerged into the public domain on the scandal. That said to me that large numbers of people in the Iwerne/ReNew/Church Society group had been ordered to keep quiet on the topic.
As far as I can determine, almost everybody in the ReNew/REFORM/Iwerne network knew Fletcher and this is particularly true of the leaders in that group. The leaders cannot have been ignorant of Fletcher’s style of ministry and his reputation for spiritually abusive behaviour. If they were surprised at the revelations and the 2017 withdrawal of his Permission to Officiate, why has there been no protestation to this effect? It was also extraordinary that an individual with a very high profile should suddenly almost disappear from any mention on the net. Someone with the authority to do so must have spent hours searching for online references to Fletcher and removing them one by one.
That piece of work has now been rendered void by the Telegraph reporting. The publicity machines at both Church House and wherever the centre of ReNew is to be found will be working very hard this week-end to try and undo the enormous damage to the reputation of the Church that has been incurred by the Telegraph stories.
The False Memory Syndrome Foundation is officially dissolved tomorrow. It was launched 27 years ago, claiming that adults disclosing child sexual abuse were suffering from a “syndrome” of vivid false memories of abuse.
No such “syndrome” exists – it is, ironically enough, a false syndrome. The organization arose to contest law reform in the United States that expanded opportunities for sexual abuse survivors to pursue civil or criminal charges, and then quickly spread to other countries.
@jennykitzinger published a fantastic book in 2004 examining media sympathy and journalistic advocacy for the “false memory” movement throughout the 1990s.
Almost every CSA survivor that I’ve ever interviewed has discussed the destructive impact of widespread media coverage of “false memories” on their lives.
Abusive minister writing intimidating letters to victims telling them he is ‘praying for them’, it is revealed
CBE for Stephen Slack, recently-retired Chief Legal Advisor to the Church of England. In 2007 Slack advised bishops “not to apologise too fully to sex abuse victims”.
Jonathan Fletcher: son of a cabinet minister, village vicar, ‘gifted preacher’ and ‘acquaintance’ of abusive QC
Details have emerged of the allegations against the Revd Jonathan Fletcher, who was Minister of Emmanuel Church in Wimbledon, from 1982 to 2012, and an influential figure among Evangelicals in the Church of England.
EDUCATION AND ESTABLISHMENT
Born in 1942 to Lord Eric Fletcher, a Labour politician who served in Prime Minister Harold Wilson’s first government, Jonathan Fletcher was well-accustomed to mixing with the upper echelons of society.
However it was not just the political elite which was familiar to Mr Fletcher, he was also revered
for his ferocious intelligence, “magnetic” personality and charisma. Such attributes were bolstered by his prestigious education at Repton School, which was also attended by Roald Dahl, and which has current annual boarding fees of around £35,000. All this, combined with his enthusiasm in mentoring young trainee ministers, ensured his reputation as a “gifted preacher”.
As a young man, Mr Fletcher went on to study at Hertford College at the University of Oxford where he received a BA in 1966. He later returned to the university to continue his studies at Wycliffe Hall, an Anglican theological training college.
In subsequent years he would serve in a governor-like role on the council for Wycliffe Hall, helping to ensure it ran smoothly in selecting staff and managing budgets. Until 2013 he was a director of Stowe School, a selective independent school with more than a dozen boarding houses.
Following his graduation, Fletcher continued to mix in privileged circles throughout his adult life. In 1983 he became a member of ‘Nobody’s Friends’ – the High Church private dining club for senior clerical and lay leaders which meets at Lambeth Palace, the home of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The club was founded in 1800 and over the years its membership has been comprised of many bishops, archbishops, headmasters of top schools, church lawyers, Tory peers, Admiralty and judicial figures as well as leaders of the House of Lords.
Peter Ball with Prince Charles in 1992. The former Bishop’s victims, many of them teenage boys, described approaching him for spiritual guidance and being asked to strip naked, take cold showers while he watched, masturbate him, submit to beatings, or sleep naked with him.
His victims, many of them teenage boys, described approaching him for spiritual guidance and being asked to strip naked, take cold showers while he watched, masturbate him, submit to beatings, or sleep naked with him.
Last year the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) turned its attention to the diocese of Chichester, where abuse had been widespread. Due to the disgraced bishop’s influential and powerful connections, Ball’s case has been accused of being dealt special treatment and required the presence of multiple witnesses to answer the charge of a cover-up at the IICSA hearings.
Fletcher was the vicar at Emmanuel church in Wimbledon, southwest London, for 30 years from 1982 until 2012, which is where current allegations of spiritual abuse were levelled against him.
Prior to that he had also ministered at other high-profile churches including St Helens Bishopsgate and at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Cambridge, which is more commonly known as The Round Church and is the city’s second oldest building. Today, as when Rev’d Fletcher served there, it is a church that attracts many young students.
However, Fletcher also held a myriad of other responsibilities and links in conservative evangelical circles in the UK, such as that with the Iwerne camps (the ministry of which was taken over, in 1997, by its successor organisation ‘The Titus Trust’).
Mr Fletcher attended the camps from the age of 14, in 1956 – and went on to become a regular speaker and dorm leader. Iwerne was led by his brother David, who was also the minister of St. Ebbes’ Church, Oxford.
One of the most powerful conservative groups within the Church of England is ‘ReNew’ – the brainchild of Rev. William Taylor of St. Helens, Bishopsgate.
ReNew grew out of a merger of ‘Church Society’ and ‘Reform’
The former society is an evangelical Anglican organisation aiming “to reform and renew the Church of England in biblical faith” and regularly published materials promoting Mr Fletcher’s vision for the Church. The latter held Mr Fletcher as a trustee and senior leader.
Mr Fletcher was also a co-founder of the Proclamation Trust, a charity which has trained many ministers now serving within the Church and has hosted lectures and apprenticeships for students. The former vicar often had the young apprentices living with him while serving at his church.
The conservative movement has led the opposition to the ministry of women and homosexuals within the Church. For decades, Mr Fletcher has been at the heart of its senior leadership.
Yet it is the Iwerne Christian summer camps where it is claimed that he first met some of his alleged victims. Both Fletcher brothers were well known to participants and would regularly frequent the religious camps.
ALLEGED LINKS TO SMYTH
Jonathan Smyth QC was chair of the Iwerne Trust, which ran the summer camps, during the 1970s and 80s. Smyth was later accused of subjecting young boys to vicious sadomasochistic beatings. However, he died of a heart attack aged 77 in August 2018.
The part-time judge and Church of England lay reader was due to be extradited to the UK from his home in Cape Town to be interviewed by Hampshire police about the allegations that he had administered beatings to boys at his home. The force opened an investigation in 2017 into the claims following an exposé by Channel 4 News.
The Iwerne Trust invited boys and young men from public schools and top universities to attend holiday camps, which aimed to ensure that future generations of the establishment were committed Christians.
A then unpublished report commissioned by the Iwerne Trust in 1982 described Smyth’s “horrific” beatings of teenage boys. However, even then, he was not reported to the police. The report was commissioned by Jonathan Fletcher’s brother, Rev’d David Fletcher.
It was not until 2017 when the allegations of abuse emerged.
Smyth later relocated to Cape Town. Six months before his death, he was removed as a leader of his local church following claims of inappropriate behaviour and a “heavy-handed style of leadership”.
After the allegations against Smyth emerged, at the time, the Archbishop said he had been “completely unaware” of any abuse by Smyth when he worked at the camps, and that he first knew of the allegations in 2013.
He recalled Smyth as “a charming, delightful, very clever, brilliant speaker”, but said he “wasn’t in his inner circle”. He also issued an “unreserved and unequivocal” apology on behalf of the Church of England, admitting that it had “failed terribly” to tackle institutional abuse.
Another abuser at the Iwerne camps is known to have been the deceased Simon Doggart. He went on to be headmaster of Caldicott preparatory school in Buckinghamshire. Mr Fletcher attended his funeral.
THE JONATHAN FLETCHER SCANDAL
This summer The Telegraph unmasked Jonathan Fletcher as the leading Church minister who had been banned from preaching following allegations of abuse.
In 2017 he was stripped of his Church preaching powers by the Bishop of Southwark after complaints were made to Emmanuel Church. Rev’d Vaughan Roberts, director of the Proclamation Trust, responded by sharing some information about Mr Fletcher’s activities, at the organisation’s annual conference for ministers. Mr Roberts was himself a leader on the Iwerne/Titus Trust camps, and leads the church previously run by Rev’d David Fletcher.
However despite having his permission to officiate (PTO) – a Church licence to practice – revoked two-years-ago, this newspaper revealed that Mr Fletcher had continued to travel around the world giving sermons.
He had repeatedly flouted his preaching ban to speak around the world and travelled throughout the UK, Europe and New Zealand giving talks.
Southwark Diocese confirmed that the allegations centred around a “risk of him behaving towards vulnerable adults who may be seeking his spiritual guidance in a manner which may be harmful”.
Yet now he faces allegations of “similarities” with this acquaintance; not only did he abuse his position of trust, but also engaged in beatings and spiritual abuse.
Mr Fletcher retired as a minister before allegations were lodged against him five years later, triggering a police investigation.
Since complaints were made in 2017, the Church has received further allegations against Mr Fletcher in September 2018. Again officers concluded that a police investigation was not required.
After the allegations emerged, Mr Fletcher was asked and agreed to withdraw from all aspects of his ministry and urged to not attend his former church.
Today The Telegraph has published the first interviews with his alleged victims who claim they were subjected to repeated sexually inappropriate comments and questions about masturbation, intimate massages, beatings, ice baths, bullying and intimidation over a number of years. Mr Fletcher has said he is “deeply, deeply sorry for anybody that I have hurt or harmed in any way,” adding that “anything that happened was totally consensual and non-sexual”
INDEPENDENT REVIEW
Earlier this month, Thirtyone: eight, the UK’s only independent Christian safeguarding charity, announced a review concerning Jonathan Fletcher and Emmanuel Church.
The church commissioned the independent project, which is expected to report findings by May 2020.
“The review will enable the voices of those impacted by the behaviour of Jonathan Fletcher to be expressed, heard and considered alongside other contextual information and concerns from other relevant sources,” a spokesman said.
After the allegations against Mr Fletcher emerged this summer, the church asked victims to come forward and share their testimonies. It is understood that these will now be passed to the charity for inclusion in its review. It is expected to be published by May 2020.
‘Victims’ of Church of England preacher reveal allegations of naked beatings, ice baths and massages
26 Dec 2019
One of the Church of England’s leading evangelical figures could face a criminal investigation, as victims of his abuse spoke out for the first time about being subjected to naked ice baths, beatings and massages.
Rev Jonathan Fletcher, 77, was banned from preaching after it emerged that he had “spiritually abused” vulnerable adults at the London church where he used to minister, the Daily Telegraph revealed in June.
Now five alleged victims – all men who wish to remain anonymous – have come forwards to detail the spiritual, psychological and physical abuse they claim to have suffered.
A number of Mr Fletcher’s alleged victims are also seeking legal advice to explore grounds for a criminal investigation amid claims that Mr Fletcher abused his power.
This is the same charge faced by the late disgraced bishop Peter Ball – a friend of Prince Charles who was jailed in 2015 for sexually abusing 18 young men over three decades. He admitted charges of indecent assault and misconduct in a public office.
Fletcher was a leading evangelical figurehead within the Church of England as well as vicar of Emmanuel Church in Wimbledon, south-west London, from 1982 until his retirement in 2012.
Despite being stripped of his Church powers by the Bishop of Southwark in 2017 after allegations against him emerged, the former vicar repeatedly flouted the ban and travelled throughout the UK, Europe and New Zealand giving talks.
Mr Fletcher has since admitted to subjecting a prayer group to naked beatings as “light-hearted forfeits” if they failed to maintain “healthy and holy living”.
Victims have now told The Telegraph they were subjected to repeated sexually inappropriate comments and questions about masturbation, intimate massages, beatings, ice baths, bullying and intimidation over a number of years.
Some claimed they were beaten in what was referred to as “six of the best with a gym shoe on a bare backside”. Mr Fletcher also allegedly asked to be beaten in mutual punishment for watching pornography or masturbating.
He allegedly told one victim: ‘I’m afraid I have not fulfilled promises [about not masturbating] weeks ago, it happened on this occasion,’ before asking to be beaten.
All alleged victims told The Telegraph that despite reporting their concerns to Emmanuel Church, where he was something of a “benign dictator”, their concerns were neither taken seriously nor acted upon.
The five men described their former vicar as “charming” and a “magnetic” “gifted preacher” “with a good sense of humour”.
Yet they also believe he was “manipulative and controlling” and sat “as judge, jury and executioner on whether you were fit for ministry” – a combination of characteristics which resulted in, they allege, an abuse of his power.
Some of the five men also claimed that Fletcher performed oil-based naked or partially-clothed massages on them – or requested them to massage him – and insisted that they join him in a naked sauna which made them feel “uncomfortable”.
They also alleged that he would “humiliate” and make derogatory comments about peoples’ bodies, and that staff meetings at Emmauel Church were intimidating and “laden with homoerotic” nicknames for the former vicar.
One man said that the former minister’s actions left him “feeling dirty, ashamed” and “mistrustful” of others.
Another said the abuse left him feeling like “a neglected and abused dog”. “The bullying and damage it did to my confidence was the hardest part,” another added.
“While you’re there you see the influence and the power Jonathan has and he has all his connections, up and down the country…
“We don’t feel that we can go anywhere, basically,” he added. “There’s no one high up that we trust, basically…
“We desperately want the truth to be told. We want the truth to come out so that victims can feel free to tell their story as well.”
Another added: “As much as we don’t want to wash our dirty laundry in public, sometimes it is necessary to speak openly about wrongdoing in order to comfort victims in their distress and to encourage others to come forward so that the full extent of what’s happened can be addressed.”
The claims surrounding Fletcher have previously triggered a police investigation, but the Diocese of Southwark said that officers concluded there were no grounds for further action.
One alleged victim said last night: “There should be a criminal investigation into not only Jonathan’s activities but also how witnesses have been silenced.”
Richard Scorer, specialist abuse lawyer at Slater & Gordon, who acts for many victims of abuse by clergy, as well as one alleged victim of Mr Fletcher, said: “Fletcher’s behaviour over many years has been profoundly abusive and harmful.
“I believe that those who have been harmed by him are likely to have legal claims against the church which harboured and promoted him. I urge all who have been affected to come forward and tell their stories including to the review process”.
A spokeswoman for Emmanuel Church said that it has commissioned an independent review concerning Fletcher and the church to be undertaken by the safeguarding organisation, .
Alleged victims are being encouraged to participate in the review, and the findings are expected to be published by May.
“The review will enable the voices of those impacted by Jonathan Fletcher to be expressed, heard and considered alongside other contextual information and concerns from other relevant sources,” the spokeswoman added.
Fletcher denied allegations that he humiliated people and made derogatory comments about their appearances.
However he said that massages and beatings were consensual and that he never gave ice baths, but did “very, very, very rarely” give “a cold bath”. “Anything that happened was totally consensual and non-sexual,” he added. “The punishments were a) consensual, and b) mutual.”
Jonathan Fletcher Timeline
1956: Fletcher attends his first Iwerne Christian summer camp, aged 14
1968: Fletcher’s brother, Rev David Fletcher, takes over leadership of the Iwerne camps
1968-72: Fletcher becomes curate at Christ Church, Enfield
1972-76: Fletcher becomes Curate at the Round Church, Cambridge
1974: John Smyth QC began chairing the Iwerne Trust
1976: Fletcher left the Round Church for St. Helens, Bishopsgate
1982: The Ruston Report written by David Fletcher reveals Smyth’s abuse. This was an internal report circulated among Iwerne Trustees.
1982: Fletcher and Smyth spoke together on a Iwerne camp
1982: Fletcher becomes vicar of Emmanuel Church, Wimbledon
1983: Fletcher elected to Nobody’s Friends, a private dining club at Lambeth Palace
1984: Smyth moves to Zimbabwe
1997: Iwerne Trust becomes Titus Trust. Rev David Fletcher becomes its trustee.
2002: Smyth moves to South Africa
2012: Fletcher retires as vicar of Emmanuel Church
October 2015: Peter Ball, the disgraced former Anglican bishop who was sent to prison for sexual offences against 18 young men, was jailed. He served 16 months of his 32 month sentence. He is the first cleric to be convicted of misconduct in public office and indecent assault.
February 2017: Fletcher stripped of his Permission to Officiate (PTO). Channel 4 reveals abuse by Smyth.
August 2018: Smyth dies
June 2019: The Telegraph unmasks Fletcher as the leading Church of England preacher stripped of his PTO amid allegations that he spiritually abused vulnerable adults
December 2019: The independent Christian charity, Thirtyone:eight, is commissioned by Emmanuel Church to undertake an independent lessons learnt review concerning Jonathan Fletcher and Emmanuel Church. The findings will be published by May 2020.
Fifth coach accused of child sex abuse at Celtic Boys Club
Dec 23, 2019
A fifth coach at Celtic FC’s feeder club has been accused of child sex abuse, The Times can disclose.
Four senior figures at Celtic Boys Club have been convicted of molesting dozens of young players over four decades.
Now Lyness Malley, a former coach and official with the boys’ club, has been accused of repeatedly abusing a young player at Barrowfield, a Glasgow training ground owned by the senior club.
Mr Malley, 81, strongly denies the claims, insisting that they are malicious and motivated by a desire for revenge after he dropped his accuser from his team. He accepted that he had regularly massaged the thighs of his players with oil but said there was no sexual motivation behind it. He said that he had never touched boys inappropriately.
Civil action is being prepared against Celtic FC over its alleged failure to protect the boy from abuse, said to have taken place in 1969 and 1970.
A number of further court summonses are due to be served against Celtic FC by Thompsons solicitors, which is representing about 20 abuse survivors, early next year.
Mr Malley, who served over decades as a coach, treasurer and minutes secretary with the boys’ club, was interviewed by police in connection with the allegations but the case did not proceed because of a lack of corroboration — an essential requirement in Scots law.
Thompsons alleges that Celtic FC failed to carry out “suitable and sufficient checks” on youth coaches and did not monitor them appropriately.
While expressing “regret and sorrow” for the victims, Celtic FC has refused to accept responsibility for abuse, where found, within the boys’ club — insisting it was an entirely separate organisation.
Mr Malley said he had always acted appropriately with the children. “I’m not that type of person,” he told The Times. “I have done nothing wrong.”
Mr Malley, who also held a senior position with the Scottish Youth Club Association, added that he had no memory of his accuser.
In February Frank Cairney, 83, former manager of the boys’ club, was convicted of sexually abusing young footballers and was jailed. He had his sentence reduced last month.
In May Jim McCafferty, 73, a former Celtic FC kit man and boys’ club coach, admitted 12 child sexual abuse charges and was jailed for six years.
Last year Gerald King, 66, one-time chairman of the boys’ club was convicted of abusing four boys and a girl. Jim Torbett, 71, who helped to found it, was jailed for six years.
Mr Malley, who was involved with the feeder club from 1969 until the late 1980s, said he had no inkling that systematic abuse had been taking place.
Thompsons solicitors urged abuse victims to come forward. Celtic FC did not respond to a request for comment.
Clare Bronfman, Nxivm financier, has sentencing postponed
December 19, 2019
A Brooklyn federal judge informed Seagram heiress and Nxivm financier Clare Bronfman Thursday that he’s considering giving her more prison time than recommended under federal guidelines — and postponed her scheduled Jan. 8 sentencing date.
Judge Nicholas Garaufis on Thursday pushed Bronfman’s sentencing date to Feb. 14 after informing her attorneys that he might put her behind bars for longer than the recommended 21 to 27 months.
Bronfman pleaded guilty in April to conspiring to harbor immigrants for financial gain and fraudulent use of identification.
Garaufis did not provide an explanation as to why he is considering a harsher sentence for Bronfman, although he has discretion under the law to give her up to 25 years in prison.
Her attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
She did not testify against Raniere, who will face a minimum of 15 years in prison when he appears for sentencing on Jan. 17, 2020.
Raniere co-founded Nxivm in the 1990s as a self-help organization. But in 2015, he formed DOS, a secret society within the group intended to exalt Raniere’s teachings — and to provide him with sex slaves.
On Thursday, prosecutors from the US Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn requested that victims be allowed to provide impact statements during sentencing proceedings for Raniere, Bronfman, Nxivm bookkeeper Kathy Russell and Nxivm members Allison Mack — the former “Smallville” actress — Lauren Salzman and Nancy Salzman.
Bronfman, 40, is the youngest daughter of Seagram liquor chairman and billionaire Edgar Bronfman Sr.
Clare Bronfman, who never earned a high-school degree, had a previous career as an elite equestrian show jumper and is partial owner of an island in Fiji.
She and her sister, Sara, fell in with Raniere — who went by the moniker “Vanguard” within the organization — through the group’s “Executive Success Program” workshops.
Clare Bronfman eventually used her family fortune to bankroll the group, prosecutors alleged, and aided Raniere by paying off his credit-card debt and helping him get an illegal immigrant into the US.
All defendants except Raniere have consented to allowing the victims to address the court without disclosing their identities.
Raniere’s attorneys did not immediately respond to a request to comment on why he has objected to the request.
Filed under cults , nxivm , sentencing , sexual abuse
Controversial barrister suspended for two years over ‘obscene’ tweets
Barbara Hewson banned from practice over foul-mouthed social media posts
A controversial barrister has been suspended for two years for “obscene” and “abusive” language on social media.
Barbara Hewson, formerly of 1 Gray’s Inn Square, was found by a disciplinary tribunal to have breached professional misconduct rules in her tweeting and blogging.
A Bar Standards Board (BSB) spokesperson said that the decision “demonstrates the serious consequences that can arise from such offensive and abusive behaviour online”.
Hewson, a civil liberties and public law specialist, has long courted controversy with her views on child sexual abuse and confrontational manner in expressing them. In a 2013 blog post, she called the Operation Yewtree investigation into historic sex offences “a far graver threat to society than anything Jimmy Savile ever did”.
Hewson has engaged in a particularly heated online dispute with family barrister Sarah Phillimore, initially about child protection issues but which quickly turned personal. Phillimore went to the police in 2017 and lodged several complaints with the BSB.
Phillimore has said that Hewson’s past behaviour included telling her “fuck off” and calling her a “nasty C**t” and “continually making references to my daughter when she knows full well that her tweets are ‘liked’ and ‘retweeted’ by at least one convicted and unrepentant paedophile”.
The BSB has not published any details of what exactly led to the suspension, referring only to “a series of tweets between 2017 and 2019” and a recent blog post. These, it said, were:
“Seriously offensive, abusive and publicly disparaging towards another barrister, including some which were directed at that barrister’s competence and reputation; obscene or seriously offensive in terms of the language used; and disparaging of the BSB’s regulatory process thereby undermining public trust and confidence in that process and thus in the profession.”
Phillimore tweeted: “I hope she uses the time to reflect and can return to practice and do some good. She’s done precious little these last four years”.
A BSB spokesperson said:
“As the tribunal found, and Ms Hewson accepted, a barrister’s actions on social media can diminish the trust and confidence which the public places in individual barristers and the profession. The tribunal’s decision to suspend her from practice for two years demonstrates the serious consequences that can arise from such offensive and abusive behaviour online.”
Barbara Hewson was today sentenced to a 2-year suspension based on only a fraction of the accusations made against her. Had @barstandards taken into account her evil treatment of the family of Katrice Lee, I’m sure it would have been disbarment.
Hewson and @barstandards contained and reduced this to what they could sell to the public as a spat between two barristers whilst at the same time providing her and her counsel with a platform to disparage and slander those who she has has traduced over the years.
“…are you the Barbara Hewson that’s stated that CSA survivors are “mucho whingers”??
Barbara Hewson: that I have done honey
12 Dec 2019
“Barbara Hewson has been suspended from practice for two years. Her tweets & blog were found to be seriously offensive, abusive & publicly disparaging towards another barrister, obscene or seriously offensive in terms of the language used, and disparaging of the BSB’s processes”.
Tribunal chairman says thatBarbara Hewson’s online comments about a 14-year-old girl [Sarah Phillimore’s daughter] was “an extremely worrying aspect of this case.”
He adds: “There has been no satisfactory explanation.”
Tribunal chairman puts it to Barbara Hewson’s counsel that her tweets about a 14-year-old girl would inevitably have triggered fear in the girl.
Barrister Barbara Hewson ordered to be suspended from practice for two years
18 Dec 2019
Barrister Barbara Hewson was ordered to be suspended from practice for two years by an independent disciplinary tribunal at a hearing which concluded on 18 December, following charges of professional misconduct brought by the Bar Standards Board (BSB).
The tribunal’s decision comes after Ms Hewson posted a series of tweets between 2017 and 2019, and after she published a blog in 2019, which were:
seriously offensive, abusive and publicly disparaging towards another barrister, including some which were directed at that barrister’s competence and reputation;
obscene or seriously offensive in terms of the language used; and
disparaging of the BSB’s regulatory process thereby undermining public trust and confidence in that process and thus in the profession.
Commenting on the order to suspend, a BSB spokesperson said:
“As the Tribunal found, and Ms Hewson accepted, a barrister’s actions on social media can diminish the trust and confidence which the public places in individual barristers and the profession. The tribunal’s decision to suspend her from practice for two years demonstrates the serious consequences that can arise from such offensive and abusive behaviour online.”
The tribunal’s decision is open to appeal.
About Barbara Hewson
Barbara Hewson was called to the Bar of England and Wales by Middle Temple in November 1985.
Sir Ron Brierley reportedly arrested at Sydney airport, charged with possession of child pornography
17 December 2019
Sir Ron Brierley in 1998, left, and in 1988, right.
One of New Zealand’s wealthiest and most respected businessmen, Sir Ron Brierley, has reportedly been arrested at Sydney Airport and charged with possession of child pornography.
The 82 year old corporate raider – who founded R A Brierley Investments, New Zealand’s largest listed company until the 1987 crash – has sat on numerous company boards in his home country, in Australia and the UK.
When in Sydney, he resides in Australia’s most expensive street, Point Piper’s Wolseley Road.
According to NSW Police, detectives from Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command commenced an investigation into the possession of child abuse material in the local area in August.
Laptop searched
On Tuesday, an 82 year old was stopped by Australian Border Force officers at Mascot airport about 6.30 am while trying to board a plane for Fiji, police said.
“The man’s carry-on luggage was searched before the contents of his laptop and electronic storage devices were reviewed, which are alleged to have contained large amounts of child abuse material,” the police statement said.
“The Point Piper man was taken to Mascot Police Station and charged with six counts of possess child abuse material.”
Abuse headteacher left estate to ex-council leader and priest to clear his name after death
16 December 2019
A paedophile headmaster gave half his estate to an ex-leader of Islington Council in the hope it could be used to clear his name, the Gazette can reveal.
Derek Slade died in March 2016 while serving a 21-year sentence at Norwich Prison for the physical and sexual abuse of boys.
Slade admitted to more than 50 charges including sexual assault, beatings and child pornography at private schools in Norfolk and Suffolk, between 1978 and 1983, at Ipswich Crown Court in February 2010.
Derek Sawyer, a former Islington Council leader and Jeremy Corbyn’s constituency agent until March 2010, had helped set up one of the schools with Slade.
Slade later led Sawyer to believe that he had assumed a new identity legitimately. Mr Sawyer later helped Slade find work in schools abroad under his new identity, after Slade’s earlier conviction for physically assaulting boys in 1986.
After the 2010 conviction, Mr Sawyer said in 2011 that the pair had had only “intermittent” contact over 40 years and he had been “taken in and used”.
Islington Council leader, Derek Sawyer, and then-chair of social services Sandy Marks at a 1993 press conference on the first report into child abuse in the Islington’s care homes. Picture: Evening Standard
Documents that have now been seen by the Gazette show he inherited half the convicted paedophile’s money, possessions and belongings after he died.
When asked for comment, Derek Sawyer told the Gazette: “I have always made it clear that I utterly condemn Derek Slade’s behaviour and the crimes for which he was convicted, which I find abhorrent.
“I had no involvement with the drawing up of the will. I had not seen it before Slade’s death and did not know its contents. The will was handed to a firm of solicitors to deal with.”
Most of the money went towards legal costs, Mr Sawyer said – and, as Slade had instructed, looking into the possibility of an appeal.
The two executors in Slade’s willwere Mr Sawyer, whose signature is on the 2012 document, and the Rev Robin Sanders, a former deputy head at the Suffolk boarding school who went on to become a Catholic priest.
A 2012 report by the Prison Ombudsman into Slade’s death noted that one of them, described as a “friend” named as Slade’s next of kin, also regularly visited him in prison.
The Rev Sanders confirmed this was him. In 2010, he said, “I was very shocked by what was revealed about Mr Slade, condemn utterly his behaviour and deplore what his victims suffered.”
But he added: “Especially in view of the long time he faced in prison I did not consider it right to break contact with him.”
In his hand-written will, Slade had written: “Whereas my blood and familial relatives have renounced contact and ties with me… I hereby instruct my executors to ensure that none of my relatives benefit in any way whatsoever from my estate.”
He asked them to sell his house in Burton-on-Trent, with leftover cash to be used to try to clear his name. The property sold for £95,000 in late 2017.
Slade wrote: “…if my appeal to have some of my convictions quashed have not been completed successfully… the monies shall be utilised to pursue my case”.
The paedophile asked to be cremated and for his ashes to be scattered in international waters.
He also directed for £1,000 to be given to an organisation only named as “the 1996 Society” and be spent within 12 months “solely for good living”.
When asked what this referred to, Mr Sawyer said: “The 1996 Society does not exist.”
Derek Sawyer, now 70, was the leader of Islington Council between 1992 and 1994, when inquiries into the child sex abuse scandal at Islington’s care homes were first taking place.
He went on to become chairman of the London Courts Board and was a founding member of Islington’s local policing board, a trustee of charity Crime Concern and director of youth offending charity Catch-22.
He also set up a book publishing company with Slade, Oriflamme Publishing Limited, which is still operating from Mr Sawyer’s house in Finsbury Park.
It is understood that despite still co-owning the company, Mr Sawyer is not profiting from it and Slade did not receive royalties in prison.
Mr Sawyer also wrote a job reference for Slade under his false name, Edward Marsh, which helped him gain a senior position at a school in Swaziland.
Dr Liz Davies, who heads the 200-strong Islington Survivors’ Network, said she had contacted Islington Council’s head of safeguarding and local authority designated officer with concerns about Mr Sawyer and Slade’s relationship in 2016.
She said: “ISN raised the issue when we became aware of the reference. They had sight of this but there was no interest whatsoever.”
Boris Johnson parties with girlfriend Carrie Symonds as he celebrates historic election victory alongside A-list celebrities Mick Jagger, Anna Friel, Princess Beatrice… and even ex-PM David Cameron and wife Samantha
14 December 2019
The Prime Minister, 55, walked side by side with his 31-year-old girlfriend as he arrived at a private London residence for a Christmas party held by Russian tycoon and owner of the Evening Standard Evgeny Lebedev.
Wearing the same suit he was seen in while addressing the country from the steps of 10 Downing Street, Mr Johnson was joined by a host of other famous faces including Sir Bob Geldof, David Hasselhoff and Jemima Goldsmith.
Last night’s London party was packed with notable guests from the worlds of showbusiness and politics including actress Sadie Frost, model Lily Cole and journalist Rachel Johnson, the PM’s sister – who yesterday admitted to never having met Ms Symonds.
Princess Beatrice and her husband to be Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi were also at the event, along with Princess Eugenie
Former Labour MP Peter Mandelson who masterminded Tony Blair’s landslide election win in 1997, was also there
Last night’s star-studded Christmas party line-up included: Daisy Lowe, Matt Smith, Jemima Goldsmith and Sadie Frost with boyfriend Darren Strowger, Anna Friel, artist Tracey Emin,and author and comedian David Walliams, Lord Freddie Windsor and wife Sophie Winkleman attended the Christmas party, along with model Lily Cole, comedian Eddie Izzard, who joined Labour candidates on the campaign trail during the election campaign,
Hang on, isn’t that guest speaker at Arcuri’s InnoTech Summit with BoJo our dear friend Alexander ‘Lord’ Carlile? The man who rushed to the defence of the paedophile Greville Janner and shared an office with Cyril Smith?
Paul Boateng with Michael Jackson (in Epstein’s black book), Mossad’s Uri Geller, Greville Janner and David Blaine (in Epstein’s black book)
Fraudster Gerald Ronson and his wife Gail had several listings in Epstein’s black book, although Gail denies having met him. Gerald – VP of NSPCC and friend of Greville Janner – is related to Leon Brittan of Barnes Common and Malcolm Cash-for-Access Rifkind of Dunblane.
One family Together charity
UK
Honorary Patrons:
Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks,
Lord Janner of Braunstone,
Professor Alan Dershowitz (Epstein friend and alleged abuser)
Patrons
Dame Gail & Gerald Ronson (in Epstein’s black book)
Following the Jimmy Savile abuse scandal, Barrister Barbara Hewson has suggested lowering the age of consent to 13 and waiving anonymity for complainants in an effort to stop the “persecution of old men” in a May 8th article for the online publication Spiked.
Barrister son Daniel Janner
@Barbara Hewson pleased to be following your important tweets. Daniel Janner
Daniel Janner: Looking forward to Boris splaffing IICSA up the wall.
Boris Johnson has said that spending police budgets on historical child abuse is “spaffing money up the wall”.
@SusanShooter
Anyone who can use the term for “ejaculating up” in the same sentence as Child Sexual Abuse has no morality or decency. Obviously they have never listened to – & heard – a survivor who, as a child, was raped by a man. Or if they have, they live in sympathy with the man
Boris Johnson has said that spending police budgets on historical child abuse is “spaffing money up the wall”.
Silver spoon: The power and privilege of Britain’s private schools
@jebrittan2
On Johnsons’ education at Pederasty Towers “It was a textbook case of a child who had been ruptured from her family, neglected and all the rest of it… [but] we rationalise it by saying ‘it never did me any harm’ – right until we actually decide it did.”
We tumbled to it quite late that actually we’d been in an institution that was rife with abuse,” says Rachel Johnson. “We’d normalised it in our heads for so long.”
Johnson, a journalist and author, daughter of a politician and an artist, and younger sister of the UK foreign secretary Boris, went (for complicated and eccentric Johnson-family reasons) to a boys’ prep school, Ashdown, the same as her brother.
Downside boarding school monk ‘ignored abuse of pupil’
12 December 2019
A former pupil of a catholic boarding school said the “terrible” bullying he suffered from other pupils was ignored by a monk at the nearby abbey.
Downside School in Stratton-on-the-Fosse in Somerset was until recently closely affiliated with Downside Abbey, and some of the teachers were monks.
The ex-pupil, identified only as Jason, said the monk failed to protect him from the mental and physical “abuse”.
Downside apologised for the past and said it was committed to safeguarding.
The abuse took place within the past 30 years.
‘Zero friends’
The abbey said Jason’s allegations were taken seriously and that staff did address any risk to children.
Jason said: “I was subject to a game called the jungle game where they would tie you [up]. Someone would shout the name of an animal, eg an elephant, they would punch you as hard as an elephant on your chest.”
“[The monk] saw nine times out of 10 what I was going through. He would never help, would never talk to me.
“No-one I could go to for help. I had zero friends.
“To me the safeguarding protection of a child under him never existed in my time at the school but I wasn’t going to let him win.”
‘Very concerning’
The BBC wanted to name the monk, who remained at the abbey, but the abbey fought hard to prevent this.
Jason said he thought the monk should have been removed straight away to protect other children.
Child protection consultant Joanna Nicolas said regulation of private schools was “not nearly as strict or rigorous as that which regulates the state sector and that is very concerning”.
“Ultimately, it’s the responsibility of the school to take action,” she said.
“What we know, with independent schools is you have a much greater consideration of reputation.
“You also have many parents who are extremely powerful individuals and wealthy individuals and all of that affects our response to protecting those children, which it absolutely shouldn’t.”
‘Predatory’ ex-care home boss John Allen found guilty of more child sex offences
10 DEC 2019
The offences were said to have taken place in North Wales care homes between 1976 and 1984, and the court heard one of the complainants died of a drug overdose in 2016.
Allen was managing director of Bryn Alyn Community Care Homes, which operated 11 facilities for boys in the Wrexham area between 1968 and 1990.
In Prince Andrew Scandal, Prince Charles Emerges as Monarch-in-Waiting
After a public-relations debacle stirred questions about the role of Queen Elizabeth II, the Prince of Wales is asserting a newfound authority in British royal affairs.
In an editorial under the headline “Shadow King,” the Times argued that the monarchy “needs a firmer grip at the center.” “This can only come from Prince Charles,” it said. “Although he has faced his own set of scandals, he has already taken on a greater role and can do more, in effect acting as king-in-waiting.”
“They’ve moved swiftly to sort it out in the coldblooded and ruthless way they have,” Mr. Low said.
“The monarchy is beyond reproach,” said Mr. Johnson, who has faced questions about his own peccadilloes.
In a frank interview, the model-turned-entrepreneur says their relationship continued after he stepped down as mayor of London and became a cabinet minister – and that they were in touch as recently as July.
Ms Arcuri also comes closer than before to confirming a sexual relationship, saying it is always the woman who is criticised “when you have an affair with an older man”.
The revelation that the relationship continued until 2016 is significant because the prime minister has to provide a timeline of his contact with Ms Arcuri.
An inquiry into whether rules were broken because it amounted to a conflict of interest – after she received £126,000 of public money – appears to have been delayed until after the general election, prompting anger.
Ms Arcuri, 34, speaking to The Times, said the pair would recite Shakespeare’s Sonnet 29, together “like a weird sense of foreplay”. It begins: “When in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes.”
She revealed she visited Mr Johnson’s family home while he was married to his ex-wife, Marina Wheeler, saying: “I admire Marina. I don’t know how she put up with it for as long as she did.
“But from my understanding they were two separate people living in a house. Whatever was between them had long gone and it wasn’t because of me.
“It wasn’t that I was putting him in a position where it’s either me or her, because I recognised he had a family, a life.”
The pair met in 2011, when Ms Arcuri says she joked with him that David Cameron, then prime minister, was stealing a march by making technology announcements affecting London.
I didn’t know the extent of the competitiveness between a boy named Boris and a boy named Dave,” she told The Times.
When, in 2012, Mr Johnson asked how they could keep in touch, Ms Arcuri says she said: “Why don’t you just call me?” He later sent her a text saying, “Boris calling Jennifer.”
She said: “A friend said, ‘You can’t have Boris on your phone. Call him Alex the Great.’ I didn’t even know then his name was Alexander.”
During their first encounter alone, in a hotel bar, he asked her: “Were you a model? You are absolutely beautiful. I can see you being a model and actress.”
She said: “He had complimented me but it was not sleazy in any way,” adding: “I knew where he was going with wanting to pursue me. I am not stupid.
“People had mentioned he wants to sleep with you and I said, ‘No, he doesn’t. He is just so enthralled with my mind.’”
Mountbatten book author seeks more transparency over child sex allegations
November 28 2019
The author of a book on Lord Mountbatten has hit out at the secrecy that continues to surround allegations about the murdered royal and child sex abuse at a time when the public is demanding greater openness over such claims.
Andrew Lownie lashed out at both the British and Irish states for refusing to publish files which he claims tell the truth about the exploitation of young, vulnerable boys in Kincora House by the powerful and mighty in society in the 1970s.
He contrasted demands for transparency and the public interest in recent allegations about Prince Andrew and the wall of official silence that surrounds persistent claims about Mountbatten.
He said: “Why do we never hear the same demands for disclosure about the cover-up of Lord Mountbatten’s death and the involvement of the state in suppressing the trafficking and sexual exploitation of young boys from London and Kincora House?”
Earlier this year Mr Lownie published a best-selling book on Lord Mountbatten in which he interviewed several men who claimed to have been trafficked from Belfast – including from Kincora House – as young boys to the royal’s Classiebawn Castle in Co Sligo in August 1977.
So far the Garda has refused to disclose its traffic logs for Northern Ireland-registered cars visiting Classiebawn on the grounds such files remain part of an active murder investigation.
Mr Lownie had wanted access to the files so that he could pursue enquiries into the alleged trafficking of boys to provide sexual services to Mountbatten in the 1970s while on his annual August holiday.
Mr Lownie said that his request refers only to the month of August 1977, a year when it is already publicly acknowledged that there was no murder attempt on Lord Mountbatten, who was killed by an IRA bomb on his boat in August 1979.
The royal was killed along with Paul Maxwell, a 15-year-old helping crew the boat; Nicholas Knatchbull (14), Mountbatten’s grandson, and Dorothy Brabourne, Nicholas’s grandmother.
Prince Andrew has stood down from all public duties after he was criticised for showing little sympathy with the victims of the late Jeffrey Epstein and no remorse for his friendship with the disgraced US financier in a major TV interview.
Virginia Giuffre, an alleged Epstein victim, claims that she was forced to have sex with Andrew on three occasions, including when she was 17 – allegations he strenuously denies.
Mr Lownie said the duke’s recent retirement from public life in the wake of the scandal has been described as “an event unprecedented in modern times”.
He added: “Yet Mountbatten and many, many others in Northern Ireland and the UK in the past had sex with young boys and girls going right back to the 1970s and earlier. That was all swept under the carpet while the rich and powerful sheltered under the protection of the state.
“Surely the Mountbatten affair should be ruled by exactly the same decisions on disclosure?”
Mr Lownie warned that there must be deep concerns about the real reason Lord Mountbatten was killed in 1979.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for outgoing Secretary of State Julian Smith to question the official secrecy and non-disclosure of all the files, not just those on the trafficking of young boys in Northern Ireland, but the very detailed and specific intelligence files held by both British and Irish states,” he said.
Many of the State’s Kincora files will not be published until January 1, 2085 at the earliest. That is despite the fact that allegations about Kincora and the abuse and trafficking of young boys were first known to the intelligence services in 1967.
Colin Wallace, the Co Antrim-born former Army intelligence officer in Northern Ireland until 1975, also believes that it is time for the state to come clean.
He said: “Given the fact that the British intelligence services were well aware of what was going on in Kincora, there are major questions to be asked over why there were no prosecutions.
“Lord Mountbatten’s homosexuality and his penchant for sex with underage boys was an open secret at the same time.
“And when you take in the fact that the IRA was heavily infiltrated by the state well before 1978, is it not odd that the attack on Mountbatten, which was sanctioned by the Army Council under the leadership of Martin McGuinness as chief of staff, was not known to them?”
No mention in article that Prince Andrew attended Gordonstoun as well:
In September 1973, Prince Andrew entered Gordonstoun, in northern Scotland, which his father and elder brother had also attended.[8] While there, he spent six months—from January to June 1977—participating in an exchange programme to Lakefield College School in Canada.[7][9] He left Gordonstoun in July two years later.
Society of Antiquaries in turmoil after vote to back sex abuser
Educational charity’s leaders dismayed after bid to expel Hubert Chesshyre is defeated
Hubert Chesshyre was found by a court to have committed abuse of a minor over three years in the 1990s.
23 Nov 2019
One of the country’s most venerable educational charities faces a backlash after it declined to sever its links with a sex abuser, a decision that has bewildered his victim.
It has emerged that, following a vote, the Society of Antiquaries, which describes itself as “Britain’s oldest learned society concerned with the study and understanding of the material past”, is to allow Hubert Chesshyre to remain a fellow.
The move has dismayed the society’s council, which said the decision showed it needed to modernise.
The Independent Inquiry Into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) heard evidence that in 2015 Chesshyre was found to have sexually abused a teenage chorister over the course of three years in the 1990s. Earlier this year the Observer reported the revelation had put pressure on several renowned institutions with links to Chesshyre to sever their ties with him. These included the Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies, whose trustees promptly removed him as vice-president.
But others, including the Society of Antiquaries, have stood by him.
Chesshyre, an expert on heraldry and genealogy who held a number of senior positions within the royal household, was subject to a “trial of facts”, which are held when the accused is deemed unfit to plead. Such trials do not result in a criminal conviction but the jury can find whether a person committed the acts of which they have been accused.
The court recognised Chesshyre had suffered a stroke and it was also suggested that he had dementia. As a result, despite being found to have committed the abuse, he was given an absolute discharge.
Following the finding, the Honours and Appointments Secretariat – which is overseen by the Cabinet Office – recommended forfeiture of his honours as a result of the IICSA’s revelation. But a majority of the society’s fellows who were present for the vote backed him.
Chesshyre’s victim, who has remained anonymous, told the Observer: “Following the Jimmy Savile revelations, and scandals involving public figures that came to light, organisations have quickly distanced themselves from people tainted by even a suggestion of wrongdoing.
“I therefore find it baffling that the fellows voted by a substantial majority to continue the fellowship of somebody who was found to have committed these acts. It makes me wonder whether Britain’s establishment has really learned anything at all.”
In a statement the society, which was founded in 1707, confirmed its fellows had considered a resolution from its council to remove Chesshyre from the fellowship. It noted that in “March 2019 the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse published proceedings confirming Chesshyre was found to have committed two acts of gross indecency with a male minor” and said this had prompted a number of fellows to write to the society, a registered charity which received a royal charter in 1751, requesting Chesshyre’s removal.
It said the council “regrets that a majority of those present did not see fit to support the resolution” and said it would “consider further the implications of fellows’ decision to reject the resolution to remove Mr Chesshyre and recognises this case has shown the need to modernise the society’s statutes and governance procedures.”
The society said it would “continue to fulfil its charitable objectives, including by encouraging young people to become involved in its activities, in environments that are safe for them.” But it conceded that the scandal around Chesshyre made this remit more difficult, adding: “This makes the acts which Mr Chesshyre was found by the court to have committed particularly harmful.”
Dog walker finds dossier of paedophiles and victims ‘dumped by police officer by public skip’
Sergeant Martin Skirving-Chehab facing misconduct hearing following watchdog investigation
21 Nov 2019
A dog walker found pages of a dossier detailing at least 15 different criminal cases in a street in Hartlepool in June.
“I saw the pages with ‘sex offender’ on and then a police logo and traced them back to an overflowing skip where this blue book was lying on the ground,” the man told The Sun.
“I looked inside and there were all these details. I was shocked.”
The documents contained the names, addresses, bank details and family information on convicted sex offenders, as well as details of victims who are granted lifetime anonymity under the law.
Cleveland Police launched an investigation into the “clearly unacceptable” discovery and contacted the people named.
“We carried out the investigation concerning the removal and disposal of sensitive material from police premises,” an IOPC spokesperson said.
“The material, relating
to investigations of a highly sensitive nature dating back to 2016, was found near a skip in Hartlepool by a member of the public in June 2018.
“The member of the public contacted a national newspaper and a reporter handed the materials to Cleveland Police, who referred this matter to us for consideration.”
The IOPC said evidence suggested Sergeant Martin Skirving-Chehab had been in possession of the documents.
“We found he may have breached the police standards of professional behaviour and concluded that he had a case to answer for gross misconduct,” a statement added.
The force disciplinary hearing is due to start on Monday and is expected to last four days.
Garda rejects Kincora probe author’s request for Mountbatten files
Nov 13 2019
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has refused an author’s request to view Garda security logs of Northern Ireland-registered cars which travelled between Belfast and Classiebawn Castle in Co Sligo, the late Earl Mountbatten’s summer home.
Andrew Lownie, author of The Mountbattens: Their Lives And Loves, has told the Belfast Telegraph that Mr Harris, a former senior PSNI officer and liaison with MI5, had declined to disclose the intelligence.
Lownie had wanted access to the files so that he could pursue his inquiries into the alleged trafficking of boys from London and Belfast, especially from Kincora House, to provide sexual services to Lord Mountbatten in the 1970s when on his annual August holiday.
Earlier this year Lownie revealed recently-released FBI files, which alleged it had information that Lord Mountbatten was a paedophile with a taste for young boys.
Last night Lownie told the Belfast Telegraph that he had written to ask for the Garda logs relating to the period 1969-78 to be released.
Labour’s Keith Vaz, who was suspended from the Commons after he was found to have “expressed willingness” to purchase cocaine for others, will not be standing for re-election.
Mr Vaz, who has been MP for Leicester East for 32 years, said in a statement he was retiring from Parliament.
He said it had been “an honour and a privilege” to serve his constituency.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he had “made a substantial and significant contribution to public life”.
But the federal court has now dismissed his case against the attorney general.
Fr Alexander, who featured in a BBC Scotland investigation, denies the allegations.
The 13-page federal court ruling includes a summary of the charges the ex-monk faces.
It is alleged that between 1970 and 1976 he “engaged in acts of physical and sexual abuse” against six complainants, aged between 11 and 15.
The Crown Office launched extradition proceedings against Fr Alexander in December 2016 but since then he has contested the move on health grounds.
A letter from his solicitors in November 2017 stated that he suffers from “several chronic and ongoing health problems” and that travel to the UK “presents a real risk of serious injury and further significant ongoing deterioration of Mr Alexander’s health, including death.”
Fr Alexander, who turns 84 next month, was arrested in Sydney almost three years ago and has been in custody ever since.
It is understood he has 28 days to appeal the federal court’s decision.
The Crown Office said extradition proceedings are “ongoing”.
Timeline
July 2013: BBC airs Sins of Our Fathers, revealing decades of sexual and physical abuse at the Fort Augustus Abbey School and Carlkemp preparatory school, and confronts Fr Alexander in Sydney
March 2019: The attorney general of Australia determines that Fr Alexander be surrendered to the UK. Fr Alexander seeks a judicial review
November 2019: The federal court of Australia dismisses Fr Alexander’s application for a judicial review.
Run by Catholic Benedictine monks, Fort Augustus Abbey school in the Highlands closed its doors to the public in 1993.
Allegations of decades of child sexual and physical abuse at the exclusive boarding school were finally made public by BBC Scotland Investigations Correspondent Mark Daly in June 2013.
He spoke to former pupils who claimed they were abused by monks or teaching staff over five decades.
Many of those then reported their allegations to the police, sparking a major historical abuse police inquiry.
Fury as decision on police inquiry into PM shelved until after election
Labour ‘shocked’ as police watchdog freezes investigation into Jennifer Arcuri scandal
9 Nov 2019
The scandal over Boris Johnson’s friendship with technology entrepreneur Jennifer Arcuri was reignited on Saturday after the Observer revealed that the independent police watchdog has delayed its announcement on whether the PM should face an investigation into possible criminal misconduct until after the election.
The decision prompted fury from Westminster politicians and London assembly members who said it appeared that a ruling had been “suppressed” in order to protect Johnson from potentially damaging headlines at a crucial stage of the election campaign.
In a private meeting held before parliament was dissolved last week, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) officials agreed not to announce whether they were going to investigate “possible criminality” over allegations about a conflict of interest in Johnson’s dealings while mayor of London with US businesswoman Jennifer Arcuri until after the election.
Sources close to the IOPC investigation said the watchdog was on the verge of announcing its decision on whether it was proceeding with a criminal investigation.
The IOPC was tasked by the Greater London Authority with assessing whether criminal charges should be brought because of the then-mayor’s responsibility for London’s policing.
It is alleged Arcuri received favourable treatment due to her friendship with Johnson, including receiving large sums of public money for her technology firms.
The offence of misconduct in public office carries a maximum term of life imprisonment. Johnson has denied any impropriety.
The Roman Catholic Church will oppose calls for priests to break the seal of the confessional to report admissions of child abuse, a public inquiry was told yesterday.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the Archbishop of Westminster, said the church could not accept any recommendation from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse to require priests to disclose matters admitted to them during the sacrament.
Cardinal Nichols said that maintaining the confidentiality of the confessional was “an essential part of the exercise of priesthood”.
Former prestigious boarding school housemaster sentenced for child sex offences
The historic assaults took place at Westminster Cathedral Choir School in central London
4 NOV 2019
A former housemaster at a prestigious Catholic boarding school “stole the innocence” of two underage boys, a court has heard.
David Lowe, 66, abused the boys, aged eight and 10 respectively, as part of a series of attacks which he carried out in the 70s and 80s.
Southwark Crown Court heard on Monday that the historic assaults took place atWestminster Cathedral Choir School, in Victoria, central London, where Lowe was working as a music teacher.
Lowe was jailed for 10 years in 2015 after he was found guilty of multiple counts of sexually assaulting pupils and appeared at Southwark via videolink from HMP Ashfield, near Bristol.
The attacks took place at both Westminster Cathedral Choir School and the Benedictine monk-run Ampleforth College in North Yorkshire between 1978 and 1982.
Labour MP Keith Vaz facing six-month Commons suspension
28 Oct 2019
Labour MP Keith Vaz is facing suspension from the Commons for six months after he was found to have “expressed willingness” to purchase cocaine for others.
Recommending suspension, the Commons Standards Committee said the finding represented a “very serious breach” of the House code of conduct for MPs.
It said that by failing to co-operate fully with the Commons inquiry process, Mr Vaz had shown “disrespect for the House’s standards system” and caused “significant damage” to the reputation and integrity of the Commons as a whole.
Children abused for decades at ‘sadistic’ London school, inquiry finds
IICSA report lays bare culture of cover-up and denial that facilitated 30 years of abuse
24 Oct 2019
Senior figures at Ealing Abbey and St Benedict’s school carried out abuse, the report found.
A “sadistic and predatory” atmosphere and a culture of cover-up and denial in a Catholic school allowed sexual abusers to commit crimes against children for decades, an independent inquiry has found.
Senior figures at Ealing Abbey and St Benedict’s school in west London, part of the English Benedictine Congregation, were perpetrators of abuse over a 30-year period. Staff members failed to raise concerns because of a “mafia-like” atmosphere and the fear of losing their jobs.
This is part of the English Benedictine Congregation case study and is within the wider investigation into the Roman Catholic Church. The report contains an update of the Ampleforth and Downside case studies, also part of the English Benedictine Congregation.
During five days of public hearings in February 2019, the Inquiry heard evidence from those who had been sexually abused as children at St Benedict’s School.
The report describes the atmosphere at St Benedict’s as sadistic and predatory with a culture of excessive corporal punishment. In many cases, physical abuse was used as a platform for sexual gratification and a means by which to instigate sexual abuse.
The report considers the evidence heard by the Inquiry of extensive sexual abuse against children in Ealing Abbey and St Benedict’s School and highlights the flawed responses to allegations, from both the Church and external institutions.
It considers how very senior figures at the school or abbey were perpetrators of abuse, with staff members warned to say nothing, leaving victims feeling they had nowhere to turn.
This led to a culture of abuse spanning over 30 years. Since 2003, four members of staff connected to St Benedict’s have been convicted of multiple offences for the sexual abuse of over 20 children. Another teacher was convicted of offences relating to the possession of indecent images of children in 2016. The total scale of abuse can never be known, but it is likely to be much greater.
“I often wonder what my life would have been like if I hadn’t been abused … I feel like I am still in a black hole and just can’t climb out of it. I don’t think I can ever put down in words fully what [Soper] has done to me. He has damaged me for life and I am afraid that that damage will never go away.” – RC-A622, Pen Portraits, page 8
The Inquiry received evidence of at least 18 further allegations against the men convicted and eight other monks and teachers. This ranged from corporal punishment to grooming, fondling of genitalia, masturbation, and oral and anal rape.
The report found that whilst there were significant opportunities to stop abusers in the school, these were not acted upon. Instead, a culture of cover-up and denial at Ealing Abbey and St Benedict’s meant the abuse went on for decades.
The leadership failure of Abbot Martin Shipperlee is also highlighted in the report. It found serious shortcomings in his response to allegations and handling of child protection concerns, concluding that any action he did take was often inadequate and ill-judged.
During the Inquiry’s investigation into Ealing Abbey, Abbot Shipperlee resigned. He told the press:
“As the IICSA hearings have shown, there has been a series of serious failings in safeguarding and some of those failings have been mine. Much has been achieved to correct this in recent years and I have confidence in the present structures and policies. However this does not take away from the seriousness of what went before. In order for the Abbey to look forward with confidence new leadership is now needed and so I have resigned as Abbot so that this may be possible.” (Page 14)
The responses of external institutions are described as defective, resulting in children being left at risk of abuse or further abuse.
The Chair and Panel conclude that it remains to be seen whether Ealing Abbey proves itself capable of ensuring proper safeguarding of children at risk in future.
The report’s publication comes before the Inquiry’s final public hearing into the Roman Catholic Church, which will begin on the 28 October and will run for two weeks.
“For years, a culture of cover-up and denial meant children at Ealing Abbey and St Benedict’s School suffered appalling sexual and physical abuse.
“A reluctance to properly respond to safeguarding concerns meant significant opportunities to stop abusers were missed. When action was taken, the responses of senior staff, headmasters and external institutions were often poorly judged or flawed. As a result, children were left at risk of abuse which could have been stopped decades earlier.”
A particularly startling aspect of the sexual abuse perpetrated at the school was that very senior figures at the school or Abbey were abusers. David Pearce was the head of the junior school and then bursar; Laurence Soper was head of the middle school, bursar, Prior then Abbot. This created particular problems for those who wished to report sexual abuse – not only the victims, but also others, such as members of staff who heard rumours or observed behaviour that caused concern. Reporting such matters was therefore made more difficult by the seniority of those against whom the complaint would have been made. Staff members have described the atmosphere as feeling “like the mafia” and chose not to risk their jobs.[3]
Pearce was a serial abuser of boys. At least 14 pupils have complained to the statutory authorities of being sexually abused by him. Their allegations span a 32-year period from 1976 to 2008. In October 2009, Pearce was sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment (reduced to five years on appeal in May 2010) for various sexual offences against five of these pupils. That was not the end of the matter, however, and in 2011 Pearce faced a further trial relating to indecent assaults against another pupil but was acquitted. In relation to the eight other boys, there was either no complaint made to the police or a decision made by the police/Crown Prosecution Service not to proceed.
It appears that many in the school and Abbey – teachers and monks alike – were aware of Pearce’s behaviour but were seemingly powerless to do anything about it. Gossip amongst the boys and staff was rife and complaints, including from parents, failed to trigger any action by the school or, in the rare event that information was communicated externally, by the statutory authorities. Staff were afraid that by speaking up they would lose their jobs. Pearce may well have been emboldened by this inertia as his abuse became less secretive, filming the boys at the swimming pool, lining them up naked and committing sexual assaults with apparent impunity. Unsurprisingly, Pearce was protected by Soper, but other Abbots and headmasters throughout this period also failed to act to protect children under their care.
Soper is known to have abused at least 10 children at St Benedict’s between 1972 and 1983, including multiple rapes. Many of the assaults were committed during acts of corporal punishment apparently inflicted on the slightest of pretexts. Soper’s predilection for caning boys was well known amongst the boys and staff at the school. He was told to stop by a previous headmaster at some point in the late 1970s or early 1980s. This had no effect, and he continued to cane and sexually assault boys on many occasions.
His campaign of sexual abuse was allowed to continue because of the inaction of those who had the power to do something to stop it or bring him to justice. By 2002 – two years after he had resigned as Abbot – Soper had been appointed general treasurer for the International Benedictine Conference in Rome, residing in Sant’Anselmo. Whilst on police bail in 2011, he left Sant’Anselmo, purportedly returning to London. He absconded and a European Arrest Warrant was issued. Some five years later he was located in Kosovo and extradited. In 2017, he was sentenced to 18 years’ imprisonment – over 40 years had elapsed since his offending began.
The role of Abbots
There were significant opportunities to stop abusers in the school which were not acted upon. When Abbot Martin Shipperlee took over as Abbot from Soper in 2000, many were hopeful that a “new broom”[4] had arrived. Indeed, some improvements to child protection were made. He commissioned a number of independent reports from experts.
David Tregaskis, a clinical criminologist with extensive experience of providing risk assessments, provided a report about the risk Pearce posed to children. He concluded that there was a “major concern” and “clear boundaries” should be placed upon him.[5] Although restrictions were placed upon Pearce, they were not monitored properly. In 2006, the sexual abuse committed by Pearce was established in a civil trial brought by one of his victims. Mr Justice Field said he found Pearce’s account “extremely unconvincing”[6] and the allegations were found proven. There were no changes to the restrictions already placed upon Pearce, although there could have been no doubt about the risk he posed. In the same year as the civil trial, Pearce started to sexually abuse a 16-year-old boy who was working in the monastery.
There were also limitations to the advice Abbot Shipperlee received from the Diocese of Westminster Child Protection Team. In particular, the advice provided in respect of imposing restrictions upon Pearce and others failed to give any guidance on how compliance with those restrictions should be enforced and monitored. The Child Protection Officer failed to keep the risk posed by Pearce and the restrictions in place under review, particularly following the successful civil claim. Pearce should have been required to leave Ealing Abbey – particularly given its proximity to the school.
When Pearce was convicted in 2009, Abbot Shipperlee commissioned a further review by Philip Wright, the safeguarding coordinator for the diocese of Brighton and Arundel and John Nixson, an independent child protection specialist. Despite the mounting child protection concerns against Soper and another monk, the review was confined to Pearce. There was no consideration of the underlying material. The whole exercise was limited to two days’ work. John Nixson in his written evidence to the Inquiry stated: “with the benefit of further reflection, it is now evident to me that Abbot Martin presented the existing concerns and findings about individual members of the religious community in a minimal manner”.[7]
The Abbot President of the English Benedictine Congregation in the period from 2001 to 2017, Dom Richard Yeo, did not significantly contribute to the response of Ealing Abbey to the allegations of child sexual abuse made in that period. During his 2007 Visitation he did not inquire into the restrictions upon Pearce and gave no consideration to issues of risk management. In his report to the monastic community, there was no express recognition of the fact that the judge in the civil proceedings in 2006 had found Pearce to be an unconvincing witness. He conceded that, in retrospect:
“I should probably have suggested at the 2007 Visitation that it was too serious a risk to allow … Pearce to continue to live in the monastery”.[8]
Throughout this time, public pressure was mounting. A series of articles appeared in The Times, the Charity Commission published a critical report, public disquiet gained momentum through Jonathan West’s blog, the Independent Schools Inspectorate had published a follow-up report which was critical of Trustees, and the Minister of State for Schools was seeking “assurance that all ISI’s recommendations will be implemented”.[9]
In the light of these pressures, Lord Carlile of Berriew QC was commissioned in 2010 to prepare a report. Abbot Shipperlee submitted five principles for reform which Lord Carlile accepted. He firmly stated, however, that reforms could not take place under the auspices of a single trust and recommended the creation of two separate charitable trusts – in effect separating the school from the Abbey. St Benedict’s School became truly independent of Ealing Abbey on 1 September 2012.
During the Inquiry’s investigation into Ealing Abbey, Abbot Shipperlee resigned. He admitted to the Inquiry “as has been serially revealed, my administration of safeguarding is of insufficient standard”.[10]
The role of headmasters
Headmasters as well as Abbots played a significant role in managing child protection issues. Christopher Cleugh, during his time as headmaster of the school between 2002 and 2016, repeatedly minimised questions of child sexual abuse to teachers and to external institutions and parents, to the point of materially misrepresenting significant facts. Although he told the Independent Schools Inspectorate that one of the monks had been charged with an assault on a pupil doing work experience in the monastery, he did not tell them that Pearce had been under restrictions at the time, nor did he tell them about the successful civil action against Pearce. He did not address safeguarding issues openly and proactively; when answers were given, he was defensive. One former teacher, Peter Halsall, said the previous culture of cover-up and denial at the school was “followed … by passing the buck”.[11]
Andrew Johnson, who was appointed headmaster in 2016, described a number of improvements to safeguarding, including record-keeping and vetting, compulsory reporting to Ealing Social Services, safeguarding training for staff, information for students and parents, and the operation of the safeguarding sub-committee. He also outlined that he had commissioned an audit report from Philip Threlfall, an independent safeguarding consultant, who concluded that the school was committed to safeguarding and that the “right things are in place”.[12] In order for these changes to have a long-term impact, it will now be for those in responsibility at the school to remain vigilant so as to ensure that safeguarding remains a priority.
The role of external agencies
The Metropolitan Police made mistakes in how some of the early allegations against Pearce and Soper were investigated. For example, in 2001, one of the victims told the police that Pearce had forcibly grabbed his trousers and pants and looked down into his pants, and that Pearce had put his hands down the swimming trunks of another boy, “for a couple of seconds having a feel around”.[13] In July 2002, the police decided to take that case no further, the investigating officer concluding “I have been unable to find evidence of any criminal offences”.[14] This approach was unreasonable. Commander Neil Jerome, in his evidence to us, agreed. There were also failures in respect of the investigation into the allegations against Pearce in respect of another boy, including a failure to provide all relevant information to the Crown Prosecution Service when a prosecution decision was sought.
The Crown Prosecution Service shares some responsibility for the fact that neither Pearce nor Soper were prosecuted in 2004, when serious allegations were made by two victims against them. It was not until 2009 and 2017 that Pearce and Soper were convicted of the abuse. In the Crown Prosecution Service decision regarding one victim’s allegations against Pearce, the reviewing lawyer wrongly adopted a requirement for corroboration. Likewise, in the decision concerning another victim’s allegations against Soper, the Crown Prosecution Service lawyer took the view that a victim’s word against a perpetrator was insufficient to found a prosecution instead of considering whether the victim’s account could be supported by other evidence or whether Soper’s account could be undermined.
There were also deficiencies in the consideration of the situation at Ealing Abbey and St Benedict’s School by those external bodies charged with regulating the management of charities (the Charity Commission) and inspecting independent schools (the Independent Schools Inspectorate). The Charity Commission was undertaking a statutory inquiry into Ealing Abbey’s handling of Pearce at the very time when he was committing further child sexual abuse. The Commission’s conclusion at the time, that appropriate steps were being taken, was based on assurances given by Ealing Abbey, which were not scrutinised or tested. Likewise, the Independent Schools Inspectorate oversaw an inspection in 2009 which concluded that the child protection policy was compliant with statutory guidance, and that an independent review into Pearce’s offending had been conducted and its advice fully implemented: both conclusions were wrong. The 2009 report was withdrawn in April 2010 and an unannounced, non-routine further inspection was carried out, resulting in a critical report of August 2010. But for the fact that members of the public drew the deficiencies of the 2009 report to the Commission’s attention, there may have been no such rectification of the position.
It is notable that in 2010 the Department for Education did not have the statutory power to enforce a recommendation made by the Independent Schools Inspectorate to the effect that monks who had been the subject of allegations should not reside at Ealing Abbey. As a result, the Minister for Schools wrote to the Charity Commission in October 2010 to see if the Charity Commission might be able to use its powers to enforce compliance in this regard. The position is now different. From January 2015 changes to the statutory standards by which independent schools are judged have rectified this gap in the Department’s powers.
The role of the Holy See
Prior to the hearing, the Inquiry sought a witness statement and documentation from the Holy See, initially through a voluntary request to its diplomatic representative in the United Kingdom, the Apostolic Nuncio, who is covered by diplomatic immunity. The request included asking what steps were taken after Soper’s disappearance that might have assisted in locating him. The Holy See has confirmed that it does not intend to provide a witness statement but has provided some documentation which is being reviewed and may be considered further, if necessary, during the hearings we are holding in October and November 2019. https://www.iicsa.org.uk/publications/investigation/english-benedictine-congregation-ealing-abbey/part-1-ealing-abbey-and-st-benedicts-school/executive-summary
@MaristShame
Why would Scots Marists take a boy to Sligo ..why Sligo ?
Sligo – where paedophile Mountbatten had a holiday home.
IRA bombing that killed Lord Mountbatten and Sligo teen Paul Maxwell
Paul Maxwell was a student of Portora School at the time of his death.
Inquiry heard boy, seven, died at Catholic-run school in Largs
A BOY aged seven died at St Columba’s College in Largsafter being on the receiving end of a ‘vicious beating’, the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry has heard.
The horrifying incident is said to have taken place in 1980 at the Catholic-run school in the north side of Largs.
The inquiry in Edinburgh was told that Aldo Moroni was punished for taking too long to use the toilet.
A former pupil, only named as Edward, said that the boy died after a beating by religious brother called Brother Germanus – real name David McKell.
The 64-year-old revealed to the inquiry that he was at the school in the 1960s and said he was sexually abused on dozens of occasions.
In 2014, Edward’s nephew, also a former pupil, told him he was at St Columba’s when Aldo had been ‘killed’, telling him: ‘It haunts me to this day.’
Edward said: “Aldo Moroni was getting a vicious beating on the landing outside the toilet for supposedly being in the toilet too long.
“My nephew said there was screaming and holy murder going on; it got worse, and the next thing we knew, there was an ambulance there, and then we were at a funeral in Dunoon – Aldo was dead’.
The family relative of Edward’s drew a link between the beating happening and the death according to Edward’s testimony, senior counsel Colin McAulay QC stated.
Children were informed at the time that Aldo had suffered a heart attack, the inquiry was told.
Edward described how he had feelings of cowardice for not reporting McKell years before Aldo’s death, saying: “I thought, could I have stopped that boy from being killed?”
As an adult, Edward told the Marist Brothers, who ran the college, about the abuse, but claimed the order had told him not to inform police.
He told the inquiry he was only seven when McKell targeted him on about ‘two dozen’ occasions.
He recalled being hauled out of bed in the middle of the night and ordered to climb up to a loft to retrieve a bag.
McKell would then tell him he was ‘dirty’ and instruct him to take off his pyjamas, and get into a bath before sexually abusing him – then hitting him if he reacted.
Labelling the boarding school a ‘cesspit’, Edward said he had attempted to run away from the school in the mid-60s.
During the torment, Edward said: “I was crying and you would get an extra slap for crying.
‘I would describe myself as being zombified… I wasn’t able to speak.’
McKell would injure him so hard that when he struck his head his nose would bleed, and would then take him back to his bed.
Edward told the hearing that McKell broke the news that his brother had died in 1965, saying: ‘Your brother had gone to heaven.’
Edward described the brothers at the school as ‘godlike’, and said McKell told him: ‘If you ever utter a word of our little secret, you will never see him (Edward’s brother) again.’
As an adult, Edward said he had contacted the Maris Brothers telling them about his experiences. McKell died in 1998.
Despite assurances given at the meeting that the matter would be passed on police, they were never told.
Prince Andrew faces questions over £57 million fortune and lavish lifestyle as it’s revealed he’s third richest royal
20 Oct 2019
PRINCE Andrew is facing questions about his luxurious lifestyle after his staggering £57million fortune was revealed.
Norman Baker, a former Lib Dem MP, is demanding answers as to how the Duke of York was able to rake in huge sums of cash to build an astonishing private wealth which makes him the third richest royal.
Baker, who has written a book scrutinising the royal family’s private wealth, found that only the Queen (on £1.6billion) and Prince Charles (£100million) are richer than Prince Andrew.
Now Baker has urgent questions as to how the second son of Queen Elizabeth made so much money.
Baker wrote in the Mail on Sunday: “Unless he has come up trumps in the National Lottery, he is clearly gathering in significant sums that we do not know about.
“People do not generally hand over large sums to other people out of the goodness of their heart.
“They generally want something in return.
“We are entitled to be told where Andrew’s hidden wealth has come from, and what he has given in return.”
Baker concluded his article saying that he thinks the Duke of York should be removed from all royal duties and become a private citizen if he doesn’t disclose where his wealth has come from.
FLASH PRINCE
Prince Andrew, who is known to have made extravagant luxury purchases, retired from the Armed Forces in 2001.
He was then immediately handed the job of UK Special Representative for Trade and Investment.
But instead of being diplomatic, Baker claims a former royal aide alleged that Prince Andrew’s approach to the job was “the worst combination of arrogance and stupidity”.
Every year, he is given a tax-free payment from the Queen of £249,000 to fund his private office and he reportedly receives an additional £20,000 naval pension.
But his spendthrift splurging suggests he has much more cash than that, with Baker citing a £13million Swiss ski chalet that Prince Andrew bought with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson in 2014.
Baker also claims the Duke was spending £7.5million refurbishing Royal Lodge, his home in Windsor Great Park, at the same time.
And the ex-MP additionally pointed out that, in early 2015, Andrew was apparently spotted wearing a £12,000 18-carat gold Apple Watch.
How Jeffrey Epstein ‘set up meeting between ‘Petie’ Mandelson and US billionaire banker from his prison cell’
Channel 4 Dispatches will claim Prince Andrew met Epstein ‘at least ten times’
Peter Mandelson ‘asked Jeffrey Epstein to set up meeting’ with JP Morgan chair
Mr Mandelson was de facto Deputy Prime Minister to PM Gordon Brown in 2009
20 October 2019
Peter Mandelson phoned Jeffrey Epstein to seek a personal favour while the disgraced US financier was serving a sentence for child sex offences, according to a TV documentary.
As de facto Deputy Prime Minister to Gordon Brown in 2009, Lord Mandelson asked Epstein – who was then on day release – to arrange a meeting with a billionaire New York banker.
Channel 4’s Dispatches allege Epstein agreed instantly. A friend of Epstein said the financier ‘sorted’ a meeting between Lord Mandelson – whom he called ‘Petie’ – and Jamie Dimon, the billionaire chairman of US investment bank JP Morgan.
Lord Mandelson asked Epstein – who was then on day release – to arrange a meeting with a billionaire New York banker. Channel 4’s Dispatches allege Epstein agreed instantly
At the time, Epstein, who killed himself in August, was serving an 18-month sentence after pleading guilty to procuring a 14-year-old girl for prostitution.
The financier’s friend, who requested anonymity, said: ‘I was astonished that a British Cabinet Minister… probably the most powerful man other than the Prime Minister, was calling Jeffrey in jail to make an appointment… with a very powerful banker in New York.’
In 2005 Lord Mandelson was photographed shopping with Epstein in the US Virgin Islands.
He also featured in the financier’s ‘little black book’ of contacts encompassing every sphere of influence, from politics to royalty.
Lord Mandelson’s entry included ten numbers, including home numbers and mobile details for his partner.
The friend, who has never spoken before, said the exchange with the politician ‘demonstrated that as far as Jeffrey was concerned… life was carrying on as if nothing had happened’.
Asked if the phone call had worked, the friend replied: ‘Yep, it was sorted out.’
He added: ‘You don’t call Peter Mandelson ‘Petie’ if you’re not a close friend.’
Lawyers for Lord Mandelson said he ‘has no recollection of a telephone conversation with Mr Epstein in January 2009… in which he allegedly requested Mr Epstein set up a meeting with Jamie Dimon’.
They added: ‘Our client would have no need to make such a request… As Business Secretary… he met or talked on the phone to bank CEOs on a regular basis, including Mr Dimon.’
Court documents show Epstein unsuccessfully applied to a judge in late 2009 to leave his Florida home, where he was under house arrest, for a meeting in New York with an unnamed British Minister to discuss British universities.
The Minister was described as an ‘under-secretary to the Prime Minister of Great Britain’.
Lord Mandelson has denied being the Minister and his spokesman said he was in London during those dates.
In The Prince And The Paedophile, to be broadcast at 10pm tomorrow, Dispatches also explores Epstein’s friendship with Prince Andrew and claims the men met at least ten times.
Buckingham Palace has said ‘any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors is categorically untrue’.
Lawyers for Lord Mandelson said he ‘has no recollection of a telephone conversation with Mr Epstein in January 2009… in which he allegedly requested Mr Epstein set up a meeting with Jamie Dimon’. Mr Dimon is pictured above
Medomsley Detention Centre scandal: National child abuse inquiry set to drop investigation into crimes at County Durham youth facility
The chair of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse (IICSA) says it is ‘neither proportionate nor necessary’ to include Medomsley
17 OCT 2019
So far More than 1,800 men have now come forward to police to make allegations they were either physically or sexually abused while being held at the County Durham youth facility during the 1970s and 1980s.
Five former employees have now been jailed after being convicted of their roles in the abuse, following an investigation by Durham Constabulary, and two more men were summonsed to court last month.
Medomsley had been named as one of the institutions that would be looked at as part of IICSA’s investigation into the abuse of Children in Custodial Investigations (CICI).
IICSA’s decision has angered campaigners and victims who have been fighting for answers.
The decision has angered victims and campaigners who have been fighting for answers.
And Jonny Hall, a consultant for local legal firm, Ben Hoare Bell, which represents a large number of former Medomsley trainees, said the firm had written to Prof Jay about the decision.
Claim ‘gang of criminals’ prostituted children at Fermanagh care home
October 10 2019
A gang of criminals allegedly drugged and prostituted children from a Co Fermanagh home, it has been alleged.
The allegations are the latest claims from Impartial Reporter journalist Rodney Edwards’ investigation into sexual abuse in the Fermanagh area.
Criminals allegedly prostituted teenagers from a children’s home in Killadeas almost 20 years go.
The paper claims that the children were taken to other parts of Northern Ireland where they were drugged and repeatedly raped.
Brindley House was a home catering for young people with emotional and psychological needs.
It opened in 2000 despite protests from local residents and closed just six years later.
The home was managed by private company Care (NI) Ltd.
According to “well-placed sources” staff members who tried to intervene to stop the abuse where threatened by the criminals involved.
The Western Health and Social Services Board said the home was closed as it was “no longer commercially viable to continue operations”.
An alleged victim of the abuse spoke to the Impartial Reporter and said that she and up to 12 other young girls were raped by up to 13 men.
She said that the authorities knew about the abuse “but were too scared to do anything because of the men involved”.
Laura (not her real name) said she was 13 when the abuse began.
“It was child prostitution. You were being prostituted out,” she said.
“You were in a relationship with this person who’s portraying to be this person, but you were being prostituted out to all their friends and all their contacts….at 13.”
Laura said she was prepared to speak with specialist detectives investigating historical child sex abuse cases in Fermanagh.
She had been called in by police for an interview in connection with the abuse at the time, but opted out of pursuing it due to fears for her safety.
Paula Kane, owner of the now defunct Care (NI) Ltd. told the Impartial Reporter that “every single incident of concern and of a child protection nature was recorded and reported to the Western Board”.
“We had no power to investigate,” she said.
The company reported their concerns to the Children’s Commissioner after being unsatisfied with the response to the issues at Brindley House.
Ms Kane said staff “went over and above the call of duty and some of the staff even put themselves at huge risk while trying to protect the children”.
A Department of Health spokesman said that the issues at Brindley House were brought to the department’s attention by the NI Children’s Commissioner in March 2005.
The spokesman said an inspection of child protection services was initiated by the department in early 2006.
Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People Koulla Yiasouma said the Children’s Commissioner became aware of potential breaches in child protection procedures at Brindley House in 2005.
She said the issues were raised with the relevant authorities and that the Commissioner was “assured by the Department of Health, social services and public safety that they would take the appropriate action”.
A PSNI spokeswoman said that in early 2007 detectives launched an investigation into the allegations of organised child abuse at the former Brindley House children’s home between 2000 and 2005.
She said that in 2008 a number of properties were searched and 11 people were arrested in counties Fermanagh, Tyrone and Armagh and interviewed for child abuse offences, as part of a long and protracted investigation.
A “comprehensive file” was prepared and submitted to the Public Prosecution Service who concluded there was insufficient evidence to prosecute.
The PSNI spokeswoman said if anyone had a complaint about actions of police during the investigation they could contact the Police Ombudsman’s office.
The company was jointly established by brother and sister, Dr Edna McVeigh and Mrs Darine Donnelly, a social worker. Mrs Kane, their sister has managed a 4-unit home for children since 1995.
Professor Enda McVeigh, a leading specialist in fertility treatment
The company was jointly established by brother and sister, Dr Enda McVeigh and Mrs Darine Donnelly, a social worker.
1983-1988, Undergraduate at Queen’s University, Belfast. 1994-1997, Research Fellow to Professor Lord Robert Winston at the Hammersmith Hospital, London.
I was an undergraduate at Queen’s University Belfast. After obtaining my MRCOG I joined the Reproductive Medicine Team at Imperial College London. I came to Oxford in 1997 as a Sub-Specialist trainee in Reproductive Medicine and upon completion joined the academic staff of NDOG as a Senior Fellow and Honorary Consultant in Reproductive Medicine and Surgery. From 1999 until 2012 I was Director of the Sub-Specialist training program in Reproductive Medicine in Oxford. I was Medical Director and Lead Consultant in the Oxford Fertility Unit from 1999 until 2012. In 2011 I initiated and was one of the Foundering Partners of an IVF clinic network (Reproductive Partnership) which is now the largest in the UK. Working with Stephen Kennedy I facilitated the development of the now very successful MSC course in Reproductive Medicine which is closely linked to the IVF facility. From 1999 building on collaboration with Leuven University I developed the Endometriosis surgical service in Oxford to eventually become a national referral centre. I was appointed Associated Professor in 2014.
Other activities have included:
1997-2000: USAID / WHO Women and Children programme in Ukraine and Russia.
After general training in Obstetrics and Gynaecology Professor McVeigh spent three years as a clinical Research Fellow with Professor Lord Winston at the Hammersmith Hospital in London. His clinical research at the time was around the effect of Stress on Fertility.
After this research post Professor McVeigh completed the Sub Speciality Training program in Reproductive Medicine in Oxford and on completion was appointed to staff at University of Oxford.
As a Senior Fellow in the University Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology he developed and lead on the surgical endometriosis service and was also Medical Directors and Person Responsible for the IVF centre (Oxford Fertility Unit).
Professor McVeigh has been a Director of The Fertility Partnerships (the largest IVF group in the UK) and been CEO of IVI UK.
Professor McVeigh specialises in Reproductive Endocrinology, Infertility, assisted conception and fertility preservation.
In a debate in the House of Lords on Thursday, Lord Dale Campbell-Savours said the Inquiry continuing a dedicated investigative strand into Lord Janner, when he was not able to answer any claims against him, was an “affront to natural justice.”
Campbell-Savours: My noble friend Lord Winston drew our attention to false memory. He will probably know about the British False Memory Society; I hope that it can pick up his comments in our debate and perhaps make direct contact with him.
During the debate, the Conservative Peer Lord Finkelstein said it was “very odd one” that the Inquiry would have a dedicated strand investigating Lord Janner.
Dr Sally Baker on Lord Winston – high profile fertility expert:
Robert Winston is a Fellow of the RSA and a member of the Garrick, the MCC and the Athenaeum. Savile was a member of the Athenaeum and Dafydd’s umbrella’s Sir Ronnie Waterhouse and Sir William Mars-Jones were members of the Garrick.
The UK’s most high profile fertility expert, Lord Robert Winston, was a friend and colleague of Geoffrey Chamberlain…
Lord Bob is media friendly but Lord Bob knew about the trafficking gang that was being facilitated by Prof Geoffrey Chamberlain et al at St George’s and the rest of the wrongdoing by Chamberlain et al
…some of what I knew about about Lord Bob’s colleagues, including the sex with research assistants in the lab during working hours, the constant sexual harassment of other staff, the research fraud and the colluding with Dafydd and associated trafficking gangs…
Associate Professor, Nuffield Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
About
Professor McVeigh’s research has been mostly based in reproductive medicine and endometriosis. His current areas of interest are in ovarian tissue cryopreservation for pre-pubertal and adolescent girls.
He was formerly medical director and lead consultant in the Oxford Fertility Unit and is one of the founding partners of the IVF clinic network Reproductive Partnership, the largest such network in the UK. He has also served as a member of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA)’s Appeal Committee.
Controversial: Gynaecologist and adviser Enda McVeigh, above left, at the IVF clinic in Shanghai, which he has visited several times
Fertility doctor paid £630,000 to treat his own NHS backlog sets up clinic… in China
30th January 2011
An eminent fertility doctor whose private company was paid £630,000 to treat a backlog of his own NHS patients is at the centre of a fresh row over his role with a controversial Chinese IVF clinic.
Gynaecologist and government adviser Enda McVeigh, of the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, has regularly travelled to Shanghai over the past 12 months to help set up the state-of-the-art unit 6,000 miles away.
The four trips, each lasting a fortnight, took place despite objections by a hospital director, who argued that Mr McVeigh’s visits would take him away from NHS patients.
Since last April, Mr McVeigh and his colleague Timothy Child have between them spent almost three months visiting the Tongji Reproductive Medicine Center, which offers fertility treatments that are beyond the reach of all but the elite in China.
A single cycle of IVF costs almost £3,000 – more than the average annual salary and 50 per cent more expensive than other Chinese clinics.
Economic growth in the vast nation – particularly in Shanghai – means demand for IVF is now booming despite China’s one-child policy. However, the issue of fertility treatment has proved controversial in the staunchly traditional country.
Last week, a reporter from this newspaper visited the clinic, where the walls were lined with -photographs of Oxford’s historic city centre. Dr Ji Yazhong, the clinic’s leading fertility expert, said: ‘Mr McVeigh brought the pictures for us when he came in October.’
Dr Ji said Mr McVeigh or members of his team came to the clinic ‘regularly’ and added that the progress of every patient was supervised by Mr McVeigh or his colleagues via video conferences.
Aside from IVF, other treatments offered include artificial insemination, which costs 8,000 yuan (£770) per course, again significantly higher than many other private clinics in the country.
Enda McVeigh
Mr McVeigh also features prominently on the website of a rival Chinese fertility chain, the Congramaria Hospital Group.
When Mr McVeigh first informed John Radcliffe Hospital about plans for the trips, then clinical director Dr Anne Edwards told her superiors she feared the regular absences would delay patient care and drive up waiting lists.
However, the trips were sanctioned by Stephen Kennedy, head of obstetrics and gynaecology at the hospital.
Companies House documents reveal that Mr Kennedy is a former business partner of Mr McVeigh. And Mr Kennedy’s position is funded by the Oxford Fertility Unit (OFU), which is run by Mr McVeigh and Mr Child.
One leading doctor said: ‘Dr Edwards did express concern to her line manager that these trips to China would cause waiting lists to grow. Later on, when there was a backlog of hundreds of patients, she suggested that throwing taxpayer cash at the problem was not the right way to go. But managers went along with it. It’s yet another example of a huge conflict of interests.’
The Mail on Sunday revealed earlier this month that John Radcliffe Hospital paid the OFU £629,030 to clear the backlog in November and December. A number of those patients were due to be treated by Mr McVeigh and Mr Child. The deal was approved by Mr Kennedy.
The money paid for 25 consultant gynaecologists and anaesthetists to carry out the procedures during their non-NHS time.
Enquiries by this newspaper have established that senior anaesthetists at John Radcliffe Hospital complained about the quality of the anaesthetists contracted.
In a letter to medical director Professor Edward Baker dated November 11, 2010, Dr Jane -Quinlan, chairman of the hospital’s Department of Anaesthetics, labelled the decision to take on ‘locum anaesthetists who fulfil none of the Trust’s clinical governance measures’ as ‘bizarre’.
Another consultant anaesthetist, Dr Nicholas Crabtree, warned in a letter to Ashok Handa, clinical director of theatres, anaesthetics and clinical care, dated December 17, 2010, of the ‘significant potential’ for patients ‘to suffer harm’.
Russell Howard-Tricker jailed for 14 years for abusing two teenage boys
4 Oct 2019
Pervert former teacher jailed for 14 years for abusing two teenage boys
A PERVERT former teacher and Scout master has been jailed for 14 years for abusing two teenage boys.
Russell Howard-Tricker, 77, groomed and abused a boy for several years when he worked as a teacher at Colchester school in the 1960s.
He also took pictures of a teenager he knew through the scouts naked in a caravan in St Osyth and abused him during the same time period.
Howard-Tricker, of no fixed abode in the UK, admitted two counts of indecent assault but was convicted of two more and committing buggery after a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court.
Judge Christopher Morgan said the offences would have been treated as rape if they happened today before jailing the paedophile.
“In both cases you have contributed significantly to the difficulties they have experienced during the course of their lives as teenagers and throughout their adult life.”
Speaking after the hearing, the first victim said: “I was groomed and sexually abused from the age of 13.
“In the years since, I have felt shame, self-doubt, isolation and depression.
“I was encouraged by seeing other cases in the media to finally face up to getting the help I needed, and from that came a successful prosecution.
“This has given me a sense of closure.
“I am grateful that a dangerous paedophile has been prevented from harming others in the way he harmed me.”
The second victim became dependent on alcohol and suffered depression after being abused by Howard-Tricker.
He said: “I would drink up to ten pints a day at the worst points and my dependency went on for decades.
“It led to me getting a drink drive conviction, to losing my job after that, to eventually my first wife leaving me.
“I felt degraded by what Tricker did to me and felt I could never tell anyone so I just locked all my feelings away.”
During the police investigation, officers found out Howard-Tricker was living in Prague.
He was arrested at Birmingham Airport on December 21, 2018 and later charged.
Investigating officer DC Rachel Evemy, of the North Child Abuse Investigation Team, said: “I want to commend the victims for their bravery in coming forward after suffering the trauma of Howard-Tricker’s abuse all those decades ago.
“He was someone they trusted and who had a duty of care for them, and he abused that trust in the most horrendous way.
“This case highlights the long lasting impact that child sexual abuse has on its survivors.
“But it also shows how justice can still be achieved and I hope today’s sentence will help his victims move forward.
“I urge anyone who has been sexually abused to please report it, no matter how long ago it took place.
“We will take your report seriously, investigate and help ensure you receive the right support.
A former pupil at Chetham’s School of Music has described being sexually assaulted by her violin tutor, Chris Ling, at the age of 15.
The abuse started during a half-term course while all the other pupils were out, the witness told the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.
Former Chetham’s head teacher John Vallins said he was unaware of concerns about Ling’s conduct at the time.
Ling’s abuse emerged in 1990 after he left the school, the inquiry heard.
The former pupil, known as A2, said Chris Ling told her to keep the abuse a secret.
He told her she would have no chance of succeeding as a soloist if she disclosed to anyone what had happened, said the witness who gave evidence anonymously.
Chetham’s School in Manchester is one of the UK’s leading music schools.
The witness said the first sexual assault took place during the autumn half-term in 1989 when Ling organised a special course for pupils in a house in Manchester.
She said he assaulted her again at Easter in 1990 before he left his job at the end of the summer term, taking some pupils with him.
She said she felt “devastated” at not being among them.
“He had brainwashed us into thinking he was our only means of success,” she told the inquiry.
Police interview
Later that year, evidence began to emerge of sexual assaults by Ling on up to 12 other female pupils which led to a police investigation.
A2 told the inquiry the school gave her very little support when she was interviewed by police and failed to tell her parents what was going on.
Her new violin teacher was a man who had a reputation for having affairs with pupils and when he made inappropriate comments and stood too close to her during lessons, she complained but the school failed to support her, A2 told the inquiry.
Ling’s abuse “affected me emotionally and physically”, she told the inquiry.
“I’ve not played classical music since leaving there.
“I find it hard to listen to and I’ve burned most of my music.
“It has had an effect on my relationships.
“I seem to attract father-figure type men who end up having control issues over me and I end up becoming withdrawn and detached… my marriage has broken down.”
‘Very violent’
Another former pupil, referred to as A1, described a violent sexual assault by Ling when she was staying overnight at his home after a concert.
“It was very violent… I couldn’t breathe,” she told the inquiry.
She said Ling had spent months grooming her ahead of the initial assault.
The abuse occurred again on several occasions and she was one of the pupils Ling took with him to the US where she had a “horrible” time, she told the inquiry.
When she returned to the school a few months later, she was interviewed by police but, otherwise, pupils were told not to mention Ling.
“The silence just made it so much worse,” A1 told the inquiry.
She said the abuse left her “generally hostile and wary towards males” and believes the competitive culture within schools like Chetham’s can allow sexual predators to thrive.
Mr Vallins, head teacher of Chetham’s from 1974 to 1992, said he personally had no part in appointing Ling who was hired directly by the music department.
He said he was unaware of extra-curricular courses run by Ling.
He told the inquiry that at the time the school had no written child protection policies: “It was a different world then to the world we live in now. It would be wrong to think that Chetham’s, in not having those practices, was unusual.”
He added: “It would be idle of me to deny that it is evident from the subject of this inquiry that there were bad things happening which I did not know about, and I should have done, and I can’t say how bitterly I regret that.”
The inquiry heard that seven individuals have been either convicted, were likely to have been convicted if alive, or have admitted to sexual relationships with pupils while Mr Vallins was head teacher.
A former pupil, Ian Pace, told the inquiry the music department run by Michael Brewer, and the academic part of the school were completely separate.
“It was almost like two schools and the teachers didn’t really talk to each other either,” Mr Pace told the inquiry.
He said there should be an official regulatory body specifically for music education.
The evidence is part of the residential schools phase of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, one of 14 separate investigations it is holding.
Ling moved to the US in the 1990s where he ran a talent agency. He shot himself dead in 2015 after police arrived at his home to arrest him for extradition to the UK. Greater Manchester Police had been planning to charge him with 77 offences.
This hearing will examine child sexual abuse in residential music and special schools, as well as institutional responses and safeguarding procedures.
Children in residential special schools are particularly vulnerable to sexual abuse as a result of their isolation from their families and carers, as well as the involvement of staff in their personal care.
Witnesses in this first phase of the investigation include victims and survivors of child sexual abuse in residential schools, teachers and safeguarding experts.
The first week will focus on residential music schools, with Chetham’s School of Music, Wells Cathedral School, Yehudi Menuhin School and Purcell School set to be examined.
The Inquiry chose to investigate these schools because of the issues arising from their specialist nature, including one-to-one tuition, an intimate atmosphere and an imbalance of power in teacher/pupil relationships.
Residential special schools will be examined in the second week of the hearing, including Appletree School, Southlands School, Stony Dean, Stanbridge Earls and Royal School Manchester.
The Inquiry chose to focus on these schools because the children who attend them are among the most vulnerable in our society and the Inquiry seeks to examine if more action is needed to safeguard them.
On the first day, a written narrative of child sexual abuse at eight institutionswhich have since closed will be submitted. This document, referred to as the closed schools narrative, includes accounts from 50 victims and survivors and will provide a historical background to child sexual abuse and institutional failures across the school sector.
The hearing will take place from 10am to 4.15pm at the Inquiry’s hearing centre, 18 Pocock Street, London SE1 0BW.
The timetable for the first week is available on the Inquiry’s website here.
Public hearings are streamed ‘live’ (subject to a three minute delay) on the Inquiry’s YouTube channel and website www.iicsa.org.uk/live. The transcripts will be available on the website a few hours after the end of each hearing day.
American model Jennifer Arcuri ‘told friends she was having a sexual affair with Boris Johnson’:
US journalist David Enrich said he spoke to friends who confirmed the affair
29 September 2019
Among those who she confided in were university classmates and a Conservative Party activist who said: ‘She told me they were sleeping together,’ according to the Sunday Times.
The paper claimed she told four friends that the pair had been engaged in an affair during his time in City Hall.
David Enrich, the financial editor of the New York Times, said that Ms Arcuri had confided to close university peers she was sleeping with Mr Johnson.
He said: ‘Two friends from her business class said they had been told by Arcuri that she was sleeping with Boris.’
In 2013, Mr Enrich spoke to the businesswoman and several of her tight-knit friendship group for an article he was writing.
Referring to notes which he has kept from those conversations, he alleges that Ms Arcuri said that Mr Johnson warned her to steer clear of speaking to the press.
And Mr Enrich said that her classmates at London’s Hult International Business School repeatedly stated that the entrepreneur had confided to them of her affair with Mr Johnson.
His account was said by the Sunday Times to corroborate that of other sources who had spoken to Ms Arcuri.
His reports are backed up by the account of a Conservative Party activist who alleges that Ms Arcuri told him during the 2015 general election campaign of her sexual relationship with the now Premier.
Former chief of Army communications at Mar-a-Lago gets probation for lying during child pornography investigation
28 Sept 2019
President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in West Palm Beach, Florida,
A US serviceman who oversaw Army communications at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida was sentenced to three years of probation for lying during a child pornography investigation, according to court documents.
Richard Ciccarella told federal agents that he was the “Non-commissioned Officer in Charge” of White House communications at Mar-a-Lago, the documents state.
He headed the Army’s communication detail at the resort from August 2017 to March 2018, The Palm Beach Post reported.
In July, about two months after his arrest, Ciccarella pleaded guilty to making a false statement to a federal agent during the child pornography investigation.
He had uploaded photos of a female relative to a Russian website under the username RICH25N and also saved images in other folders accessible online, the documents state.
In one of his folders, Ciccarella posted a photograph of a young relative wearing only underwear and standing next to a Christmas tree, with the comment: “Dirty comment’s welcome,” according to the documents.
While the photos didn’t constitute child pornography, his lies were troubling, Assistant US Attorney Gregory Schiller said, according to the newspaper.
When asked by federal agents, Ciccarella denied ever using the Yahoo email that was connected to that username.
He admitted to posting photos of the girl online but said people began posting comments on the pictures of which he did not approve, the documents state.
Authorities tracked down the username’s IP address to Ciccarella’s home.
A previous iPhone that agents seized from the residence showed a history of visiting the Russian website and Ciccarella admitted to agents that he lied about the email address because he was scared, according to court documents.
As part of his probation, a federal judge ruled Ciccarella not be allowed unsupervised personal, mail, telephone or computer contact with children under 18, including the alleged victim, and that he participates in a sex offender treatment program.
CNN has reached out to Ciccarella ‘s attorney for comment. According to The Palm Beach Post, Ciccarella is now stationed in Virginia.
Boris Johnson’s friendship with businesswoman Jennifer Arcuri ‘was open secret among staff’
27 Sept 2019
Boris Johnson’s close friendship with a Californian entrepreneur helped by London’s tourism and promotions agency was an “open secret” among its staff, the Standard has been told.
Former officials at the agency, London & Partners (L&P), recalled how Jennifer Arcuri was given places on foreign trade trips led by Mr Johnson in his time as mayor despite her companies being regarded as “not credible” by some at the time.
Referring to Ms Arcuri, 34, a former model, another ex-staffer said: “I don’t think that anybody ever said that Boris was seeing her but it was an open secret that they were close.” Investigations have been launched by Mayor Sadiq Khan and the London Assembly into public funds given to Ms Arcuri’s firms and places she was granted on foreign trade trips.
The Standard understands the investigations are likely to focus on a L&P-run trip made by Mr Johnson to Tel Aviv in November 2015. Ms Arcuri was initially told by L&P she “did not qualify” for it but officials were later “advised by Arcuri that she had secured permission from a mayoral adviser to attend”, according to L&P.
Ms Arcuri’s firm The Innotech Network, founded in February 2013, first received funding from L&P that year with £10,000 in sponsorship for a conference at the World Islamic Economic Forum. It also received £1,500 for an event in 2014. L&P says it has “no evidence” of Mr Johnson being involved in either decision.
Ms Arcuri was among delegates taken on mayoral trips to Malaysia in November 2014 and to New York in February 2015. L&P said Innotech, a financial technology firm, was declined a place on the Malaysia trip “as it did not meet the criteria” of the trip, which focused on “creative technology”.
She applied again with another of her firms, Playbox, and was accepted. L&P said it had “no evidence” of Mr Johnson’s involvement in the decision to accept Playbox onto the mission. Playbox was dissolved in February 2016.
Ms Arcuri was told she “did not qualify” for the New York trip but L&P records “show that a senior mayoral adviser did confirm to [L&P] that she should be allowed to attend some events in New York” as she was already planning to be in the city. No financial support was given.
The Standard was told that L&P staff were aware Ms Arcuri was “connected” to Mr Johnson. On at least one occasion, she was granted a place following a request from the mayor’s office after initially being rejected by L&P.
One L&P source claimed: “It was an open secret she got to come because she was close with Boris.” Mr Johnson will comply with a London Assembly order to explain his links to Ms Arcuri but says his former colleagues are “barking up the wrong tree”. Conservative Party chairman James Cleverly had previously hinted the Prime Minister could refuse to give evidence to City Hall regarding allegations he favoured his friend for business grants and trade missions while mayor. Mr Johnson has since said:“I will co-operate with my old friends on the Assembly. But on this particular matter, I think they are barking up the wrong tree.”
Ms Arcuri studied law at Columbia University in New York in 2001 and has a number of degrees including in musical theatre. She also has an MBA in investments and securities, according to her online profile.
She began her career as an on-air radio personality for Radio DJ Razzle Dazz, part of the Walt Disney company, and spent more than 10 years on the show.
In 2008, she produced the short film La Valise, part of the short film showcase at the Cannes Film Festival.
She moved to the UK in 2011, and prior to that worked in digital technology and film production in California.
Ms Arcuri founded Innotech to run events, networking and start-up funding for technology.
London & Partners last night said it would be inappropriate to comment on the latest allegations. Allen Simpson, its director of strategy and corporate affairs, said the agency had “tightened rules relating to procurement. We are confident in these controls and in our team.”
Ms Arcuri told the Sunday Times after it first reported claims: “Any grants received by my companies and any trade mission I joined were purely in respect of my role as a legitimate businesswoman.”She did not comment on the nature of her relationship with Mr Johnson.
Scientology policy enabled years of child sexual abuse, lawsuit says
September 19, 2019
In the third lawsuit filed against the Church of Scientology and its leader, David Miscavige, in three months, a 25-year-old woman alleges she was repeatedly sexually assaulted as a child in Scientology’s care, including at the church’s Clearwater Academy.
On top of the abuse, the lawsuit explains how church officials allegedly knew it was occurring and did nothing to stop it or alert law enforcement, actions rooted in policy written by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.
When the woman spoke of her alleged abuse after leaving Scientology in 2018, the church deployed a campaign of harassment against her, a tactic also based on Hubbard’s Fair Game policy aimed to destroy those labeled as enemies.
According to the complaint filed in Miami-Dade Circuit Court on Wednesday, Scientology operatives cut the brake lines on the woman’s car, vandalized her property, followed and surveilled her, and harassed her with hundreds of spam calls.
The woman is referred to in the complaint only as Jane Doe for fear of more retaliation by the church.The lawsuit names Miscavige, Scientology’s Flag Service Organization, its Religious Technology Center, Church of Scientology International and Clearwater Academy as defendants against allegations from sexual battery to racketeering and negligence.
With no criminal charges brought upon Scientology despite years of allegations of criminal activity, a team of a dozen victims’ rights attorneys are using civil court to expose the church’s alleged institutional abuses. The team, which filed its first complaint in June, includes a constitutional scholar and a lawyer who successfully prosecuted Bill Cosby on sexual assault charges.
“Scientology may be a religious organization, and they can believe whatever they want to believe, but they can’t do whatever they want to do,” the team’s lead attorney, Brian Kent, told the Tampa Bay Times on Thursday. “They will be subject to the law just as any other organization would be subject to the law.”
Scientology spokespeople Ben Shaw and Karin Pouw did not respond to a request for comment.
The first time Doe was sexually abused in Scientology’s care, the lawsuit states, was during her two kindergarten years at Clearwater Academy on Drew Street in downtown Clearwater.
The lawsuit states that on multiple occasions an employee: forced Jane Doe and other young girls to perform sexual acts on each other; masturbated in front of and ejaculated on Doe; and, on at least one occasion, forced his penis into her mouth.
Doe reported this to adults at the school, but no action was taken to remove the employee or stop the abuse, according to the lawsuit.
The only answer to crimes committed by church members, including sexual assault, is Hubbard’s policy and technology, not law enforcement or the courts, the lawsuit states.
Hubbard’s policies, rolled out following the formation of the Church of Scientology in 1953, teach it is a “high crime” to report a Scientologist to law enforcement. Phones within certain church facilities are incapable of dialing 911, according to the lawsuit.
At age 11, Doe was sent by Scientology to live in Caracas, Venezuela without her parents. The next year she was assaulted by the son of a high-ranking Scientologist at the Caracas Org, a church facility, according to the complaint.
Doe immediately disclosed the assault to her auditor, a person who conducts spiritual counseling sessions. Instead of reporting the assault to law enforcement, the lawsuit alleges church officials “sentenced” Doe to three months of physical labor and issued her a “non-enturbulation” order, which warned she was at risk of losing standing in the church for “bringing in” the sexual assault.
“One who suffers sexual abuse, whether an adult or a child, is assumed to have done something to incite or invite such abuse,” as the lawsuit describes Scientology practices.
After her labor sentence, she was sent back to Clearwater at age 14 to join the Sea Org, the church’s clergy-like workforce where members sign billion-year contracts and work an average of 100 hours a week for little to no wages.
Sea Org children are separated from their parents and assigned a guardian. Doe’s guardian, then a 24-year old woman, “groomed Jane Doe to enter into a sexual relationship with her,” according to the lawsuit.
As a child, Doe could not understand the consequences of her actions and could not consent to a sexual relationship, the lawsuit states. The complaint states church officials should have known the guardian was abusing and prevented the abuse from occurring. But they did not.
Once she escaped Scientology in 2018, Jane Doe was stalked, harassed and followed by church officials – tactics that “went beyond all bounds of decency and the conduct was shocking, atrocious, and utterly intolerable in a civilized community.”
The lawsuit stresses the alleged culpability of Miscavige, Scientology’s leader who took over the organization following Hubbard’s death in 1986.
It describes the Sea Org structure as a human trafficking scheme that benefits Miscavige financially.
Church officials “have made billions off the backs of men, women and children who are trafficked and forced to work 100 hour weeks for far below the minimum wage with little to no free time or vacation under the threat of severe punishment for failure to perform their work duties,” the lawsuit states.
The complaint alleges child Sea Org members like Doe have their food rationed and are subjected to hard labor like asbestos removal and construction. Children are deprived of proper education. And any child or adult who flees or speaks negatively about the church is subject to shunning by parents, relatives and friends through Scientology’s disconnection policy.
“Personal freedoms are restricted, families are separated, and severe punishments are utilized to maintain complete control over the forced workers, including children, in the Sea Org,” the lawsuit states.
Along with Miscavige’s and the church’s liability for Doe’s abuse, the lawsuit states Clearwater Academy failed in its legal duty to protect students.
The legal team’s first lawsuit filed in June on behalf of another Jane Doe accuses the church of: child abuse related to auditing, where children are interrogated for hours about sexual questions; human trafficking the woman was a part of in the Sea Org; and Fair Game tactics she endured after escaping, including, the church publishing “a hate website” falsely stating she was an alcoholic dismissed from the sect for promiscuity.
The second lawsuit was filed in August against Scientology, Miscavige and actor Danny Masterson on behalf of four women who allege they were raped by Masterson, a parishioner. After they reported the rapes to Los Angeles Police in 2016 and 2017, the lawsuit states Scientology unleashed a campaign of terror to intimidate the accusers.
Kent said he expects his team to file “numerous” complaints this year against Scientology relating to alleged victims of child abuse, human trafficking and harassment.
“Obviously this is a very secretive organization that has policies that you are not to speak publicly about any of the abuses that are occurring,” Kent told the Times. “We want transparency and we want to expose the abuses that are happening.”
We know what happened in Kincora boys’ home and we want the files open, insists victim
A man who was abused at a notorious boys’ home in east Belfast has said the victims have every right to see secret files on Kincora rather than endure “the hell of not knowing” what’s in them.
Ron Graham (61) was speaking after this newspaper revealed that documents linked to the child sex abuse scandal will remain locked away in Northern Ireland’s official archive for decades to come.
At least 19 files directly related to the home are “closed” to the public, and in one case the order remains in place until 2085 at the earliest.
Around a dozen more of the files are closed – either fully or partially – until the mid-2060s and beyond.
The department responsible for the records said they contained “sensitive personal data” and couldn’t be opened in order to protect victims’ personal details and comply with data protection legislation.
But that’s an “excuse” Mr Graham last night said he “flatly rejects”.
“Of course it’s sensitive material – we’re the victims, we lived through this – but we’re entitled to see those files,” he told the Belfast Telegraph.
Claims have persisted that senior politicians, civil servants and businessmen were complicit in a paedophile ring that operated at the home in the 1970s and that the security services were aware of it.
Mr Graham spent almost a year at the infamous boys’ home after being taken into care when his teachers realised his father had been beating him. But what happened to him in Kincora turned out to be even worse.
Having given evidence at the trial of paedophile William McGrath, a former housemaster at Kincora who was subsequently jailed for four years, Mr Graham said “at the very least” he is “entitled to see the files” after all this time.
“Seeing what’s in these files could no be worse than what I or anyone else lived through in Kincora,” he said.
“What McGrath did to me was unspeakable.
“I still have mental health problems because of it. He’s dead now but I’m still living through the hell of not knowing what’s in those secret documents.
“Questions have to be asked about why it went on for so long, and who covered it up. I think these files would open up an awful lot of history.”
He added: “Making them public won’t upset Kincora victims. Every victim I’ve talked to has said they want to see the files. For the last two days it’s all we’ve been talking about.”
The Kincora scandal shocked Northern Ireland to its core in 1980 when it emerged that at least 29 boys were sexually abused at the care home.
Three senior staff members – McGrath, Joseph Mains and William Semple – were jailed in 1981 for the abuse.
Mr Graham, a member of the group Savia (Survivors and Victims of Institutional Abuse), said he’s been campaigning “for nearly 10 years now” but he revealed that up until recently he was unaware of the actual number of files in existence.
“We’ve always tried to get the files, we’ve known about them – but this is the first time we’ve known how many files there are,” he said.
“They say they’re protecting the victims by not making the files public, but that’s nonsense. We know better than anyone what happened in there. We want the files open. We want to see what they say.
“I don’t see any reason to keep them closed. At the very least they should let a judge decide because this is about us, the victims, and we have every right to see them.”
Two private inquiries instigated by the then Secretary of State Jim Prior failed to provide adequate answers for victims, nor did a report published in 2017 by retired judge Sir Anthony Hart, as part of a public inquiry into historical sex abuse in Northern Ireland.
But Bangor-based Mr Graham said that, having been let down countless times in the past, he will now be pursuing the matter in the near future with Secretary of State Justin Smith.
“I won’t rest until I get proper answers,” he said.
“All we want is closure so that we can move on.
“We didn’t get it in the Hart report or in the previous inquiries so I’ll be speaking to Mr Smith when I meet him with Savia in two weeks’ time and I’ll be asking for his help.”
Solicitor Claire McKeegan from Phoenix Law, who represents the majority of the survivors of Kincora, including Mr Graham, said that with secrecy comes suspicion.
“Kincora has for decades been surrounded in controversy and allegations of the most grave and alarming nature,” she said.
“The deliberate suppression of documents by the Government which could shed light on what went on only adds to the ongoing suspicions long held by survivors about who knew what and when.”
Doug Beattie called for immediate action, saying the Kincora files “should be open for scrutiny now”.
The Ulster Unionist MLA added: “There should be no hiding place for those who abused children, or anyone else, regardless of who they are.”
Secret Kincora scandal file will not be released for 66 years
‘The suspicion is they are hiding something’ – secret Kincora Boys’ Home documents to stay locked up for another 66 years
Sept 16 2019
Highly-sensitive documents on the Kincora Boys’ Home scandal will remain locked away in Northern Ireland’s official archive for decades to come.
At least 19 files directly related to the notorious east Belfast care home are “closed” to the public.
In one case, the order remains in place until 2085 at the earliest. Around a dozen more of the files are closed – either fully or partially – until the mid-2060s and beyond.
Others which were scheduled to be declassified in recent years remain at least partly shut.
The department responsible for the records said they contained “sensitive personal data” and could not be opened in order to protect victims’ personal details and to comply with data protection legislation.
On Friday the Belfast Telegraph reported that confidential Government files on Kincora held in Dublin, that were due to be released this summer, have been kept under wraps yet again.
The secrecy in Belfast has prompted Andrew Lownie, the author of a royal biography on the Mountbattens, to write to Garda Commissioner Drew Harris. He wants access to Irish files on Lord Mountbatten that could shed light on abuse at Kincora.
Mr Lownie has uncovered evidence linking Mountbatten to the abuse of children from the Kincora boys’ home in Belfast, while a secret FBI dossier uncovered by Lownie in the course of his research indicates that Mountbatten’s sexual activities were known by the authorities.
The book, ‘The Mountbattens: their Lives and Loves’, contains interviews with two unnamed men who describe being brought from Kincora in the summer of 1977 to Mullaghmore, where Mountbatten was on holiday at his Co Sligo holiday residence, Classiebawn Castle.
The interviewees, who were 16 at the time, both claim they were then abused by the earl.
The Kincora files had been due to be made public under the 20-year disclosure rule but Mr Lownie has been told they “need to be reviewed” before that is likely.
However, Ulster Unionist MLA Mike Nesbitt said the secrecy would only lead to more questions.
“The suspicion is they are hiding something. Is that legitimate? We can’t make that judgment when we don’t know what is in there,” he said.
The Kincora scandal shocked Ireland when it emerged in 1980.
At least 29 boys were sexually abused at the care home.
Three senior staff members – William McGrath, Joseph Mains and William Semple – were jailed in 1981 for the abuse.
However, allegations have persisted of a cover-up by MI5, which was rumoured to be protecting high-ranking paedophiles in the military, Civil Service and politics. It was claimed the RUC had been informed of the abuse years earlier, but failed to act.
A “private inquiry” was set up in 1982 by the then Secretary of State Jim Prior to investigate the scandal, but it fell apart after three members resigned, claiming the RUC hadn’t carried out an effective probe.
Mr Prior established another inquiry under Judge William Hughes, but most of his recommendations were about the operation of children’s homes and care for young people generally.
In 2017 retired judge Anthony Hart published a report after a long-running inquiry into historical institutional abuse in Northern Ireland. His report dismissed claims that senior figures were complicit in a paedophile ring, and that the UK security services knew what was going on.
However, questions have been raised over the inaccessibility of many official papers. The papers are held by the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI), the region’s official archive.
Files on Kincora were conspicuously absent when government papers from 1982 were declassified in December 2012.
A list of closed files held by PRONI show at least 19 are directly linked to Kincora.
Four, which were listed for review in 2013, remain closed. Three more are listed for review between 2020 and 2026. The other 12 have review dates ranging from 2067 to 2085, meaning they are not due to be declassified until these dates at the earliest.
In some cases part of the file has been made public, with its other contents redacted, or blanked out.
The file closed until 2085 contains “transcripts of proceedings of (the) committee of inquiry into children’s homes and hostels”, and “evidence of witnesses”. Two other files, closed until 2080, contain similar material.
Mr Nesbitt said he was “surprised and concerned” by the revelation. He said one option was to open the files to independent scrutiny.
“If you lock away files for that length of time then people will think there is something really serious to hide,” he added. “A compromise position might be to allow a senior, respected figure like a retired High Court judge – someone who knows what they are doing – to inspect the files and make a general statement, at least to dispel any suspicion.”
Alliance leader Naomi Long said Kincora’s victims deserved answers. She said: “This lack of transparency and repeated refusal to open the files relating to this case fuels the perception there was, at best, more knowledge of what was happening at Kincora Boys’ Home at the time than has been admitted, and, at worst, Government cover-up of or collusion in the abuse itself.
“These papers need to be released so that abuse can be investigated properly and in a way which will bring truth and justice to the victims and survivors of Kincora.”
PRONI falls under the remit of the Department for Communities. A spokesperson said: “The files are closed because they contain sensitive personal data. It is an extended closure period to protect the names and other personal details of victims and to comply with data protection legislation.”
Murdered journalist Lyra McKee wrote a book about the 1981 murder of MP Robert Bradford.
Angels With Blue Faces follows an investigation by Ms McKee into the murder of the Ulster Unionist MP, and examines speculation that he had been about to expose details of people involved with the abuse of children at the east Belfast boys’ home Kincora.
Ms McKee was was shot dead by dissident republicans in April, just weeks before her book was due to be published.
Trauma expert Dr JACQUI DILLON reports how she was intimidated and had her Twitter account suspended for raising questions about ‘minor-attracted persons’ amid a worrying trend of dangerous child abusers becoming organised online
CURRENTLY, there is a growing movement to rebrand paedophilia — a word which in itself is problematic — although it is currently synonymous with people who sexually abuse children.
As a survivor of organised childhood sexual exploitation (CSE), I can attest that the sexual abuse of children is the antithesis of love, unlike the denotion of the etymology of the word.
Over the years, there have been numerous attempts to legitimise paedophilia. The Paedophile Information Exchange (PIE), was a British-based pro-paedophile activist group, founded in 1974.
The group campaigned for the age of consent to be lowered to the age of four, while receiving significant funding from the Home Office and was affiliated with the National Council for Civil Liberties.
Such groups still exist internationally. In a letter to the Guardian in 1997, Peter Tatchell stated that friends as young as nine had sexual experiences which gave them “great joy.”
Tatchell inferred that while he was unable to condone paedophilia, he claimed that not all sex involving children was “unwanted, abusive or harmful.”
The current attempts to legitimise paedophilia have become apparent on Twitter, with a growing number of people describing themselves as “Maps,” an acronym for “minor-attracted person,” a term used by individuals who are sexually attracted to those below the age of consent, including: nepiophilia or infantophilia (attraction to babies and toddlers); paedophilia (attraction to pre-pubescent children); hebephilia (attraction to pubescent children/early adolescents); and ephebophilia (attraction to late adolescents).
Twitter currently has a policy which explicitly states that “discussions related to child exploitation as a phenomenon or attraction to minors are permitted, provided they don’t glorify CSE in any way.”
This change in policy was achieved by a renowned expert in the treatment of paedophilia and “Map” advocate lobbying Twitter’s director of trust and safety, stating that it would “help reduce the stigma associated with pedophilia [sic].”
Anyone who is 13 or older can access Twitter where they are now exposed to content where adults openly discuss their attractions to children with impunity.
I began disseminating this information on Twitter and questioning the motivations of “Maps” and their advocates.
I have been trolled on numerous occasions, including a time when Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (aslo known as Tommy Robinson) and his followers Twitter mobbed me and told me that I deserved to be gang raped because I objected to their cynical hijacking of CSE for their fascist agenda.
They dismissed the fact that the perpetrators who abused me were all white and British, displayed zero interest in CSE perpetrated by white offenders, who are by far the vast majority of all sexual offenders, or expressed outrage at such offences being committed within their own ranks.
However, my experiences with the lengths that “Maps” are willing to go to is on another level.
I have been viciously and relentlessly trolled for weeks, an obsessive and libellous blog, clearly written by a highly disturbed individual, has been circulated about me, attempting to discredit me.
I have been bombarded with Photoshopped images of my face grafted onto graphic, pornographic images. And other things I will not share due to safety issues.
I have been advised by those speaking from personal experience that “Maps” have a history of doxxing people and their children. And worse.
Consequently, a group of “Maps” mass reported me to Twitter for objecting to their attempts to normalise their predilections and their attempts to legitimise sexual attraction to children as being innate and immutable, which based on current research is highly contestable.
For example, many advocate adding a P to LGBT. Naturally, many of us within the LGBT community find this idea abhorrent.
“Maps” and their professional allies advocate child sex dolls, arguing that there is no evidence that they increase the likelihood of offending.
Equally, there is no evidence that they reduce the risk of offending — a child sex doll is just another form of objectifying a child for sexual gratification.
I was then notified by Twitter that my account had been permanently suspended for “abuse and harassment.” Despite appealing my permanent suspension it was upheld.
It was only when I and others directly lobbied the vice-president of Twitter Europe, stating that my suspension was a travesty that suddenly, without explanation, my suspension was lifted.
Clearly Twitter, with its vast profits, needs to employ people to monitor activity on its platform rather than relying on algorithms to maintain safety and integrity.
Crucially, it urgently needs to review its CSE policy which is currently not fit for purpose.
As soon as my permanent suspension was lifted, I was flooded with new reports from Twitter.
Those who had conspired to get my account suspended, openly gloating about it when they thought they had succeeded, were the same people scrutinising my timeline on @jacquidillon @beckrdalliance, an alliance I founded for survivors of CSE, looking for tweets to report.
Again, they openly discussed their intention to silence me. For the first time ever, I locked both accounts over the summer break.
Professor Jennifer Freyd coined the acronym “Darvo” to describe a set of tactics perpetrators often employ to avoid being held accountable for their actions.
Perpetrators frequently Deny their behaviour, Attack the individual who is holding them to account and Reverse the roles of Victim and Offender, so that the perpetrator assumes the victim role and turns the victim into the alleged perpetrator.
The behaviour of these “Maps” is entirely consistent with perpetrator behaviour.
There is a small but significant number of people who want to sexually abuse children. Bearing in mind that one perpetrator can wreak havoc on numerous children’s lives, as a society, we have to address this unpalatable truth in order to stop the epidemic of child abuse and its devastating consequences.
However, constructing one’s identity around a predilection to sexually abusing children, creating a community with a dubious agenda, rather than seeking help in more appropriate settings, is highly suspect.
The notion of “non-offending” offers little reassurance. Child abusers are notoriously deceitful. Perhaps the opportunity to access a child has not yet arisen or they have simply not been detected.
Therefore anyone with an unhealthy interest in children must be deemed a risk to children. Additionally, this distinction between contact and non-contact is meaningless in a space where identities and claims cannot be verified.
I have been sent evidence that some of the most vociferous “Maps” have committed extremely serious crimes against children and are currently grooming children.
Authorities have been notified.These people are organised, using multiple identities, groups, platforms and are linked internationally. Their methods are insidious yet blatant — hidden in plain sight.
As a survivor of CSE who is directly challenging “Maps,” I am seen as a real and present threat.
One of the things that I have learned through surviving the horrors of my childhood is that is essential to defy such intimidation tactics.
I have always been outspoken. It is an entirely strategic position I take as a working-class woman, survivor and activist.
As the great Audre Lorde said: “Your silence will not protect you.” I refuse to be silenced by a group of paedophiles ever again. I look forward to making my Twitter account public again today.
Jimmy Savile was allowed to roam freely around the boys’ dormitories of a Catholic school at the centre of child abuse allegations, an inquiry was told.
12 Sept 2019
The DJ, television presenter and paedophile is said to have driven to Fort Augustus Abbey School in his Rolls-Royce on several occasions.
Children at the boarding school on the banks of Loch Ness felt “uncomfortable” around him and were not told why he was there.
Details of Savile’s visits emerged at the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry, which heard separate claims that a child was raped by monks who had drugged him. In a written statement, a man given the pseudonym “Rory” said that his brother “Doug”, who was born in 1951 but has since died, told him that Savile was given access to the school in the 1960s when he was a DJ with Radio Luxembourg. He said that no one knew why he kept coming to the school.
“Savile would park his Rolls-Royce car outside the school. Doug said Savile was allowed to roam freely at the school, even the boys’ dormitories,” the statement said. “Doug said the boys didn’t like Savile. Even although he was a big star, they felt uncomfortable.”Savile was photographed at the school in 1970 and later bought a cottage at Glencoe in the Highlands.
The statement claimed that Doug had told his brother he was sexually assaulted by a staff member at the school while in the sick bay.
Earlier in the hearing Hugh Kennedy, 56, who was at Fort Augustus between 1974 and 1976, said that a monk sexually abused him in a yoga class before apologising.
Mr Kennedy said that when he reported the attack his story was dismissed. He later learnt that the monk was sent to Australia for a retreat to “cleanse him of his sin”.
The former pupil said he was then abused by a teacher who took children to a cottage where he showed them photographs of naked boys, some of whom he recognised as fellow pupils. He claimed he was sexually assaulted and ordered to strip for pictures.
Another witness, using the name James, who was born in 1956, said he was abused by Fort Augustus monks on a visit from another Catholic school. He said that he was locked in a room and raped by two monks. He believes that they drugged him.
The school was closed in 1993 and the last monks left in 1998.
This document was written by Keith Hose, and sets out the Paedophile Information Exchange’s proposals for changes to the law on sex offences involving children. It was sent to the Home Office, and also sold at the Campaign for Homosexual Equality’s conferences.
This document would have been read by members of all organistaions that were affiliated to PIE, including the National Council for Civil Liberties (NCCL). This means that Harriet Harman, Jack Dromey, Patricia Hewitt, Henry Hodge and others at the NCCL would have been fully aware of PIE’s evil intentions, and chose to affiliate themselves with them anyway.
It’s essentially a paedophile’s charter, taking the police out of the equation and allowing paedophiles to abuse children as young as 4 years old, unless the abuse “resulted in clinically demonstrable mental or physical harm”.
Apologists for paedophiles: How Labour Deputy Harriet Harman, her shadow minister husband and former Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt were all linked to a group lobbying for the right to have sex with children
Magpie magazine distributed in the late Seventies to members of PIE
PIE is Paedophile Information Exchange – the name of a far-Left lobby group
Called for legalisation of child sex and age of consent to be lowered to four
Emerged this week Labour government of the time may helped finance the organisation and The Magpie
Home Office now ordered a ‘thorough, independent investigation’ into claims
Hewitt, Harman and husband Dromey encountered the PIE as young officials in the National Council for Civil Liberties
Abuse survivors blocked from school records for 100 years
9 Aug 2019
Boys were sent to Forde Park School by the courts and social services until it closed in 1985
Survivors of abuse at a former approved school have demanded to know why records are missing from its archives or have been marked as secret.
Victims of violence and sex attacks at Forde Park School, Newton Abbot, Devon say the lack of access is obstructing their campaign for justice.
They are querying why information is being kept secret for up to 100 years.
It comes as claims have resurfaced about paedophiles at the school and dubious medical treatment of pupils.
Eight men were convicted of crimes at the school committed in the 1960s and 1970s, after a major police inquiry was launched by Devon and Cornwall Police in 1999.
Members of a survivors’ group have also found documents at the Devon Heritage Centre, Exeter are restricted or missing, said the Local Democracy Reporting Service .
South West Heritage Trust said an individual can request access to their own records through a subject access request, in the case of county council owned records.
It said it followed guidance from the National Archives for third party access to documents, which withholds records that contain personal information on living people which may cause distress or harm.
A spokesman for the survivors’ group said: “They have got something in those files that they don’t want us, or anybody else, to find.”
“We can only think that these restrictions have been put on for so long because they don’t even want our children investigating what happened to us.”
One survivor said he was regularly picked up from the school in an expensive car with a staff member and taken to the woods where he was sexually assaulted by several different men.
He said he was regularly drugged and given electric shock therapy while at the school.
The approved school was run by the Home Office before it was taken over by Devon County Council in 1973, when it became a community home for education.
Former pupils have given evidence about the aftermath of their cases to the Independent Inquiry Into Child Sexual Abuse.
The hearings were told survivors felt let down and abandoned by the civil legal system which handled compensation claims at the time.
It also heard investigations at Forde Park by the Home Office and police in 1958 and again by police in 1976 resulted in no action.
The inquiry is expected to issue its report on its investigation into accountability and reparations in the summer.
Retired school choirmaster jailed for 12 years for sexual abuse of pupils
27 August 2019
A retired school choirmaster who sexually abused boys in the 1970s has been jailed for 12 years.
Kenneth Francis, 72, denied 17 offences but a jury found him guilty of all counts after a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court.
The court heard that he assaulted four boys, all under the age of 16, who were pupils at a school in the Chelmsford area.
Jailing him on Tuesday, Judge David Turner QC said: “Behind the facade of competency, respectability and uprightness you hid a dark paedophile inclination which was to blight the life of those boys and leave a profound legacy of psychological damage.”
The attacks happened at the school and at Francis’s then home in Borehamwood between 1972 and 1979, with Francis giving alcohol to some of his victims.
His offending came to light in 2017 when one of his victims reported that Francis had sexually assaulted him.
In a victim impact statement read to the court, one man said he “resented” being at the school.
Another said he felt he was “betraying” his parents by not telling them what had happened and “only managed to tell them a few years prior to their deaths”.
Jacqueline Carey, mitigating, said Francis touched boys’ genitals and told one of them “This is our secret”.
She said Francis later moved to Jersey and for “30 years or the best part thereof he was a highly regarded man”, adding that there was an “absence of offending” for this period.
She said he lived with his husband in Japan but that there was “great uncertainty about whether he will be able to return” following his conviction.
He has no living relatives, she added.
Francis, of Akasaka in Tokyo, was convicted of 15 counts of indecent assault and two counts of committing an act of gross indecency.
He was jailed for 12 years and will serve half in custody and the rest on licence.
He must also sign the Sex Offenders Register for life and was made subject of a 12-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order, banning him from contact with any boy under 16.
New book links Lord Mountbatten to sex abuse at Kincora boys’ home
26 August, 2019
A NEW book on Lord Louis Mountbatten claims he was involved in the abuse of two teenage boys at Kincora boys’ home in Belfast in the 1970s.
Tomorrow is the 40th anniversary of the death of the earl who died when the IRA blew up his fishing boat off the coast of Mullaghmore in Co Sligo on August 27, 1979.
The Mountbattens, written by Andrew Lownie, includes interviews with two unnamed men who describe being brought from the home in summer 1977 to Mullaghmore where Lord Mountbatten was on holiday.
The men, who were both 16 at the time, claim they were abused by the earl, an uncle of Prince Philip, according to a report in the Sunday Times.
One of them, known as Seán, recalls being driven from Kincora to the earl’s castle in Sligo where he was abused by a man.
He said he did not recognise him as Lord Mountbatten until he saw a report on the TV news two years later that the earl had been killed.
The second interviewee, referred to as Amal, claims to have met Lord Mountbatten four times that summer on day trips from the home in Belfast.
He said each encounter lasted about an hour and took place in a suite in an hotel by Mullaghmore harbour.
“He was very polite, very nice,” Amal is quoted a saying. “I knew he was someone important. He told me he liked dark-skinned people, especially Sri Lankan people as they were very friendly and good-looking.”
He also claimed that several other boys were brought to Mountbatten on other occasions.
This is not the first time Lord Mountbatten has been linked to Kincora. In 1990, writer Robin Bryans reported that the earl, Anthony Blunt and others were part of an old-boy network that held gay orgies in country houses on both sides of the border and at the boys’ home.
Two years ago, a Historical Institutional Abuse (HIA) inquiry concluded that abuse at the home was limited to three staff members and there was no collusion by the state or intelligence services in covering it up.
A KINCORA BOY ABUSED BY MOUNTBATTEN COMMITTED SUICIDE A FEW MONTHS LATER
18 Aug 2019
By Joseph de Burca
It has long been rumoured that Lord Louis Mountbatten was a paedophile. A book due to go on sale next week has dug up impressive new evidence confirming what Irish sources have known for decades about his sexual predilections. So impressive is the new evidence that mainstream media outlets such as The Mail on Sunday, The Sunday Times and The Sun are covering the story. The book contains sensational new information about Kincora Boys’ Home in Belfast. Curiously, while the British media is happy to report on Mountbatten’s abuse of boys generally, the sections in the book about Kincora are being ignored.
Joseph Mains, the Warden of Kincora Boys’ Home. Mains trafficked Kincora boys to Lord Louis Mountbatten at Classiebawn Castle, Co. Sligo in the Republic of Ireland.
The book is called, The Mountbattens: their Lives & Loves, by Andrew Lownie. The author is a respected and serious historian who was once a Conservative Party Westminster election candidate. He is still friendly with many Tory MPs including one recently retired Cabinet minister.
Lownie is also author of a book on Guy Burgess entitled Stalin’s Englishman which had many interesting Irish angles to it.
Lownie relies on declassified FBI files which reveal that Lord Mountbatten “was a homosexual with a lust for young boys”. The FBI dossier was compiled by American agents during WWII and the Suez Crisis. The Americans began compiling the Mountbatten file in February 1944, shortly after Mountbatten became Supreme Allied Commander of Southeast Asia. They kept adding to it over the next three decades.
The FBI interviewed Elizabeth de la Poer Beresford, Baroness Decies, who knew about Mountbatten’s predilections. According to the FBI file: “She states that in these circles Lord Louis Mountbatten and his wife are considered persons of extremely low morals”. Also that he “was known to be a homosexual with a perversion for young boys”. Her opinion of him was that he was “an unfit man to direct any sort of military operations because of this condition”. She stated further that “his wife Lady Mountbatten was considered equally erratic”.
The entries on the file by the Baroness were signed by EE Conroy, Head of the New York field office, who wrote that she “appears to have no special motive in making the above statements”.
Agents opened more files on Mountbatten after World War II when he became NATO commander of allied forces in the Mediterranean, then admiral of the fleet, and later chief of the defence staff.
The FBI has long been known to keep compromising material on high-profile figures, most famously Martin Luther King.
THE EVIDENCE OF RON PERKS
The book also describes how Mountbatten’s former chauffeur Ron Perks often drove him to “an upmarket gay brothel used by senior naval officers” called the Red House near Rabat in Malta.
THE PROVISIONAL IRA WAS AWARE MOUNTBATTEN WAS A PAEDOPHILE
The Provisional IRA knew that Mountbatten was a paedophile. A plot was hatched to kill him in 1975 but it did not proceed. According to an IRA intelligence officer active at the time, “It was a better plan” than the one which went ahead in 1979. The earlier plot had been to shoot the Royal in his car when he emerged from his castle at Classiebawn, County Sligo. According to the IRA source, it would have avoided civilian casualties.
Although the IRA was aware of his paedophilia that was not the reason they chose to target him on either occasion.
JOSEPH MAINS, THE MAN WHO TRAFFICKED BOYS TO CLASSIEBAWN
The man responsible for trafficking the boys to Classiebawn was Joseph Mains, the Warden of Kincora. Two of the boys referred to in the book did not wish for their names to appear in print in connection with Mountbatten and Lownie has respected this. A third boy died in November 1977 and is also not named. Village is fully aware of all of their names and will respect the desire of the two living boys to remain anonymous. Village is also aware of some additional information which does not appear in the book. The most significant additional piece of information is about the boy who committed suicide. His name was Stephen Waring.
Mountbatten abused these boys during his summer vacations at Classiebawn in August of 1977. Mountbatten always visited his castle there in August. Stephen Waring was in Kincora at the time. He committed suicide within a few months of the visit to Co. Sligo. He had escaped from Kincora and made it as far as Liverpool where he was captured and put back on the Belfast-Liverpool Monarch Ferry from which he plunged into the sea in November of 1977. Waring had been put in a part of the ship which should have prevented him from gaining access to the part of the ship from where he plunged to his death. A witness – a British solider – was reputed to have said that he was very drunk at the time of his fall. His body was never recovered. No autopsy has ever taken place.
The abuse involving these two boys by Mountbatten took place in a building adjacent to Classiebawn Castle.
The boys knew they were being taken to the Republic of Ireland because Mains, who was sitting in the front of the vehicle, turned around and told them that they had crossed the Border.
While the mainstream British media is happy to report on the FBI files and the Ron Perk’s revelations, and much more besides, they have completely ignored the revelations on Kincora in the book. Equally, they have ignored the story of yet another boy who was ensnared in the wider Anglo-Irish Vice Ring of which Kincora was a part.
The section on Kincora refers to the former resident who is alive as ‘Sean. As Lownie describes it, he ‘was 16 years old when he says he was driven from the Kincora Boys Home in Belfast to Classiebawn in the summer of 1977. As the men who had brought them waited outside, ‘Sean’ remembers being taken into a darkened room where he was joined by: a man who undressed me and then gave me oral sex. I was there about an hour. He spoke quietly and tried to make me feel comfortable. He was one of those men who wanted attention, wanted you to chase him . . . I think he felt some shame. He said very sadly, ‘I hate these feelings.’ He seemed a sad and lonely person. I think the darkened room was all about denial . . . He grabbed my hand and put it on his chest . . . I only recognised who he was when I saw on the news that Lord Mountbatten had been killed’.
The other boy was 16. His name has been withheld. Lownie calls him as ‘Amal’ and describes how he ‘remembers being brought to Mullaghmore during the summer of 1977. ‘Amal’ says he met Mountbatten four times that summer on a day trip from Belfast. Each time the encounter, lasting an hour, took place in a suite at a hotel by the harbour about 15 minutes from Classiebawn. ‘Amal’ remembered: He was very polite, very nice. I knew he was someone important. He asked if I wanted a drink or candy. He told me he liked dark-skinned people especially Sri Lankan people as they were very friendly and very good-looking. I remember he admired my smooth skin. We gave each other oral sex in a 69 position. He was very tender and I felt comfortable about it. It seemed very natural. I know that several other boys from Kincora were brought to him on other occasions.
While the other boy was taken to Belfast and may indeed have visited Kincora, and certainly mixed with at least one Kincora boy, he was not a resident – certainly not a long term one – at the home.
If Garda Intelligence, led by Larry Wren knew anything about Mountbatten’s predilections, he did nothing to thwart it.
STEVEN WARING’S TRIPS TO THE UK
The abuse Waring suffered in Co. Sligo was not the only abuse he suffered that summer. Village first reported the details of this trip in February 2018. The core parts of the story are repeated hereunder.
During the summer of 1977, Richard Kerr, another resident at Kincora, was summoned by Joe Mains and was told that Joss Cardwell, a senior figure in the vice ring, had called and wanted him and Waring to proceed down to Belfast Harbour.
Cardwell was Chairman of Belfast Corporation Welfare Committee and in overall charge of Kincora and other homes such as Williamson House in Belfast. He was also a key figure in the Anglo-Irish Vice Ring. The boys knew exactly what Cardwell’s ominous edict entailed for them: they would be going to England to be sexually abused. On this trip, Kerr would be delivered into the grubby hands of a TV star in London.
Joss Cardwell
Kerr knew Caldwell as ‘Joseph’ Cardwell recalls how he wore a ‘funny’ hat and drove a blue minivan which he used to take boys out of Kincora. Some of these trips terminated at the Adelphi Hotel in Portrush where the boys were abused.
Stephen Waring and Richard Kerr boarded the ferry to Liverpool. In Liverpool they were met by Michael ‘A’. Kerr was familiar with him from Manchester where he had been abused at the Rembrandt Hotel. Michael ‘A’ was in the company of a man called Derek.
The group headed to a premises in Liverpool near Lime Street train station. By now it was well into the morning of the following day. The boys were ushered down a flight of steps into a basement with mattresses strewn across its floor. Approximately five others boys were being held. They were aged between 11 and 13. Kerr and Waring were kept with them for three or four hours.
Later that morning, Michael ‘A’ and Steven ‘J’ brought the two Kincora boys to the train station. The other – younger – boys did not travel with them.
Steven ‘J’ served the vice ring in a number of ways, one of which was to take salacious photographs of the boys ensnared in the vice-ring. Stephen ‘J’ also knew Joe Mains and Eric Witchell, he paedophile who ran Williamson House. Witchell was the first member of the A-IVR to have abused Kerr – while he was only 8 at Williamson House. During the 1970s Witchell resided in both Liverpool and Belfast. Witchell was later put in charge of Williamson House where Kerr resided before being sent to Kincora in 1975.
Witchell and Cardwell supplied boys from Williamson House to abusers favoured by the vice ring. Kerr was one of these boys. Village has the names of others. Some of them went on to commit suicide. (Steven Waring was not at Williamson House. These suicides of boys from Williamson House are not to be confused with his death.)
Richard Kerr
On this trip, Kerr and Waring reached Manchester with their two escorts, alighting and switching to another train. They were confined inside a first-class compartment on the final leg of the journey – which would take them to London – and were abused by Michael ‘A’ and Steven ‘J’ en route. The abuse was perpetrated in a clandestine manner and was manual.
After they reached London, the boys were separated and Kerr was brought to the Wimpy Bar in Piccadilly Circus. Piccadilly was notorious for the presence of so-called Dilly boys, unfortunate urchins who had been groomed, bullied and manipulated into becoming male prostitutes. Kerr was escorted to the upstairs floor of the Wimpy Bar and placed behind a table. There were two men inside the Wimpy Bar who were running the Dilly Boys at the time. Kerr recalls that one of them was the late Jack Murry, a well-dressed Englishman Englishman who smoked cigars and wore glasses. He does not know who the second man was.
Later, Kerr was ordered to go back downstairs and delivered to a TV star who was waiting outside for him. The man, who was much taller than Kerr, beckoned him to follow and walked approximately two feet ahead of Kerr in case anyone saw them together.
Kerr and the TV star walked up to a very well known street. The man opened a door on street level with a key. The door led immediately to a flight of stairs. He was brought upstairs. The man had a small room on the left-hand side of the stairs. It was sparsely furnished. Kerr was then abused in a degrading manner.
The adult gave Kerr £20 and he was then ushered downstairs, put back on the street and told to find his own way back to the Wimpy Bar.
What the adult did not realise was that Kerr was seething with resentment at the men who abused him and had perfected the practice of memorising detail about his abusers. He sometimes even managed to take photographs away with him as proof of their identity. Some of the photographs were of cars with their registration plates clearly visible and are now in the possession of Village. On this occasion, although the room was barely lived in, he managed to remove an item which he has described to Village.
Kerr later recognised the man from a guest appearance on the then hugely popular ‘Minder’ TV show, one of the actor’s numerous TV appearances in hugely successful BBC and ITV programmes, some of which were made for children. Richard Kerr does not wish to reveal the identity of the TV star at this point in time.
On another trip Kerr and Waring were taken to the South of England where another TV star – a household name far better known than even Jimmy Saville at the time – came into the room and chose Waring and took him away. Waring came back downcast and dejected and did not speak about what had happened. This was the characteristic way he behaved after being abused.
THE UDA AND KINCORA
The IRA was not the only paramilitary organisation which knew about the Anglo-Irish Vice Ring of which Kincora was a part. The UDA had the home under surveillance. Please see ‘Her Majesty’s Hatchetman’ for a detailed analysis of this at: https://villagemagazine.ie/index.php/2019/02/her-majestys-hat…-of-pat-finucane/ .)
As best Village can tell, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) in London has not displayed any interest in Lord Mountbatten, Eric Witchell or the Irish part of the Anglo-Irish Vice Ring. While the notorious fraud Carl Beech has been granted rights at the inquiry, Richard Kerr has not.
Most notorious horrific paedophile in recent British history ? Best friend: Prince Charles.
Most notorious paedophile in recent US history ? Best friend: Prince Andrew
Monarchists argue that this family are role models. C’mon UK, grow up & get rid of this tarnished circus
‘PERV’ DOSSIER
Prince Charles’ mentor Lord Mountbatten was ‘a homosexual with a perversion for young boys’, FBI files claim
18 Aug 2019
NEWLY unearthed FBI files describe Prince Charles’s mentor, Lord Mountbatten, as “a homosexual with a perversion for young boys”.
The 75-year-old secret dossier was obtained by British historian Andrew Lownie, using freedom of information laws.
Prince Charles and Lord Mountbatten visit Nepal to attend the coronation of King Birendra in 1975
Quotes from the files are included in his new biography of Mountbatten – Prince Philip’s uncle – and his wife Edwina.
The US dossier sheds further light on the sex life of Mountbatten, the last viceroy of India, and his wife. An aristocratic source close to the couple, interviewed by the FBI in the 1940s, described them as “persons of extremely low morals”.
Another source in the FBI files claimed that Mountbatten’s private life made him “an unfit man to direct any sort of military operations.”
Mr Lownie believes US spies began compiling intelligence on Mountbatten’s private life after he was made supreme allied commander of Southeast Asia during the Second World War.
It’s not known if the material was passed to the British government.
The book, The Mountbattens – Their Lives and Loves by Andrew Lownie – will be published on August 22.
Much of Mountbatten’s FBI file remains closed. Further US intelligence files were added after the war as Mountbatten became NATO commander of allied forces in the Mediterranean, then admiral of the fleet, and later chief of the defence staff.
One file dated April-July 1956 was destroyed in May 2017, shortly after Lownie requested the records.
The most intriguing of the documents is from May 1968, when a renowned FBI agent by the name of John Grombach discusses “a number of reports pertaining to the alleged homosexuality of Anthony Eden, Earl Mountbatten and (the diplomat) Anthony Nutting”.
Not surprisingly for a man of royal birth with film-star looks, Mountbatten cultivated a large group of gay friends, including Noel Coward, Terence Rattigan, Ivor Novello and Tom Driberg, who gave him the moniker “Mountbottom”.
The book contains an interview with a man who was Mountbatten’s lover throughout the 1970s, an unnamed neighbour then in his 20s.
In the new book, to be published on Thursday, Anthony Daly, a rent boy to the rich and famous during the 1970s, who had a close relationship with Driberg, claims: “Tom said Mountbatten had something of a fetish for uniforms — handsome young men in military uniforms (with high boots) and beautiful boys in school uniform.”
Met Police decided not to conduct full investigation into court claims of sex trafficking of girl in Prince Andrew photo
The Met Police decided not to conduct a ‘full investigation’ into allegations a 17 year old girl was trafficked as part of Jeffrey Epstein’s ‘sex ring.’
Channel 4 News can reveal that the Metropolitan Police began a review of “available evidence” in 2015 after receiving a complaint over claims in court papers that a girl was “forced to have sex with Prince Andrew”.
Channel 4 News also understands that lawyers for Virginia Roberts independently contacted the Metropolitan Police in 2016.
The Metropolitan Police said it “reviewed the available evidence” and decided that the matter “would not progress to a full investigation”.
It is not clear what constituted the available evidence.
The Met Police has refused to answer detailed questions about the allegations and whether they ever spoke to Epstein, his friend Ghislaine Maxwell, Prince Andrew or anyone from the Royal Household.
Prince Andrew has always denied “any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts”.
Tonight, lawyers for Virginia Roberts told Channel 4 News she is “hopeful” that “the London authorities will view the abuse she suffered while in London … as a serious investigative matter.”
In U.S court documents released last week, Virginia Roberts, now Giuffre, alleges that she was one of many girls and young women that were part of a sex trafficking network run by disgraced financier and paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Epstein was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell earlier this month.
In the court documents, Ms Roberts alleges that in 2001, aged 17, she was trafficked to the UK by Mr Epstein, accompanied by Ghislaine Maxwell, during which time she was “forced to have sexual relations with a member of the British Royal Family, Prince Andrew.”
A photo from early 2001, taken in a house believed to be that of Ghislane Maxwell, shows Prince Andrew with his arm around the bare waist of Virginia Roberts. Ms Maxwell is in the background of the photo.
These court documents contain various historical allegations made by Virginia Roberts, who says that she was subjected to repeated sexual abuse, sex trafficking and exploitation by Mr Epstein and his ‘sexual abuse ring’ from 1999 until 2002.
There is no suggestions that Prince Andrew was aware of any of Jeffrey Epstein’s activities.
A complaint to the police regarding the alleged sexual trafficking to the UK of Ms Roberts was received in 2015 from an unconnected third party.
Channel 4 News asked the Metropolitan Police a series of questions about Virginia Robert’s account of what she says happened to her at Maxwell’s London residence in early 2001.
The Met told Channel 4 News: “[We] can confirm that the Metropolitan Police Service [MPS] received an allegation of non-recent trafficking for sexual exploitation.
“The MPS reviewed the available evidence and the decision was made that this would not progress to a full investigation. As such, the matter was closed.”
There are of course several reasons why a full investigation would not be launched, but they have not made clear why further action was not taken on this matter.
Lawyers for Virginia Roberts, now Giuffre, told Channel 4 News: “Virginia Giuffre has been and remains hopeful that, given all the factual evidence that is now in the public domain, the London authorities will view the abuse she suffered while in London … as a serious investigative matter and they would be prepared to prosecute and hold those responsible accountable — regardless of status or power.”
In a court application filed in 2014 Virginia Giuffre alleged that she was forced to have sexual relations in three places when she was under 18.
The court ruled that “lurid” details in her application were “unnecessary” in determining if she could join the action. It ruled the details around sexual activities concerning Prince Andrew were “immaterial and impertinent” to the application, and should be stricken.
Allegations
Ghislaine Maxwell has previously denied any wrongdoing – including the allegations now in the public domain from court filings in the United States.
Buckingham Palace released a statement in relation to these allegations on behalf of Prince Andrew, the Duke of York.
“This relates to proceedings in the United States, to which The Duke of York is not a party. Any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors is categorically untrue.”
“It is emphatically denied that The Duke of York had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts. Any claim to the contrary is false and without foundation.”
An independent review is to be carried out into the Church of England’s handling of allegations against the John Smyth QC.
Smyth, who died last year at the age of 77, was accused of severely beating boys at his home in Winchester who had been groomed at Iwerne camps.
The holiday camps were designed to instil an evangelical ethos into young Christians with the aim of raising up future leaders in the Church of England.
The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby worked as a dormitory officer at the camps as a young man but has said he did not know of Smyth’s abuse. He is expected to give evidence during the review.
The allegations against Smyth were publicly exposed in February 2017 following a Channel 4 News investigation.
Mr Smyth was first confronted about the allegations in 1982 after an internal report commissioned by Rev Mark Ruston and Rev David Fletcher. The report was not passed on to the police.
Mr Smyth then left England for Zimbabwe and had been in the process of being extradited back to the UK at the time of his death.
Fletcher and his brother Jonathan were both part of the Iwerne leadership. Earlier this year, it emerged that Jonathan Fletcher had been barred from preaching by the Church of England as a result of accusations that he had engaged in “physical discipline” that amounted to spiritual abuse.
The allegations were passed on to the police who did not take any further action and in a statement, Fletcher denied any wrongdoing.
The independent review is to be overseen by Keith Makin, a former director of social services, and will consider the response of the Church of England to the allegations.
In addition to considering the actions of officials within the Church of England, it will also hear testimonies of those who have come forward to say they are victims of Smyth.
Commenting on the review, the Church of England’s lead safeguarding bishop, Peter Hancock said: “I know for survivors of John Smyth this review into the Church’s response – and the response of others – is vital to them.
“It was their bravery in coming forward that finally brought the abuse perpetrated by Smyth to the attention of the police and wider Church.
“We commend their actions and I pray that with cooperation from the other organisations the review will be comprehensive and that lessons will be learnt both by the Church and all those involved. We recognise that the process of a review can be a very difficult one, and our thoughts remain with the victims and survivors of John Smyth.
“We remain aware that there are others who were victims of Smyth that have not come forward to the Church and we urge them to make contact if they would like support.”
Child sex abuse police to learn whether they will face criminal charges after 3 year inquiry
The Independent Office for Police Conduct carried out the inquiry
15 Aug 2019
An official watchdog has concluded its three-year investigation into the police’s historic handling of child sexual abuse allegations against the late Leicester Labour politician Greville Janner.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has told LeicestershireLive it is now preparing to hand its findings to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
It is understood up to 12 individuals of various ranks, who have since retired from Leicestershire Police, have been investigated by the IOPC.
Once its findings have been handed over, the CPS will decide whether any of the ex-officers should face criminal charges.
The IOPC’s findings released so far mirror those of former High Court Judge Sir Richard Henriques, who carried out an official review of the case.
In January 2016, Sir Richard said three chances to put the politician on trial for alleged child abuse were missed because of mistakes by Leicestershire Police or the CPS in 1991, 2000 and 2006.
The CPS had wanted to charge the Labour peer with child sexual offences in 2015 but did not do so because of his deteriorating physical and mental health.
Lord Janner’s family has repeatedly asserted none of the allegations are true.
The Government’s Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) is due to hold a three-week hearing into the case next year.
It has been asked to look at whether efforts to try the former Labour MP for alleged child abuse when he was alive and well were “hindered or prevented” by public authorities.
Seven organisations, including Leicestershire Police, Leicestershire County Council and the Labour Party, will be asked to give accounts of what they knew of Lord Janner’s alleged sexual interest in young boys.
The hearing is expected to take testimonies from up to 33 men, many of them former children’s home residents, of alleged abuse at the hands of the politician.
The Janner investigation is one of a number of strands of the IICSA’s inquiry into allegations of sexual abuse by significant public figures, including those within children’s homes and the Catholic and Anglican churches and in the Houses of Parliament.
An IOPC spokesman said: “We have completed our investigation report into the manner in which Leicestershire Police dealt with allegations of child sexual abuse against former MP Greville Janner between 1990 and 2007.
“We are making decisions as to whether any of the individuals we investigated should be referred to the Crown Prosecution Service, to consider any potential criminal offences.
“We have updated the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, (IICSA), as to the current position.
“None of the individuals we investigated are serving police officers.”
The IOPC was formerly known as the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).
Both knew what their ‘other halves’ were doing with minors Both linked to Street Child
(Fergie founded it, Ghislaine’s spokesman supports it)
Both linked to Cantor Fitzgerald
Both linked to Stowe School
STOWE SCHOOL Linked to Ghislaine Maxwell, Sarah Ferguson, 9/11, Carl Beech, Harvey Proctor, Lord McAlpine, Richard Branson, Michael Grade, John Sainsbury, Sir Peter Hayman, John Henniker-Major WADDESDON MANOR & ASCOTT HOUSE Rothschilds CLIVEDEN Astors
LORD JOHN HENNIKER-MAJOR attended Stowe and was governor of Stowe 1982-1990
LORD JOHN HENNIKER-MAJORprovided a sanctuary on his Thornham Magna estate to Peter Righton, who supplied boys to paedophile VIPs at DOLPHIN SQUARE etc. In 1992 Righton rented a cottage on Henniker’s estate. Righton had already been charged with having obscene images of kids.
Above, we see Ghislaine Maxwell at the 2003 summer ball at STOWE SCHOOL.
It was called the La Dolce Vita party, and its ostensible purpose was to fund-raise for the CANTOR FITZGERALD FUND.
CANTOR FITZGERALD is financial services firm which does an awful lot for ‘charity’.
Cantor Fitzgerald sponsored summer parties at Stowe School in 2002, 2003, and 2004 (there may have been other Cantor Fitzgerald-linked ‘charity’ parties at Stowe School in other years, too).
“During 9/11, Cantor Fitzgerald occupied the 101st to the 105th floors of One World Trade Center.”
Lutnick and Trump
Cantor Fitzgerald (BGC Partners) is 60% owned by its CEO, HOWARD LUTNICK, a Jewish American billionaire.
“Howard Lutnick did not lose his life on Sept. 11, 2001 because he took his son to school.”
Jeffrey Epstein lived at 9 East 71st Street in New York City.
Howard Lutnick lived at 11 East 71st Street in New York City.
“An investigation found that Epstein’s history at the address is entangled with the adjacent property, 11 E. 71st St., now home to billionaire Howard Lutnick.”
Amaitis and Charles, just after 9 11.
LEE AMAITIS was formerly the head of Cantor Fitzgerald’s London office.
Amaitis is the founder, president and chief executive officer of CG Technology, a gambling subsidiary based in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Stowe School’s headmaster, Dr Anthony Wallersteiner, is a Trustee of ‘Children in Crisis’.
CHILDREN IN CRISIS WAS FOUNDED BY SARAH, DUCHESS OF YORK.
SARAH FERGUSON, who married Prince Andrew, with DR WALLERSTEINER, at STOWE SCHOOL
Sarah, Duchess of York, and her daughters have supported the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund in the past, which distributes money to ‘victims of terrorism, emergencies and natural disasters’.
Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew also have personal links to Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein.
Stowe School – A pupil said of Stowe: “There was a game known as the Temple Challenge, where couples would compete to have sex at all of the 40 tiny neo-classical buildings in the school’s 750 acres.” ‘Pupils had competition to have sex everywhere’
Ghislaine Maxwell’s Mossad father, Robert Maxwell, was the MP for Stowe, where Stowe School is located.
Could there be links –
Stowe School, Cantor Fitzgerald, Ghislaine and Robert Maxwell.
An ‘Israel/Mossad sponsored’ international child trafficking empire.
9/11 and the subsequent reordering of the Middle East.
A pupil said of Stowe: “There was a game known as the Temple Challenge, where couples would compete to have sex at all of the 40 tiny neo-classical buildings in the school’s 750 acres.” ‘Pupils had competition to have sex everywhere’
Ghislaine Maxwell’s Mossad father, Robert Maxwell, was the MP for Stowe, where Stowe School is located.
Could there be links –
Stowe School, Cantor Fitzgerald, Ghislaine and Robert Maxwell.
An ‘Israel/Mossad sponsored’ international child trafficking empire.
9/11 and the subsequent reordering of the Middle East.
Stowe School spawned Richard Branson, Peter Hayman, John Henniker-Major, Charles Manners, Alistair McAlpine and John Sainsbury.
A Stowe director: Ethne Bannister, the cousin of Roger Bannister whose son Clive is on Epstein’s list.
Ethne’s son Nicholas, a banker like Clive, moved out of the Twin Towers shortly before 9/11 … and wasn’t the only one with links to Stowe!
Jonathan James Molyneux Fletcher, a Stowe School director, is the brother of David Fletcher, head of Iwerne camps and Titus Trust Trustee, which spawned John Smyth QC. J Fletcher was a frequent visitor at Iwerne, along with Archbishop Justin Welby.
Ghislaine Maxwell attends the “LaDolce Vita” party in aid of the “Cantor Fitzgerald Fund” held at the notorious Stowe School
Cantor Fitzgerald of 9/11 Twin Towers
Sarah Ferguson and 9/11...
Sarah Ferguson had offices on the 101st Fl of the Twin Towers, as did Cantor Fitzgerald…
SARAH Ferguson has revealed her Chances for Children’s mascot, a doll named Little Red, was miraculously found at ground zero following the horrific 9/11 catastrophe that shook America in 2001.
The Duchess of York said the item was discovered by a volunteer, Brian Van Flandern, who found the rag doll amongst the rubble following the September 11 terror attacks that killed 2, 996 people.
Little Red was in charity’s office located on the 101st floor of the World Trade Centre’s North Tower,when a group of extremists hijacked and crashed two planes into the twin towers during the 9/11 attacks.
Sarah told the BBC: “Because our office is on the 101st floor, Little Red always sat on the window looking over New York and over the United States as I imagine she did because she is a little red rag doll, standing at about 12 inches.
“On the day of the terrible disaster, she was found in the rubble by a fireman who put her in his helmet and carried her out.
AND
The Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson was in New York City on September 11, 2001. She was in NBC studios being interviewed by Matt Lauer when the first plane hit. Lauer later recalled he was told by his director that a plane had just hit the WTC, and they would be cutting away from the interview with Ferguson. Ferguson’s charity, “Chances for Children,” was located on the 101st floor of 1 World Trade Center. She was scheduled to be in the building with the charity but she was running late. None of the charity’s employees were trapped in the building, but nearly 700 employees of Cantor Fitzgerald, the financial firm providing free office space to the duchess’ charity, were killed in the aftermath of the attack.
Stowe School spawned Richard Branson, Peter Hayman, John Henniker-Major, Charles Manners, Alistair McAlpine and John Sainsbury.
A Stowe director: Ethne Bannister, the cousin of Roger Bannister whose son Clive is on Epstein’s list.
Ethne’s son Nicholas, a banker like Clive, moved out of the Twin Towers shortly before 9/11 … and wasn’t the only one with links to Stowe!
Ghislaine Maxwell attends the “LaDolce Vita” party in aid of the “Cantor Fitzgerald Fund” held at the notorious Stowe School
Cantor Fitzgerald of 9/11 Twin Towers
Sarah Ferguson and 9/11...
Sarah Ferguson had offices on the 101st Fl of the Twin Towers, as did Cantor Fitzgerald…
SARAH Ferguson has revealed her Chances for Children’s mascot, a doll named Little Red, was miraculously found at ground zero following the horrific 9/11 catastrophe that shook America in 2001.
The Duchess of York said the item was discovered by a volunteer, Brian Van Flandern, who found the rag doll amongst the rubble following the September 11 terror attacks that killed 2, 996 people.
Little Red was in charity’s office located on the 101st floor of the World Trade Centre’s North Tower,when a group of extremists hijacked and crashed two planes into the twin towers during the 9/11 attacks.
Sarah told the BBC: “Because our office is on the 101st floor, Little Red always sat on the window looking over New York and over the United States as I imagine she did because she is a little red rag doll, standing at about 12 inches.
“On the day of the terrible disaster, she was found in the rubble by a fireman who put her in his helmet and carried her out.
AND
The Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson was in New York City on September 11, 2001. She was in NBC studios being interviewed by Matt Lauer when the first plane hit. Lauer later recalled he was told by his director that a plane had just hit the WTC, and they would be cutting away from the interview with Ferguson. Ferguson’s charity, “Chances for Children,” was located on the 101st floor of 1 World Trade Center. She was scheduled to be in the building with the charity but she was running late. None of the charity’s employees were trapped in the building, but nearly 700 employees of Cantor Fitzgerald, the financial firm providing free office space to the duchess’ charity, were killed in the aftermath of the attack.
Danish PM apologises for historical abuse in children’s homes
13 Aug 2019
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has officially said sorry to hundreds of victims of historical abuse in state-run homes.
From 1945-76, children were sexually abused, beaten and drugged, an inquiry into what happened at the homes found.
The abuse took place across Denmark and campaigners have for years appealed to the state to accept it was at fault.
Details about the homes first hit the headlines in 2005, when a Danish TV documentary featured shocking allegations of abuse and mistreatment from victims of the state-run Godhavn Boys’ Home, in north-eastern Denmark.
The documentary also uncovered evidence that a psychiatrist had tested drugs on some of the children. Bjorn Elmquist, then an MP who had already been working on the abuse cases, said the drug LSD had been used to counter bed-wetting, leading to many of the children later becoming drug addicts.
Soon after the programme, the National Association of the Godhavn’s Boys was formed and an independent inquiry was conducted in 2010.
The report, published in 2011, investigated allegations of abuse and neglect at 19 homes for both boys and girls, interviewing children, staff and state inspectors.
Despite its limited scope, it documented “alarming physical, sexual and psychological abuse” and researchers found blood traces on a gymnastic horse, indicating children had been beaten on it.
Mr Elmquist, now a lawyer, said many of the victims felt great shame over what had happened. “Some of them contacted me and begged me not to have their names mentioned publicly.”
He spoke of boys working in fields who were punished by adults using metal tools and of the overweight master at Godhavn having his own special form of punishment. “He pushed them with his big stomach and they fell down the staircase. He put them on a sofa and sat on top of them and jumped on them,” he told the BBC.
Arne Roel Jorgensen found out three years ago that he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder because of what had happened to him so many years ago.
“Many of us have had failed marriages and we didn’t learn how to act in society because nobody told us. I’m 68 now and definitely still living with the effects.”
Nobody was ever prosecuted for what took place at the homes and successive governments decided the case was too old to be pursued
Princes William and Harry may have visited paedo billionaire Jeffrey Epstein’s mansion when they were children, court documents suggest
12 Aug 2019
During testimony relating to “celebrities” he had personally met while working for Epstein, Mr Alessi reeled off a list of names, but no other context was given in the court papers.
His full quote said: “I then listed Senator Mitchell, Prince Andrew, Princess Sarah Ferguson, Miss Yugoslavia, Miss Germany, Alan Dershowitz, Princess Diana’s secretary with her children, Mr Trump, Mr Robert Kennedy Jr, Frederik Fekkai, and a couple Noble prize winners as celebrities that I had seen while working for Mr Epstein.”
A dozen FBI agents raid Jeffrey Epstein’s ‘Pedophile Island’
12 Aug 2019
Many members of the community believe that Epstein hid young girls he allegedly enslaved in underground rooms below the temple and other parts of the island.
New York Times: “The medical examiner is confident the cause of death [of Jeffrey Epstein] is suicide by hanging, but she wants more information from law enforcement before releasing her determination, a city official said”
Alan Dershowitz with O J Simpson
Dr Michael Baden worked with Jeffrey Epstein client Alan Dershowitz on the O J Simpson trial.
Epstein’s lawyers hired Dr Michael Baden to observe the autopsy. Dr Michael baden was part of OJ Simpson’s “Dream Team” which included Jeffrey Epstein client, Alan Dershowitz
Dr Michael Baden – a key defense expert in O.J. Simpson’s double-murder trial
But Simpson was unlike other defendants. He was rich. And he began using some of his resources to hire the best legal defense team ever assembled in the United States—a group with so many legal stars that the news media dubbed in the “Dream Team.” The new lead counsel, Robert Shapiro, and his colleagues, Johnnie Cochran, F Lee Bailey, Alan Dershowitz, and several others, quickly realized the role that forensic evidence would play in the case, and they in turn brought in several of the nation’s premier forensic expert to assist in the defense. They included: Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld, two New York-based lawyers specializing in DNA; Dr. Michael Baden of New York, regarded as the top pathologist and medical examiner
Jeffrey Epstein Documents: ‘Simpsons’ Creator Matt Groening Allegedly Received Foot Massage From 16-Year-Old Girl
At this point, it is not clear if this alleged massage is the extent of Groening’s interactions with Epstein. In a sworn affidavit, Juan P. Alessi, an employee at Epstein’s home in Palm Beach, Florida, says that he was asked earlier by an attorney about Groening, however his answer to that question remains behind sealed court records.
Royals rally round Prince Andrew as he is joined at church by The Queen, Charles and Beatrice a day after his past came back to haunt him with suicide of billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein
The Queen sat next to her son on their way to church on the grounds of Balmoral this morning, as Prince Andrew faces renewed scrutiny over his friendship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein who was found dead in his jail cell yesterday.
The Prince shared a car with his mother and daughter, Princess Beatrice, to Kirk on the Scottish estate this morning, while Charles and Camilla drove themselves.
Epstein was accused of arranging to have sex with dozens of underage girls at his residences in New York and Florida, but had denied two counts of sex trafficking.
His body was discovered at 6.30am US time yesterday at the Metropolitan Correctional Centre in Manhattan, hours after a court in New York released 2,000 pages of previously sealed legal documents.
One document repeated the allegation, which the Prince has always denied, that Andrew had sex with a 17 year old girl.
As the FBI launched an investigation into Epstein’s death, it emerged that:
A legal source said: ‘Ghislaine is the key to all this now that Epstein will no longer face justice himself. The victims deserve answers and she was the person closest to Epstein.
‘Far from being the end to Prince Andrew’s problems, Epstein’s suicide could put him under renewed scrutiny because of his close friendship with Ghislaine.’
I have direct experience of providing medical care to prison inmates held on suicide watch. The inmates are monitored on videotape and have each 15 minutes one-to-one check is documented. It’s virtually *impossible* for inmates on suicide watch to successfully achieve a suicide.
The death of Jeffrey Epstein is awfully convenient for a lot of awfully important people in high places.
@ciabaudo
Isn’t it telling that even Jeffrey Epstein’s suicide watch guard looked the other way at just the right moment ….?
The Bureau of Prisons is part of DOJ. This should prompt an immediate and comprehensive DOJ Inspector General investigation to determine who is responsible for Epstein’s death.
So let’s have a look who is in charge over there …
4:48am PDT – July 9th, 2019 epstein – The Washington Times
Attorney General William P. Barr will not recuse himself from new charges filed against billionaire Jeffrey Epstein by federal prosecutors in New York, a senior Justice Department said Tuesday.
Jeffrey Epstein was hired as a teacher at exclusive prep school Dalton, despite not having a college degree. The headmaster following Donald Barr at Dalton was accused of sexually assaulting a teenager.
People involved with Dalton School… @morphonios
While #Epstein was teaching at Dalton, Donald Barr’s son, William was working for the CIA. William later served as GHW Bush’s Attorney General during the CIA Iran-Contra Affair & refused to allow the appointment of a Special Counsel to investigate. #Trump brought Barr back as AG.
Donald Barr gave his resignation in February but he did not leave until June 7th, which was after Epstein had been hired. See the NYT archive to confirm:
William Pelham Barr (born May 23, 1950) is an American attorney serving as the 85th United States Attorney General in the Donald Trump administration since February 14, 2019. He also served as the 77th Attorney General from 1991 to 1993, in the George H. W. Bush administration.
In 1992, Barr launched a surveillance program to gather records of innocent Americans’ international phone calls.[41] The DOJ Inspector General concluded that this program was launched without a review of the legality of the program.[41] According to USA Today, the program “provided a blueprint for far broader phone-data surveillance the government launched after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.”[41]
Iran-Contra
In late 1992, Independent Counsel Lawrence Walsh, who had been chosen to investigate the Iran–Contra affair, found documents in the possession of Reagan’s former defense secretary, Caspar Weinberger, which Walsh said was “evidence of a conspiracy among the highest-ranking Reagan Administration officials to lie to Congress and the American public.”[42][43] Weinberger was set to stand trial on felony charges on January 5, 1993.[42][44] His “indictment said Mr. Weinberger’s notes contradicted Mr. Bush’s assertions that he had only a fragmentary knowledge of the arms secretly sold to Iran in 1985 and 1986 in exchange for American hostages in Lebanon.”[44][43][45] According to Walsh, then-president Bush might have been called as a witness.[46]
On December 24, 1992, during his final month in office, Bush, on the advice of Barr, pardoned Weinberger,[10][47] along with five other administration officials who had been found guilty on charges relating to the Iran–Contra affair.[10][48][49][42] Barr was consulted extensively regarding the pardons, and especially advocated for pardoning Weinberger.[50]
Walsh complained about the move insinuating that Bush on Barr’s advice had used the pardons to avoid testifying and stating that: “The Iran-contra cover-up, which has continued for more than six years, has now been completed.”[51] In 2003, he wrote an account of the investigation in his book, Firewall: The Iran-Contra Conspiracy and Cover-Up.
Because of this and Barr’s unwillingness to appoint an independent counsel to look into a second scandal known as Iraqgate, New York Times writer William Safire began to refer to Barr as “Coverup-General Barr.”[52] Barr, however, responded that he believed Bush had made the right decision regarding that and he felt people in the case had been treated unfairly.[53] Barr said that Walsh was a “head-hunter” who “had completely lost perspective.”[54]
Bronfman/ALEC/Barr
Former headmaster of Dalton accused of sexually assaulting teen student
June 7, 2018
The headmaster of an elite Upper East Side private school sexually assaulted a disadvantaged teen for months when he took her into his home to help out with his new baby, an explosive new lawsuit charges.
The victim, identified as J.S., was 14 years old when Gardner Dunnan, the long-time head of the Dalton School, allegedly preyed upon her at his Manhattan apartment and in his New Jersey summer home.
The alleged attacks happened in 1986 when J.S. was living at Dunnan’s family’s Upper East Side home while attending the tony school tuition-free — in exchange for her working as a “family helper.”
She accuses Dalton of turning a blind eye to Dunnan’s alleged behavior, saying the school ” should have been aware that Dunnan was likely to engage in sexual misconduct or other harmful behavior.”
Dunnan was forced to resign from Dalton in 1997 — after his affair with a married female teacher at the school was exposed. He served as headmaster at the East 89th Street school for 23 years. (Since 1974)
Bill Barr also published a sci-fi novel about sex slavery before he allegedly hired Epstein at the Dalton School. Another weird coincidence…
Disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide overnight in his Lower Manhattan jail cell – the federal lockup where he had been held pending trial on federal sex trafficking charges, three law enforcement officials told @ABC News.
Virginia Giuffre claimed in a 2016 deposition that Ghislaine Maxwell directed her to have sex with former Gov. Bill Richardson, Britain’s Prince Andrew, wealthy financier Glenn Dubin, former senator George Mitchell, modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel, and “another prince”
2007
Bolomberg: George Mitchell, President Barack Obama’s special Middle East troubleshooter, was chairman of a law firm that was paid about $8 million representing Dubai’s ruler in connection with a child-trafficking lawsuit.
The DLA Piper law firm did legal and lobbying work on the case, which alleged that Dubai’s Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al- Maktoum and another official used children kidnapped from other countries to ride as jockeys in camel races. The firm lobbied federal agencies, members of the U.S. House and about two dozen Senate offices, including those of Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2006 and 2007, according to Justice Department foreign-agent disclosures.
Mitchell, 75, who isn’t a registered lobbyist, didn’t lobby either on this issue or for Dubai generally. DLA Piper partner Bill Minor said in an e-mail that Mitchell, a former Democratic senator from Maine, mainly focused on growth and management at the firm of almost 4,000 attorneys and 65 offices worldwide, and high-profile projects such as an investigation of steroid use in Major League Baseball.
Mitchell’s firm had extensive lobbying clients and offices in the Middle East ranging from the leader of Dubai to a Kuwait construction firm contracting in Iraq. The firm also has offices in Egypt, Oman, Qatar and Abu Dhabi and has an affiliation with a law firm in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Mitchell traveled to Dubai and spoke to the press there about the issue.
Suit Thrown Out
The camel-jockey suit was thrown out after the U.S. Justice Department notified a Miami federal judge that it planned to intervene and argue that al-Maktoum was immune from the suit as a foreign leader.
@morphonios
Epstein Maxwell connections to the 8 member Israeli Genie Oil board of directors. Newly unsealed court docs now implicate former Gov. Bill Richardson (board member #4 – he is accused of having sex w/Virginia Roberts).
Second Girl testifies to sex with Prince Andrew
Ms. Sjoberg also testified about sexual acts that occurred with her, Prince Andrew, and
Ms. Giuffre, when she and Defendant were staying at Epstein’s Manhattan mansion
It is an undisputed fact that Rinaldo Rizzo testified that Defendant took the passport of a 15-year-old Swedish girl and threatened her when she refused to have sex with Epstein.
Ghislaine took my passport. And I said threatened, she says yes, I was threatened by Ghislaine not to discuss this
Ghislaine lied about being on Lolita Express flights and denied that she appeared on Epsteins flight logs
But It is an undisputed fact that Pilot David Rodgers testified that he flew Defendant and Ms. Giuffre at least 23 times on Epstein’s jet, the “Lolita Express” and that “GM” on the flight logs Stands for Ghislaine Maxwell.
Juan Alessi, Alfredo Rodriguez and Joanna Sjoberg, have
testified that she was Epstein’s procuress.
Maxwell was at Epstein’s Palm Beach mansion in 2004 and 2005, incidentally a time period she has denied being around the house in her deposition
Book receipts included SM 101: A Realistic Introduction, Wiseman, Jay;
SlaveCraft: Roadmaps for Erotic Servitude – Principles, Skills and Tools by Guy
Baldwin; and
Training with Miss Abernathy: A Workbook for Erotic Slaves and Their Owners
It is undisputed fact that the FBI report and the Churcher emails reference Ms. Giuffre’s accounts of sexual activity with Prince Andrew that she made in 2011, contrary to #Maxwells argument that Ms. Giuffre never made such claims until 2014.
Virginia Giuffre told the FBI in 2011 that she had sex with Prince Andrew
In Palm Beach butler’s, Alfredo Rodriguez’s testimony he stated that he personally saw photos of naked children on Ghislaines computer. See
McCawley Dec. at Exhibit 21, Rodriguez Dep. Tr. at 150:10-17; 306:1-306:24.
Jeffrey Epstein: large tranche of files released in Ghislaine Maxwell lawsuit
Files made public in case of British socialite may contain extra details of allegations against Epstein and his political connections
9 Aug 2019
Ghislaine Maxwell was alleged to have recruited Virginia Giuffre to work as a masseuse for Jeffrey Epstein when the latter was 15.
A large tranche out of 2,000 pages of potentially explosive documents in a lawsuit against Ghislaine Maxwell – the British socialite and daughter of former media tycoon Robert Maxwell accused of acting as a recruiter of girls and women for disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein – have been made public.
Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s many accusers, filed a Manhattan federal court lawsuit against Maxwell in 2015, alleging defamation. Giuffre, née Roberts, claimed Maxwell defamed her by calling her a liar over her allegations against Maxwell and Epstein.
Giuffre has alleged that Maxwell recruited her to work as a masseuse for Epstein when she was 15 and had been working as a locker-room attendant at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.
Giuffre had previously alleged that Epstein, who had political connections, forced her into sexual encounters with Prince Andrew. Buckingham Palace has vehemently denied Giuffre’s allegations. In 2015 it released a statement saying: “The allegations made are false and without any foundation.”
Maxwell and Giuffre settled the lawsuit in 2017 but scores of case documents – which many speculate may contain additional details of allegations against Epstein and his political connections – had remained under seal until a federal appeals court ordered their release.
The release of these documents comes in the wake of Epstein’s arrest last month on sex trafficking and sex trafficking conspiracy charges for alleged sexual abuse of underage girls between 2002 and 2005, at his homes in New York City and Palm Beach, Florida. The Manhattan US attorney’s office, which is pursuing this case, alleges some of Epstein’s victims were just 14 years old.
Epstein, a financier whose net worth is now thought to be some $560m, also associated with Donald Trump and Bill Clinton.
Trump, who was pictured partying with Epstein and women in the 1990s, has recently attempted to distance himself from the financier.
In the wake of Epstein’s arrest last month, Trump told reporters he “knew [Epstein], like everybody in Palm Beach knew him”, but added: “I had a falling out with him. I haven’t spoken to him in 15 years. I was not a fan of his, that I can tell you.”
However, in a 2002 profile of Epstein from New York magazine, Trump was quoted as saying: “I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy. He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”
Clinton also distanced himself from Epstein in a statement issued by his press secretary, saying he had “not spoken to Epstein in well over a decade” and “knows nothing about the terrible crimes Jeffrey Epstein pleaded guilty to in Florida some years ago, or those with which he had been recently charged in New York”.
Giuffre has also claimed Epstein forced her to have sex with the prominent US lawyer and law professor Alan Dershowitz, who defended Epstein in his 2008 abuse case, in which he secured a plea deal. Dershowitz has repeatedly denied the claims and called for the court documents in the Maxwell case to be released, saying he is confident they would clear his name.
After Epstein’s first appearance in court in New York following his arrestlast month, Giuffre’s lawyer, Sigrid McCawley, issued a statement from her client, saying it was time for Epstein “and those who participated in these sex crimes to be brought to justice”.
Fermanagh child abuse: Four women claim ex-principal abused them
8 August 2019
John McElholm died in 1995
A former school principal in County Fermanagh sexually abused several young girls more than 30 years ago, it has been alleged.
Four women have told the Impartial Reporter newspaper they were attacked by John McElholm, a former principal of St Paul’s Primary School in Irvinestown, who died in 1995.
Mr McElholm was also a former chairman of the Fermanagh GAA county board.
The alleged victims said others knew the abuse was happening.
It is the latest report into historic sexual abuse in County Fermanagh carried by the newspaper in the past several months.
The Impartial Reporter’s Rodney Edwards told BBC Radio Ulster that Mr McElholm was “a highly respected member of the community”.
“For years he allegedly preyed on children by summoning them to his office, closing the blinds and sexually abusing them before sending them back to class,” he said.
“I have been investigating allegations surrounding McElholm for months now.
“The most striking is the amount of people say they knew or had heard rumours about what was going on.
“It was very much an open secret in Irvinestown but why was he allowed to get away with it?” he said.
Mr Edwards was contacted by four of his alleged victims.
‘Pillar of the community’
“They don’t know each other but their stories are similar,” he said.
The newspaper carries testimony from four woman who alleged they were sexually assaulted as children and a man who said he witnessed an attack by Mr McElholm.
One woman told the Impartial Reporter that she was in primary four when the abuse started and that it continued for four years.
She said she “thought no one would believe me as he was a pillar of the community”.
Mr McElholm was also the chairman of the Irish National Teachers Organisation and president of local St Vincent de Paul for a time, the Impartial Reporter reported.
‘Takes allegations seriously’
“By many accounts he was adored and respected by many,” said Mr Edwards.
“For the alleged victims, and for others, it is vital that someone confirms what was known back then and by whom,” he added.
The paper reports that the Public Prosecution Service are interviewing his alleged victims.
The Clogher diocese said it had never been made aware of any allegations against Mr McElholm.
The Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS) was established after the alleged abuse took place as and therefore has no records available.
The PSNI told the paper that it does not comment on the detail of specific cases but that it “takes every allegation of child sexual abuse seriously whether it happened recently or many years ago”.
“The public protection branch continue to offer to meet with any victim of historical sexual abuse whether or not previously reported,” it added.
Police Commissioner says ministers should fund a national inquiry to look into remaining sexual assault allegations against former prime minister and Wiltshire resident Sir Edward Heath.
Angus Macpherson, police and crime commissioner for Swindon and Wiltshire, claims a statutory inquiry is the only way accusations against the Salisbury politician could be pursued.
His comments followed the conviction of former Swindon hospital manager Carl Beech, who claimed he had been sexually abused as a child by a Westminster paedophile ring made up of entertainers, army chiefs and MPs – including Sir Edward Heath.
The police commissioner was speaking after a jury found 51-year-old Beech guilty on 12 counts of perverting the course of justice and one count of fraud.
The former Great Western Hospital worker had initially approached the Wiltshire force in 2012, telling detectives of abuse he claimed to have suffered at the hands of Jimmy Savile and heads of the army. Wiltshire Police took no further action.
Two years later, Beech met detectives working for the Metropolitan Police and levelled accusations against Sir Edward Heath, former home secretary Lord Brittan and two former heads of the armed forces.
Mr Macpherson said: “As I have made clear, a further local review will not have the powers needed to deliver what Sir Edward Heath’s family and friends demand. It wouldn’t be appropriate for us to set the terms of reference for any review as we would, effectively, be marking our own homework.”
“A sharply-focused statutory inquiry, with powers to question witnesses and scrutinise documents, can now be the only way the small number of remaining allegations against Sir Edward can be discounted or given credence.”
“Only the government can initiate that inquiry and provide those individuals who made the allegations with closure, while also answering the calls of Sir Edward’s family and friends who seek to clear his name.”
“I have pressed successive Home Secretaries on this and believe the government should act without further delay.”
In a statement, Wiltshire Police this week said detectives on its Operation Conifer probe – a national investigation launched in 2015 into allegations of historical sex abuse allegations made against Heath – had never spoken to Beech. Instead, the man’s claims were passed to the force by the Met.
“During the investigation, the specific allegations from Carl Beech were considered, by the senior investigating officer in Op Conifer, to have undermining evidence and a decision was taken at the time that we would not pursue further inquiries into the allegations made by Beech,” a spokeswoman said.
Op Conifer was subject to criticism, with Lincoln Seligman, Sir Edward Heath’s godson, saying ahead of a report published in 2017 that it would contain “more innuendo than facts”.
A number of reviews of the operation have since found it was following correct procedures
A Home Office spokesman said there were no grounds to justify a review.
“After careful consideration, the Home Secretary has concluded that the handling of this investigation remains a matter for the local Police and Crime Commissioner, and that there are no grounds to justify a review or intervention by the Government,” he said.
Chelmsford choirmaster Kenneth Francis guilty of abusing choirboys
A former boarding school choirmaster has been found guilty of abusing four boys.
Kenneth Francis, 72, assaulted the choristers while a teacher at Widford Lodge Boarding School in Chelmsford in the 1970s.
Francis, of Pepys Court, Cambridge, was found guilty of 15 counts of indecent assault and two counts of gross indecency after a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court.
He will be sentenced on 27 August.
He was on trial alongside Malcolm Archer, of North Wootton, Somerset, who was cleared of two counts of indecent assault.
The 67-year-old was suspended as director of chapel music at Winchester College late in 2017 and subsequently left the school.
Abuser ‘rated performance’
Francis assaulted boys who were members of the school choir between 1972 and 1979.
He had kissed pupils during one-to-one lessons before touching their genitals, the court heard.
One of Francis’s victims said during the trial that he had been abused beneath the school stage then given reward stars by the choirmaster, which he told police were “for my performance under the stage”.
One of the men abused by Francis said it had taken many years for him to speak about what had happened.
“The psychological scarring is something that I have had to struggle with growing up, but it never heals,” he said.
“You just learn to live with it, as a dark part of yourself that you try to keep hidden away.
Further to my previous blog about the rather colourful life of Harvey Proctor, I felt compelled to blog an update following a number of matters that came out of the Carl Beech trial – matters that the mainstream media have chosen not to follow up. I’ll leave you to draw your own conclusions as to why. Whatever your feelings towards Carl, it is important for the law to be seen to be fair – as the scales of justice signify.
In his book ‘Credible and True‘, Proctor expressed his thanks to a number of journalists that were applying pressure on Carl, which never sat easily with me because there seemed to be a concerted effort by a select few ‘journalists’ to discredit Carl whilst a police investigation was ongoing. It then goes without saying that the very same journalists have since written pieces following the conclusion of the trial that aren’t objective in the slightest and have failed to report all the facts, particularly the information which follows.
MARK WATTS’ STATEMENTThis update refers to information that Mark Watts (who attended each day of the trial) had issued in his statement following the conclusion of the trial.DAMNING EVIDENCE AGAINST PROCTORI want to look at the elements of Mark’s statement one by one – Elements that the mainstream media have oddly chosen to ignore. Proctor is currently doing the rounds and talking to anyone that will listen, but not one single interviewer has asked about the following evidence:
The court heard on June 21 (without the jury) that before Harvey Proctor pleaded guilty in 1987 to four counts of gross indecency with two [underage] men aged 17 and 20, police had gathered witness statements that tended to show a sexual interest of the then MP in “young boys.”
As was noted in court, no prosecution was pursued in relation to this specific material.
So, when Proctor was arrested and charged with indecency against two males (one of whom was just 16 at the time), the police discovered he had a penchant for “young boys” but this element of the inquiry was not pursued.
David Napley was representing Proctor in court at that time – the Tory go-to man. Is this another example of deference shown to those in positions of public prominence, as we have been shown throughout the Westminster strand of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse?
A CHILD’S BLOOD-STAINED UNDERWEAR AND SCHOOL UNIFORM
The court also heard that ‘Operation Midland’, when searching Harvey Proctor’s home in 2015, seized “a school uniform with a child’s underwear” – for a child of 13 to 14 – that was “blood stained”, and that Proctor – who was not arrested – refused to provide a blood sample.
Martin Allen
One of the allegations Carl made was that Proctor was involved in the murder of a boy whom he believed to be Martin Allen. Martin disappeared on his way home from school on 5th November 1979 wearing his school uniform. This begs the question – did Op Midland share this find with Op Malswick – the operation set up to investigate Martin’s disappearance? If so, did they extract any forensic evidence from the blood and check it against Martin’s brother? Even more basic – why didn’t they inform Kevin of this find and show a photograph of the uniform to Kevin so that he could either identify or dismiss it as that belonging to Martin? Kevin says he heard nothing whatsoever from Malswick for over a year, and only then was he allowed to see 12 witness statements.
Martin’s uniform looked like this:
DUKE OF RUTLAND – BELVOIR ESTATE
It’s also interesting to note that Proctor’s home that was searched was actually a grace and favour home on the Belvoir estate, given to him by the Duke and Duchess of Rutland in return for his work showing round groups of visitors – including school children.
That aside, even more interestingly, the Duke was connected rather bizarrely to the 1987 case of indecency against Proctor. Someone tried to blackmail Robert Maxwell in an attempt to gag him from exposing anything further about Proctor. A mysterious well-spoken man phoned Maxwell insisting that The People STOP printing stories about Proctor, otherwise some rather compromising details of an alleged relationship between Maxwell’s daughter Ghislaine, and the Duke of Rutland would surface. Rather than succumb to the threats, Maxwell splashed it across the front page instead.
GHISLAINE – A FAMILIAR NAME
Yes, Ghislaine Maxwell. Yes, THAT Ghislaine Maxwell. Ghislaine Maxwell, close associate of Jeffrey Epstein, the procurer of girls for the rich and famous, convicted paedophile and yet again, centre of another media storm after previously surpressed records regarding his farce of a prison sentence was successfully challenged in court.
Jeffrey Epstein – for those living in a cave – was convicted in 2008 of paedophilia. A number of women came forward to allege that they were trafficked as teenagers as playthings for the rich and famous. Epstein is extremely well connected, counting Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson as close associates, and his little black book (that I intend to cover in a separate blog post at some point in the future) was full of the most intriguing names. Two of those names included the Duke and Duchess of Rutland.
So, my question is – did the blood-stained underwear and uniform found in Proctor’s home on the Belvoir estate belong to a boy or a girl? If it’s a boy’s uniform, then the questions I’ve highlighted above need answering. If it’s a girl’s uniform, then maybe those investigating the Epstein case may want to look a little further afield, especially in light of the next item found.
THE NOTEPAD
In addition, police seized a “notepad relating to child abuse” entitled ‘Bizarre Sex’.
Why were the contents of this not allowed to be submitted as evidence in this trial?
SEXUAL SADIST
Moreover, defence counsel told the court, evidence in both police investigations showed “someone who enjoys inflicting pain for sexual pleasure.”
We know this to be true from the 1987 trial. Journalist, Annette Witheridge, managed to obtain Proctor’s ‘torture gym’.
INDECENT PHOTOGRAPHS
Also seized in the property search, the court heard, were restraints, straps, whip, crop, cane and “indecent photographs” (there was no indication as to the seriousness of the images, and the court assumed that they were legal.)
So not only were restraints found (aside from the ones seized in 1987 that Annette Witheridge had hold of), but indecent photographs were also found. The Sunday People discovered evidence that Proctor took indecent pictures of the boys he procured for sexual kicks. Proctor liked to photograph them after he had beaten them. At first he tried to deny this but when presented with a photograph which was clearly taken in his flat in Fulham, he couldn’t deny it any longer. Terry Dwyer/Allen gave an interview to The Sunday People in which he confirmed that Proctor took photographs of ‘naked boys.’
Again, as was noted in court, no action was taken. Indeed police returned all of the seized items. The judge blocked cross-examination of Proctor – and refused a disclosure order – on any of this.
The only thing I have to say on this is to state the obvious – it was not a fair trial. The court had already decided that the items seized from Proctor’s home were legal (despite no further evidence or cross examination), and so the outcome seemed predetermined. Even more worrying is the fact that all these items were returned to Proctor by police. I’d be intrigued to know who gave the order for that to happen.
AFTER DARK
Weirdly, the full episode of ‘After Dark‘ that had been uploaded on to YouTube that featured Proctor has suddenly disappeared. Why? For those that haven’t seen it, someone has helpfully uploaded the important elements of Proctor’s contribution – namely surprise/horror to discover that his nemisis, the journalist Annette Witheridge, had hold of Harvey’s torture chamber.
So, taking all this new information into account let’s look at some of the timeline of the stuff Proctor failed to include in his book ‘Credible and True.’
1982 – Proctor meets Terry Dwyer/Allen at a Tory cocktail party and they embark on a two year relationship.
June 1986 – Proctor’s close friend and former private secretary to Enoch Powell, Jonathan Peter Denby, is involved in a police ambush alongside two Irish men and goes on the run for a year. Stories begin to surface about his possible involvement in paramilitary activity in Northern Ireland which was dismissed by Denby’s uncle, President of the Law Society – Sir Richard Denby. Proctor was due to meet Denby later that day and was the first person Denby contacted via telephone after he disappeared.
June 1986 – Proctor is found to be living with an 18-year old male, despite the age of consent being 21 at that time and his conviction.
1986 – The Sunday People begin publishing details of Proctor’s sexual proclivities involving the purchase of youngsters (aka ‘rent boys’) from his former boyfriend, Terry Allen. Allen would procure young runaways and sell them for sex whilst running the Lord Fox ‘Agency’. Proctor would meet middlemen at places like Earls Court Station to collect a ‘rent boy’.
December 1986 – The Sunday People published a front page splash exposing a blackmail attept concerning Ghislaine Maxwell and the Duke of Rutland if they continued to print stories about Proctor.
1987 – Proctor was allegedly found with a naked young Arab boy in his hotel room whilst on holiday with Terry Woods in Agadir, Morocco.
February 1987 – Proctor’s partner, Terry Woods, was found in his underwear outside Proctor’s flat in Fulham.
March 1987 – Following a five month investigation, the Metropolitan Police collate a dossier of evidence against Proctor, including a number of witness statements from ‘rent boys’, and decide to arrest Proctor.
March 1987 – Terry Woods arrested at airport whilst boarding a flight to the US in connection with allegations of Proctor’s use of ‘rent boys’.
April 1987 – Crime Squad officers arrest Terry Dwyer/Allen following a raid at his second home in Hull, where they found straps attached to a sofa, whips and other paraphenalia.
May 1987 – A newspaper report suggested that civil servant,Paul Sturgess, had been taking youngsters into the Commons to meet Proctor, sparking a security alert.
May 1987 – Proctor flatly denied all allegations against him. He quits as MP for Billericay days later.
May 1987 – Proctor pleads guilty in court for underage indecency as is fined just under £1,500.
May 1987 – Both The Bognor Cane Company and Janus Magazine announce they will club together to pay Proctor’s fine.
1987 – Proctor allows two males to stay at his Fulham flat. Apparently, they attack Proctor, beating him unconcious with an ashtray and a hammer and threaten him. Proctor decided not to report the incident to police due to his recent trial for underage sex.
September 1987 – Private Eye claim that Proctor was seen in Tunisia ‘exploring woodland with young urchins’ and also bought them a meal in his hotel.
March 1988 – Following his capture, Proctor’s close friend Jonathan Peter Denby was on trial for the police ambush.
June 1988 – Proctor appears on After Dark.
1988 – Owned by Patsy Puddles, Proctor opens a shirt shop in Richmond, funded by a number of big names from the Conservative party.
July 1992 – Proctor is yet again ‘attacked’ by two young males in his shirt shop in Richmond in an apparent ‘homophobic’ attack whilst in the company of Neil and Christine Hamilton.
2000 – Proctor’s shops are forced into compulsory liquidation.
2014 – Photographs emerge online of Proctor leading groups of young school children around Belvoir castle.
2014 – Proctor is accused of being part of a ‘Westminster paedophile ring’ and alleged to have murdered a school boy – later identified as possibly being Martin Allen.
2015 – During a search of his home, police find blood-stained school uniform and underwear, as well as whips, restraints, canes etc and a notebook on child abuse entitled ‘Bizarre Sex’.
2019 – The judge rules that none of the above evidence seized from Proctor’s home can be disclosed to the jury in the trial of Carl Beech. The mainstream media fail to report it also.
And finally…
I understand Proctor appeared on a BBC Victoria Derbyshire show and remarked how BBC Panorama had helped to discredit Carl, before then accusing the BBC of bias by not allowing him to speak.
This is the same Proctor who calls for anonymity for those accused of crimes until they are charged, but who took it upon himself to name a number of suspects in the investigation during a rather distasteful public speech at St Ermin’s. Those suspects had – up until that point – remained anonymous.
Prosecutors have 1 million pages of evidence against Jeffrey Epstein, his lawyer revealed in court Monday — without shedding any new light on the jailhouse incident that left the convicted pedophile with bruises on his neck.
No marks were visible on Epstein’s neck, and he never appeared to be in pain during the 15-minute hearing in Manhattan federal court.
The judge overseeing the case tentatively scheduled Epstein’s trial for June 2020 after a prosecutor said the child sex-trafficking charges against him should be resolved as “swiftly as possible.”
“We don’t think any delay in this is in the public interest,” Manhattan Assistant US Attorney Alison Moe said.
Epstein’s trial is expected to last four to six weeks, and the defense will have all the prosecution’s evidence against the multimillionaire financier by Oct. 31, she said.
Defense lawyer Martin Weinberg objected to starting the trial before September 2020, saying, “We need time to review a million pages of discovery.”
But Judge Richard Berman said he was blocking out time in June 2020 on the presumption that the defense would be ready by then.
Weinberg didn’t make any mention of the July 23 incident in which law enforcement sources have said Epstein, 66, was found sprawled on the floor of his cell in the Metropolitan Correctional Center, where he’s being held without bail.
Weinberg declined to answer questions about the incident outside court.
Epstein, who wore dark blue jail scrubs over a brown T-shirt, didn’t speak during the hearing.
He’s pleaded not guilty to accusations he sexually abused dozens of underage girls — some as young as 14 — in his Upper East Side townhouse and his waterfront mansion in Palm Beach, Florida, between 2002 and 2005.
Berman set a Sept. 13 deadline for defense motions in the case, and Weinberg said he planned to seek dismissal of a conspiracy charge on grounds of double jeopardy tied to allegations that underpinned a non-prosecution agreement that Epstein struck in 2008 with then-Miami US Attorney Alex Acosta.
That deal was exposed last year in an award-winning series of stories by the Miami Herald, and controversy that erupted following Epstein’s July 6 arrest forced Acosta to resign as President Trump’s labor secretary.
Messages left for Jeffrey Epstein ‘suggested his friend might be procuring two 8-year-old girls for the pedophile to sexually abuse’ state court docs filed by victims’ lawyer
A message pad taken from Jeffrey Epstein’s Palm Beach mansion in 2005 reveals calls from Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York and visits from Tom Ford
Many of the messages are from Jean-Luc Brunnel, a model agent who has been accused of sexual assault and rape by multiple women
There is one that appears to reference underage girls, another noting how much an 18-year-old woman ‘loves Jeffrey’
‘He has a teacher for you to teach you how to speak Russian. She is 2 x 8 years old… Lessons are free and you can have 1st today if call me back,’ reads one
‘This message reasonably suggested… that Brunel might have been procuring two eight-year-old girls for Epstein to sexually abuse,’ stated one court filing
31 July 2019
Messages that were left for Jeffrey Epstein around the time the Palm Beach Police first began investigating the pedophile in 2005 offer a rare glimpse into his juxtaposed worlds.
There are calls from former members of the Royal Family, details about and conic designer’s weekend visit to his Palm Beach mansion, and multiple messages from his close friend Jean-Luc Brunel.
There is one that appears to reference underage girls, another noting how much an 18-year-old woman ‘loves Jeffrey’ and another in which Brunell relays one doctor’s professional opinion on how best to treat a sexually transmitted disease.
These messages were all obtained by DailyMail.com after filing an FOIA request for Palm Beach records related to Epstein’s legal battles in the decade since he left prison.
The message pad was first obtained by police during their search of Epstein’s Palm Beach mansion in October of 2005, shortly after they were tipped off to the fact that the pedophile knew he was being investigated by police.
A message from Ghislaine Maxwell in August of that year reveals that Epstein and his age-appropriate companion were hosting Tom Ford in Palm Beach.
‘She let [Epstein’s pilot] Larry go,’ reads the note
Esptein is then told to contact Maxwell to let her know if she should just pick the designer up in the helicopter, which she was licensed to fly.
In January, a message states that ‘HRH Duchess of York’ aka ‘Sarah (Fergie)’ is ‘expecting your call.’
There are also messages from his good friend Leslie Wexner about business matters, and former Daily News owner Mort Zuckerman calls to ask what the best time would be for him to visit would be during a trip to Palm Beach.
here are also seven messages from David Copperfield or his assistant.
‘Magic David called,’ reads one note.
‘It’s jackpot,’ says another message.
These all stand in stark contrast to the frequent messages left by Brunnell.
At 8:08 am on the morning of April 1, Brunnel called Epstein and left a message, which was relayed to Epstein via a note that read: ‘He has a teacher for you to teach you how to speak Russian. She is 2 x 8 years old not blonde. Lessons are free and you can have 1st today if call me back.’
Brunnel then followed up again at 8:31am and 9:04am, asking that Epstein get in touch.
Bradley Edwards, the lawyer for a number of Epstein victims including Virginia Giuffre (née Roberts) included those three messages as evidence after Epstein filed a civil suit against him.
‘In light of these circumstances of the case, this message reasonably suggested to Edwards that Brunel might have been procuring two eight-year-old girls for Epstein to sexually abuse,’ stated one court filing submitted by Edwards and his lawyer.
‘According to widely circulated press reports reviewed by Edwards, Brunel is in his sixties and has a reputation throughout the world (and especially in the modeling industry) as a cocaine addict that has for years molested children through modeling agencies while acting as their agent — conduct that has been the subject of critical reports, books, several news articles, and a 60 Minutes documentary on Brunel’s sexual exploitation of underage models.’
That legal battle waged on for years before finally ending in December, when Epstein settled with Edwards and publicly apologized after the lawyer counter sued for defamation.
Damning sex abuse report says children were failed despite ‘decades of evidence’
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse says there are still weaknesses
31 JUL 2019
A major inquiry into the abuse of children in care has said that that both the city and county council failed to stop what was taking place despite “decades of evidence”.
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) has today (Wednesday, July 31) published its report into historical abuse in residential and foster care across Nottinghamshire.
It concluded that the sexual abuse of children was widespread during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, and that victims were failed by Nottingham City Council, Nottinghamshire County Council, and Nottinghamshire Police.
The abuse included repeated rapes and sexual assaults.
Professor Alexis Jay, Chair of the Inquiry, said: “For decades, children who were in the care of the Nottinghamshire councils suffered appalling sexual and physical abuse, inflicted by those who should have nurtured and protected them.
“Those responsible for overseeing the care of children failed to question the extent of sexual abuse or what action was being taken.
“Despite decades of evidence and many reviews showing what needed to change, neither of the councils learnt from their mistakes, meaning that more children suffered unnecessarily. We hope this report and recommendations can help ensure it never happens again.”
The report stated that the 350 people who gave evidence of abuse to IICSA – which is also looking at areas like the Roman Catholic Church and Westminster – was largest number of specific allegations of child sexual abuse in a single investigation that the inquiry has considered to date.
But the actual number of victims locally is “likely to be considerably higher”, the report says.
The inquiry said both councils had failed in their statutory duty to protect children in care from sexual abuse, while police did not treat allegations seriously enough.
It also said there continues to be weaknesses in foster care at both councils; and still no process for the regular reporting of child sexual abuse allegations or the action taken in response.
And IICSA said “more needs to be done to provide support and counselling for those who have suffered sexual abuse in care.”
From the late 1970s to this year, 16 staff have been convicted of sexual abuse of children in residential care, while 10 foster carers have been convicted of sexual abuse of their foster children.
Three weeks of hearings took place in October, taking evidence from survivors of abuse, police, council officers, councillors, former children’s homes staff and managers, and the CPS.
The hearings looked at three key areas: Beechwood children’s home in Mapperley, foster care, and harmful sexual behaviour between children in care. The report decided that:
* At Beechwood, staff were threatening and violent, physical abuse was commonplace and children were frightened. Sexualised behaviour by staff was tolerated or overlooked, allowing abusers to thrive. The home should have been shut before it finally closed in 2006.
* In foster care, there was too much willingness on the part of council staff to take the side of the foster carers and to disbelieve the child. Sexual abuse was compounded by poor decison-making in cases where children had revealed what had happened to them – some known perpetrators were allowed to remain as foster carers and then went on to abuse children again.
* Neither of the councils have a satisfactory approach to addressing the issue of harmful sexual behaviour between children in care.
The report has made two recommendations around assessments of the potential risks posed by residential staff and foster carers, and the evaluation of practices concerning harmful sexual behaviour between children.
‘HRH Duchess of York is expecting your call’: Note recording a phone message from Sarah Ferguson to Jeffrey Epstein is discovered among police records along with message from another caller about ‘underage girls’
Notepad taken from Jeffrey Epstein’s Miami mansion by police in 2005 as they investigated him for sex crimes details his callers
Include the likes of magician David Copperfield and girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell
One says that ‘HRH Duchess of York Sarah (Fergie) … is expecting your call’
Epstein was a close friend of Sarah Ferguson’s husband Prince Andrew, the Queen’s son, and she once borrowed money from the paedophile
The messages were taken before Epstein was convicted
31 July 2019
A note about a message from the Duchess of York has been unearthed in a pad seized by police from the Miami mansion of newly-accused paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The note, penned by an unknown hand on January 25, 2005, at 7.15pm, is from ‘HRH Duchess of York Sarah (Fergie)’ and says ‘she is expecting your call’.
Sarah Ferguson’s former husband Prince Andrew was a close friend of Epstein and was once accused in a lawsuit of sexually abusing an underage girl – claims Buckingham Palace has denied and have since been struck from the record.
The note was among dozens of messages left for the billionaire financier from the likes of magician David Copperfield, close friend Jean-Luc Brunel, and socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, who dated Epstein and was part of his inner circle for decades.
It was revealed in 2011 that Andrew had arranged for Epstein to pay the Duchess £15,000 to help clear a £78,000 debt she owed to her former personal assistant, Johnny O’Sullivan. It is unclear when this payment was made.
The Duchess subsequently apologised, saying: ‘I personally, on behalf of myself, deeply regret that Jeffrey Epstein became involved in any way with me.
‘I abhor paedophilia and any sexual abuse of children and know that this was a gigantic error of judgement on my behalf. I am just so contrite I cannot say.
‘Whenever I can, I will repay the money and will have nothing ever to do with Jeffrey Epstein ever again.’
In 2005, when the note was penned, the Duchess and Prince Andrew were divorced and living separately.
Epstein used to be close friends with Prince Andrew. Andrew’s name was mentioned in a 2015 lawsuit when some of Epstein’s victims challenged a plea deal.
The court filing alleged that Epstein forced Virginia Giuffre – who was then known as Roberts – ‘to have sexual relations’ on three separate occasions with ‘a member of the British Royal Family, Prince Andrew (a/k/a Duke of York)’. She is thought to have been 17 at the time.
The claim was categorically denied and a judge subsequently struck it from the record.
The notes, including the one the one referencing the Duchess, were in a pad that police took from Epstein’s Palm Beach mansion in 2005 when they first began investigating him for sex crimes, and were obtained by the Dailymail.com under FOIA law.
There is one that appears to reference underage girls, another noting how much an 18-year-old woman ‘loves Jeffrey’ and another in which Brunel relays a doctor’s professional opinion on how best to treat a sexually transmitted disease.
Many of the messages are from Jean-Luc Brunel (above), a model agent who has been accused of sexual assault and rape by multiple women
The notes were unveiled as Epstein sits in jail charged with operating a sex trafficking ring in New York and Florida between 2002 and 2005 which involved the abuse of dozens of underage girls.
Other messages in Epstein’s notepad include one from Brunel which lawyers subsequently argued could have showed him procuring two eight-year-old girls for Epstein to abuse.
At 8:08 am on the morning of April 1, Brunel called Epstein and left a message, which was relayed to Epstein via a note that read: ‘He has a teacher for you to teach you how to speak Russian. She is 2 x 8 years old not blonde. Lessons are free and you can have 1st today if call me back.’
Brunel then followed up again at 8:31am and 9:04am, asking that Epstein get in touch.
Bradley Edwards, the lawyer for a number of Epstein victims including Virginia Giuffre (née Roberts) included those three messages as evidence after Epstein filed a civil suit against him.
‘In light of these circumstances of the case, this message reasonably suggested to Edwards that Brunel might have been procuring two eight-year-old girls for Epstein to sexually abuse,’ stated one court filing submitted by Edwards and his lawyer.
‘According to widely circulated press reports reviewed by Edwards, Brunel is in his sixties and has a reputation throughout the world (and especially in the modeling industry) as a cocaine addict that has for years molested children through modeling agencies while acting as their agent — conduct that has been the subject of critical reports, books, several news articles, and a 60 Minutes documentary on Brunel’s sexual exploitation of underage models.’
That legal battle waged on for years before finally ending in December, when Epstein settled with Edwards and publicly apologized after the lawyer counter sued for defamation.
Other messages in the pad include one from Ghislaine Maxwell in August 2005 that says that Epstein and his age-appropriate companion were hosting Tom Ford in Palm Beach.
‘She let [Epstein’s pilot] Larry go,’ reads the note
Esptein is then told to contact Maxwell to let her know if she should just pick the designer up in the helicopter, which she was licensed to fly.
There are also messages from his good friend Leslie Wexner about business matters, and former Daily News owner Mort Zuckerman calls to ask what the best time would be for him to visit would be during a trip to Palm Beach.
None of those people have been implicated in any way in Epstein’s scandals, and are believed to have been caught completely off guard when they learned about his predatory habits.
There are also seven messages from David Copperfield or his assistant.
‘Magic David called,’ reads one note.
‘It’s jackpot,’ says another message.
These all stand in stark contrast to the frequent messages left by Brunel.
Geelong College pays $1 million to sexual assault victim
30 July 2019
A 63-year-old man abused by a teacher at Geelong College more than 50 years ago has received a $1 million settlement from the exclusive school just hours before the matter was due to reach court.
The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said he was repeatedly abused in his first year at the boarding school by housemaster Colin McPherson at the Newtown campus in 1968.
Geelong College.
In 1996 he told the school, which is now affiliated with the Uniting Church, of his sexual abuse at the hands of McPherson but was told by then principal Pauline Turner that the college would not accept any liability.
The school never referred the allegations to police, but in 2004 agreed to pay for 10 counselling sessions on the conditions the victim sign a confidentiality agreement and waive his common law rights.
After years of denials, lawyers for Geelong College made the offer about two hours before the Supreme Court trial was to begin on Monday.
The man, who now lives in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, said he felt immense relief after 50 years of torment.
“I hope my case gives strength for other victims as this was the sole reason I kept fighting for justice. It feels fantastic to have stood up for myself after being pushed around and silenced for so many years,” he said.
He urged other victims of abuse at the school to “push hard” for justice.
On Tuesday afternoon, Geelong College confirmed the case had been settled. Principal Dr Peter Miller acknowledged the suffering of former students.
“The college is truly sorry for any harm to former students. Today, we are committed to doing what we can to support survivors and to ensure such incidents do not happen again,” Dr Miller said.
The settlement on Monday is expected to trigger further legal claims from victims of sexual assault at the school that date back to the 1960s and involve up to five former teachers.
McPherson was eventually convicted of child sex offences in Queensland and has since died.
Lawyer Mark Magazanik from Rightside Legal said the school should “hang its head in shame” after coercing his client to accept a deal in 2004 that was “improper, illegal and would not hold up in court”.
“And the price tag for Geelong College’s disgraceful failures is over $1 million,” Mr Magazanik said.
He said the school knew it had paedophiles on staff, and in one case, was told that a teacher was a paedophile before it hired him.
Last week, the school notified current and former students that it had joined the National Redress Scheme, which gives sexual abuse victims access to compensation of up to $150,000.
“We have written to the college community on a number of occasions throughout this period to raise awareness of this important issue, to apologise publicly to those who have been harmed, and to demonstrate a willingness to support survivors towards redress, in all its forms,” the school wrote on July 26.
“Some matters have not been resolved using this approach. This means we are expecting a small number of cases to escalate to the court system in the coming weeks and months.”
Former Geelong College employees have previously been convicted over historic child sexual abuse during their time at the prestigious school, including ex-teachers Colin McPherson and Jeremy Longley in the 1960s and 1970s.
Feds probe socialite’s mysterious ocean ‘charity’ over links to Jeffrey Epstein
July 27, 2019
Ghislaine Maxwell at the Rita Hayworth Gala at the Waldorf for the Alzheimer’s Association in 2010.
A mysterious do-nothing charity founded by Jeffrey Epstein’s socialite gal pal is being investigated by the FBI for possible links to the convicted pedophile, The Post has learned.
The TerraMar Project was incorporated in London and Delaware in 2012, purportedly to raise awareness of environmental and other issues facing the oceans, and exclusively funded by hundreds of thousands in loans by heiress Ghislaine Maxwell, public filings show.
Maxwell, 57, the daughter of the late British media mogul Robert Maxwell, has been accused by three women of procuring girls to work as sex slaves for convicted pedophile Epstein, according to court filings. Two of the women said both Maxwell and Epstein sexually assaulted them. She has not been charged with a crime.
Maxwell was listed as president of TerraMar, and her Upper East Side home was its official office. She pumped $283,429 into it between 2012 and 2017. In that time, the so-called charity gave out a total of $874 in grants.
Between 2002 and 2005, Epstein used his private jets — dubbed the “Lolita Express” — to shuttle girls for sex between his estates in New York, Palm Beach, Fla., and the Virgin Islands, according to prosecutors.
One girl, aged 19 at the time — whose name appears on the manifests of two Epstein flights in February 2005 from JFK Airport to Columbus, Ohio, and Palm Beach — became a member of the founding board of directors of the Maxwell charity seven years later.
She also lived in a three-bedroom, $430,000 home in Teaneck, NJ, that is linked in public documents to Maxwell, although neighbors told The Post they never saw Maxwell at the property.
he Post is withholding her name. It is not known what she was doing on those Epstein flights. She did not return calls for comment.
An FBI source would not say if the charity probe is focused on the question of whether it served as a slush fund to pay hush money to Epstein’s young victims.
Members of TerraMar’s blue-ribbon board included Westchester businessman and UN official Amir Dossal, “Dead Poets Society” producer Steven Haft, and Calvo-Platero, Maxwell’s best friend from Oxford.
Ariadne Calvo-Platero
Katie Vaughan-Edwards and Ariadne Calvo-Platero, Maxwell’s socialite friends from London, were also listed in the original incorporation documents.
Multiple calls and e-mails to the charity’s past and current board members were not returned.
Larry Coben, a NYC-based founding director, told The Post he couldn’t remember being connected to the charity and hung up the phone.
Jeffrey Pagliuca, a Colorado-based criminal defense lawyer who is representing Maxwell, did not return The Post’s calls and e-mails.
After The Post began making inquiries this month, the charity blocked its public website and made it password-accessible. Last week, the home page included this message: “The TerraMar Project is sad to announce that it will cease operations.” No reason was given.
The nonprofit’s latest federal tax filings show only $583 in total contributions in 2017 and expenses of $18,462. They also show the charity owes Maxwell $549,093 in loan repayments.
Epstein, 66, was arrested this month for allegedly sexually abusing “dozens” of minor girls.
Former deputy prime minister Michael Heseltine and his family have numerous listings in Epstein’s book. Hezza was one of several MPs who helped Harvey Proctor set up his shirt shop. He also gave porn collector Patrick Rock, Cameron’s close aide, his first break in politics.
Alexandra Williams, an art dealer, is Heseltine’s daughter – curiously, all contact numbers are blacked out in her case. Her father resigned as deputy to Thatcher in the wake of the Westland affair.
Epstein Visited Bill Clinton’s White House At Least Four Times: Report
24 July 2019
Accused child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein visited the White House during former President Bill Clinton’s administration at least four times, the Daily Beast reported Wednesday.
Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, the woman who has been described as his “madam,” attended a Bill and Hillary Clinton-hosted donors’ reception in the White House in September 1993 after he donated $10,000 to the White House Historical Association that same month, according to documents from the Clinton Presidential Library obtained by the Daily Beast.
A former executive vice president of the White House Historical Association, Bernard Meyer, sent a letter to Epstein in October 1993 thanking him for the donation, which he said would be put toward refurbishing the Oval Office and areas of the Executive Residence.
Epstein also met Clinton aide Mark Middleton at least three times in the White House around 1993 and 1994, the Daily Beast reported, citing an unnamed source with knowledge of the situation.
The revelation that Epstein’s relationship with Bill Clinton began in the early 1990s casts doubt on the narrative put forth by the former president that their relationship began after he left the White House.
The former president said he “knew nothing” of the financier’s “terrible crimes” in a statement in July after authorities arrested and charged Epstein with sex trafficking.
Bill Clinton acknowledged in the statement that he had taken multiple trips on Epstein’s airplane in 2002 and 2003 for work related to the Clinton Foundation, but he neglected to acknowledge Epstein’s visits to the White House during his time in office.
Epstein said he helped conceive an arm of the Clinton Foundation in a 2007 letter to federal prosecutors designed to boost his public image during the plea negotiations that ultimately led to his highly criticized 2008 sweetheart deal where he served 13 months in prison for pleading guilty to soliciting an underage girl for sex.
“She told me that I couldn’t just leave,” Tai told the New York Post a woman resembling Epstein’s alleged madam Maxwell told her as she was leaving his house. “She said that this man is important, that he is a friend of President Clinton.”
Archbishop tried to discredit BBC film on church links to abuse
Cardinal Vincent Nichols filed formal complaint over 2003 programme, documents show
24 July 2019
The most senior Catholic leader in England and Wales went to extraordinary lengths to try to discredit a BBC documentary on child sexual abuse and its cover-up by the church, the Guardian can disclose.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the archbishop of Westminster, publicly accused the BBC of bias and malice before the documentary was aired in 2003. Documents seen by the Guardian show he also lobbied the BBC’s director of news, wrote to all priests in his archdiocese urging them not to speak to BBC journalists, and lodged a formal complaint against the programme’s makers.
The BBC’s programme complaints unit (PCU) rejected the complaint, and the BBC governors’ programme complaints committee dismissed his appeal against that decision. Nichols refused to apologise to the programme-makers.
Last month the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse (IICSA) criticised Nichols for putting the church’s reputation before the welfare of abuse survivors. In a report, IICSA said Nichols’s response to the BBC programme was “misplaced and missed the point”.
The documentary, part of the investigative series Kenyon Confronts on BBC One, included interviews with survivors who claimed the church covered up cases of sexual abuse. It tracked down Father James Robinson, a Catholic priest who fled to the US after being accused of sexual abuse and who received financial support from the Catholic archdiocese of Birmingham for seven years before he was extradited, convicted and jailed.
At the time of the documentary, Nichols was archbishop of Birmingham and chair of the Catholic Office for the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults.
At a press conference before the programme was broadcast, Nichols accused the BBC of “using the licence fee to pay unscrupulous reporters trying to recirculate old news and to broadcast programmes that are biased and hostile”.
He added: “That this programme has been allowed to progress this far shows either malice towards the church or a total lack of judgment or of managerial responsibility.” He demanded the BBC justify the renewal of the licence fee.
While the documentary was being made, Nichols wrote to priests in his archdiocese urging them not to speak to BBC reporters working on it. “If you are approached please remember you are not advised to be cooperative. You may, quite properly, refuse to take part in any questioning or interview. This is my advice,” he wrote.
Before broadcast, Nichols wrote to Richard Sambrook, then the BBC’s director of news, saying a re-examination of historic sexual abuse cases was not in the public interest. He claimed reporters had telephoned a priest at 2am, acted discourteously and inconsiderately to a priest who had just undergone major surgery, and “cornered” a priest in a residential care home to question him.
Sambrook told the Guardian: “My recollection of the difficult meeting and correspondence with Cardinal Nichols is that he was entirely focused on trying to discredit the BBC’s journalism in the hope of diverting criticism of the church. Fortunately the BBC’s journalism was sufficiently robust to see off such attempts. He showed little interest in wider questions about uncovering abuse or the welfare of the survivors.”
After the programme was broadcast on 15 October 2003, Nichols lodged a formal complaint with the PCU, claiming BBC reporters used underhand methods to gain access to elderly and infirm priests.
The PCU rejected Nichols’ complaint, saying there were no grounds for his claim that the Kenyon Confronts team behaved inappropriately. It said the investigation was “conducted properly and in line with BBC producers’ guidelines” and there was no evidence of serious breaches of editorial standards.
Some of the 11 sworn witness statements from nuns and priests provided by Nichols to the PCU contradicted his allegations that reporters had not properly identified themselves. Evidence from recordings of some encounters also showed his claims to be false.
Nichols claimed one priest had been left distressed by a visit from two members of the Kenyon Confronts team, who were alleged to be hectoring and intimidating. However, the priest’s statement said the pair were “well-mannered, polite and had respect for my office, although I was glad when I had finished speaking to them. They were not unpleasant or malicious in the way they spoke to me.”
Nichols appealed to the BBC governors’ programme complaints committee against the PCU’s adjudication, and in May 2005 the committee rejected the appeal.
After the decision, Paul Kenyon, the programme’s presenter, and Paul Woolwich, its executive producer, wrote to Nichols saying the archbishop had tarnished the reputation of those who worked on the documentary. “We believe an apology to set the record straight would now be appropriate.”
Nichols replied: “I see no need for me to offer an apology.”
Last month IICSA said Nichols’ response to the programme should have focused on “recognising the harm caused to the complainants and victims. Instead, [it] led many to think that the church was still more concerned with protecting itself than the protection of children.”
In a statement to the Guardian, Nichols apologised for at the time failing to sufficiently acknowledge two positive elements of the programme: giving a platform to abuse survivors and locating Fr Robinson.
He pointed out he had offered to give a live interview to the BBC at the time of the broadcast. Woolwich said it had not been possible to broadcast a live interview immediately after the broadcast of a pre-recorded programme, and Nichols had rejected an offer to appear live on Newsnight the same night or the Today programme the following morning.
Nichols’s statement said: “I was annoyed at the approach of the programme-makers who gave a slanted presentation of the real problems we were seeking to address … I accept that my frustration at the approach of the programme-makers led me not to give sufficient attention to the suffering of the victims of abuse perpetrated by the priest in question, although I had already met with all but one of them.
“A more thorough listening to the experiences of victims and survivors has now become central to the church’s approach and we will continue to adjust our work in safeguarding in light of this victim-centred approach.”
The articles about #CarlBeech today may lead people to think the VIP Westminster pedo ring didn’t exist. But where were the news organisations when this was happening at Iicsa in March? DCI Howard Groves and many other senior police officers stating they were told to cover it up
This absurd outcome was a foregone conclusion from the moment the security services realised these true allegations could no longer be completely ‘shut down’ absent a suitable show trial, scapegoat, and accompanying targeted propaganda exercise.
Staggeringly prejudicial reporting of the trial and Carl Beech’s allegations by the spook-infested corporate media had the intended effect.
Week after week, in article after miserable article, the corporate media demonised Carl Beech and sanctified the ‘real’ accused: Harvey Proctor, Lord Bramall, the late Greville Janner and the late Edward Heath, etc.
Those establishment figures were consistently portrayed by the newspapers and broadcasters as ‘distinguished public servants’; as ‘noble gentlemen’; as ‘elderly victims’ ‘crying out for justice’, etc. etc.
Perhaps it’s because he works for (crime) bosses Rebekah Brooks, John Witherow, & Rupert Murdoch that David Aaronovitch propagates quite as he does.
Maybe it’s just co-incidence that he consistently pushes the same views as Rupert Murdoch.
Or could it be that Aaronovitch is a gun for hire who long ago gave up the right to deviate from the family line?
Today’s opinion piece in The Times is singularly one-sided.
Aaronovitch refers to Proctor as a “former Tory MP who bravely went public about the allegations made against him” .
But makes no mention of the fact that uber racist Proctor admitted to beating up under age rent boys. That’s why he is a former Tory MP. Proctor also boasted of holidaying in Tunisia – notorious for the availability of young boys for sex.
Aaronovitch clearly doesn’t care about the suffering of the Child Sexual Abuse survivors whose information was contained in the missing Dickinson files.
He doesn’t mention Dolphin Square or Elm Guest House which is in Zac Goldsmith’s constituency which might explain why he has a more informed view on the matter.
Keith Vaz of course worked at Richmond Council while the alleged Elm Guest House incidents were reputed to have taken place. He shut down an investigation into Keith Janner in the early 90s and was head of the Home Affairs Select Committee when Mark Sedwill answered, on behalf of Theresa May, the questions that needed to be asked about what happened to the files that were given to Brittan.
Sedwill’s comments were openly indifferent as to what had happened to the files. He said he didn’t suspect foul play. Very different to how he behaved when he arranged for Gavin Williamson to be sacked for supposedly leaking the government’s Huawei stance to the Telegraph.
Aaronovitch never mentioned Cyril Smith or David Steel’s reluctance to kick him out of the party for being a paedophile. The Aaronovitch view, like Boris Johnson, appears to be that money spent on investigating Child Sexual Abuse is money spaffed up a wall.
Does he suppose we all believe Savile acted alone? Savile, who was well connected, close to the Tory Party, and a Special Friend of Israel, like Daddy Murdoch.
Though Aaronovitch has a go at the BBC for broadcasting Beech’s allegations, no mention is made of the Head of News at that time.
It was none other than James Harding, the former editor of . . . The Times.
I smell a stitch-up.
Pick an obviously disturbed individual. Give them lots of attention. Then reveal they are lying. And everyone can forget about the original large scale, systemic establishment paedophilia. The Catholic Church have been doing this for hundreds of years. It isn’t new.
It looks to me as though the police co-operated with Murdoch and other agencies to allow a “witch-hunt” to take place to then let it die down.
Jonathan King, the pop svengali who was done for paedophilia, is having a field day. Tweeting away. His bail by the way was put up by Simon Cowell. He is spoken highly of by Rod Liddle.
The Beech case, which should never have got to court, is being used to discredit real victims. And police and health spending cuts today mean that real victims of paedophila often never get justice.
But no worries for Aaronovitch and Tom Watson. Not their problem.
But what about Jeffrey Epstein? Things get interesting there. Robert Maxwell’s daughter Ghislaine is close to him. Prince Andrew. Trump. God knows who else. Looks like establishment paedophilia again.
They have lots of secrets. And they’re starting to come out. Everyone seems to be blackmailing each other. Things could get interesting.
Roy Cohn (see previous post) worked for Murdoch. And Trump. He died of AIDS in 1986. But they’re both still around. And it looks like they use the same methods. Jared Kushner’s dad does too.
If that means paedophilia, prostitutes, honey traps, kompromat, then that is what it is.
Old school.
And if that is what was used by the Brits in Ireland and elsewhere, then that too.
You can’t change the past. Or the bad habits of today if they’re proven to work.
But for now, we’re being told that all the allegations are false.
Yes, Beech’s allegations may be false.
But that doesn’t mean all these people are innocent.
Ministers should fund a national inquiry to look into remaining sexual assault allegations against former PM Sir Edward Heath, a police commissioner says
His comment followed the conviction of Carl Beech, the serial accuser turned Accused
24 July 2019
Police Commissioner says ministers should fund a national inquiry to look into remaining sexual assault allegations against former prime minister and Wiltshire resident Sir Edward Heath.
Angus Macpherson, police and crime commissioner for Swindon and Wiltshire, claims a statutory inquiry is the only way accusations against the Salisbury politician could be pursued.
His comments followed the conviction of former Swindon hospital manager Carl Beech, who claimed he had been sexually abused as a child by a Westminster paedophile ring made up of entertainers, army chiefs and MPs – including Sir Edward Heath.
The police commissioner was speaking a day after a jury found 51-year-old Beech guilty on 12 counts of perverting the course of justice and one count of fraud.
The former Great Western Hospital worker had initially approached the Wiltshire force in 2012, telling detectives of abuse he claimed to have suffered at the hands of Jimmy Savile and heads of the army. Wiltshire Police took no further action.
Two years later, Beech met detectives working for the Metropolitan Police and levelled accusations against Sir Edward Heath, former home secretary Lord Brittan and two former heads of the armed forces.
Mr Macpherson said: “As I have made clear, a further local review will not have the powers needed to deliver what Sir Edward Heath’s family and friends demand. It wouldn’t be appropriate for us to set the terms of reference for any review as we would, effectively, be marking our own homework.”
Reports of child abuse are shaped by media hypocrisy
Spy Peter Hayman escaped justice
Peter Bornshin suffered sexual abuse while in the care of social services in the early 1980s. He was tormented by his experiences at the Grafton Close Children’s Home, west London.
Richmond Council paid Peter compensation for the abuse.
John Singmore, the deputy manager of Grafton Close, abused him.
He died awaiting trial for the abuse, facing a conspiracy to commit buggery charge, which was linked to taking children to Elm Guest House. His friend, Father Tony McSweeney, was jailed for three years.
The police, politicians, prime ministers and the security services all covered up child abuse by Cyril Smith MP, Peter Morrison MP, the senior spy Peter Hayman and others.
All of this was being investigated before Carl Beech made his false allegations of a Westminster child abuse ring that he was found guilty of making up this week.
The newspapers that put the story of Beech on the front pages have constantly ignored real stories of abuse. They have ignored the genuine evidence of state cover-ups given at the ongoing institutional child abuse inquiry.
Historical child abuse cases are complex. But the verdict in the Beech case should not be used to create a climate that will stop other abuse victims coming forward.
During the search of Harvey Proctor’s house on the estate of Belvoir… “… police seized a ‘notepad relating to child abuse’ entitled: Bizarre Sex…” Why aren’t the MSM reporting this stuff? It’s disgusting.
@JamesRusbridger
“DC Danny Chatfield formally seized the whips, restraints, cane and ‘NOTEPAD RELATING TO CHILD ABUSE’, titled ‘Bizarre Sex’, from Harvey Proctor’s property “But judge Sir James Goss did NOT recall DC Chatfield to seek more information about the seizures”
“Harvey Proctor beat ‘young men or boys’ and took photographs of their injuries, according to court submissions. “Another witness told police that he discovered a big envelope of pictures of boys aged 11-19 ‘including lots of kids ABOUT 11-12 YEARS OLD'”
The court also heard that “Operation Midland”, when searching Harvey Proctor’s home in 2015, seized “a school uniform with a child’s underwear” – for a child of 13 to 14 – that was blood stained”, and that Proctor refused to provide a blood sample.
@ ciabaudo
So Harvey Proctor who had a stash of paraphernalia including whips, straps, blood-stained underwear and a notepads entitled ‘Bizarrre sex’ at his Belvoir estate home was allowed by the Duke to take young children on tours of the castle?
Proctor giving tours to school children at Belvoir Castle
Astonishing threats have been made to publisher Robert Maxwell following exposure of “Whacko” Harvey Proctor. I will produce a story about Ghislaine and Lord Granby (aka the Duke of Rutland) with incriminating pictures of them in compromising positions
@DogWaggedByTail
Keith Harvey Proctor – friend of Peter Jonathan Denby’s (friend and aide to Enoch Powell)
Harvey Proctor lived and worked at the Duke of Rutland’s castle. He was the Duke’s personal secretary
Mr Proctor, 68, works for the Duke and Duchess of Rutland and lives in a house within the 16,000-acre grounds of their home Belvoir Castle, in Leicestershire near Grantham.
Mr Proctor, whose home is being searched by police officers, said he knew nothing about a VIP paedophile ring alleged to have existed at Westminster during the 1970s and 1980s
A Metropolitan Police spokesman confirmed that “officers from Operation Midland are carrying out a search of an address in Grantham in connection with their inquiries”.
The Rutlands have a long relationship with Harvey Proctor. The Duke was both the subject of blackmail and gave Whacko work and a flat at Belvoir Castle. The ‘Nick’ trial utterly exposed Harvey Proctor, buddy of Jonathan Denby whose cousin Barbara Hewson attended proceedings.
Witness statements show Proctor’s sexual interest in young boys … No prosecution was pursued … A school uniform with a child’s underwear stained in blood … Refusal to provide blood sample … Someone who enjoy inflicting pain for sexual pleasure …
Restraints, straps, whip, crop, cane … Indecent photographs … Notepad entitled ‘Bizarre sex’ …No action taken … Cross-examination of Proctor blocked … ARE YOU GETTING THE MESSAGE YET?
@Zoompad
Loud and clear, and it is screaming COVER UP
Epstein was hired at age 20 by Headmaster Donald Barr in 1973. Donald Barr is the father of Attorney General William Barr, who just had Epstein arrested.
Around the years of Mr. Epstein’s tenure, records show the student roster included Prudence Murdoch, the daughter of the media mogul Rupert Murdoch;
Epstein, from Brooklyn, was just 21 when he joined the faculty at Dalton, arriving without a college degree. The school’s student newspaper reported in September 1974 that he was starting that year as a math and physics teacher.
While #Epstein was teaching at Dalton, Donald Barr’s son, William was working for the CIA. William later served as GHW Bush’s Attorney General during the CIA Iran-Contra Affair & refused to allow the appointment of a Special Counsel to investigate. #Trump brought Barr back as AG.
Donald Barr gave his resignation in February but he did not leave until June 7th, which was after Epstein had been hired. See the NYT archive to confirm: https://nyti.ms/2Y3S0Qz
Donald Barr’s son William Barr would intersect with Epstein’s orbit while serving as a counsel at Kirkland and Ellis in 2009. The law firm secured Epstein his obscenely lenient 2007 non-prosecution deal, which the Justice Department is now reviewing. In July, Barr the son refused to recuse himself from the ongoing Epstein investigation.
William Pelham Barr (born May 23, 1950) is an American attorney serving as the 85th United States Attorney General in the Donald Trump administration since February 14, 2019. He also served as the 77th Attorney General from 1991 to 1993, in the George H. W. Bush administration.
In 1992, Barr launched a surveillance program to gather records of innocent Americans’ international phone calls.[41] The DOJ Inspector General concluded that this program was launched without a review of the legality of the program.[41] According to USA Today, the program “provided a blueprint for far broader phone-data surveillance the government launched after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.”[41]
Iran-Contra
In late 1992, Independent Counsel Lawrence Walsh, who had been chosen to investigate the Iran–Contra affair, found documents in the possession of Reagan’s former defense secretary, Caspar Weinberger, which Walsh said was “evidence of a conspiracy among the highest-ranking Reagan Administration officials to lie to Congress and the American public.”[42][43] Weinberger was set to stand trial on felony charges on January 5, 1993.[42][44] His “indictment said Mr. Weinberger’s notes contradicted Mr. Bush’s assertions that he had only a fragmentary knowledge of the arms secretly sold to Iran in 1985 and 1986 in exchange for American hostages in Lebanon.”[44][43][45] According to Walsh, then-president Bush might have been called as a witness.[46]
On December 24, 1992, during his final month in office, Bush, on the advice of Barr, pardoned Weinberger,[10][47] along with five other administration officials who had been found guilty on charges relating to the Iran–Contra affair.[10][48][49][42] Barr was consulted extensively regarding the pardons, and especially advocated for pardoning Weinberger.[50]
Walsh complained about the move insinuating that Bush on Barr’s advice had used the pardons to avoid testifying and stating that: “The Iran-contra cover-up, which has continued for more than six years, has now been completed.”[51] In 2003, he wrote an account of the investigation in his book, Firewall: The Iran-Contra Conspiracy and Cover-Up.
Because of this and Barr’s unwillingness to appoint an independent counsel to look into a second scandal known as Iraqgate, New York Times writer William Safire began to refer to Barr as “Coverup-General Barr.”[52] Barr, however, responded that he believed Bush had made the right decision regarding that and he felt people in the case had been treated unfairly.[53] Barr said that Walsh was a “head-hunter” who “had completely lost perspective.”[54]
Bronfman/ALEC/Barr
Former headmaster of Dalton accused of sexually assaulting teen student
June 7, 2018
The headmaster of an elite Upper East Side private school sexually assaulted a disadvantaged teen for months when he took her into his home to help out with his new baby, an explosive new lawsuit charges.
The victim, identified as J.S., was 14 years old when Gardner Dunnan, the long-time head of the Dalton School, allegedly preyed upon her at his Manhattan apartment and in his New Jersey summer home.
The alleged attacks happened in 1986 when J.S. was living at Dunnan’s family’s Upper East Side home while attending the tony school tuition-free — in exchange for her working as a “family helper.”
She accuses Dalton of turning a blind eye to Dunnan’s alleged behavior, saying the school ” should have been aware that Dunnan was likely to engage in sexual misconduct or other harmful behavior.”
Dunnan was forced to resign from Dalton in 1997 — after his affair with a married female teacher at the school was exposed. He served as headmaster at the East 89th Street school for 23 years. (Since 1974)
One girl who was trafficked by Epstein at age 14 said, “I was still wearing my braces.” She was not a woman at 14 and had no comprehension of what Epstein was after. She thought these were “nice people” inviting her to a party where other kids would be. Instead, she has had years of difficulty and depression ever since Jerry Epstein and company came along and sexually assaulted her.
I so hope to hear that Ghislaine Maxwell does not skate away without consequences. She certainly seems to have loved her pimpstress work alongside Epstein, for years and years. It has been her lifework, just as Keith Raniere has been Clare Bronfman’s lifework.
The Meaning of Life: Monty Python’s John Cleese and his child psychoanalyst wife Alyce Faye Eichelberger, now divorced, appear on Epstein’s list. Faye studied under Anna Freud, Sigmund’s youngest child, and has strong ties to the Hampstead clinic and the Esalen cult.
When Alyce came to England with her children, she had nothing. She studied psychotherapy at the Tavistock clinic under Anna Freud’s instruction and lived in a third-floor council flat in North London. She met Cleese when they both attended a party in London.
Upon graduating from law school, Hillary Rodham took a post-graduate year of study on children, exploring issues of early childhood development, child abuse, and medical-related matters. She also worked as a research assistant to the center’s director, Dr. Al Solnit and one of her professors Joe Goldstein for their book, co-authored with Anna Freud, entitled Beyond the Best Interests of the Child.
Alyce Cleese – After divorcing Dave Eichelberger (with whom she had two sons), she met actor John Cleese in 1990 and they married in 1992. They divorced in 2008, though details of the divorce settlement only became public knowledge in August 2009.[4]
Fiona Sara Shackleton, Baroness Shackleton of BelgraviaLVO (néeCharkham; born 26 May 1956)[1] is an English solicitor and politician, who has represented members of the British royal family and celebrities, including Sir Paul McCartney and Prince Andrew, Duke of York. Her charm and resoluteness earned her the nickname “Steel Magnolia”.[2]
Born Fiona Sara Charkham in London, she is the daughter of Jonathan Charkham, an economist and adviser to The Bank of England, and Moira Elizabeth Frances Salmon, daughter of Barnett Alfred and Molly Salmon.[3] Her mother’s family, the Salmon family, were co-owners of the J. Lyons & Co. cornerhouse empire.[4]
Shackleton qualified as a solicitor in 1980, and by 1986 she had become a partner at Farrer and Co, the firm of solicitors employed by the British royal family.
Shackleton joined Payne Hicks Beach in 2001 as a partner. Shackleton is reputed to have fallen out of royal favour in the aftermath of the Paul Burrell affair and the suggestions of a cover-up over allegations of a homosexual rape within the royal household put Shackleton, in her own words, “under pressure for a solution to be reached more speedily than I was able to achieve”. She was criticised in the Peat Report on the proceedings.[2][9]
Shackleton is married to Ian, who runs a business called The Chatham Archive & Document Storage Company, and who is related to Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton.
Jeremy Hunt’s campaign manager is in Jeffrey Epstein’s black book
Perhaps most significantly of all, just across the border in Shropshire, the Ludlow MP Philip Dunne is managing Mr Hunt’s campaign.
I have rarely come across anyone as decent, honourable & competent as @dunne4ludlow. His wisdom and friendship have been invaluable to me @DHSCgovuk. We will miss him but no doubt he will continue to make huge contributions to public life.
He has been a farmer since 1987, at his family’s farm just over the county boundary in Herefordshire, at Leintwardine near Ludlow, and was elected in 2001 as a councillor on the South Shropshire District Council, of which he was the Conservative leader in 2003–2005.
He was also secretary of the Ludlow Conservative Association for a year in 2001. Since 2005 Dunne has been the Conservative Member of Parliament for Ludlow.
In July 2016, he was appointed as Minister for State for Health.[2] In Prime Minister Theresa May‘s January 2018 reshuffle, he was dismissed from his ministerial post. Before losing his post, Dunne was accused of belittling the winter NHS bed crisis by suggesting unwell people in accident and emergency departments of hospitals without beds could instead use seats.[3][4]
Conservative leadership election 2005
Just before the Conservative leadership election of 2005, he balloted his constituents about whom he should vote for in the contest. After this ballot Dunne announced that he would be supporting David Cameron; he was also Chairman of Cameron’s campaign in Shropshire.
Philip Dunne was appointed as an unpaid assistant government whip in the House of Commons.[5] In September 2012, he was appointed Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology with responsibility for defence procurement and defence exports.[6] In this role, he was the minister responsible for, and one of the backers of, the bill which became the Defence Reform Act 2014.[7]He was appointed to the Privy Council of the United Kingdom in the 2019 New Years Honours List
@JamesRusbridger
So there it is.
Margaret Hodge Nepotism on Islington Council
The Smith Institute funded by Geoffrey Robinson
Dolphin Square & paedo parties
Lucrative deals with Robert Maxwell
A socialite daughter who (allegedly) procures girls for rape
The Social Market Foundation & Lord Janner’s No. 1 Fan
Geoffrey Robinson funds “The Smith Institute”, which earlier this year appointed Margaret Hodge’s son-in-law, Joe Caluori, to the senior post of Deputy Director.
When he isn’t working for Geoffrey Robinson, Margaret Hodge’s son-in-law, Joe, is also a Labour Councillor on London’s notorious Islington Borough Council.
Indeed, it was only in order to take the job with Geoffrey Robinson’s “Smith Institute” that Joe Caluori resigned from his position as Islington’s “Cabinet Member for Children and Families”.
But not to worry — Caluori won’t forget the children, for whom he has already done so much while at Islington.
According to Caluori’s profile on “The Smith Institute” website:
“Joe’s policy interests include … child criminal exploitation”.
Geoffrey Robinson — a close friend of Peter Mandelson and Tony Blair with links to the Maxwells, British Intelligence and Dolphin Square — doubtless shares Joe Caluori’s altruistic interest in “child criminal exploitation”.
This shared concern for “child criminal exploitation” could explain why Caluori was hired by his “Smith Institute”.
Jeffrey Epstein continued to socialize with Elon Musk, Bill Gates and other elites even after being a registered sex offender
“It’s Going to Be Staggering, the Amount of Names”: As the Jeffrey Epstein Case Grows More Grotesque, Manhattan and DC Brace for Impact
17 July 2019
The Jeffrey Epstein case is an asteroid poised to strike the elite world in which he moved. No one can yet say precisely how large it is. But as the number of women who’ve accused the financier (at least, that’s what he claimed to be) of sexual assault grows to grotesque levels—there are said to be more than 50 women who are potential victims—a wave of panic is rippling through Manhattan, DC, and Palm Beach, as Epstein’s former friends and associates rush to distance themselves, while gossiping about who might be ensnared. Donald Trump’s labor secretary, Alexander Acosta, architect of the original 2007 non-prosecution agreement that let Epstein off with a wrist slap, has already been forced to resign.
The questions about Epstein are metastasizing much faster than they can be answered: Who knew what about Epstein’s alleged abuse? How, and from whom, did Epstein get his supposed $500 million fortune? Why did Acosta grant Epstein an outrageously lenient non-prosecution agreement? (And what does it mean that Acosta was reportedly told Epstein “belonged to intelligence”?) But among the most pressing queries is which other famous people might be exposed for committing sex crimes. “There were other business associates of Mr. Epstein’s who engaged in improper sexual misconduct at one or more of his homes. We do know that,” said Brad Edwards, a lawyer for Courtney Wild, one of the Epstein accusers who gave emotional testimony at Epstein’s bail hearing. “In due time the names are going to start coming out.” (Attorneys for Epstein did not respond to a request for comment.)
Likely within days, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit will release almost 2,000 pages of documents that could reveal sexual abuse by “numerous prominent American politicians, powerful business executives, foreign presidents, a well-known prime minister, and other world leaders,” according to the three-judge panel’s ruling. The documents were filed during a civil defamation lawsuit brought by Epstein accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre, a former Mar-a-Lago locker-room attendant, against Epstein’s former girlfriend and alleged madam, Ghislaine Maxwell. “Nobody who was around Epstein a lot is going to have an easy time now. It’s all going to come out,” said Giuffre’s lawyer David Boies. Another person involved with litigation against Epstein told me: “It’s going to be staggering, the amount of names. It’s going to be contagion numbers.”
Epstein remained a fixture in elite circles even after he was a registered sex offender. A few years ago, for example, he was a guest at a dinner in Palo Alto hosted by LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman for the MIT neuroscientist Ed Boyden. At the dinner, Elon Musk introduced Epstein to Mark Zuckerberg. (“Mark met Epstein in passing one time at a dinner honoring scientists that was not organized by Epstein,” Zuckerberg spokesman Ben LaBolt told me. “Mark did not communicate with Epstein again following the dinner.”)
In an email, Elon Musk responded: “I don’t recall introducing Epstein to anyone, as I don’t know the guy well enough to do so, Epstein is obviously a creep and Zuckerberg is not a friend of mine. Several years ago, I was at his house in Manhattan for about 30 minutes in the middle of the afternoon with Talulah [Riley], as she was curious about meeting this strange person for a novel she was writing. We did not see anything inappropriate at all, apart from weird art. He tried repeatedly to get me to visit his island. I declined.”
One source who’s done business with Epstein told me that Epstein’s 21,000-square-foot townhouse on East 71st Street welcomed a steady stream of the Davos crowd in the past decade. The source said Bill Gates, Larry Summers, and Steve Bannon visited the house, which has been called one of the largest private residences in Manhattan. “Jeffrey collected people. That’s what he did,” the source said. Gates and Summers did not respond to requests for comment.
Thus far, the name most publicly associated with Epstein’s alleged crimes is famed lawyer Alan Dershowitz, who’s been waging a public battle with David Boies for years. In April, Boies’s client Giuffre sued Dershowitz for defamation after Dershowitz called her a liar (a strategy similar to that of seven of Bill Cosby’s accusers). In the days since the FBI arrested Epstein at Teterboro Airport a week and a half ago, Dershowitz has been going on television and dialing up friends and reporters to profess his innocence and label Giuffre and Boies liars. “I want everything to come out! I’m not afraid of anything because I did nothing wrong,” Dershowitz told me on the afternoon of July 15.
He called me a minute after I had emailed him for comment. He said he’d been friends with Epstein since 1996, when they were introduced at a party on Martha’s Vineyard by Lynn Forester de Rothschild. “She begged me to meet him. She told me, ‘here’s this smart academic.’” A few days later, Epstein invited Dershowitz to Les Wexner’s 59th birthday party at Wexner’s mansion in New Albany, Ohio. “It’s a tradition that Jeff invited the smartest person he met that year. He told them I was the smartest.” They remained close for years. Dershowitz strenuously denied ever participating in Epstein’s underage sex ring and said he’d only been in Epstein’s presence with his wife. “I got one massage!” he told me. “It was from a 50-year-old Russian woman named Olga. And I kept my shorts on. I didn’t even like it. I’m not a massage guy.”
Dershowitz said he secretly (and legally) tape-recorded settlement conversations with Boies and that the phone calls capture Boies admitting that Giuffre’s allegations aren’t true. “Boies is a bad person,” he told me.
“I never said that,” Boies responded when I asked about Dershowitz’s version of the phone calls. “What Alan does is he plays a second or two out of context; he never lets anybody listen to the whole thing.” Boies also dismissed Dershowitz’s claim that he never met Giuffre at Epstein’s house. According to Boies, Epstein’s former employees said in sworn depositions that they saw Dershowitz at the house multiple times without his wife. “This Olga woman doesn’t exist. Epstein’s barely kept women around who were over 25. It’s a figment of Alan’s imagination,” Boies said.
On Wall Street, Epstein is a subject of mystery—and fear. “I knew Jeff. He came across as very smart, very sophisticated,” one hedge fund manager told me. “He always had a good read on people. But manipulative people are good at that.” Another person who’s been in meetings with Epstein told me: “He’s very clever.”
How Epstein obtained his fortune is a matter of feverish speculation. His claim to a billionaire-only client list now seems laughable to the bankers I spoke with. One Wall Street source with direct knowledge of Epstein’s business said one source of Epstein’s income was providing “tax advice and estate planning” to rich clients, like Apollo Global Management founder Leon Black, presumably because Epstein had experience with offshore funds after basing his office in the Virgin Islands. In 2015 Black made a $10 million donation to Epstein’s foundation. (Black declined to comment.)
In the absence of much other information, the reigning theory on Wall Street currently is that Epstein’s activities with women and girls were central to the building of his fortune, and his relations with some of his investors essentially amounted to blackmail.
Similarly, DC is on edge. “Epstein bragged about his contacts in Washington,” Boies said. Reporters are likely to dig into why the Justice Department decided not to prosecute Epstein and kept the deal secret from his victims. One theory circulating among prominent Republicans is that Epstein was a Mossad agent. Another is that the George W. Bush White House directed Acosta not to prosecute Epstein to protect Prince Andrew on behalf of the British government, then the U.S.’s closest ally in the Iraq war. “The royal family did everything they could to try and discredit the Prince Andrew stuff,” Boies told me. “When we tried to follow up with anything, we were stonewalled. We wanted to interview him, they were unwilling to do anything.” (Prince Andrew could not be reached for comment).
Of course, the two Epstein friends that people are most curious about are Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, both of whom have denied anything untoward. During the 2016 presidential race, Hillary Clinton’s campaign consulted Bill’s post–White House Secret Service logs because they were worried Trump would bring up Bill’s close association with Epstein and wanted to get ahead of the story, a source told me.
For those in Epstein’s orbit, the stakes of exposure are bound to get higher as more and more women come forward. Every day seems to bring new horrors about Epstein’s alleged depravity. At a press conference on Tuesday, Courtney Wild’s lawyer Brad Edwards said that after interviewing dozens of Epstein’s accusers, it appeared Epstein spent almost all of his time abusing underage girls. “It was his full-time job,” Edwards said. “We have not found anyone who has provided information about a legitimate business he was engaged [in].”
Epstein built home, courtyard, runway & hangar on Zorro Ranch that he bought from the family of the late New Mexico governor Bruce King (BK) BK’s son, Gary King, was NM’s attny general 2007-15 & received (& later returned) $50,000 in donations from Epstein or firms linked to him
Chelmsford choirmaster ‘gave stars to pupil he abused’
16 July 2019
Malcolm Archer
A choirmaster gave reward stars to a pupil who he abused, a court has heard.
Kenneth Francis, 72, is accused of indecent assaults on four boys while he was a teacher at Widford Lodge Boarding School in Chelmsford in the 1970s.
One boy said he was abused beneath the school stage then rewarded with eight stars, Chelmsford Crown Court heard.
Mr Francis is on trial alongside 67-year-old Malcolm Archer, of North Wootton, Somerset, who denies two counts of indecent assault.
Mr Francis, of Pepys Court, Cambridge, has pleaded not guilty to 15 counts of indecent assault and two counts of gross indecency.
The allegations relate to boys who were members of the school choir between 1972 and 1979, the court heard.
Despite being told he was unsuitable to work in any cathedral, Malcolm Archer went on to serve at Wells Cathedral.
Banished organist rises again
13 May 2004
To many in the Church of England, it will be seen as a comeback of miraculous dimensions. Fourteen years ago, Malcolm Archer was thrown out of his job as a provincial organist, and Anglican leaders were told the brilliant musician was unsuitable to work in any cathedral.
Today I can reveal Archer, 52, has been chosen for the most senior position outside the clergy that the Church has to offer – director of music at St Paul’s Cathedral.
What makes his appointment all the more intriguing is that the cleric who forced him out of his job as organist of Bristol Cathedral remains an influential – and controversial – figure in the Church. For Archer’s detractor is none other than Dr Wesley Carr, the Dean of Westminster and the man who officiated at Princess Diana’s funeral.
In 1990, Dr Carr was dean of Bristol Cathedral when Mr Archer was obliged to resign amid confusing circumstances.
Subsequently, Dr Carr sent a letter to the deans of all English cathedrals advising them that the organist should not be hired. Last night, one eminent churchman, a former dean of Guildford in Surrey, told me: ‘I remember it. I threw it in the wastepaper basket.’
Inside the Church, Dr Carr rejoices in the nickname of ‘the sacking dean’.
Shortly after Diana’s death, he was at the centre of a furious row that threatened to tear Westminster Abbey apart after he sacked the choirmaster who arranged the music for the funeral.
He was branded a bully after firing all the Abbey’s tour guides aged over 75. And he was criticised for sanctioning the sale of chairs used at Diana’s funeral.
Despite losing his job at Bristol, Malcolm Archer, a father of two, continued in the music world, moving to Clifton College, the boys’ school.
He has been organist and master of choristers at Wells Cathedral, Somerset, for eight years.
Last night, the man who headhunted him, St Paul’s Dean John Moses, described him as an outstanding candidate. Asked about Mr Archer’s departure from Bristol, he said: ‘I should point out that lots of things are said but he (Archer) found employment directly afterwards.’
In a further twist, some are wondering if the appointment has helped settle another old score. During the 1980s, Dr Carr and Dr Moses worked together at Chelmsford Cathedral, Essex.
‘They didn’t get on at all,’ I am told. Dr Moses diplomatically tells me: ‘We were colleagues, and you get on better with some colleagues than others.’
Dr Archer’s wife, Alison, said: ‘I am aware that there was some dispute between my husband and Wesley Carr, but I don’t know the details. It was before my time. We’ve only been married for ten years.’ Dr Carr was unavailable for comment.
THREE headteachers of £33,000-a-year private school failed to act over pervert teacher now jailed for videoing 130 children with secret cameras even though he was found tied to chair half-naked several times
Jonathan Thomson-Glover was a teacher for 31 years at Clifton College
He was jailed last year after admitting filming 130 children over 16 years
New report reveals three headteachers ignored parents’ complaints
Parents complained as early as 1998 about ‘unsuitable rewards’ including beer, pizza and computer games nights held at German teacher’s home
16 August 2016
A court heard he hid cameras at different places around the school and was found with 2,500 hours of video and 1,400 indecent images on 330 tapes.
In July he had six months added to Thomson-Glover’s sentence after he admitted a string of further sex offences against children while he was teaching in Winchester.
He pleaded guilty to three counts of gross indecency involving a boy under 14 and one count of inciting a boy under 14 to commit a grossly indecent act.
The abuse took place at some point between 1987 and 1992, probably when the boys were about 12-years-old.
Former headteachers Andrew Hugh Monro, Stephen Spurr and Mark Moore were called to give evidence.
Despite several complaints, little was done by former headteachers Andrew Hugh Monro, Stephen Spurr and Mark Moore
In summer 1999, a cleaner and a young student reported that the housemaster had been found taped to a chair at the college half-naked.
A few months later, he was found taped to a chair again in just his underwear by a teacher who told headmaster Mr Munro, it was reported.
In September 2000, then head teacher Mr Spurr launched an enquiry after reports Thomson-Glover was again tied to a chair as a prank but told him “whatever happened don’t do it again”.
In another incident, a deputy head of pastoral care raised concerns about Thomson-Glover’s activities to head teacher Mr Moore, but was told the matter was ‘dealt with’.
Israeli politician says he’ll cut financial ties to Jeffrey Epstein
July 15, 2019
An Israeli politician attempting to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — and under fire for his ties to Jeffrey Epstein — says his lawyers are working to cut his financial links to the rich pedophile.
Ehud Barak, the country’s former prime minister who is running against Netanyahu in September, used several million dollars of Epstein’s money to finance a security company, according to Haaretz.
Barak also is a personal friend of Epstein, who was convicted of soliciting a young woman for sex in Florida in 2008 and now faces a slew of new sex-trafficking charges in Manhattan.
Barak defended his actions during a TV interview Saturday, saying of Epstein, “He’d served his sentence for soliciting prostitution — the indictment didn’t say she was a minor,” according to the Jerusalem Post.
In the Florida case, a plea deal allowed Epstein to escape federal charges at the time, in exchange for him pleading guilty to a single count of soliciting prostitution from girls as young as 14.
Barak said his lawyers are working to sever financial ties with the accused billionaire, the Jerusalem Post said.
The NEXIVM connection has to do with Epstein’s Island and Necker Island owned by Richard Branson.
Richard Branson was made aware that some of the islands in the British Virgin Islands were for sale in 1978. Branson soon after went to the British Virgin Islands for a holiday to investigate the prospective real estate. On first observing the islands, he envisioned using them to put up rock stars for his record label. Upon arrival, they were given a luxury villa and travelled around islands for sale by helicopter. The final island he saw was Necker Island, and after climbing the hill and being stunned by the view and wildlife, decided to purchase the island.
Branson,
English business magnate, investor, author and philanthropist. He founded the Virgin Group, which controls more than 400 companies.
The terrifying sex-slaver NXIVM cult held seminars on Sir Richard Branson’s Necker Island in hope of ‘recruiting him into the organisation.
Sir Richard says he does not remember them. Appears he has the Same problem top officials in the FBI and DOJ have had about Their criminal behavior and concealing crimes
Prior to overseeing the Islington Child Abuse Scandal, Margaret Hodge worked at Unilever as an economist (1966-1973).
Unilever is also closely associated with the late prolific paedophile Leon Brittan and Leon’s corrupt cousin, Malcolm Rifkind. Unilever is additionally associated with Conservative Zionist (Friends of Israel) Anne Widdecombe, who, interestingly, worked for Unilever at around the same time as Dame Margaret (1973-1975 in Widdecombe’s case).
At Unilever, cousins Leon Brittan and Malcolm Rifkind ‘took turns’ as non executive directors: serving, in the case of Brittan, from May 2004 (or 2000: sources differ) to May 2010; and in Rifkind’s case from May 2010 until April 2015.
Unilever sponsors the annual One Young World summit for children’s causes – whose regular speakers include Bob Geldof, Sir Richard Branson and Lord Michael Hastings.
1. What do you enjoy about the UK and what was it that made you move here?
What made me move here is a strange story, I lived in the United States and Richard Branson asked me if I could fly with him on the inauguration of Virgin Atlantic over 20 years ago, and next to me sat Sir Clement Freud, who was then a member of parliament.
I happen to be related to Sigmund Freud myself, my mother is a Freud and my name in my British passport is Uri Geller Freud, and I invited Clement to my home in Conneticut and he somehow managed to convince us that England is a much more civilised country than the US. My kids were small then and I said maybe it’s about time we moved, and that’s why we moved here.
Virgin entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson has criticised Portuguese police for “overstepping the mark” by accusing Madeleine McCann’s parents of involvement in her disappearance.
The British billionaire, who has already donated £100,000 to help fund Gerry and Kate McCann’s legal team, accused the local press to of making unsubstantiated claims against the couple.
Inside Madeleine McCann’s parents’ bizarre relationship with paedophile Clement Freud
Richard Branson was born in 1950 and educated at Stowe School. It was here that he began to set up Student Magazine when he was just 16. By 17 he’d also set up Student Advisory Centre, which was a charity to help young people.
Richard Branson convicted of distributing indecent literature
P MILNE and P THOMPSON reported for distributing indecent literature: R C N BRANSON…
P MILNE and P THOMPSON reported for distributing indecent literature: R C N BRANSON (Richard Branson), director of the Advisory Centre and editor of Student magazine, convicted and fined under Section 3 of the Indecent Advertisements Act 1889.
A Northern Ireland woman who was befriended by Sir Jimmy Savile has said she is shocked and disgusted by claims that he was a predatory sex abuser.
Mrs Craig, who befriended Savile through her work with the Disabled Police Officers’ Association of Northern Ireland (DPOA), said: “I find it quite unbelievable — this is definitely not the man that I knew.”
Rosemary Craig, a “great friend” of the presenter, described the allegations as unbelievable and not in keeping with the man she knew.
Her husband, an ex-RUC officer, was severely injured after being shot by the IRA. She has done a lot of work with the DPOA.
“I wrote a letter to Jimmy Savile and he immediately responded. He sent me the money to fly over with a disabled officer and got him a new lightweight wheelchair. He put me on to Richard Branson who brought a Virgin aeroplane into Northern Ireland and took 375 disabled officers, their helpers and families to Florida for a holiday. All down to Jimmy Savile.”
Duke of Gloucester (his father director of Fairbridge Trust where child abuse was rampant) with Jimmy Savile
Queen’s Club has around 4,500 members. They include the Earl and Countess of Wessex, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, actors Joseph Fiennes and Damian Lewis, Hollywood star Charlton Heston and singer Elaine Paige.
The club also has a large number of City professionals and international business people, including Richard Branson and George Soros.
In 2002, Prince Charles first gave Camila Batmanghelidjh, CEO of the former charity Kids Company, the idea of considering the impact of child abuse on children’s brain development. He presented her with 25 clinical papers on the topic. From that moment I was suspicious because the idea was so wide as to include the impact of all kinds of trauma making any research very confused in aim. Also, the method of research was to scan the brains of ‘troubled teenagers’ which seemed to be more about a social control agenda. I had already detected mixed messages about the aims of this children’s charity (Evening Standard: 11.09.2009).
Camila Batmanghelidjh attend the private view of the Kids Company’s ‘Holding Up Childhood’ exhibition at Royal Academy of Arts on December 16, 2013 in London, England.
Her supporters include Sir Richard Branson, Trudie Styler (Mrs Sting), Cherie Blair and Samantha Cameron
Kids Company founder, Camila Batmanghelidjh, says ‘malicious’ child abuse claims led to closure
Potted history of Richard Branson’s career: tax evasion on direct mail record sales, suppliers left with bad debts that bankrupted them, businesses sold hastily to mugs who then had to produce commerce from chaos, persistent lies about overcrowding on his trains, a dead pilot after the failure of Virgin Galactic – and a purchase of online banking services fronted by underpaid Geordies taking earache 24/7 from customers fed up of mad organisational structures.
His rewards for this cacophony of crap: a knighthood, £5.2 billion of personal wealth, and a tropical island all to himself.
Sir Richard Branson was also intrested in the 11 year old Mariora Goschen
Who’s that girl?
The 40th anniversary of Virgin Records – our first four albums, including a certain Tubular Bells, were released on May 25th 1973. So what better time to find the original Virgin logo model?
Roger Dean created the original Virgin artwork in 1970, which over the years has developed into one of the most recognisable logos in the world.
The model in the image appeared again and again as the logo evolved, starting off in our mail order record service when I was 20 years old. It was still present when we launched Virgin Records in 1973.
News Roundup: Dream comes true.
The Times (London, England), 1988 March 12A boy’s dream of creating a computer game have come true with the help of Mr Richard Branson, the millionaire, and Jimmy Savile, host of the Jim’ll Fix It television programme. Andrew Collet…
Savile, Geldof and Branson
“Mr. Allan Roberts (Bootle)
Is the Minister aware that his Government are turning tragedy into farce? They have handed over their responsibility for foreign aid to Bob Geldof and cut foreign aid dramatically. They have handed over part of their responsibility for the National Health Service to Jimmy Savile, and are handing local responsibility for collecting refuse to Mr. Branson to cut the money needed for street cleaning. May we have an assurance that the Government do not intend to hand over responsibility for law and order to Perry Mason, to Kojak or to Boy George?”
Left: Artist Marina Abramović and Debbie Harry. Right: Jeffrey Deitch, director of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. (All photos: Linda Yablonsky)
Jeffrey Epstein’s Zorro Ranch in Stanley, N.M. is shown Monday, July 8, 2019. Epstein is entangled in two legal fights that span the East Coast, challenging his underage sexual abuse victims in a Florida court hours after he was indicted on sex trafficking charges in a separate case in New York.
Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case draws his New Mexico ranch into investigation
14 JULY 2019
A Balderas spokesman confirmed his office had interviewed possible victims of Epstein who visited the ranch, the AP reported. The office has not said how many accusers were interviews or elaborated on what they say took place at the property.
A sprawling desert ranch south of Santa Fe is tied to a New Mexico state attorney general investigation targeting financier Jeffrey Epstein, according to reports.
News of the probe comes as Epstein, a 66-year-old registered sex offender in Florida and New York, faces new charges of sex trafficking underage girls in an indictment Manhattan federal prosecutors obtained last week.
Also drawing scrutiny is a New Mexico law that allowed Epstein to avoid having to register as a sex offender in the state.
“New Mexico continues to lag behind the rest of the country in strengthening outdated and weak laws that fail to protect our children from abuse,” New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas told The Associated Press in an emailed statement. “This is a huge black eye for our state.”
In a 2015 court filing in Florida, a plaintiff in a lawsuit against Epstein said she had been abused at several locations, including the New Mexico property, according to the AP.
In 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida to state charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution under an agreement that required him to spend 13 months in jail and register as a sex offender. The agreement has been widely criticized for secretly ending a federal sex abuse investigation involving at least 40 teenage girls at the time that could have landed him behind bars for life.
Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta said Friday he’s stepping down amid the tumult over his handling of the 2008 deal with Epstein. Acosta was the U.S. attorney in Miami when he oversaw the non-prosecution agreement.
Epstein purchased Zorro Ranch from the family of former New Mexico Gov. Bruce King years ago.
Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta said Friday he’s stepping down amid the tumult over his handling of the 2008 deal with Epstein. Acosta was the U.S. attorney in Miami when he oversaw the non-prosecution agreement.
Epstein purchased Zorro Ranch from the family of former New Mexico Gov. Bruce King years ago.
Fancy a cuppa, Love? Andrew’s twilight visit to Courtney Love.
And did you notice the little arrow in Courtney Love’s entry pointing to Dana? Well, that is Dana Giacchetto, an investor in Digital Entertainment Network, the company in the Bryan Singer lawsuits, where Singer and other investors were charged with molesting underage boys.
Jeffrey A. Sachs was a close associate of Dana Giacchetto and, alongside Nicole Junkermann, is the second person linked to Epstein who has ties with healthcare consultancies.
Jeffrey A. Sachs was a close associate of Dana Giacchetto and, alongside Nicole Junkermann, is the second person linked to Epstein who has ties with healthcare consultancies.
Prince Andrew’s ‘party with paedo pal Jeffrey Epstein’ just after his jail release
Woody Allen also reportedly attended the dinner at billionaire Epstein’s New York mansion where the Duke of York was ‘guest of honour’
12 JUL 2019
Prince Andrew partied with paedophile pal Jeffrey Epstein just after his release from jail.
A guest said Epstein called him Andy and “wanted to make clear that while he was a guest of honour, he was a regular guest”.
Woody Allen also attended the dinner at billionaire Epstein’s £62million New York mansion, sources claimed.
It took place in 2010, after financier Epstein was released from a 13-month sentence for soliciting girls as young as 14 for sex.
One guest said those there included US TV hosts Katie Couric, Charlie Rose and George Stephanopoulos.
Ghislaine Maxwell, daughter of disgraced former Mirror owner Robert Maxwell, was also there.
A source told the Daily Beast website: “Epstein and Andrew were not there to begin with, then the doors were flung open, and they made their entrance.
The source said Epstein called the prince “Andy” and was “clearly confident” in his company.
“He wanted to show how comfortable he was in his presence, and make clear that while he was a guest of honour, he was a regular, routine and repeat guest,” they added.
“Epstein, Andrew, and Ghislaine were a trio, a party within the party, the insiders among the other guests.”
Another attendee said: “There were a lot of ugly old men, with Prince Andrew in the middle of it all. We left pretty quickly.”
Epstein, who was last week charged with underage sex trafficking offences, was reportedly introduced to the prince in the 1990s by Ghislaine Maxwell.
At the time she was the American’s girlfriend.
The party came two months after the engagement of Prince William to Kate Middleton.
Sources said the main topic of conversation was the upcoming wedding of the future Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
It is claimed Couric told Prince Andrew she would be broadcasting live from outside Westminster Abbey during the ceremony and asked: “If I mail your BlackBerry, will you give me the details on what is happening inside?”
It came in the same month a photo was taken of Andrew deep in conversation with Epstein in Central Park.
The picture was published the following February and made headlines around the world, with questions raised over the prince’s judgement.
A spokesman for Buckingham Palace last night said that Andrew, who had previously holidayed with Epstein in Thailand and invited him for stays at Windsor Castle and the Queen’s country reside
Trump and Epstein were the only attendees at a “party” where 28 girls attended. 28 girls were someone’s daughters.
It was supposed to be an exclusive party at Mar-a-Lago, Donald J. Trump’s members-only club in Palm Beach, Fla. But other than the two dozen or so women flown in to provide the entertainment, the only guests were Mr. Trump and Jeffrey Epstein.
The year was 1992 and the event was a “calendar girl” competition, something that George Houraney, a Florida-based businessman who ran American Dream Enterprise, had organized at Mr. Trump’s request.
“I arranged to have some contestants fly in,” Mr. Houraney recalled in an interview on Monday. “At the very first party, I said, ‘Who’s coming tonight? I have 28 girls coming.’ It was him and Epstein.”
Jeffrey Epstein’s lair: On the roof sits #Moloch the owl, the Canaanite god of child sacrifice. Island workers say the walls were built #soundproof. An engineer says an external #locking#bar “appears intended to lock people in”
rosecutors unsealed an indictment against Jeffrey Epstein on Monday. The court accused Epstein of sexually abusing dozens of young girls for years at one of the biggest mansions in Manhattan, paying them hundreds of dollars in cash for each encounter and hundreds more if they could recruit other victims.
The case is making headlines because the Clintons partied with Epstein on his now famous “Orgy Island”.
In a statement this past week, former President Bill Clinton admitted to taking a total of four trips on Epstein’s airplane and also admitted to visiting Epstein’s apartment in New York. This has already been debunked as a lie y reporter Conchita Sarnoff. The former President flew 27 times to Orgy Island and most every time his flights carried under age girls!
We reported in 2016 before the election that Bill Clinton took numerous trips on Epstein’s ‘Lolita Express’ to Epstein’s private “Orgy Island” where underage girls as young as 14 were prostituted for Epstein’s rich and famous clients like Clinton, Kevin Spacey and Prince Andrew.
Clinton’s claim that his Secret Service were with him during every trip is bogus because according to reports he simply ditched his security detail in order to stealth travel with Epstein.
Also, Bill Clinton could not have flown with Epstein to perform work for the Clinton Foundation in 2002, as he claimed, because the Foundation was not authorized for foreign work at that time and the former President was not an officer, trustee or employee of the Foundation at that time.
The Clintons are notorious for criminal actions and lying about these actions but what the hell is going on with Epstein and why were they with him?
Per a cursory review of his island in the Caribbean, one object sticks out. A temple of sorts built on the southern part of the island.
There are some uncorroborated stories that the temple has multiple levels below it. What it was used for is unknown.
The fact that the structure looks like a temple obviously sheds some light but why the odd statues? Really, what the hell was going on here?
Everything We Know About Jeffrey Epstein’s Private ‘Pedophile Island’
July 10, 2019
Epstein’s Little St. James Island in the U.S. Virgin Islands
A common mistake when referring to the lavish holdings of convicted sex offender and alleged sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein: He has not one but two private islands in the Caribbean. About a mile southeast of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands lies the 75-acre Little St. James, which Epstein bought through an LLC in 1998 for $7.95 million. He later added the 165-acre Great St. James Island for the reported price of $18 million in 2016. Below is everything we know about the islands, from their disturbing nicknames, to the alleged crimes that occurred there, to the mysterious temple on Great St. James.
The alleged crimes
Alleged victim Virginia Roberts Giuffre claimed in a 2015 lawsuit that she was a “sex slave” for Epstein, and that she was abused in his homes in New York, New Mexico, Florida, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, where she was allegedly forced into “an orgy with numerous other under-aged girls.” She also states that she “was forced to have sexual relations with [Prince Andrew] when she was a minor” at Epstein’s Little St. James estate.
Additionally, the islands would be the likely site of any possible financial crimes related to the criminal investigation run by the Southern District of New York’s Public Corruption Unit, as Epstein ran his mysterious offshore business, the Financial Trust Company, from there.
What is on the islands?
Located between St. Thomas and St. John, as of 2008 Little St. James Island featured a staff of 70, five buildings, and a “flamingo-stocked lagoon.” When Epstein first bought it, he stripped the native vegetation, adorned it with palm trees, and placed two giant flags on both ends of the island. Epstein’s residence on the island is a stone mansion with cream-colored walls and a turquoise roof.
Before he (kind 0f) went to prison, Epstein commissioned a renovation of Little St. James. Per the Times: “The villa will occupy the island’s promontory, which offers views of the Atlantic on one side and the Caribbean on the other. It will have a separate library to house Mr. Epstein’s 90,000 volumes, a Japanese bathhouse and what he calls a ‘Ziegfeld’ movie theater.”
The larger, more recently purchased Great St. James Island is currently — and illegally — under construction. In December 2018, the Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources issued a stop-work order to Epstein for not adhering to environmental regulations. Not letting the law get in the way, the New York Postreports, “there has been unauthorized work on the island since the stop work order was issued.” The plan for the complex includes an amphitheater and an “underwater office and pool,” according to the Virgin Islands Daily News.
What’s that about a temple?
On a hill on the southwest point of Little St. James Island, there is a temple painted with blue and white stripes and topped with a golden dome. As Business Insider describes it: “The front is flanked by statues painted in gold; one of them appears to be the trident-wielding Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea, while two others look like birds perched on the corners of the roof. It is surrounded by a line of palm trees and a terrace with a labyrinth motif. Finally, the exterior seems to incorporate an optical illusion, to create the impression that the exterior windows and door are set within carved flanges.”
According to island workers who spoke with the Associated Press, the building may have been designed as a music studio, outfitted with a grand piano and acoustic walls. (Epstein is a classically trained pianist.)
Business Insider also contacted engineer and contractor James Both, who noticed a few suspicious details about the temple. “It’s styled like what you might see on a castle, with what appears to be a reinforcing lock bar across the face,” he said. “What makes it peculiar is that if you wanted to keep people out, the bar would be placed inside the building, [but the] locking bar appears to be placed on the outside … as if it were intended to lock people in.” From this perspective, sound-dampening walls sound much more suspicious.
The nicknames
Epstein called the islands “Little St. Jeff” and “Big St. Jeff,” though others haven’t been as solipsistic — or generous. “Everybody called it ‘Pedophile Island,’” St. Thomas boat operator Kevin Goodrich told the AP. “It’s our dark corner.” Other names have included “Orgy Island” and “Island of Sin.”
Don’t try to snorkel there
According to the Associated Press, when guides took scuba divers to spots near the coast of Little St. James, “security guards would walk to the water’s edge.” In a similar spirit, when Epstein bought Great St. James, he shut down Christmas Cove, where locals and tourists would order pizza and have it delivered by boat.
Evangelical minister Jonathan Fletcher ‘gave prayer group naked beatings as light-hearted forfeits’
12 July 2019
An evangelical minister has admitted subjecting a prayer group to naked beatings as “light-hearted forfeits” if they failed to maintain “healthy and holy living”.
The Rev Jonathan Fletcher, 76, was unmasked by The Telegraph last month as the leading Church of England evangelical minister who has been banned from preaching after “spiritually abusing” vulnerable adults.
However further details about the nature of his abuse – specifically “physical discipline” – have since emerged. Mr Fletcher administered physical beatings on men’s naked backsides, gave naked one-to-one massages, withheld chocolate from victims and subjected them to cold baths, it is claimed.
The beatings are allegedly reminiscent of the beatings to which John Smyth QC subjected his young victims. The barrister, who died aged 77 last year, was accused of sadomasochistic assaults on boys in the 1970s and 1980s at Iwerne Christian holiday camps. Mr Fletcher, whose brother David ran the camps, has previously said he knew Smyth as an “acquaintance”.
Mr Fletcher, a former trustee of Reform, a conservative movement which has led the opposition to the ministry of women and homosexuals within the Church, has now admitted that the beatings took place, but described them as “light-hearted forfeits” in a “system of mutual encouragement”.
In response to the latest claims, he told The Telegraph: “I’m reading Psalm 38 [the topic of which is God’s displeasure at sin] daily, making deep repentance and I’m very, very upset if I’ve hurt anybody.”
He refused to elaborate and instead directed contact to the Bishop of Maidstone, the Rt Revd Rod Thomas.
Massage quid pro quo
In a statement which has been released by the Bishop, Mr Fletcher described the “light-hearted forfeits” to which he subjected young men.
“These included going without chocolate, cold baths and school-type gym shoe punishments,” Mr Fletcher writes.
“Although at the time we definitely did not think we were doing anything wrong, I’ve seen since that it could have caused much harm both to individuals and to the reputation of conservative evangelicalism for which I am profoundly sorry.”
He acknowledges that he enjoys and benefits from massage, and regularly hires professionals to do it. “However, if I can avoid the cost by finding a male friend to administer, and in return receive, massage, I do.
“These sessions categorically do not have erotic or sexual overtones and I have never coerced or intended to coerce anyone into an arrangement. If any have felt pressurised by me to do this, I apologise.”
He accepts that it was “unwise” to involve anyone to whom he was ministering, and apologises “if any have felt pressurised by me to do this”.
After The Telegraph first revealed allegations of Mr Fletcher’s abuse, the Proclamation Trust, an organisation of evangelical Christians, arranged a meeting at the Evangelical Ministry Assembly at Westminster Chapel in London where Sarah Hall, Emmanuel Church’s safeguarding officer and women’s worker, read a statement detailing the nature of his abuse.
Discipline and discipling
She said that “concrete allegations” had been made about conduct involving Mr Fletcher as well as other men from late September 2018 and a small number of these allegations were made of “the practice of physical discipline in the context of discipling relationships”.
“One example of this involved men hitting each other on their naked backsides with a trainer for failing to meet personal targets.
“This took place over a period of time; it happened infrequently; the number of hits was small; and we do not believe any physical injuries were sustained, though it has been described as very painful. I am sorry to be specific but I don’t want you to speculate as to what sort of behaviour I include in ‘physical discipline’.”
The statement continued: “Further disclosures since March 2019 have largely related to a different practice of one-to-one massage, ranging from partially clothed massage to massage where both men are said to have been fully naked throughout and to have taken turns to massage each other. Again, this conduct seems to have become a regular part of the relationship between Jonathan and certain men over a period of time.”
Southwark Diocese had confirmed last month that the allegations surrounding Mr Fletcher centred around a “risk of him behaving towards vulnerable adults who may be seeking his spiritual guidance in a manner which may be harmful”. Sources said the allegations were of “spiritual abuse” and not physical or sexual.
The claims surrounding Mr Fletcher – son of Lord Eric Fletcher who was a minister in Harold Wilson’s government – triggered a police investigation, but the Diocese said that the police concluded that there were no grounds for further action.
The exact details of the allegations were not disclosed last month but sources said “there was no evidence from the assessment that Jonathan Fletcher posed a significant sexual or physical risk to children”.
Emmanuel Church in Wimbledon, south-west London, where Mr Fletcher retired as a minister in 2012, last month issued an “unreserved apology to all those affected by these unacceptable behaviours” and the Bishop of Southwark stripped him of his Permission to Officiate in 2017 – a ban which he has repeatedly flounced to preach around the world.
The Church has established a website, entitled Walkingwith.uk, for “those who need support because of the activities of Jonathan Fletcher”
This article about Jeffrey Epstein which makes reference to Ghislaine Maxwell and a ‘prime minister’ has prompted me to bring together the various names from Epstein’s little black book featured in various tweets on CSA into a single thread. Here goes:
Jeffrey Epstein court files unsealed: Allegations of sex abuse by politicians, executives, presidents and a prime minister contained in documents from accused child rapist’s civil case
2,000 pages of records related to a civil case filed against Jeffrey Epstein over a decade ago were ordered unsealed on Wednesday
These file could detail how Epstein and his accused accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell allegedly trafficked underage girls
New allegations of sexual abuse by ‘numerous prominent American politicians, powerful business executives, foreign presidents’ are also in the docs
There are allegations about ‘a well-known prime minister and other world leaders’ as well
In 1986, The People ran a story about an attempt to pressure Robert Maxwell into halting its coverage of the Harvey Proctor scandal. A sinister caller threatened otherwise to reveal a relationship between Ghislaine Maxwell and the now 11th Duke of Rutland.
If the number of entries in Jeffrey Epstein’s phone book is any indication as to the status of a politician, Peter Mandelson, with no fewer than 10 numbers, must have made it to the very top of the greasy pole. Was he on speed dial?
Anthony Royle was MP for Richmond in Surrey, the home of Britain’s infamous Elm Guest House child brothel until the year after it was raised by Met police. His daughter Lucinda features in Epstein’s telephone book ... https://twitter.com/ciabaudo/status/1132604291854798848?s=19…
MP Shaun Woodward, who married into the Sainsbury dynasty, and his wife Camilla both appeared in Jeffrey Epstein’s little black book. Shaun sheepishly teamed up with Esther Rantzen of ChildLine, who jumped into bed with paedophile Nicholas Fairbairn.
Climate denier, paedophile apologist and Thatcher minister Nigel Lawson’s son Dominic’s wife Rosa Monckton also graced Epstein’s list. Nigel’s daughter Nigella was for many years girlfriend of Harvey ‘Spanker’ Proctor’s IICSA QC Geoffrey Robertson.
Dominic Lawson: I stayed at Epstein’s so don’t hound Andrew
Prince Andrew has been damned for his choice of friends, but he is blessed in his enemies, like Labour MP Chris Bryant
2011
I suppose, before I am outed by the Mirror as a paedophile at one remove, I had better confess all. In January 1999 we enjoyed a brief family holiday at Epstein’s now notorious Florida home. My wife had known Epstein since the mid-1980s; when she told him in the winter of 1998 that our younger child had been most unwell for a long period, he said that what she needed was some sunshine and insisted we stay at his Palm Beach home.
The place was empty, apart from us and the housekeeper; but, yes, I did notice a photograph in it of Epstein and his then girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell with Prince Andrew.
The actor Nigel Havers is the son of Michael Havers. His step-daughter is Clare Bronfman, heavily implicated in the NIXVM cult. Her brother Edgar Jr. appears on Epstein’s list. Edgar Sr. was director of the Institute for Jewish Policy Research.
Michael Jackson also features in Epstein’s little black book. Almost certainly a paedophile, he was welcomed with open arms to Westminster by Greville Janner, who should have stood trial for buggery, and Paul Boateng of Angel Rd. fame.
Prince Andre’w ex-wife and friend of Jeffrey Epstein…
Sir Anthony Bamford, Tory donor, friend of Blair, BigEars and Hague, and JCB boss, also loaned money to Jeffrey Archer, one of Harvey Proctor’s shirt shop donors. He is one of several on the list with links to children’s charities.
Next up: Churchill grandson and Serco CEO Rupert Soames, brother of Wardrobe-with-Little-Key Nicholas Soames, a Harvey Proctor supporter. Nicholas warned Lady Diana to stop meddling in a controversy over landmines. He and Boateng are directors at Aegis.
Fraudster Gerald Ronson and his wife Gail had several listings in Epstein’s black book, although Gail denies having met him. Gerald – VP of NSPCC and friend of Greville Janner – is related to Leon Brittan of Barnes Common and Malcolm Cash-for-Access Rifkind of Dunblane.
Ronald Perelman is a Trump friend and the ex-husband of Ellen Barkin who just today claimed Ghislaine Maxwell is Epstein’s pimp. More recently, Ellen was all set to marry @InquiryCSA‘s disgraced lawyer Ben Emmerson, colleague of Amal Clooney.
Milly Soames is good friends with Alice Prochaska, mother of Elisabeth Prochaska, deputy to Ben Emmerson, lead barrister at the @InquiryCSA child abuse inquiry and erstwhile hubby-to-be of Ms. Barkin, who both quit the inquiry under a shroud of mystery.
A gaggle of giggles: David Blaine, magician, Epstein contact and friend of Uri Geller, was present at the Palace of Westminster when Greville Janner, Peter Bottomley and Paul Boateng welcomed Michael Jackson to the mother of parliaments.
One party organised by Ghislaine for Epstein at his New York house in the early 2000s was reportedly attended by Donald Trump, Google founder Sergey Brin, disgraced British Cabinet minister Peter Mandelson and David Blaine who ‘amused a group of barely clad models with card tricks’.
She attended Chelsea Clinton’s wedding and has been friends with Donald Trump since the 1980s.
It’s believed she was pictured in public in October 2016 at VIP talk for Women’s Brain Health Initiative in New York.
His victims were as young as 14, according to prosecutors.
Giuffre claimed that Epstein had introduced her to Prince Andrew, now 59, and persuaded her to have sex with him three times. She claimed to have been paid $10,000 by Epstein as a ‘reward’ for this.
A judge later threw out her allegations against Prince Andrew and ordered them to be struck from the record of her claim against Epstein.
She spent a lot of time in the city, and worked as the director of Oxford United Football Club while her father was the proprietor.
During her twenties she was well-known in London’s social scene and founded the Kit Kat Club, which purported to be an alternative to the old-school-tie network for high-powered women.
She then worked for her father’s newspaper, The European.
Ghislaine Maxwell – her father Robert was a director of AGB Research together with Michael Havers, brother of the Sloshed Butler, and Ronald Waterhouse’s buddy Peter Cooper?
William van Straubenzee
Partner, Deputy Chairman
Willie is the Deputy Chairman and a founding member of James Hambro & Partners, instrumental in establishing the investment process that has underpinned our progress and success. After graduating from Oxford, and a short stint in the shipbroking industry, he joined Morgan Grenfell as analyst, portfolio manager and ultimately director of the Investment Division. He has been closely involved in private wealth and charity investment management for over 35 years as well as being a Trustee of St Dunstans (now Blind Veterans UK) and the Special Boat Service Association.
The Epstein Associate Nobody’s Talking About: The IDF-Linked Bond Girl Infiltrating the UK NHS
FIFA Corruption, the Panama Papers, the Mossad, and Nicole Junkermann
I have a story to tell you. A story that causes my heart to pound and my blood pressure to rise as I type each and every word. A true story of a woman of great wealth and power, who rode on Jeffrey Epstein’s “Lolita Express” private jet on several occasions. She appears to be a German-born Israeli state intelligence operative based in London. An ex-model whose name appeared in the Panama Papers from the Mossack Fonseca leaks and who became embroiled in a FIFA corruption scandal with Sepp Blatter and his family. She is perhaps the closest example that you could possibly find to a real-life “Bond Girl.” Yet, she is almost completely unknown to the majority of us.
This lady has recently infiltrated the NHS through the UK Department of Health and Social Care with the help of Matt Hancock MP, and her presence signifies a major threat to the data security of every citizen of the United Kingdom. Every single piece of data about you, your health issues, your blood type, the model of the wireless pacemaker keeping you alive, every detail of every embarrassing medical problem in the hands of the Israeli state apparatus and potentially sold off to the highest bidder. You may think that this doesn’t concern you. Why would you need to worry about a foreign far-right government which has been proven to meddle in the affairs of our country? Your data would be useless to them, surely? But that’s not the world we live in anymore. Big data is the modern gold rush. The psychologists and marketing agents have mastered how to make you buy things; the next step is for them to successfully master making you do things, and for that kind of control over people, they need everybody’s data.
When I was first researching the Jeffrey Epstein case, I trawled through every piece of official documentation that was available. I knew what I was looking for and how very dangerous it was. I had begun attempting to identify state assets through their movements, actions, associations, and by good old fashioned detective work. I was interested in identifying any MI5 or MI6 agents, Israeli Mossad, CIA, or any other part of a nation states spying apparatus. It’s possibly one of the most dangerous hobbies on earth, spy hunting, and if I’m honest, I’m not even sure why I’m doing it. Regardless, Jeffrey Epstein’s sweetheart deal was probably what they would give to a foreign intelligence operative. Epstein was a perfect place to begin fishing for potential spooks.
Once I find somebody who I suspect of being involved in espionage, I will track down all existing information on that individual and build the story of their lives as best as I can. I learn every known habit they have and instead of immediately writing an article about them, I just continue to note their activities with interest. I have been watching many potential state actors for a fair few years. I’ve also missed out on breaking a few good stories by waiting for too long. But I don’t want to simply show you the past as much as I want to show you the present, and even possibly, the future.
Investigation Manifest
In the Epstein case, one of the best pieces of evidence which was available to researchers was the flight manifest for his child trafficking molestation machine. There were many coded initials and a few famous names noted in the official documentation. As you probably already know, Bill Clinton and his Secret Service agents had ridden the infamous “Lolita Express” on many occasions. Naomi Campbell, Kevin Spacey, Alan Dershowitz and Chris Tucker also flew on the plane with the billionaire sex offender.
We all build up recognisable patterns of behaviour over time. When you investigate someone, you usually start by identifying these patterns and then looking for any divergences from the anticipated outcomes. In Epstein’s planes flight manifest, a pattern which was visible from the information available is how he would use his private jet. He would use the plane for two main reasons. Most commonly he would fly himself and a number of his entourage to a destination, or alternatively he would fly people to meet him. The rarest occurrence was when Epstein would fly without any of his usual entourage and just one other passenger. There was only one name that jumped out from the flight manifest as a good example of when Epstein alternated from his routine. His second meeting with Nicole Junkermann.
As of 2019, Nicole Junkermann’s current business portfolio is very impressive. She’s often described as an ex-model, entrepreneur and investor, but Ms. Junkermann is much more than just what you see at first glance. Born in Dusseldorf, Germany on 27th April 1975, Nicole Junkermann studied Business Administration at the International University of Monaco, and then went onto study Management Development at the prestigious Harvard Business School in the United States. Amongst her many talents she is multilingual and can speak German, English, French, Italian, and Spanish. In 1998, after graduating from the University of Monaco, she co-founded “Winamax,” which was an early online gaming platform that existed before online gaming regulation became a priority for the authorities. Winamax was sold in 2001 and Junkermann would go on to invest in a recently created media rights company called “Infront Sports and Media AG,” where she would soon serve as the Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors.
The then President and Chief Executive at Infront Sports and Media, Phillipe Blatter.
In 2002, Junkermann acquired the rights for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany with her relatively new company Infront Sports and Media. The company was best known at this time for its president and chief executive, Philippe Blatter, the nephew of Sepp Blatter, the then president of FIFA. This overt nepotistic corruption left Junkermann’s Infront Sports and Media as the company to market the TV rights to major FIFA tournaments. It went on to acquire the rights to all of FIFA’s World Cups, and even though this deal was watered down in 2006, in 2011 FIFA again gave Infront permission to sell the TV rights, in the Asian markets, for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
During her time at Infront Sports and Media, Junkermann would be caught flying on Jeffrey Epstein’s “Lolita Express” on three occasions. The first flight recorded, on 22nd March 2002, she would share with Epstein, Sean Koo, and one other passenger, but it’s her second trip which really stands out. On Saturday 31st August 2002, Jeffrey Epstein and Nicole Junkermann would fly from Paris Le Bourget Airport to Birmingham Airport, in the UK, alone. They would return to Paris, via the same route, on Monday 2nd September 2002. For Jeffrey Epstein to fly without any of his normally present entourage is very unusual. So what was happening that weekend? I’ve done a lot of research on these dates, but as of yet, I do not have any answers.
At that time, Junkermann was 27 years old, so it’s very unlikely that they were dating, as everyone knows Jeffrey Epstein isn’t interested in fully sexually developed adults. Finding this anomaly on Epstein’s plane manifest encouraged me to look deeper into the life of Nicole Junkermann, and amongst other things, whether or not she had any links to a state intelligence agency. Were Junkermann and Epstein meeting alone for innocent reasons? Even though Junkerman had made many investments already, she might have been trying to get more funds from an eager investor like Epstein. How Epstein originally accrued his billions is still quite a murky subject in itself.
Whatever the reason for these two incredibly rich people being together, this meeting was a very private one. Junkermann had also just completed Harvard University’s Program for Management Development, and Jeffrey Epstein had a high-profile relationship with Harvard which, in 2003, led to him donating $30,000,000.00 to the Ivy League college. Was Epstein using the famous American college to recruit for his own businesses or other interests?
More Epstein later, but firstly, continuing with Junkermann’s career, in 2005 she founded a private equity fund focused on media and sports investments in Asia and Europe called “United in Sports” and managed to raised €242.2 million for the venture in 2007. Her other project, Infront Sports and Media, was ultimately sold to a European private equity firm, Bridgepoint, for €600 million in 2011. In that year Nicole Junkermann had officially become one of the hottest investors in the world. Since her very first acquisitions which I’ve already referred to, Junkermann has invested in or purchased: Shanghai Really Sports, Ziggurat, Thousand-Child, Aloha, Jobbio, Emoticast, Elvie, Auctionata, Coindrum, Spoon Guru, Optiopay, Grabyo, Magnum Global Ventures, Songza, tausendkind, Revolut, Sentient Technologies, Here be Dragons, Soundtrack Your Brand, Groq, Catapult, Delivery Club, Relate IQ, DollarShaveClub, Bruhouse Brewery, Cage Warriors, Eagle Alpha, Gokixx, Rebuy.de, Travelbird, Healthtech Digital, OWKIN, Reporty Homeland Security, and Carbyne911. The latter four of these companies are of significant interest.
The Israeli Intelligence Connection
The link between Nicole Junkermann, the Israeli state intelligence services and the Israeli Defence Force is not a tenuous one. The ominously named “Reporty Homeland Security” was the first incarnation of what is now called “Carbyne911” and is referred to as simply “Carbyne.” Described as a “global leader in public safety technology,” Carbyne is a call handling platform app that allows you to, amongst other things, stream any ongoing emergency directly to the responding emergency services. It claims, in the information section of a promotional video on YouTube entitled “Nicole Junkermann presents Carbyne,” that it will:
“provide a plug and play solution that allows 911 callers to connect their smartphone features to the emergency operator so that the operator can make a better assessment of the emergency. Location data, audio, camera and video access can be shared, providing the operator with greater detail on the situation. The use of Carbyne’s solution will allow emergency management teams to better triage their cases and improve the utilization of downstream emergency services.”
They promise to combine the use of personal data, location data, live video, data from surrounding wearable tech, and even information from parked smart cars, to deliver more information to the emergency services who should be responding. They can pinpoint your location, even indoors, to within three feet, and they claim that they can even collect data from dropped calls. However, they fail to mention how they’ll get the permission to use such masses of available data. Who are these angels behind this revolutionary technology which aims to get between a victim and the emergency services?
One of the directors of Carbyne is Nicole Junkermann. The chairman of the board of directors is Ehud Barak, the 10th Prime Minister of Israel, the 14th Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, former Minister of Defense and former Head of Military Intelligence for Israel. Ehud Barak has had a long history as one of the more public faces of Israeli covert operations. Before he was Prime Minister, Ehud Barak was a big name in the IDF. Through the 1970’s, he led many operations including famously disguising himself as a woman to kill members of the PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organisation). Ehud Barak has already been linked with Epstein, and Benjamin Netanyahu has helped to highlight those links for his own political gain.
Another of Carbyne’s directors and board members is Brigadier Pinchas Buchris, the former Deputy Commander of an elite IDF operations unit and former Commander of the IDF 8200 Cyber Intelligence Unit. Amir Elichai is the Founder and CEO of Carbyne, he is also a former Israeli Army officer who served in various positions in the special elite forces and the intelligence corps. Alex Dizengof is Carbyne’s Co-Founder & CTO. He’s described as a Software Architect and Algorithms Developer. Dizengof had previously developed machine learning algorithms for robots and mobile platforms, as well as cyber security software for the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.
These people have always been serious Israeli State assets and it would be naive to think anything has changed. It seems that Nicole Junkermann has some serious partners, and it makes me wonder whether or not Jeffrey Epstein’s original meeting with the then recently graduated Junkermann was as a recruiter for the Mossad.
Junkermann’s infiltration of the UK NHS and its Big Data
The only tiny picture of the Healthtech Advisory Board from .gov
I watched Nicole Junkermann carefully as she was buying up many start-up tech firms and at the end of 2018 my worst possible fear was realised. Matt Hancock, Member of Parliament for West Suffolk and Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in the UK, appointed Nicole Junkermann to the Healthtech Advisory Board. For the vast majority of people living in the United Kingdom, the NHS is an institution which we cherish and adore. Many of us will protect the National Health Service with our lives because that’s what it has done for us in our darkest days.
The Healthtech Advisory Board is described as a collection of clinicians, academics, and IT experts. The official government website says “the board will look at how the NHS can harness the potential of technology and create a culture of innovation, with the aim of improving patient outcomes and reducing the workload on NHS staff.” It fails to mention why it requires an Israeli intelligence linked venture capitalist who has been involved in multiple scandals. Their first official meeting took place on 19th November 2018—see Appendix I for the other members of the Healthtech Advisory Board.
The two members which are of note relating to this story are Nicole Junkermann and Parker Moss, the latter happening to be the Chief Business Officer at OWKIN, which is one of the many companies in Junkermann’s vast portfolio. OWKIN is an AI startup that uses machine learning to augment medical and biology research. On its own, the company would probably be a perfect fit for the future of the NHS, but because of its connection to Nicole Junkermann and Israeli intelligence, OWKIN should be seen as too much of a risk to the data protection for NHS users.
NJF Holdings website announces NHS big data win
On June 16th 2019, Nicole Junkerman’s NJF holdings website issued an article under the title “London Hospital’s Could Offer Patient Data to Google-backed AI Startup in a Bid to Develop Better Drugs.” It was exactly as I had expected. The convoluted title was celebrating the fact that OWKIN had already been promised NHS patient data, and they’re already confidently announcing it to their investors, and their other associates. We need to call for Matt Hancock to remove Nicole Junkermann from the Healthtech Advisory Board as of immediate effect, and we should have an inquiry into how NHS data can be protected from hostile foreign intelligence agencies.
Junkermann and Epstein – Conclusions
I believe that the future unsealing of previously hidden evidence will confirm that Jeffrey Epstein had been working for multiple intelligence agencies. But he is most likely to have been recruited by the Israeli state. Junkermann has managed to avoid her connections with Epstein being out in the open, until now. But she is skilled at controlling her public profile. Nicole Junkermann has become more powerful over the past eight years, and I have seen negative information relating to her previous scandals being removed from the search results. Go check yourself. Type in Nicole Junkermann on Google search and go through all the articles which appear. They are overwhelmingly positive, or simply relate to one of her businesses, and this is very different to what you would have found only a few years ago. When I first started investigating Nicole Junkermann, there were many negative articles which have all but vanished. I’m not even sure that this story will survive.
So, I ask you all to share this and publish it on your blogs and websites, and to bring the name Nicole Junkermann into the public eye.
Also, if I disappear anytime soon, remember. It was probably the Mossad.
Appendix I
The other Healthtech Advisory Board members include Rachel Dunscombe, who was the CEO of the NHS Digital Academy and Director for Digital for Salford Royal NHS Group, but since being appointed to the Healthtech Advisory Board, she has also joined KLAS Arch Collaborative as their Global (non-US) Leader and Senior Tech Evangelist. Manoj Badale OBE who is described as a Digital Venture Builder and has business ties with the Murdoch family. David Gann CBE Vice President of Innovation at Imperial College London. Sir Mark Walport, an English medical scientist and former Chief Government Scientific Advisor to the UK Conservative Governments from 2013 until 2017. Nicola Blackwood the Baroness of North Oxford and a member of the House of Lords. Roger Taylor, who is Chair of the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation. Jeni Tennison OBE, Chief Executive Officer at the Open Data Institute and lead developer for legistlation.gov.uk. Dan Sheldon, who is Head of Well Digital. Daniel Korski CBE, former Advisor to David Cameron and Hamid Karzai’s governments—and is someone who deserves their own article. Michelle Brennan, President of Johnson and Johnson, one of the pharmaceutical heavyweights.
New victims come forward as Epstein asks to be released from jail to his Manhattan mansion
July 11 2019
At least a dozen new victims have come forward to claim they were sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein even as the multimillionaire money manager tries to convince a federal judge to allow him to await a sex trafficking trial from the comfort of the same $77 million Manhattan mansion where he’s accused of luring teenage girls into unwanted sex acts.
Following Epstein’s arrest Saturday in New Jersey, four women have reached out to New York lawyer David Boies, and at least 10 other women have approached other lawyers who have represented dozens of Epstein’s alleged victims in the past.
Jack Scarola, a Palm Beach attorney, said at least five women, all of whom were minors at the time of their alleged encounters with Epstein, have reached out to either him or Fort Lauderdale lawyer Brad Edwards.
“The people we are speaking to are underage victims in Florida and in New York. They are not individuals whose claims have previously been part of any law enforcement investigation,’’ Scarola said.
The new accusers are surfacing as Epstein’s attorneys argue their client is being tried on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges that for the most part were resolved years ago in Palm Beach. His legal team filed a motion Thursday for pre-trial release arguing that Epstein has maintained a “spotless” record since prosecutors in South Florida set aside a federal sex trafficking investigation a decade ago and allowed him to plead guilty to lesser state charges.
Epstein’s attorneys want Senior U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman to free Epstein from his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Lower Manhattan and allow him to await trial from the $77 million Upper East Side mansion where prosecutors say he abused dozens of girls from 2002 through 2005.
Epstein, ahead of a Monday bond hearing, has offered to waive extradition rights and put up his Manhattan home and private jet as collateral. He also said he would consent to GPS monitoring, ground his jet, “demobilize” all his cars in New York and have trustees live in his home. And his brother, Mark Epstein, offered to put up his West Palm Beach home.
But New York prosecutors — who say they found “an extraordinary volume of photographs of nude and partially nude young women and girls” while executing a search warrant at his Manhattan residence last weekend — have already argued that he’s likely to either flee the country or add to what they say are dozens of victims as young as 14 from New York to Palm Beach.
“I don’t care if he gives up his license and his jet, he still has the wherewithal to take off any time,” said Spencer Kuvin, a Palm Beach attorney who represents three Epstein accusers. “Think about it — if he was a plumber in Queens, do you think the judge would say ‘Yeah, let’s give him an ankle bracelet and send him home?’ ’’
The hearing over whether to release Epstein, 66, will be the first in what should be a lengthy and highly watched trial.
Prosecutors say they have information that Epstein recruited and paid dozens of underage girls in the early 2000s to give him massages that became sexual assaults in his Manhattan and Palm Beach homes. The Miami Herald’s investigative series last November, Perversion of Justice, detailed how Epstein allegedly paid girls more if they recruited other girls to come to his homes, creating a sexual pyramid scheme.
But Epstein’s attorneys argued in their motion Thursday that Geoffrey S. Berman, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, was attempting to illegally and unconstitutionally prosecute their client over 14-year-old allegations that have already been resolved in South Florida.
Epstein signed a non-prosecution agreement a dozen years ago with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida after federal agents identified three dozen girls who were allegedly victimized by Epstein at his mansion in Palm Beach. He was allowed to plead guilty to two lesser prostitution-related charges and serve 13 months in the Palm Beach County jail, during which his valet picked him up six days a week and drove him to his West Palm Beach office for work release. He registered as a sex offender and paid restitution to the identified victims, but avoided a prepared 53-page federal indictment.
“The [non-prosecution agreement] immunized Mr. Epstein from five distinct potential federal charges that may have been committed by Epstein … from in or around 2001 through in or around 2007,” Epstein’s attorneys wrote Thursday.
They said language in the agreement — signed into place under President Donald Trump’s current labor secretary, Alexander Acosta, when he was U.S. attorney for Southern Florida — clarifies that the terms of the deal apply “globally” to a yearlong federal investigation in South Florida, and therefore prevents federal prosecutors in New York from pursuing the same allegations.
Prosecutors haven’t responded in writing to the motion, at least not yet. But U.S. Attorney Berman, who has no relation to the judge, already argued in a letter to the magistrate who oversaw Epstein’s arraignment this week that New York case law has already deemed that his office is not bound by the terms of the South Florida agreement.
“It is well settled in the Second Circuit that ‘a plea agreement in one U.S. Attorney’s office does not, unless otherwise stated bind another,’ ” Berman wrote Monday, adding that the agreement expressly states that it pertains exclusively to prosecutors in South Florida.
Prosecutors and victims’ lawyers also believe that, given Epstein’s previous effort to intimidate victims and their families, it’s critical that the judge keep him behind bars and not grant him bail. He is facing up to 45 years in prison.
During the 2006-2007 probe in South Florida, federal agents considered charging Epstein with witness tampering because he used some of his employees to try to intimidate victims so that they wouldn’t cooperate with police, court records reviewed by the Herald show.
In one instance, a victim’s father told Palm Beach police that he had been followed by someone and forced off the road. He wrote down the car’s license plate number and police traced it to a private investigation company that had been hired by Epstein’s legal team, the police report about the incident said.
Epstein’s investigators also followed the then-Palm Beach police chief, Michael Reiter, and the lead detective in the case, Joe Recarey. Recarey said he was so concerned about the aggressive tactics Epstein was using that he would often switch vehicles in an attempt to throw them off.
“At some point it became like a cat-and-mouse game. I would stop at a red light and go. I knew they were there, and they knew I knew they were there. I was concerned about my kids because I didn’t know if it was someone that they hired just out of prison that would hurt me or my family,’’ Recarey told the Herald as part of its series on the case.
Recarey, who died shortly after he was interviewed by the Herald, said the victims, who were as young as 13, were scared to death of Epstein, and even more so because of the private investigators and defense lawyers who dug into every dark corner of their lives, and the lives of their brothers, sisters, parents and boyfriends.
“Jeffrey Epstein presents a very significant flight risk and I think that his proven pattern of intimidation of witnesses in the past is a strong indication there is reason to fear he would engage in the same kind of conduct again, particularly since he is facing now what amounts to life in prison,’’ Scarola said.
Scarola, though, thinks victims may have been comforted by the public appeal issued Monday by the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, asking for more victims and witnesses to come forward (1-800-CALL-FBI). It’s not clear how many, if any, have responded to his plea, but Scarola said the message was clear that victims would be treated better in New York than they were in South Florida, where Epstein’s plea deal with federal prosecutors was kept secret from his victims.
A Miami federal judge recently ruled that prosecutors broke a law to protect victims’ rights in not alerting them to Epstein’s plea deal.
“I believe that there was a fairly effective message that was delivered by New York authorities that victims need not fear that they will be treated in the same way that victims had been treated in South Florida,’’ Scarola said.
Still, Kuvin, the Palm Beach attorney, said his clients are not convinced that New York federal prosecutors will be able to make their case against Epstein stick. One of them is cooperating with SDNY, he said, but the others are skeptical.
“They are ecstatic that he [Epstein] has been arrested but skeptical that anything is going to happen because of what they’ve been through before. They are thinking ‘prove it, I won’t believe it until I see it.’ ’’ Kuvin said.
#Acosta’s stance: It was a different world 11 years ago, so I had to give Epstein a sweetheart deal for trafficking kids. People now care about that kind of thing. Sidenote: He tried to cut the budget for preventing human trafficking by nearly 80 percent.
After giving Epstein “deal of a lifetime,” Alex Acosta tried to slash anti-trafficking program
Years after Epstein’s remarkably light sentence, Acosta sought to slash federal funds to fight sex trafficking
JEFFREY EPSTEIN oversaw donations of “hundreds of thousands of dollars” to: 1. TONY BLAIR’s ‘Faith Foundation’ 2. CHARLES BRONFMAN’s ‘Birthright Israel Foundation’ The hugs sums were paid by the Black Family Foundation of which Epstein was a director!
Leon Black kept Jeffrey Epstein as charity director after plea deal
“You’d think if you ran a $200 billion firm you’d distance yourself” from a known sex predator like Epstein, a source close to Black told The Post, noting that Apollo is among the largest and most profitable private equity shops in the world.
When Epstein was a director, the Black Family Foundation donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Tony Blair Faith Foundation.
Millions also were donated to the MoMA.
Other common recipients included the tony Trinity School in Manhattan and Charles Bronfman’s Birthright Israel Foundation.
The Wellcome Trust is a research charity based in London, United Kingdom. It was established in 1936 with legacies from the pharmaceutical magnate Sir Henry Wellcome to fund research to improve human and animal health.
Eliza has always been interested in science, particularly biology, and is intrigued by many aspects of the Trust. The work at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute holds particular appeal as she is “fascinated by genetics” and currently sits on the Board of Directors.
Alongside her Governor role, she is vice chairman of the council of Imperial College London and an advisory board member for the Centre for Security and Resilience Studies, University College London.
She is a crossbench life peer in the House of Lords and patron of a “very rewarding and successful small charity” called Street Kids International.
Former Canadian UN worker and renowned humanitarian sentenced in Nepal for raping boys
Peter Dalglish – founder of Street Kids International
Dalglish, an attorney from Ontario, founded Street Kids International in the 1980s
Ex-spy boss grilled about Tory MP who escaped investigations into child sex abuse
4 Mar 2019
Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller is expected to appear before the child abuse public inquiry next week about her contact with Sir Peter Morrison, a close aide to Margaret Thatcher
MI5: Thatcher shielded Sir Peter Morrison after child abuse claims. Margaret Thatcher personally protected a senior Conservative MP who was under suspicion of abusing children, according to MI5 files disclosed to a public inquiry.
Lord Beaumont Of Whitley (nee: Rev. Timothy Beaumont) Chairman Of The Liberal Party.
NEW YORK CITY, NY – MARCH 13: (L-R) Ghislaine Maxwell, Ariadne Calvo-Platero (daughter of Lord Beaumont) and Lucinda Lawrence attend Hamish Bowles, Ghislaine Maxwell and Lillian von Stauffenberg dinner for ALLEGRA HICKS at Home of Ghislaine Maxwell on March 13, 2007 in New York City
Ariadne Calvo-Platero- Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Founding Partner at Family Central Consultants
Founding Partner
Company NameFamily Central Consultants
Dates Employed Sep 2014 – Present
Employment Duration4 yrs 11 mos
LocationNew York City
Family Central Consultants help families through difficult transitions. We provide support and adviceto families at a critical juncture when facing medical, mental health, educational challenges or majorlife transitions. We assist families in navigating a myriad of issues and available resources. Wecollaborate with our families to develop a plan of action and provide ongoing support. Our goal is tominimize stress and anxiety for our families faced with daunting or unfamiliar challenges, and to maximize solutions.
Ariadne Platero
Ariadne Platero is a family therapist and consultant, and licensed social worker having earned her MSW from Hunter College School of Social Work with a concentration in children, youth and families.
Ariadne trained in both an early childhood setting and the Juilliard School. She received her specialized training in family therapy at the Ackerman Institute for the Family, working with couples and families in crisis.
As a result of Ariadne’s work with families faced with challenges, she has experienced first-hand the transformative effects of a collaborative and supportive team approach and the importance of focusing on a family’s dynamics.
Ariadne is on the Steering Committee of the Women’s Health Symposium, Co-chair of the Advocacy Council of the Citizens Committee for Children, Vice-president and Trustee of The Train Foundation and a member of the National Association of Social Workers.
She earned her undergraduate degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford University and had early careers in finance and journalism both in London and New York. She has three children, college age and beyond.
Lord Beaumont – links to the royal family, Paedophile Information Exchange’s Peter Righton, John D Stamford and Spartacus, Jeremy Thorpe, Antony Grey, Albany Trust, Eton Mission, Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein
Despite her seedy adventures with Jeffrey Epstein, most of Ghislaine’s friends are very loyal — notably her best friend from Oxford, Ariadne Calvo-Platero, daughter of the peer Lord Beaumont.
Liberal and Green politician, Anglican clergyman, advocate for lowering the age of consent to 14, legalising incest and contributor to a ‘pornographic magazine’.
The full original article from The Times 22nd January 1976 is below .
Who Really Wants A Change In The Age Of Consent ? – by Ronald Butt
Students of the working of our representative democracy should savour the appointment by the Home Secretary of a body called the Policy Advisory Committee which is to advise the Criminal Law Revision Committee in reviewing the law on sexual offences. They should particularly ponder the brief which this group of people little known to the public (with one or two exceptions) has been given. Mr Jenkins has made the first reference to it the question of the age of consent.
How did it come about that Mr Roy Jenkins decided to set this inquiry going in the first place, and under what sort of prompting? Who chooses its subjects and, in particular, who chose this first subject?
Lord Carr, the last Conservative Home Secretary, made it unambiguously clear that the age of consent was not in question. Why does Mr Jenkins differ in thinking that it may be? Should he not have made his full reasons and thinking public?
Is a wave of insanity sweeping the public, particularly parents, that the age of consent which protects young girls from exploitation is too high at 16? Is there public indignation at the lack of equal opportunities for homosexuals because of the “discrepancy” (as one civil servant urbanely put it) between the higher age of consent that relates to them and the legal age for heterosexual relations?
Or has the public seen the light being held up by the lobby of the child-molesters, who are now euphemistically called paedophiles? Is the nation urging the Government to heed the call of the pressure group calling itself the Paedophile Information Exchange (PIE), which is campaigning for the removal from the statute book of the ”unjust laws” which “define mutual end loving relationships as assaults”?
Is Mr Roy Jenkins perhaps impressed by the attention given to this movement by Mind Out, (the journal of the National Association for Mental Health), which recently listed PIE as one of the “organizations to write to” for sexual minorities, and printed the plea of a “paedophile”: “Society makes it almost impossible for our relationships to exist… We are warm and gentle people. What has to change is attitudes to children’s sexuality and parents’ attitudes to their children.” (Mind Outwhich quoted this from a “two-day workshop”, did, it is true, record the opposing view that children “could be” harmed and, most bizarre of all, it cited as an argument against the claims of the paedophiles, that they might well cease to be attractive to a paedophile, once they reached a certain age, and their incomprehension as to why could affect later relationships”.)
Sick though society may now be, I do not notice any demand for any of these things from the public hypnotised into silence though it tends to be by any self-appointed ”expert” who stands up to testify, as though to a revealed and absolute truth, that even the most unspeakable beastliness is therapeutically ”good ” for somebody. So what is it all about? What has happened that the Home Secretary feels a need to respond to?
Post hoc, ergo propter hoc is not invariably a fallacy, and when one thing follows another there may be cause and effect. The only explanation that I can suggest for Mr Jenkins’s decision is a willingness (and the views of certain Home Office officials in this as in other matters are not to be disregarded) to heed the pressure groups campaigning in these fields. Their activities reached their apogee with the report more than a year ago of the working party of the Sexual Law Reform Society, whose members included that exemplar of moral thinking, Lord Beaumont of Whitley.
Among other recommendations of the Sexual Law Reform Society’s working party was the reduction of the age of consent for girls and boys to 14, legalizing incest for people over 14, “notwithstanding the strong but irrational revulsion that may be felt against it” and the legalization of brothels.
No doubt incest too will eventually be in the Criminal Law Revision Committee’s brief, and that of its policy advisory committee. Fortunately, the CLRC is a responsible body, and more fortunately still its chairman, Lord Edmund-Davies is also chairing the work of the Policy Advisory Committee.
It is important for the politicians who represent the people to be vigilant in face of the subtlety with which the law can be changed, and the standards of a growing generation manipulated, by the activities of self-styled experts. The fact that the House of Lords last week devoted some seven hours to discussing sex education in schools-which is in many ways the other side of the coin being studied in the Home Office- is a sign that the politicians themselves are increasingly aware of the problem.
As Lady Elles expressed it in a brilliantly documented speech which opened the debate, what is called sex education differs from other subjects in that it may determine the immediate and future behaviour of children and change the whole climate of society. There was a remarkable consensus among the majority of those who spoke about the need to teach it in a moral context, and about the reasons for fear that this is often not done.
Significantly, the only peer with a sharply different approach was Lord Beaumont, who wanted the teaching of sexual mechanics to be considered as a completely separate subject from moral teaching, which he regarded as teaching children to make their own moral judgments. Since Lord Beaumont is a contributor to a pornographic magazine, we might not take his views on moral education too seriously. But what he is saying is precisely what is happening in too many cases.
Children are often given the facts about contraception in a way which could suggest to some of them that it would not be unreasonable, if they chose, to make use of it. There is also the practice of teaching contraception in terms of girls and boys rather than men and women.
Lady Elles was surely right to argue that parents should be told how the subject is taught and allowed to withdraw their children if they disapprove. The danger is that we shall first allow children’s behaviour to be changed by the assumptions that are communicated to them as a captive impressionable audience and then change the law on the grounds that it does not fit the facts of behaviour. The Government, which provides grants for the sex education work of the Family Planning Association, a body much criticized in the debate, also has a responsibility. Where there is public money, there must be political responsibility.
Spychiatric Struggles Righton’s attempt to gain control over Albany Trust’s counselling files 1. May 1971: In which Righton & Cordell establish ACCESS with Dr Robert Chtham (aka Ronald Seth – of potential interest to MI5) named on a draft trust deed and plan to takeover Albany Trust’s counselling casework files 2. July 1971: In which…
For the first three years, Beaumont kept his hand in as a cleric by holding an honorary curacy at St Stephen’s, Rochester Row, at the same time entertaining on a lavish scale at his home in Green Street. The guests on one occasion included Princess Margaret, whose husband’s cousin, Mary Rose Wauchope, Beaumont had married in 1955.
He kept a diary of his own, and although intending publication himself, it was typical of his spontaneous generosity that he made it available to Michael Bloch when he was researching a biography of Jeremy Thorpe. He continued to champion minority interests, taking on the chairmanship of the Albany Trust in 1969-71. He helped the Voluntary Euthanasia Society (then called Exit) over a difficult period by becoming chairman for a year in 1980.
While still a wealthy man, Tim Beaumont moved from Green Street to an unlovely 20th-century house on Hampstead Heath equipped with a ballroom, and then at one point to an elegant 18th-century house in Hampstead Square, formerly occupied by Norman St John Stevas.
As Beaumont had held various Liberal party organisation posts, from joint treasurer (1962-63) on, Jeremy Thorpe, who had been his contemporary at Oxford, made Beaumont one of the party’s first life peers in 1967, and he became spokesman on education, Northern Ireland and the arts.
He was on the executive of the Sexual Law Reform Society
The Liberal Cook-Book, is the litery dish edited and partly written by Lord (Tim) Beaumont of Whitley. The Liberal peer and the founder of the Beaumont Society for transvestites, is an accomplished cook. Or should be by now after cooking for eight months for his family; his wife has been studying for a diploma in the decorative arts.
Other contributors to the cook-book are Lord Byers and Jeremy Thorpe (who has offered a recipe called ‘Camembert Ice’. Among liberal party supporters offering culinary delights are Derek Nimmo, Flora Robson and Clement Freud.
Despite her seedy adventures with Jeffrey Epstein, most of Ghislaine’s friends are very loyal — notably her best friend from Oxford, Ariadne Calvo-Platero, daughter of the peer Lord Beaumont.
Yet while some women are drawn to Ghislaine and find her ‘enormous fun’, others say she is intimidating.
‘Masculine and aggressive,’ said one. ‘Profoundly unsettling and rather overpowering,’ said another, who has known her on the party circuit for 20 years.
Perhaps it’s not surprising that the doted-on daughter of a world-class bully, with several brothers, should seem to be more of a man’s woman.
One male acquaintance enthuses, however, that ‘she’s intelligent, highly energetic, very intriguing, funny, sexy and uninhibited. She’s mischievous. A firecracker’.
For now, Ghislaine is single again. And amid the latest scandal, the question remains: why would an attractive, dynamic woman debase herself for a man like Jeffrey Epstein, and fix him up with young girls, without a trace of compassion for them?
‘You must understand that Ghislaine moves in circles where it would be better to be like Martha Stewart [America’s own domestic goddess, who was jailed for share-dealing offences], go to jail and come out with money and be a somebody, than live a boring life in Brooklyn — which would be like a death sentence for her,’ says a New York acquaintance.
Robert Maxwell was a man with formidable personal magnetism, once described as ‘part magic, part monster’. Perhaps that’s Ghislaine, too.
As her friend says: ‘She’s never escaped her father’s shadow. And like him she’s all about money; and like him, she’ll stop at nothing to make sure she has it.’
Lord Beaumont, UK Liberal Party, Kevin MacNamara, UK Labour Party, and Johns Biggs-Davison, UK Conservative Party, (left to right) leave the Maze Prison, Lisburn, N Ireland, after a fact-finding visit
Inside BOSS South Africa’s secret police
Clement Freud / Lord Beaumont
Kemp also had a dossier on Liberal MP Clement Freud, but, again, I know nothing about the man and never gathered information about him for BOSS. There was also a bulky file on the Liberal peer Lord Beaumont of Whitley, but during the …
Hanging out at the Garrick was certainly good for name-dropping purposes. Ronnie mentioned in his book that he found himself dining next to Kingsley Amis. The one who wrote ‘The Old Devils’… In May 1990, Ronnie attended a particularly big knees-up at the Garrick held for paedophiles’ friends Geoffrey and Elspeth Howe. The Commons speaker Bernard Weatherill attended and the booze up was presided over by Ronnie’s Cambridge friend Lord Jenkin of Roding aka Patrick Jenkin.
Ronnie’s Cambridge buddy Peter Cooper was there.
Peter Cooper was someone who nearly came a cropper on life’s journey. Cooper had been ‘personal assistant’ to Sir Edward Hulton and Lord Tim Beaumont, but he then rashly ‘joined Sir Bernard Audley who established the market research company AGB Research plc’.
AGB Research was acquired by Robert Maxwell and as with anything acquired by Cap’n Bob there was not a happy ending.
George Milford Haven – his great-grandfather is pervert Louis Mountbatten
Canadian national sentenced to nine years imprisonment on paedophilia charges
8 July 2019
Peter Dalglish, a high-profile Canadian humanitarian was convicted of victimising two young boys
Peter John Dalglish, the Canadian humanitarian, has been sentenced to nine years in prison by the Kavre District Court on paedophilia charges. The court also ordered Dalglish to pay Rs 500,000 each to two boys he victimised.
A single bench of district judge Arjun Adhikari issued the verdict on Monday. The district court sentenced Dalglish to a nine-year jail term for abusing a boy identified by a code number 295 and seven years for another boy code numbered 294. The convict received a nine-year jail term as it was a single case involving two victims.
Dalglish, who appeared in court in a red cap and a brown t-shirt, appeared tense. He refused to admit to any wrongdoing and said that he was working for the welfare of people across the world. He instead blamed the Nepal Police for false charges.
A team from the Nepal Police’s Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) had arrested Dalglish from his residence in Mandan Deupur, Kavre, on April 7, 2018. Two boys, then aged 12 and 14, had been rescued from Dalglish’s residence. One of the boys was the son of Dalglish’s domestic help.
Dalglish is a high-profile humanitarian, who served as country representative of UN Habitat-Afghanistan, and is also a member of the Order of Canada. He had founded Street Kids International to work for conflict victims and street children. In 2002, he had also worked in Nepal as Chief Technical Advisor under the UN Child Labour Programme.
Peter Dalglish who runs Street Kids International, of which Manningham-Buller was a patron, has since been convicted of child sex assault in Nepal.
@lbcbreaking
US Federal prosecutors have announced sex trafficking and conspiracy charges against wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein. Court documents show Epstein is charged with creating and maintaining a network that allowed him to sexually exploit and abuse dozens of underage girls.
Longtime friend of Prince Andrew, Donald Trump, and Bill Clinton is charged with sex trafficking.
@frankrichny
We need a full investigation into why and how Trump’s Secretary of Labor protected a pedophilic rapist, and why Trump put him in his cabinet.
We speak with Vicky Ward, an investigative journalist who profiled Jeffrey Epstein for Vanity Fair in 2003 in a piece headlined “The Talented Mr. Epstein.” The magazine’s editor at the time, Graydon Carter, cut out the testimonies of two young women Epstein allegedly molested who had spoken to Ward on the record. Ward later wrote about the incident for The Daily Beast in an article headlined “I Tried to Warn You About Sleazy Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in 2003.”
…
AMY GOODMAN: So, that is very significant, because you were pregnant at the time you were doing this piece.
VICKY WARD: Yes.
AMY GOODMAN: Can you describe what happened to you when you wrote this piece? You spoke to Jeffrey Epstein.
VICKY WARD: Oh, multiple times, multiple times. He wheeled out, you know, all these important bankers and academics and financiers to talk to me. And he would call me all the time, but he would threaten me. He would talk, and then he would say, “You know, Vicky, if I don’t like this piece, you know, something is going to happen to your unborn children.” You know, and that way, he would sort of say it, you know, lightly, but I went to the magazine’s general counsel at the time.
AMY GOODMAN: So, you actually put security on them in the NICU, in the—
VICKY WARD: When they came early, he had asked me what hospital they were going to be born at. So I actually did put security on them. They were born two months prematurely.
Federal and NYC authorities using a crow bar to pry open the door to Jeffrey Epstein’s townhouse in Manhattan on Saturday.
8 July 2019
Jeffrey Epstein face 45 years in prison if convicted on a count of sex trafficking of minors and a count conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of minors.
He is accused of offering dozens of underage girls money for massages and then sexually assaulting the minors
Epstein, 66, is currently being detained at the Metropolitan Correction Center in downtown Manhattan
The plea deal Epstein agreed to back in 2008 saved him from having to register as a sex offender in 31 of 50 states
This week, 2,000 pages of records that could reveal how he and his accused accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell allegedly trafficked underage girls were unsealed
Among the crimes it investigates are ‘bribery, embezzlement, and frauds committed against local, state, and federal government agencies,’ but no mention of sex trafficking.
Epstein’s first court appearance will come less than 48 hours after he was taken into custody by federal agents at Teterboro Airport.
It all happened just before 5pm on Saturday, when Epstein reentered the country for the first time since June 16, when he took off from the same airport bound for Paris.
Prior to that trip, Epstein had been crisscrossing the US as he moved between his properties in New York City, Palm Beach, New Mexico and the US Virgin Islands.
Epstein’s arrest comes in the wake of a three-part expose in the Miami Herald detailing his settlements with victims and sweetheart plea deal.
he documents that will be unsealed are from a defamation case that was settled after Epstein entered a guilty plea guilty to a single charge of soliciting and procuring a person under age 18 for prostitution.
Records in the defamation case contained descriptions of sexual abuse by Epstein along with new allegations of sexual abuse by ‘numerous prominent American politicians, powerful business executives, foreign presidents, a well-known prime minister and other world leaders.’
The appeals court found that the judge in the case did seal a number of documents without a justifiable reason when ordering the release.
Epstein’s lawyers will first get a chance to appeal, and after those legal proceedings play out the documents will start being prepared by the court for release.
A federal judge ruled earlier this year that then-U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta violated the rights of Epstein’s alleged victims when they neglected to notify them that they were no longer pursuing federal charges.
That was another part of the deal, which in addition to allowing Epstein to have work release and live in a low-security facility also agreed to drop a federal probe into the millionaire moneyman.
Now Acosta – who is the current Secretary of Labor and had been mentioned as a possible candidate for attorney general – and others are again coming under fire for allegedly catering to the man who donated millions to the Clintons and hosted President Trump at his Manhattan townhouse while keeping his victims in the dark.
‘They were cutting a plea deal. It wasn’t a prosecution,’ said attorney Spencer Kuvin, who represented the 14-year-old girl who alerted police.
‘They had a grab bag of 40 girls to choose from.’
There is good reason to believe that if the prosecutors had exposed their dealings to scrutiny by Jane Doe 1, Jane Doe 2 and other victims, they would not have reached such a sweetheart plea deal,’ the motion reads.
‘Despite the fact that this case has been in litigation for more than seven years, spanning several hundred pleadings, the government does not write even a single sentence explaining why it entered into an NPA (non-prosecution agreement) with a sex offender who had committed hundreds of federal sex offenses against young girls.’
The motion also says that the deal Epstein received is ‘one of the most extraordinarily lenient plea arrangements in American history’.
Epstein settled both of these suits back in December before the victims would be able to testify in court.
At Epstein’s party In 1994 Trump “ raped a 13-yr-old girl -in what was a “savage sexual attack,” according to 2016 lawsuit filed by “Jane Doe” corroborated by witness who claimed to have watched as the child performed sexual acts on Trump & Epstein
Jeffrey Epstein Arrested for Sex Trafficking of Minors
Jeffrey Epstein was arrested on Saturday and will appear in New York court on Monday to be charged with sex trafficking, according to multiple law enforcement sources.
6 July 2019
Billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein was arrested for allegedly sex trafficking dozens of minors in New York and Florida between 2002 and 2005, and will appear in court in New York on Monday, according to three law enforcement sources. Saturday’s arrest by the FBI-NYPD Crimes Against Children Task Force comes about 12 years after the 66-year-old financier essentially got a slap on the wrist for allegedly molesting dozens of underage girls in Florida.
For more than a decade, Epstein’s alleged abuse of minors has been the subject of lawsuits brought by victims, investigations by local and federal authorities, and exposés in the press. But despite the attention cast on his alleged sex crimes, the hedge-funder has managed to avoid any meaningful jail time, let alone federal charges.
The new indictment—which, according to two sources, will be unsealed Monday in Manhattan federal court—will reportedly allege that Epstein sexually exploited dozens of underage girls in a now-familiar scheme: paying them cash for “massages” and then molesting or sexually abusing them in his Upper East Side mansion or his palatial residence in Palm Beach. Epstein will be charged with one count of sex trafficking of minors and one count of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of minors—which could put him away for a maximum of 45 years. The case is being handled by the Public Corruption Unit of the Southern District of New York, with assistance from the district’s human-trafficking officials and the FBI.
Several of the billionaire’s employees and associates allegedly recruited the girls for Epstein’s abuse, and some victims eventually became recruiters themselves, according to law enforcement. The girls were as young as 14, and Epstein knew they were underage, according to details of the arrest and indictment shared by two officials.
Epstein’s attorney Martin Weinberg declined to comment when reached by The Daily Beast on Saturday night. The SDNY also declined to comment.
“It’s been a long time coming—it’s been too long coming,” said attorney David Boies, who represents Epstein accusers Virginia Roberts Giuffre and Sarah Ransome. “It is an important step towards getting justice for the many victims of Mr. Epstein’s sex trafficking enterprise.
“We hope that prosecutors will not stop with Mr. Epstein because there were many other people who participated with him and made the sex trafficking possible,” he told The Daily Beast.
In an era where #MeToo has toppled powerful men, Epstein’s name was largely absent from the national conversation, until the Miami Heraldpublished a three-part series on how his wealth, power and influence shielded him from federal prosecution. For years, The Daily Beast has reported on Epstein’s alleged abuse, and his easy jail sentence and soft treatment by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, which ultimately scrapped a 53-page indictment against Epstein. An earlier version of Epstein’s plea deal included a 10-year federal sentence—before his star-studded lawyers threatened to go to trial in a case prosecutors feared was unwinnable, in part because Epstein’s team dredged up dirt on the victims, including social media posts indicating drug use.
Meanwhile, the financier flitted among his homes in Palm Beach, New York City, and the Virgin Islands, as well as his secluded Zorro Ranch in Stanley, New Mexico, transporting young women on his private jet to facilitate the sexual abuse that’s gone unchecked by authorities, his alleged victims say.
In an announcement planned for Monday the FBI is expected to provide a number for other victims to contact the SDNY.
Ex-butler to Queen Elizabeth II jailed for sexually assaulting young boy
July 5, 2019
A former butler to Queen Elizabeth II has been jailed for sexually assaulting a young boy.
Andrew Lightwood, 57 — who worked for the UK’s royal household at Buckingham Palace for six years — exposed himself to the boy and put his hands down the child’s pants and molested him, Cardiff Crown Court heard, according to Wales Online.
“To the outside world, you were an upstanding moral person, but that hid a dark reality,” Judge Niclas Parry told the former butler of the February attack in Wales.
“You abused him for your own sexual gratification.”
Lightwood was jailed for 28 months after admitting engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child and assaulting a boy by sexual touching. He was also forced to have a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years, during which he will also have to register as a sex offender, according to the report.
The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, says the attack lasted more than eight minutes and he only got away by pretending he needed to use the bathroom, the hearing heard.
His mother said in a victim impact statement that he now cannot sleep and gets “angry and frustrated,” according to the report.
“What [Lightwood] did to him will stay with him for the rest of his life,” stated the mother, who called police as soon as her son told her what happened.
“I want my old son back.”
Defense attorney Andrew Evans told the court that Lightwood “understands the impact of his behavior on his victim.”
Lightwood was a butler for both the Queen and Princess Anne between 1978 and 1984, according to Wales Online, with prosecutor Nigel Fryer saying he “was seen as an extremely respectable, upstanding member of society” before the attack was exposed.
A former royal butler who admitted sexually abusing young boys took one of his victims for tea with the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, according to sources.
Oct 2008
Paul Kidd introduced the youngster to the royal as a “friend” during a Christmas party at Clarence House – but in reality he had been assaulting the boy since the age of 14.
Kidd, 55, of Stalybridge, Greater Manchester, was senior footman to Queen Elizabeth from 1979 to 1984 and previously worked as a royal butler to the Queen from 1977.
He pleaded guilty to a string of historic sexual offences, a number of which were committed when he was a royal servant.
The offences were committed between 1974 and 1977, 1981 and 1983 – when he was in the employ of the Queen Mother – and 2005 to 2008.
Andrew Lightwood was at Buckingham Palace at the same time as royal chauffeur Alwyn Stockdale who died at 81 after admitting abusing a boy.
Queen’s former driver admits to sexually abusing two young boys in the 1970s – including one in his Buckingham Palace quarters – but dies before he can be charged
Alwyn Stockdale assaulted the lad in the Royal Household quarters at Buckingham Palace Mews
A CHAUFFEUR to the Queen sexually abused a boy at his Buckingham Palace quarters.
Alwyn Stockdale also sexually assaulted a second young boy at a relative’s home. One lad was ten, the other under 14.
Stockdale, who worked for the Queen from 1972 until 1992, abused the lads in the 1970s — including one in his Royal Household quarters at Buckingham Palace.
He later had a cottage on the Windsor estate.
‘There are questions over why it took so long for police to identify and get round to questioning Stockdale.
Stockdale is believed to have lived in Royal Household quarters at Buckingham Palace Mews while serving as a chauffeur to the Queen
‘Given his age, it was a race against time to bring him to justice.
‘But like Jimmy Savile and the MP Cyril Smith, he died before that could happen.’
The Metropolitan Police said it is aware of the report, but was unable to comment at that time.
Butler, Royal Household, Buckingham Palace 1978-1984.
House Manager, Bel Air / Beverly Hills 1985 -1998.
Butler / House Manager, Scottish Highlands Castle. House Manager to HNW person London, 2000 – 2006.
Estate Manager to HNW person, private estate in South of England,
2008 – 2013.
Personal Assistant, House Manager
Company NameHNW Private
Dates Employed 2015 – Present
Employment Duration4 yrs
Location Oxford / London
Andrew Lightwood – butler to Mrs Conrad Black
@JamesFourM
Whatever you do today, don’t ask Conrad Black why he’s in Jeffrey Epstein’s black book. Definitely don’t ask Donald Trump if that’s why he pardoned Conrad Black yesterday either. They’d really hate that.
…………….
The Sunday Times
October 29, 2006
The fast lady
She employed 17 butlers and installed a $250,000 lavatory in their private jet. But, says Tom Bower, Barbara Amiel neglected to check if her new husband Conrad Black actually had all the money she was spending
No expense was spared for Conrad Blackąs annual company dinner at Spencer House, the 18th-century palace in St Jamesąs. More than Ł1m was spent for all the directors of Hollinger, his American corporation, to fly to London on Concorde, to be met by chauffeurs and accommodated in Park Lane hotels.
On Black’s insistence Max Hastings, editor of The Daily Telegraph, was ordered to abandon his holiday and fly by helicopter to London to address the 200 guests, among them Margaret Thatcher.
Under the control of senior butler Andrew Lightwood, second butler Peter Wilson and a succession of third butlers, Amieląs life in Kensington had become what her constantly changing staff called bizarre. Each recruit
was taken by Lightwood on an introductory tour of the house, ending on the roof.
Make sure the landing lights are on at all times,instructed Lightwood solemnly, because Madame takes off from here on her broomstick looking for cats. She needs the lights to guide her return.
His face would crack into a smile. Most important, take care that she never sees you. She hates seeing any of us.˛
Amieląs eccentricity demanded that her staff hid whenever she approached, diving into cupboards if necessary, and never entered her quarters when she was present.
Every day, all the bed linen was changed and subjected to łthe penny
test. A coin was dropped onto the sheets. If it failed to bounce they were not drawn sufficiently tight. Every cushion was arranged to a precise pre-ordained position, and each towel placed exactly as Amiel had predetermined.Andrew! she screamed down the telephone on one memorable occasion,łthe towels are in the wrong place!
Lightwood, as Amiel knew, was in New York, but he was expected to telephone the staff in the house in
London to rectify the error.
You f****** pillock!˛ she yelled at another member of staff for reading her Daily Mail before it was delivered to her.
In July 1992, she married Conrad Black (who was granted, in 2001, a life peerage as Lord Black of Crossharbour), a Canadian mining and media baron. Black renounced his Canadian citizenship to accept the peerage. He was convicted of mail fraud and obstruction of justice in 2007. Amiel stood by her husband throughout the lengthy trial and afterwards. Lord Black received a full pardon from US President Donald Trump on 15 May 2019.[5]
OLD BOYS: The Powerful Legacy of Upper Canada College
Dick Howard personally embodied the complexity, paradox and powerful mythology of Upper Canada College. His legacy is subtle and profound: Thousands of impressionable pre-adolescent boys — including men as diverse in politics and temperament as Conrad Black, Michael Ignatieff, Ted Rogers, Peter Dalglish, John Bosley, Stephen Clarkson, John Eaton, Rob Prichard, John Godfrey, and Avi Lewis — passed under Dick’s tutelage as prep master, housemaster and headmaster from 1943 to 1986
Silence from Hunt’s former department over sexual abuse inquiry evidence
4 July 2019
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has refused to say if it kept its promise to pass evidence about a former senior civil servant – twice arrested over unconnected rape allegations – to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.
The promise was made in 2014 after concerns were raised that the civil servant, Brian McGinnis, who has also been linked publicly to the Jimmy Savile scandal, may have helped stop MPs tightening laws protecting disabled people from sexual abuse in the 1980s.
DHSC’s failure to say whether it kept its promise to investigate the concerns and pass them to the inquiry will raise concerns of a cover-up, at a time when Jeremy Hunt, who was health secretary in 2014, is fighting to become the next Tory leader and prime minister.
McGinnis has always claimed to be innocent of the rape allegations and insists that he is a lifelong “celibate”.
Five years ago, Disability News Service approached what was then the Department of Health (DH, pictured) to ask it to look into concerns that McGinnis may have played a key role in dismissing calls in the mid-1980s for a review of the law on sexuality and people with learning difficulties and mental health conditions.
McGinnis had been named weeks earlier in 2014 in a report into the activities of the disgraced TV presenter Jimmy Savile at Broadmoor hospital, as he was the senior civil servant in charge of mental health in the Department of Health and Social Security (DHSS) in 1986, shortly before Savile was appointed to a new board to run the hospital.
The report mentioned that McGinnis had “since been the subject of two allegations that have been made public”, which “arose in the course of his voluntary sector work with disturbed and abused children, and both cases were dropped without charge”.
Those allegations, always denied by McGinnis, were made public in a news story written by DNS editor John Pring in Disability Now magazine in 2006.
In 1985, the year before McGinnis left DHSS, MPs on the Commons social services committee had called for an “independent expert review of law and practice on sexuality and contraception in relation to mentally disabled people”.
But DHSS dismissed the idea in its response to the committee’s report, warning that “a major review might simply attract unwelcome, unhealthy and wholly disproportionate media interest without achieving any helpful consensus”.
It is believed that this statement could have come from McGinnis.
The review never took place, and law reform that would make it easier to secure convictions for rape and indecent assault of people with learning difficulties and mental health conditions was delayed until 2003, when a new act introduced fresh offences and tougher sentences.
DNS was led to believe five years ago by DH that any material it held on McGinnis that related to the DHSS response to the social services committee would be passed to the child abuse inquiry that had recently been launched by the Home Office, and that DH was examining its archives to check whether McGinnis influenced the DHSS response.
It later confirmed that it was investigating whether McGinnis may have helped to block tougher sexual abuse legislation.
A DH spokesperson said in August 2014: “We are taking this issue very seriously and investigating whether there is any relevant material held on file.”
Last month, on 6 June, DNS attempted to confirm whether DHSC did indeed pass any material to the independent inquiry, which is being led by Professor Alexis Jay.
A DHSC press officer originally said that it was “taking a bit more time than anticipated” to produce a response, before apologising again for the delay six days later, and then finally advising DNS to submit a freedom of information request instead.
DHSC has declined to comment further on the delay.
A spokesperson for the inquiry said yesterday (Wednesday): “The inquiry cannot comment on whether it has or has not received evidence from a particular individual or organisation outside its public hearings.”
Jeremy Hunt’s campaign team has also failed to respond to a request to comment.
McGinnis, who became a special advisor for Mencap after leaving the civil service, has never been convicted, or even charged, with any offence.
But he has been arrested twice over unconnected rape allegations, one of which involved a child with learning difficulties at the notorious Betts Way respite home in Bromley, Kent, in the mid-1990s.
The arrests came in March 2001 and August 2005 and both resulted in McGinnis, who is now in his early 80s and is believed to live in Shirley, Croydon, being released without charge.
He has always denied the allegations.
Until the allegations about his behaviour were publicised in 2006, he was an influential figure in the disability world, with links to a string of charities, learning difficulty organisations and his local church in Shirley.
Following his first arrest, Bromley council advised its staff to “disassociate” McGinnis “with anything related to children with learning difficulties and council services”.
Croydon council later told church authorities that McGinnis “should be suspended from duties that involved him working with children”, after being informed by Bromley council about the 2005 arrest. He had at the time been working with a children’s church group.
Billionaire sex offender Epstein once claimed he co-founded Clinton Foundation
6 July 2019
Attorneys for convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein touted his close friendship with Bill Clinton and even claimed the billionaire helped start Clinton’s controversial family foundation in a 2007 letter aimed at boosting his image during plea negotiations, FoxNews.com has learned.
The 23-page letter, written by high-powered lawyers Alan Dershowitz and Gerald Lefcourt, was apparently part of an ultimately successful bid to negotiate a plea deal before Epstein could be tried for using underage girls in a sex ringbased in Palm Beach, Fla., and his private island estate on the 72-acre Virgin Islands home dubbed “Orgy Island.” Epstein spent 13 months in prison and home detention after agreeing to a plea deal in which he admitted to soliciting an underage girl for prostitution.
The hedge fund magnate’s true role in creating the foundation could not be confirmed. Whether Epstein was an actual founder of the foundation or exaggerated his role in a phony effort to appear altruistic is not clear.
Epstein is not cited in official paperwork filed by the Clinton Global Initiative as a founder or director. Neither The Clinton Foundation nor Dershowitz responded to FoxNews.com’s inquiry as to the extent of Epstein’s involvement. FoxNews.com first reported that flight logs show the former president flew on Epstein’s private plane dozens of times. But Clinton has publicly credited longtime assistant Doug Band, now counselor and director of the foundation, as conceiving of the idea.
The foundation has raised hundreds of millions of dollars, ostensibly for charitable works in places such as Haiti and Africa. But questions have arisen about how much of the donations actually went to aiding the poor, and critics have accused the Clintons of using it as a slush fund.
Dershowitz v. Boies: Jeffrey Epstein case unleashes war between two legal Goliaths
July 05, 2019
It’s a high-stakes war between two of the country’s most powerful lawyers. Their feud, simmering for years, involves accusations of extortion, surreptitious recordings, unethical conduct and underage sex trafficking.
Harvard lawyer Alan Dershowitz has filed four bar complaints in three states — all of which have been dismissed — in a quest to disqualify lawyer David Boies and one of his partners who represent a woman accusing Dershowitz of sexually abusing her when she was underage, newly filed court records show.
The pugnacious Dershowitz, 80, and the equally zealous Boies, 78, have been sparring for decades. In recent years, both have suffered damage to their storied legacies, making this latest clash between the two legal titans one of the most important of their half-century careers.
Dershowitz, professor emeritus at Harvard Law School and one of the nation’s most iconic civil libertarians, has defended such notorious clients as Claus von Bulow, Mike Tyson and O.J. Simpson. But after four decades of legal accolades, he is now facing a sex scandal and is forced to clear his own name at a time when he’s being confronted by a barrage of attacks on social media as one of the most fervent legal defenders of President Donald Trump.
Boies has embraced high-profile liberal causes and made history with landmark court cases: He represented Al Gore in the Florida recount dispute in the 2000 election, which he lost; successfully defended press freedom in a lawsuit involving “60 Minutes”; and in 2013 secured a Supreme Court victory overturning a California ban on same-sex marriage.
But Boies’ image has also been tarnished in recent years by his aggressive, and often ruthless, representation of controversial clients such as Hollywood film mogul and accused sex predator Harvey Weinstein and Elizabeth Holmes, founder of a blood-testing company that allegedly defrauded investors and clients.
Dershowitz’s bar complaints — disclosed here for the first time — provide a window into the behind-the-scenes legal drama between two of the world’s most brilliant lawyers. It also reveals new details about an explosive sex trafficking case involving Dershowitz’s former client, Jeffrey Epstein, a New York multimillionaire who, according to investigators, molested more than three dozen girls in Palm Beach in the years 1999 to 2006.
Dershowitz’s bar complaints against Boies are mentioned in a 36-page filing in federal court in New York Wednesday, as part of a federal civil defamation suit lodged in April against Dershowitz by Virginia Roberts Giuffre. Giuffre, now 35, has claimed that when she was a minor she was directed to have sex with Dershowitz by Epstein, whom Dershowitz staunchly defended.
Dershowitz has repeatedly denied that he had sex with Giuffre — or anyone other than his wife — and in June filed a motion to disqualify Boies and his firm, Boies Schiller Flexner, from representing Giuffre in her defamation case. The firm has been representing Giuffre pro bono since 2014.
On Wednesday, BSF partner Joshua Schiller, son of founding partner Jonathan Schiller, filed papers in federal court in the Southern District of New York opposing the motion to dismiss the firm. The filing includes affidavits by five lawyers who say that Dershowitz either lied or distorted communications he had with them or with Boies involving the Giuffre case.
The attorneys, most of them current or former BSF partners, submitted the statements in connection with bar complaints filed by Dershowitz. The complaints, filed between 2015 and 2017, include: one in New York against Boies; one in Washington, D.C., against one of Boies’ partners, Sigrid McCawley; and two in Florida — one against Boies and another against McCawley, who represents Giuffre.
Dershowitz, in a statement to the Miami Herald, asserts that the lawyers’ affidavits are suspect since most of the attorneys are either members of Boies’ firm or beholden to Boies.
“All the lawyers who have filed accusatory affidavits are Boies partners, former partners [who] depend on Boies referrals, or co-counsel with Boies who share contingency fees. None is in any way independent,’’ Dershowitz said in an email Thursday.
Among the affidavits is one filed by Stanley Pottinger, a former U.S. assistant attorney general for civil rights who is now a principal in Edwards Pottinger, a firm in New York and Fort Lauderdale that specializes in sex abuse cases involving women and children.
Jeffrey Epstein court files unsealed: Allegations of sex abuse by politicians, executives, presidents and a prime minister contained in documents from accused child rapist’s civil case
2,000 pages of records related to a civil case filed against Jeffrey Epstein over a decade ago were ordered unsealed on Wednesday
These file could detail how Epstein and his accused accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell allegedly trafficked underage girls
New allegations of sexual abuse by ‘numerous prominent American politicians, powerful business executives, foreign presidents’ are also in the docs
There are allegations about ‘a well-known prime minister and other world leaders’ as well
4 July 2019
A federal appeals court has ordered the unsealing of nearly 2,000 pages of records related to a civil case that could reveal how Jeffrey Epstein and his accused accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell allegedly trafficked underage girls.
The documents that will be unsealed are from a defamation case that was settled after Epstein entered a guilty plea guilty to a single charge of soliciting and procuring a person under age 18 for prostitution.
Records in the defamation case contained descriptions of sexual abuse by Epstein along with new allegations of sexual abuse by ‘numerous prominent American politicians, powerful business executives, foreign presidents, a well-known prime minister and other world leaders.’
The appeals court found that the judge in the case did seal a number of documents without a justifiable reason when ordering the release.
Epstein’s lawyers will first get a chance to appeal, and after those legal proceedings play out the documents will start being prepared by the court for release.
Under fire: New allegations of sexual abuse by ‘numerous prominent American politicians, powerful business executives, foreign presidents’ are also in the docs (President Trump above with the man who gave Epstein his sweetheart deal, Alex Acosta)
The plea deal Epstein agreed to back in 2008 saved the accused child rapist from having to register as a sex offender in 31 of 50 states.
In a deal unknown to the victim or her lawyer,the minor Epstein admitted to soliciting for prostitution was not the 14-year-old girl who first reported the millionaire money manager, but rather another girl, 16, whose age was left blank on court documents.
That victim’s age means that Epstein did not have to register as a sex offender in states like New Mexico, where he owns a 7,600-acre property called Zorro Ranch, and allows him to be classified as a low risk offender in the US Virgin Islands, which is currently his primary residence.
A federal judge ruled earlier this year that then-U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta violated the rights of Epstein’s alleged victims when they neglected to notify them that they were no longer pursuing federal charges.
That was another part of the deal, which in addition to allowing Epstein to have work release and live in a low-security facility also agreed to drop a federal probe into the millionaire moneyman.
Now Acosta – who is currently the Secretary of Labor and had been mentioned as a possible candidate for attorney general – and others are again coming under fire for allegedly catering to the man who donated millions to the Clintons and hosted President Trump at his Manhattan townhouse while keeping his victims in the dark.
‘They were cutting a plea deal. It wasn’t a prosecution,’ said attorney Spencer Kuvin, who represented the 14-year-old girl who alerted police.
‘They had a grab bag of 40 girls to choose from.’
He then revealed that he and his client believed they had been the victim referenced in the plea deal.
‘It’s unbelievably upsetting,’ said Kuvin.
‘The rug has been swiped out from under the one girl who was brave enough to come forward and break this thing.’
Questions about Epstein’s deal started to surface after a series of lawsuits were filed by two of his alleged victims.
The women, identified as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2, claim in court papers that they were unaware of the secret deal being made between the defense team and prosecutors back in 2007 that guaranteed federal charges would not be brought against Epstein, 63, which could have resulted in a lengthy prison sentence for the millionaire.
They filed their lawsuit a few months after Epstein received his lenient sentence in 2008, with their lawyers saying the U.S. Attorney’s Office violated the federal Crime Victims’ Rights Act by not speaking with Epstein’s victims about the details of his plea agreement.
The two victims who filed the suit were 13 and 14 at the time of the abuse.
This filing contained more than 140 exhibits including emails between Epstein’s defense team, the U.S. Attorney’s office and former State Attorney Barry Krischer, which lawyers believe clearly show that victims were being left in the dark.
Bradley Edwards and Paul Cassell, who filed on behalf of the women, previously stated that they hoped U.S. District Judge Kenneth Marra would not force the case to go to trial but rather given what they believe is overwhelming evidence rule in the favor of the two victims.
‘There is good reason to believe that if the prosecutors had exposed their dealings to scrutiny by Jane Doe 1, Jane Doe 2 and other victims, they would not have reached such a sweetheart plea deal,’ the motion reads.
‘Despite the fact that this case has been in litigation for more than seven years, spanning several hundred pleadings, the government does not write even a single sentence explaining why it entered into an NPA (non-prosecution agreement) with a sex offender who had committed hundreds of federal sex offenses against young girls.’
The motion also says that the deal Epstein received is ‘one of the most extraordinarily lenient plea arrangements in American history’.
Epstein settled both of these suits back in December before the victims would be able to testify in court.
Police in Palm Beach turned over the information they had gathered on Epstein’s victims to federal authorities in November 2006 after investigating the case for roughly a year following an initial call in March 2005 from a woman who claimed her daughter, 14, had been paid $300 to give Epstein a massage in just her underwear.
Local authorities also filed a probable cause affidavit in May 2006 saying they believed there was enough evidence to charge Epstein with four counts of unlawful sex with minors and one count of molestation.
In the end, these charges were taken to a grand jury despite the recommendation of police, who came back with just one charge against Epstein – felony solicitation of prostitution.
On June 30, 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty to a single state charge of soliciting an underage girl for prostitution, and ultimately served just 13 months of his 18-month sentence.
That time was served not in a prison, but rather the Palm Beach Stockade, which is a local detention center.
Epstein was also allowed to leave six days a week to go work out of his West Palm Beach office during his time behind bars.
After his release he did have to register as a sex offender.
Bishop of Chester accepts he failed to pass on vicar’s ‘child abuse confession’ letter to church safeguarding adviser or police
THE Bishop of Chester has accepted he made a “misjudgement” when he allowed a vicar to continue working despite having read a letter from him alluding to child abuse.
Dr Peter Forster had not commented on his involvement in the Charles Dickenson case until he gave evidence under oath at the Independent Inquiry Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) on Wednesday (July 3).
He accepted that he was the only one to have read the letter in 2009 and failed to pass it on to the police or even to the Diocese of Chester safeguarding adviser.
The Standard and its sister paper the Warrington Guardian were first to lift the lid on the Dickenson case earlier this year, covering his sentencing hearings at Chester and then Liverpool Crown Court.
Now 89, the former vicar at Christ Church in Latchford, Warrington, was jailed for 27 months after pleading guilty to eight counts of sexual assault.
The inquiry heard he had written the letter – previously referred to as a “confession” in court – to accompany his application for a renewal of his PTO (Permission to Officiate) 10 years ago.
All clergy must fill out a confidential disclosure form with their application and one question asks: ‘Has there ever been an allegation that your conduct has caused significant harm to a child?’.
Dickenson ticked the ‘yes’ box and wrote a letter of explanation, parts of which were read out at the inquiry.
In it he said he had received a complaint from a boy’s father in 1974, which he disclosed to the then Bishop of Chester, Victor Whitsey.
Police never became involved and Whitsey – himself now known to be a child abuser – chose to simply move Dickenson to another parish.
In his letter, Dickenson wrote: “He made me make a solemn promise that I would never again interfere with any youngster.”
It was put to Bishop Forster that the tone of the letter “intimates it was truthful” and there was “enough there to raise a concern that this had not been dealt with properly in 1974”.
The bishop, who had gone on to approve Dickenson’s PTO, replied: “I made a judgement that I accept was a misjudgement, that the ongoing risk from Dickenson was very small.”
He added: “Since his conviction the publicity has been very extensive and no hint of impropriety has emerged. It seems his assurance that he would not do this again was borne out.”
Asked again why he had allowed Dickenson to continue working having read the letter, the bishop replied: “I took a view. I’m perfectly prepared to accept that that was a misjudgement. I accept that it wasn’t handled properly at the time.”
He also accepted that there was nothing to prevent him from passing the information to the police in 2009.
“That could have been done, yes,” he told the inquiry.
Things had changed in the past 10 years and now a referral to the police on such matters would happen “automatically”, he said.
Bishop Forster was also grilled on his actions surrounding two other child sex abuse cases.
The first involved Wallasey vicar Rev Ian Hughes, who was jailed for a year in 2014 after he admitted downloading 8,000 indecent images of children.
The inquiry heard that Bishop Forster took immediate action to suspend Hughes following his arrest but post-conviction had consulted with the Church of England’s President of Tribunals on whether to impose a 20-year ban, rather than a lifelong one.
He referred to the seductive nature of the internet, and stressed Hughes was young at 46 and had an exemplary record within the church.
“I knew him well,” Bishop Forster said. “I think he got drawn into a very sick and unsatisfactory situation.”
However, he stressed he had simply been following procedure by consulting with the President of Tribunals and a 20-year-ban would in no way guarantee a return once it had been served.
Risk assessments would be carried out and safeguarding procedures and training in general were far more rigorous these days.
The bishop was also asked about a reported disclosure to him in 2002 of inappropriate behaviour by the late Bishop Victor Whitsey.
He said he did not recall the conversation but believed it may have involved an allegation that Whitsey put his arm around someone.
“He had a reputation of odd behaviour in general,” Bishop Forster told the inquiry. “If someone said something odd about Victor Whitsey it probably wouldn’t have registered, partly because he was somebody who was known to behave in slightly odd ways.”
Cheshire Police began an investigation in 2016 after a church safeguarding adviser in Chester passed on details of alleged abuse by Whitsey.
A year later detectives revealed that they would have spoken to him in relation to 10 of the witness allegations if he had been alive.
Opening of Epstein Sex Case Files May Fuel Acosta Criticism
Posted July 3, 2019,
Some sealed documents related to the teen sex trafficking case against hedge fund manager Jeffrey Epstein will be opened, following a July 3 decision by a federal appeals court in New York.
The move comes amid growing criticism of a plea deal that allowed the well-connected financier to avoid conviction on the most serious charges stemming from an alleged teen sex trafficking ring that he ran out of his South Florida home. Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta, who was the lead prosecutor in the case, has faced calls to resign and a new Justice Department inquiry since the Miami Herald detailed the case and the plea deal in a November report.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ordered a federal judge to open documents filed in connection with a defamation lawsuit by Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s alleged victims, against British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell. Giuffre alleges Maxwell and Epstein recruited her into a forced sex ring at Epstein’s home in Florida when Giuffre was a minor.
The documents could shed new light on the details of Epstein’s alleged trafficking ring. That could ramp up the criticism of Acosta, who a group of House Democrats and some progressive groups have urged to resign over the plea deal.
The court issued “a cautionary note” in granting the Herald’s request to unseal some of the documents.
“Materials submitted by parties to a court should be understood for what they are,” Second Circuit Judge Jose Cabranes wrote for the court. “They do not reflect the court’s own findings. Rather, they are prepared by parties seeking to advance their own interests in an adversarial process.”
Epstein was accused of using employees to bring local teen girls to his home for sex and paying victims to recruit new victims. His alleged victims were as young as 13 years old at the time. Epstein eventually pleaded guilty to two counts of soliciting a prostitute and served 13 months in a state prison.
The Second Circuit order unseals documents filed in connection with a summary judgment motion in the Giuffre case, which was eventually settled. The court also ordered a judge to individually review other sealed documents to determine whether they should also be opened.
Legal Battles Continue
A federal judge in Miami ruled Feb. 21 that Acosta and the other prosecutors violated the Crime Victims’ Rights Act by landing Epstein’s plea agreement without telling the alleged victims. The prosecutors also “misled” the victims to believe that Epstein may still be prosecuted in federal court, Judge Kenneth Marra said.
Marra has yet to decide on a remedy for the alleged victims.
Acosta recently told two separate congressional panels that he stepped in to pursue federal charges against Epstein after a Florida grand jury recommended no prison time for state charges. He also said Epstein’s lawyers unsuccessfully asked Justice Department officials to tell his team to back off.
“This matter was appealed all the way up to the deputy attorney general’s office,” Acosta said in response to questioning at a May 1 House hearing. “Not because we weren’t doing enough but because the contention was that we were too aggressive.”
Acosta’s supporters point out that the plea deal forced Epstein to compensate victims and register as a sex offender. They also say that some victims refused to cooperate with prosecutors, who had a tough time supporting federal instead of state charges by showing that the alleged crime happened across state lines.
Epstein’s all-star legal defense team included Harvard University professor Alan Dershowitz, former special prosecutor Kenneth Starr, and famed criminal defense attorney Roy Black. Jay Lefkowitz, who previously worked with Acosta at Kirkland and Ellis, also was part of the team.
An Epstein accuser in a related lawsuit in New York claims Dershowitz participated in the sex ring, a claim Dershowitz denies. He’s among a group that has asked a court to unseal documents in that case.
An appeals court seemed poised to unseal Jeffrey Epstein records. So where are they?
July 02, 2019
Three months have passed since a judicial panel in New York heard arguments to unseal documents that could reveal whether federal prosecutors covered up evidence that New York financier Jeffrey Epstein and others were running an underage sex trafficking operation.
In March, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit seemed poised to release some documents in the case. The records involve Epstein’s one-time partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, who has been accused of helping him recruit and sexually exploit girls and young women in various locations around the United States and abroad in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
The appeals panel gave all parties in the case until March 29 to file additional pleadings. Several challenges were subsequently filed, but the court has yet to make a final ruling.
The Miami Herald — one of the intervenors in the case — has submitted a letter to the court urging the judges to follow through on the case in the wake of a controversial Justice Department decision last week. In a 35-page motion, filed June 24, federal prosecutors in Georgia declared that they would not set aside Epstein’s federal non-prosecution agreement.The Georgia decision dealt another blow to Epstein’s victims who have been fighting for a decade to have the deal thrown out and to pressure the Justice Department to prosecute the 66-year-old multimillionaire on sex trafficking charges. It also means that the Justice Department has no intention of allowing Epstein’s victims and the public to examine the facts of Epstein’s case and reach their own conclusions, the Herald argues in the letter.
In February, a federal judge in Florida, Kenneth A. Marra, ruled in the victims’ favor, saying that the government violated the Crime Victims’ Right Act when it failed to inform Epstein’s victims that prosecutors had secretly disposed of the case.
Marra ordered the government and attorneys for the victims to come up with remedies to address the federal violation.
U.S. Attorney Byung Pak responded last week, saying that Epstein’s victims are free to express their displeasure about what prosecutors did, but they have no right under the law to demand anything from the government — not even an apology.
Sanford L. Bohrer, the Miami Herald’s attorney, said that Pak’s decision highlights the pressing need for the New York appeals court to expedite unsealing the documents in Maxwell’s case.
That case is a 2015 defamation lawsuit filed against Maxwell, the daughter of the late British media mogul Robert Maxwell. Maxwell, now 57 and an environmentalist, has been accused of assisting Epstein in the trafficking of underage girls and young women to powerful and wealthy politicians, lawyers, scientists and businessmen.
She has denied the allegations and has never been charged with any crimes.
The Herald’s lawyer contends that the Justice Department’s decision last week shows that the government continues to evade public accountability and, therefore, it’s more urgent than ever that the Maxwell case be made public.
“[Pak’s] submission makes clear that access to the documents that [the Herald and other parties] seek in [the Maxwell] matter remains an issue of critical public concern,” Bohrer wrote in a letter to Catherine O’Hagan Wolfe, clerk of the court for the appeals panel. He said the government “essentially argues that Epstein’s victims are not entitled to any meaningful redress, including partial rescission, declaratory relief and specific injunctive relief requested.’’
Once a friend of presidents, the ultra-rich and the elite of Wall Street’s bankers — plus a major benefactor to Harvard University — Jeffrey Epstein handled portfolios estimated to be worth over $15 billion. Then he became ensnared in a scandal involving the sexual abuse of underage girls. He is seen here, pre-scandal, at left, in conversation with Alan Dershowitz, one of America’s best-known legal experts and a Harvard Law professor emeritus, at a Cambridge event. Dershowitz became a key member of Epstein’s legal team.
In 2008, the FBI had identified nearly three dozen underage victims who were allegedly lured to Epstein’s mansion in Palm Beach under the pretext that he would pay them for massages. The girls, mostly 13 to 16 years old, were groomed by Epstein and others who worked for him to engage in sex acts with him and others, the evidence showed.
In November, the Miami Herald published an investigation that examined how then-Miami U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta negotiated a secret non-prosecution agreement that resulted in Epstein receiving an extraordinarily light sentence.
Acosta, who is now President Donald Trump’s labor secretary, ensured that the agreement was sealed so that no one — not even the victims — would know the scope of Epstein’s crimes or who was involved. Epstein’s lawyers worked together with prosecutors to limit public scrutiny of the case, and arranged for Epstein to quietly plead guilty to lesser charges in state court, the Herald series revealed.
The handling of the case is now under investigation by the Department of Justice.
As part of the Herald’s series, the newspaper went to court in 2018 to unseal the Maxwell case, which was settled in 2017. A contingent of other media companies, a conservative social media blogger and Epstein’s lawyer, Alan Dershowitz, are also seeking to have the Maxwell case made public.The defamation case was filed against Maxwell by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who claims she was recruited by Maxwell when she was 16 and working as a spa attendant at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s lavish country club in Palm Beach. In court papers, she claimed that Epstein and Maxwell directed her to have sex with public figures. In a sworn affidavit, she has named Prince Andrew and Dershowitz as among those she had sex with when she was underage. Both the prince and the famed lawyer have denied her claims.
Dershowitz wants the Maxwell case made public because he says that the documents will exonerate him. Also party to the appeal is social media blogger Michael Cernovich.
Based on the court filings, the case is believed to contain a range of evidence, including testimony from other possible underage victims who were trafficked. All parties in the case, including the Herald, have agreed to redact the names of minors and other details that would identify victims.
Maxwell is the sole party fighting to keep the entire record sealed. Two other currently unidentified people, labeling themselves as John Does, have filed legal briefs in an attempt to conceal personal information that could connect them to the alleged underage sex trafficking operation.
Epstein, who was not party to the Maxwell suit, has denied that he ran a sex trafficking operation, and his attorneys say that the number of victims involved has been “vastly exaggerated’’ by the media.
Lest anyone think the Church of England has changed, this is the current Bishop of Chester- unable to say whether possession of 8000 images of child sexual abuse should disqualify a cleric from ministry
@InquiryCSA
Ms McNeill asks whether someone who was in possession of 8,000 images of child sexual abuse could ever be a person appropriate to be in public ministry within the Church of England.
Dr Forster: “That’s a matter for the ministry division to consider.”
Anglican Hearing
THE former Bishop of Blackburn has been criticised in an inquiry report into child sexual abuse in his former diocese.
The Right Rev Nicholas Reade, the Bishop of Blackburn from 2004 to 2012, has been held to account by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse over his time as Archdeacon of Lewes, in the Diocese of Chichester.
The Rev Robert Coles admitted the alleged sexual abuse of a teenage altar server in the 1980s to Bishop Nicholas and a fellow clergyman, the inquiry was told.
But despite Coles confessing to sexual activity with the 15 or 16-year-old boy at his home, neither Bishop Nicholas nor his colleague disclosed this information to police, following the former’s arrest in 1997.
Coles, who was a parish priest across the southern diocese, faced no criminal action at the time.
But an investigation was relaunched in 2012 and he was later convicted on two separate occasions of serious sexual offences involving young boys and given substantial jail sentences.
Referring to the 1997 disclosures, Prof Alexis Jay, the inquiry’s chairman, said in a final report: “Archdeacon Reade declined to report a serious indecent to the police, yet repeatedly sought to justify this failure on the basis that ‘he had not raped the boy’.
“Coles should have been reported to the police and subject to disciplinary action or a risk assessment.”
The inquiry heard that Coles sexually groomed a child in 2007-08. He was officially retired but still continued to officiate.
Mr Reade was also found to have defended another minister, Rev Roy Cotton, who had a past conviction for indecent exposure involving a boy in a church organ loft in the 1950s.
Cotton, an ‘Anglo-Catholic’ was supposed to only be allowed to celebrate Mass at his retirement home but officiated in public several times when children were present, the inquiry report disclosed.
He was investigated twice over allegations that he abused boys in the 70s and 80s, with another disgraced minister. Three victims came forward to make accusations. No criminal action was taken but Sussex Police’s inquiry was found to be ‘inadequate’. Cotton, who was the subject of later church and judicial inquiries, died in September 2006.
Prof Jay, referring to Cotton’s case, added: “This was a clear example of the diocese failing to prioritise its responsibilities for children and young people.
“Its concerns seem to have been led by pastoral concerns for Cotton, rather than the danger he posed to children.”
The current Bishop of Blackburn, the Right Rev Julian Henderson, this week wrote to all clergy in the diocese, calling on them to learn lessons from the inquiry’s findings.
Mr Reade was Archdeacon of Lewes before being appointed Bishop of Blackburn in 2004. He retired in 2012.
The child sex abuse inquiry was prompted by revelations that no fewer than 20 individuals with connections to Chichester Diocese had been convicted of sexual offending against children, including Peter Ball, the former Bishop of Lewes and later Bishop of Gloucester, over the past 50 years.
In her findings, Prof Jay said: “The Church must take action to ensure that this catalogue of errors does not occur again.”
Hubert Brasier, Theresa May’s father joined the priests at the Community of the Resurrection Seminary School in Mirfield, West Yorkshire.In years to come the Community of the Resurrection would become known for the systematic sexual abuse of children at the seminary by the Italian Verona brothers, who were rampant sex offenders in the 1960’s and 1970’s.
Peter Ball was jailed for 32 months in October 2015 for offences dating back to the 1970s against 18 young men at his home in East Sussex.
Rev Nicholas Reade: Charity:
From 2013 the patron of Caring and Sharing is the Rt. Rev’d Nicholas Reade. former Bishop of Blackburn.
2015
Bishop Peter Ball – President
Rev Nicholas Reade – Patron
Caring and Sharing East Sussex
The Caring and Sharing scheme was founded in 1982 by the then-Bishop of Lewes, Peter Ball. Its members seek to ‘Live more simply, that others may simply live.’
The scheme is based on two ideas: firstly, that by making a small sacrifice in their day-to-day lives, members can assert their independence from material values; secondly, that the savings from this small sacrifice can provide the basic needs of life for others in poorer countries. The sacrifice members make need not be a major one, as its regularity enables it to grow in value over time. (As an example, the unit cost of one digestive biscuit is a few pence; but 5p per day amounts to more than 18 per year, which can make a significant difference to a person’s life in Tanzania.) Sums like this, given regularly by many Carers, enable the organisation to send approximately 100,000 each year to its chosen projects.
The Revd Jonathan Fletcher, in a 2016 video made by Moore College, Sydney
DETAILS have emerged of the allegations against the Revd Jonathan Fletcher, who was Minister of Emmanuel Ridgway Proprietary Chapel, in Wimbledon, from 1982 to 2012, and an influential figure among Evangelicals in the Church of England.
The allegations involve physical beatings, reminiscent of the beatings administered by John Smyth (News, 13 April 2017; 1 March). Mr Fletcher has admitted that the beatings took place, but on Friday described them as “light-hearted forfeits” in a “system of mutual encouragement”.
Southwark diocese said last week (News, 28 June) that it had removed Mr Fletcher’s Permission to Officiate (PTO) in 2017, after an independent safeguarding assessment had concluded that, while there was “no criminal case to answer”, nor any evidence that he posed “a significant sexual or physical risk to children . . . there was a risk of him behaving towards vulnerable adults who may be seeking his spiritual guidance in a manner which may be harmful”.
At a meeting of the Evangelical Ministry Assembly at Westminster Chapel, London, on Thursday, organised by the Proclamation Trust, a statement was read out by the safeguarding officer and women’s worker at Emmanuel, Sarah Hall.
It said: “Starting in late September 2018, concrete allegations have been made about conduct involving Jonathan and other men. I am not going to say how many disclosures, let alone who made them.
“In late 2018, a small number of allegations were made of the practice of physical discipline in the context of discipling relationships. One example of this involved men hitting each other on their naked backsides with a trainer for failing to meet personal targets.
“This took place over a period of time; it happened infrequently; the number of hits was small; and we do not believe any physical injuries were sustained, though it has been described as very painful. I am sorry to be specific but I don’t want you to speculate as to what sort of behaviour I include in ‘physical discipline’.”
The statement continued: “Further disclosures since March 2019 have largely related to a different practice of one-to-one massage, ranging from partially clothed massage to massage where both men are said to have been fully naked throughout and to have taken turns to massage each other. Again, this conduct seems to have become a regular part of the relationship between Jonathan and certain men over a period of time.”
Andrew Wales QC then explained why the allegations had been taken seriously. He said: “In 2017, Southwark diocese commissioned an independent safeguarding assessment of Mr Fletcher, which “concluded that, whilst there was no evidence of any significant sexual or physical risk to children, there was a risk of Jonathan behaving towards vulnerable adults seeking his spiritual guidance in a manner which may be harmful. The diocese made formal contact with Jonathan to explain this.”
Mr Wales went on to cite other factors which supported “taking the allegations seriously”. They included: “The number of disclosures received”; “their consistent nature, where, for the most part, each person was unaware of what anyone else had disclosed”; and “the identity of those making disclosures, whose testimonies we consider reliable”.
A final factor cited by Mr Wales was that “Jonathan has recently acknowledged involvement in activities of the sort described. He did so only this week to [the Revd] William Taylor [Rector of St Helen’s, Bishopsgate]; and he’s done so to other senior leaders as well.”
Mr Wales went on to say that “all these factors, taken together, led Emmanuel to take the allegations very seriously, even though — and I stress this — nothing criminal or to do with children has been alleged.”
The Rector of St Ebbe’s, Oxford, the Revd Vaughan Roberts, who is director of the Proclamation Trust, said of Mr Fletcher: “Sadly, it seems that he has not yet accepted the seriousness of the situation, despite the efforts of a number of senior Evangelical leaders, who have sought to engage with him, both face to face and in writing.”
After the Church Times contacted him on Friday, Mr Fletcher declined to comment directly, but released a statement via the Bishop of Maidstone, the Rt Revd Rod Thomas. Bishop Thomas stated: “The fact that I am forwarding this to you does not represent any agreement by me to its contents, any endorsement of it, nor any acceptance that it adequately describes the conduct engaged in. I remain deeply distressed and concerned both about the seriousness of the issues and the effects on victims.”
In his statement, however, Mr Fletcher maintained that the punishments, administered in a long-standing prayer group, were “light-hearted forfeits” if members failed to hit targets of “healthy and holy living”.
“These included going without chocolate, cold baths and school-type gym shoe punishments,” Mr Fletcher writes. “Although at the time we definitely did not think we were doing anything wrong, I’ve seen since that it could have caused much harm both to individuals and to the reputation of conservative evangelicalism for which I am profoundly sorry.”
He acknowledges that he enjoys and benefits from massage, and regularly hires professionals to do it. “However, if I can avoid the cost by finding a male friend to administer, and in return receive, massage, I do.
“These sessions categorically do not have erotic or sexual overtones and I have never coerced or intended to coerce anyone into an arrangement. If any have felt pressurised by me to do this, I apologise.”
He accepts that it was “unwise” to involve anyone to whom he was ministering, and apologises “if any have felt pressurised by me to do this”.
He ends by confirming that he no longer engages in public ministry.
Emmanuel Church has set up a website for “those who need support because of the activities of Jonathan Fletcher”: walkingwith.uk.
The Revd Jonathan Fletcher’s statement in full:
”As part of a long-standing prayer group, I have in the past been involved in a system of mutual encouragement whereby we set ourselves targets in healthy and holy living and then imposed what I thought of as light-hearted forfeits if we failed.
“These included going without chocolate, cold baths and school-type gym shoe punishments. Although at the time we definitely did not think we were doing anything wrong, I’ve seen since that it could have caused much harm both to individuals and to the reputation of conservative evangelicalism for which I am profoundly sorry. Needless to say, this activity has now stopped.
“In addition, a number of people are reporting that I have had naked massages with them. I enjoy massage and benefit from it. To that end I regularly have it professionally administered. However, if I can avoid the cost by finding a male friend to administer, and in return receive, massage, I do.
“These sessions categorically do not have erotic or sexual overtones and I have never coerced or intended to coerce anyone into an arrangement. If any have felt pressurised by me to do this, I apologise.
“Again, I realise that in the position I have held in the past as an incumbent, it was unwise of me to involve anyone to whom I was also ministering and I apologise for doing so.
“I confirm that I no longer engage in public ministry.”
The Internet is a great provider of information. Of course, there are to be found in it lies, rumours and falsehoods. We trust, however, that a reasonably discerning person can detect ‘fake news’ and not fall into the trap of repeating unsubstantiated information. But there is another sort of truth that can be found from scrutinising the net. An individual can pick up information from a variety of separate sources but be able to suggest how these fragments of information are connected. None of the fragments of information I tell below stand as complete stories. However, when they are linked together, they seem to tell a complete story, one that does little credit to the Church of England or its breakaway sections represented by GAFCON and AMiE.
The first section is a statement by Bishop Andy Lines, the clergyman appointed by the breakaway Anglican American group ACNA to act as a missionary bishop for Europe. He is also closely linked to AMiE the group that brings together parishes that have opted out of the Anglican Communion. He recently announced to this group that he was withdrawing from active ministry for a few months, having been a victim of ‘spiritual manipulation’. This highly unusual and unexpected announcement has obviously led to speculation. Who was doing the abusing? Who, in short, had the authority over this powerful figure in the Anglican breakaway world to be able to be able to create what appears to be a major crisis for a respected figure? The only clue we get is from the description of the abuser. Andy speaks of a ‘betrayal of trust by a mentor’. No names are given but looking at Andy’s formation and links over many years with Emmanuel Church Wimbledon, we have to suggest that the Vicar, Jonathan Fletcher, a close friend and teacher, fills the description. It was also Jonathan that was present at some kind of ceremony of commissioning Andy in Emmanuel following a consecration service in the States. Jonathan had been Vicar of Emmanuel Church for 30 years. He was thus a major figure in Andy’s life and in conservative Anglicanism generally. Everyone in that world seems to know him or comes in some way into his orbit of his influence. This Wimbledon church seems to be a kind of central hub for the entire conservative evangelical network within Anglicanism. It is still a centre of great importance, along with such centres as St Helen’s Bishopsgate and St Ebbes in Oxford…
…the publication of a photo showing a programme from one of the Iwerne public school summer camps dating back to 1982. This showed John Smyth as a speaker on the same day as Jonathan Fletcher. These two men obviously knew each other well. Clearly also the networks of people who supported the Iwerne camps and their work were well known in Emmanuel circles. It is hard or impossible to imagine that Jonathan Fletcher was left in the dark about John Smyth’s crimes and the reasons for his sudden departure for Africa. This Iwerne/Emmanuel nexus would have had enormous power and influence. We should not underestimate how much power seems to have accrued personally to Jonathan Fletcher as the man in charge of Emmanuel and a key player in Iwerne circles. Any suggestion of wrongdoing by this superstar of the evangelical universe is highly embarrassing, not to say highly destructive, to the wider evangelical world. Jonathan’s power reached out not only to those who were personally caught up by his charisma but he had institutional power, wielded through his participation in committees and other structures of influence. John Smyth’s crimes have already cast one heavy pall over the legacy of Iwerne and the hundreds who passed their formative years within its orbit. Silence on the part of those who knew about Smyth’s crimes has made the eventual effect of discovery far more serious and painful. A similar silence protecting Jonathan over the same period of years has also been allowed to exist. Whatever Jonathan is or is not guilty of, the silence maintained by many who knew allegations against him has made a bad situation far worse.
A final fragment of this complex story is the suggestion online that Jonathan Fletcher has been a member since 1983 of the exclusive dining club, Nobody’s Friends. This club which emerged into public awareness during the IICSA hearings in March last year has a membership group of 60, all elected by the club itself.
Each of the members is chosen from either the church, politics or one of the other distinguished professions. Jonathan’s place among this elite group is no doubt in part the result of being born into a family of eminent politicians, his father having served a member of Harold Wilson’s cabinet. But apart from this family background, someone in the church must have seen him to be an important up and coming church person. Thus, in his 40s, he was honoured to sit among Deans, Bishops, and the like, not to mention the crème de la crème of the political establishment. Perhaps as importantly there was another group represented in the club, public-school headmasters, the supporters of Iwerne camps.
Mention of this dining club, Nobody’s Friends, links us back to the establishment network that played an important part in the Peter Ball story. We catch a glimpse of a well-connected group of people who were able to pull many strings, partly because of whom they knew. Jonathan Fletcher was right there in the middle of it all. In other words, like Peter Ball, he knew and was known by enormous numbers of movers and shakers in British society. Also, as with Peter Ball, if the accusations of ‘spiritual manipulation’ are true, then many people would have been affected. Peter Ball’s world was the high church networks so well represented in the Chichester diocese. Jonathan Fletcher’s world is the evangelical nexus represented by the conservative parishes of REFORM. Here we find considerable wealth, privilege and power. Jonathan’s potential capacity to do good and provide a positive influence was enormous. Equally his ability to create harm was extensive. The story, as we have it, is in fragments but we are hinting that the joined-up version we have now points sadly to the latter scenario. As with Peter Ball’s story, the discrediting of an admired hero in an institution goes far further than simply among those who knew the hero directly. It spreads out to many others who expected the highest standards of their leaders.
In 2018 the club was subject of a question in the IICSA hearing into abuse in the Church of England. Lord Lloyd had sent a letter of influence in the Peter Ball case to Archbishop Carey prefaced with the phrase “May I presume on a brief acquaintanceship at dinners of Nobody’s Friends?”[17] When asked about the club in his evidence to the Inquiry, Lord Lloyd described Nobody’s Friends as “simply a club, half consisting of the clergy, members of the clergy, and half consisting of members of the laity, which dine together probably twice a year, very often in Lambeth Palace.”
The IICSA counsel pointed out that the Daily Mail had once described it as “centred on a strong core of bishops, ex-Tory ministers and former military top brass, a highly secretive, all-male group representing Britain’s most entrenched professions and institutions.” Lord Lloyd replied, “That’s a typical Daily Mail description of something they don’t particularly like, but I can assure you that Nobody’s Friends is a perfectly ordinary dining club…” The same article that IICSA drew upon in the hearing indicated that Prime Minister Tony Blair had been keen to join the club in 2003.[18][19][20]
Stephen Parsons commented in an influential blog, following the IICSA hearing, that the forum Nobody’s Friends provided for influence in the Peter Ball case suggested a “toxic masculinity” in the Church of England. He went on to say:
A men-only dining club that meets regularly at Lambeth Palace, known as Nobody’s Friends, appears to be a gathering for socially very well-connected Anglicans. Although originally high church in its origins, the club provides an opportunity for a privileged church group to network and sometimes lobby those in authority in the Church …… The Nobody’s Friends dining group has been described as ‘private’ rather than a secret group, but it still represents an exclusive world of male privilege within the heart of the Anglican establishment. When Bishop John Bickersteth once revealed that his appointment to Bath and Wells followed his being ‘spotted’ at a Nobody’s dinner, we began to get the feeling that the values of our church may incline towards corporate and institutional interests rather than a personal morality based on the Sermon on the Mount.[21]
So did West Yorkshire Police do surveillance on a house in Westmoreland Street, Skipton, Yorks. In the early 60s, where they observed male visitors? Two of the guests are alleged to have been Cyril Smith and Ian Brady …
@IanKerr
Sutlcliffe and Savile
Who was pulling strings in Her Majesty’s prison system for Brady ?
Savile was friends with killers Sutliff and Ian Brady
Moors murders: Jimmy Savile part of ‘paedo ring with Ian Brady and Myra Hindley’
DISGRACED radio DJ Jimmy Savile has been accused of buying indecent photographs of children from evil killers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley
Savile – who died in 2011 at the age of 84 – never faced trial for his crimes as one of Britain’s worst ever sex offenders.
Before their arrest in 1965, Savile ran the BBC studios from Manchester’s Dickenson Road – where Top of the Pops was filmed – and has been accused of meeting with Brady and Hindley to buy indecent images of children.
How Moors murderer Brady had access to vulnerable teens in jail
26 June 2019
Moors Murderer Ian Brady was able to mix with vulnerable borstal boys in Wormwood Scrubs prison for more than five years, newly released Home Office files reveal. Even after one young prisoner alleged that Brady had had sex with him, no action was taken for several months, the BBC’s Sanchia Berg reports.
For decades he was Britain’s most notorious murderer.
Ian Brady and his girlfriend Myra Hindley tortured, sexually assaulted and murdered children in the mid-1960s and buried some of the bodies on Saddleworth Moor, near Manchester.
Following his conviction in 1966, Brady was initially held at Durham prison. He was then sent to Parkhurst, and transferred in 1974 to Wormwood Scrubs in London.
Placed in the segregation unit, used for prisoners likely to be attacked, he began a hunger strike in the summer of 1975, demanding to be moved and allowed to associate with other prisoners.
As he lost weight, he was moved to the prison hospital. He was allowed to stay there even after he began eating again, in a room on the Mental Observation Landing, known as G2.
At this time, boys from Feltham Borstal would be sent to Wormwood Scrubs hospital if they were suffering from mental health problems. They could be as young as 15 – a similar age to some of Brady’s victims.
As early as 1976, the prison’s principal medical officer had spotted the problem.
“He takes an unusual interest in any adolescent inmate who may be located on the landing and his influence in such a situation is certainly not a wholesome one,” he wrote in a report dated 2 September.
The staff had had to move boys off the landing to get them away from him, he added.
But despite numerous objections made by staff and others over the years, arguing that Brady should be moved, he stayed on the Mental Observation Landing, and his privileges steadily increased.
Brady was allowed to watch television with other patients and given duties that enabled him to move beyond the landing, cleaning toilets and showers.
He lost his job in autumn 1981, after a young person reported that Brady had had sex with him, and he was moved back to Parkhurst the following year.
Lord Longford lobbied a series of ministers on Brady’s behalf
How was it possible for a prisoner like Brady to be given such treatment?
Part of it has to do with his personality – he was often described as manipulative and arrogant by prison staff. For years he campaigned, complained and threatened in order to get his way. It usually failed, but occasionally it worked.
Brady also benefited from support from the penal reformer, Lord Longford, a former Labour cabinet minister. The Home Office papers reveal how Longford lobbied ministers, including the home secretary, on Brady’s behalf.
When Brady first arrived at Durham on 6 May 1966 he was described as “a fairly tall person with a tendency to break into a cold smile without apparent reason… Quite unemotional.”
He succeeded in getting a degree of special treatment. He persuaded the prison’s welfare officer to get him homoerotic novels, as well as the works of Machiavelli – the Italian Renaissance writer who described how a ruler could maintain his grip on power by unscrupulous means. He was also given private tutoring in German by academics from Durham University – until the prison education service was asked to pay for it.
But Brady didn’t achieve his main aim at that time, which was to see Myra Hindley for “conjugal” visits. She was in Holloway prison, over 250 miles away. In protest, Brady isolated himself and refused to associate with other prisoners. He even asked for dark glasses and ear plugs so he could shut out the world entirely. In 1969, 1970, 1971 he went on hunger strike. None of it worked.
After Myra Hindley stopped writing to Brady, he changed his campaign. Instead, he started lobbying to get to Broadmoor, the secure hospital. Doctors were reluctant. They considered him a psychopath, who would not benefit from treatment.
It was at this time, 1971, that Brady enlisted Lord Longford’s help – but the peer couldn’t persuade politicians to move him.
Four years later, Brady began a new hunger strike at Wormwood Scrubs. Once moved to the prison hospital he allowed himself to be “artificially fed” even though his “hunger strike” formally continued.
He told Lord Longford in September 1975 that he found conditions in the prison “more pleasant and civilised” than in the segregation unit, and on 16 December Longford met Home Secretary Roy Jenkins to relay Brady’s request to stay there.
Jenkins responded that “Brady could be assured that he would stay in the prison hospital for as long as he needed to for his health.”
Ten days later, according to the prison records, Ian Brady ended his hunger strike.
Peter Meakings, now in his 80s, was an assistant governor at Wormwood Scrubs at the time. The files show he supervised several of Lord Longford’s visits to Ian Brady.
On 12 April 1976 the visit began with Lord Longford “apologising for forgetting to bring cigarettes”. “I remember Brady was really angry about that” says Meakings. Brady preferred the French brand, Gauloises, which could be hard to get hold of.
In his note, Peter Meakings wrote that Brady made “frequent acrimonious comments about the Home Office ” and “various offensive remarks concerning individual prison staff”. He remembered that Brady seemed very much in charge – telling Longford what to do, and being very curt and abrupt with him.
Peter Meakings says he always kept his distance from Ian Brady, even if the prisoner tried to be friendly. “One of the children he murdered was the same age as my son at the time. I would get an odd feeling, a kind of shiver down my spine, when I was in the room with him.”
By September 1976 Brady’s health had recovered. In fact he was slightly overweight, as the prison’s principal medical officer (PMO) observed. But he stayed in the hospital.
The Moors murders
Brady and Hindley were jailed for life in 1966 for the murders of Lesley Ann Downey, 10, and Edward Evans, 17; Brady was also convicted of killing 12-year-old John Kilbride
It was not until 1987 that they finally admitted the murders of two more children, Keith Bennett, 12, and 16-year-old Pauline Reade
Keith Bennett’s body has never been found – his mother’s pleas to the murderers to disclose the location were in vain
In December 1977, a new acting PMO wrote to the prison governor saying Brady should be returned to segregation.
Brady wrote to Lord Longford to complain, saying how grateful he had been for the chance to show his “progress”, and how much he valued being given “a modest opportunity to integrate in a constructive community of staff I have the highest respect for”.
It seems to have worked. Brady stayed on the hospital wing.
In March 1978, the prison’s senior medical officer (SMO) expressed concerns about Brady’s presence in the prison hospital and his contacts with vulnerable prisoners.
“I deplore his association with young borstal trainees and adult mentally ill patients,” the SMO wrote.
“There is little change in his hard remorseless egotistical attitude. He is one of the few men to whom I would attach the label ‘evil’.”
But the SMO concluded that there was no way of segregating them, given the “therapeutic milieu”.
Members of the prison’s Board of Visitors were the next to object to Brady’s “privileged” treatment, in mid-1978. But the Wormwood Scrubs medical officers told them it was the “best solution to an impossible problem”.
The board was unimpressed and said it would make a formal complaint. This led to an exchange between the prison’s PMO and the deputy director of the Prison Services Department.
“If he is sent back to the segregation unit he will go on hunger strike and we shall be back to where we were several years ago,” the PMO wrote in a letter dated 5 June 1978.
He said he was not too worried about Brady’s position “except for one aspect of it and that is his having access to young inmates”. He went on: “A malicious newspaper could make great play of it.”
In August 1979, the hospital’s SMO wanted to discharge Brady. He wrote to the director of prison medical services: “Into ward G2 are admitted both boys and men who are mentally ill. Is it proper to have Brady in with them?”
The SMO agreed Brady might try “blackmail” once again, by going on hunger strike. “But then I would deal with him as I would any other inmate – in the proper ethical medical manner.”
The file doesn’t include the director of prison medical services’ response.
But five months later, he wrote to the prison’s PMO. Boys at Feltham Borstal had been talking about Brady, he said, and wanted to know why Brady had access to “those of tender years”.
The PMO wrote back, a fortnight later, with a rather impatient tone.
“This is an old one. We have been over it many times. Under the present circumstances it would be impossible to prevent borstal trainees who are admitted to G2 from coming into contact with Brady.”
He added, harshly: “For what it is worth, I doubt if Brady has any effect whatsoever on ‘those of tender years’.”
That confidence was misplaced. A year later, in February 1981, the file shows the PMO was visited by a young prisoner from the landing where Brady lived.
“He was in a very agitated state,” runs the PMO’s letter to the governor. Another prisoner “wanted to have homosexual relations with him” and knew that Brady had had sex with him “some months ago”.
The young man was terrified of what this prisoner might do if he refused – and asked to be moved. He was.
“I am most concerned about Brady,” says the PMO’s letter. “I never have been happy about locating disturbed boys or young men on the landing. Brady has shown rather too much interest in them in the past.”
Knowing the prison layout, Peter Meakings can see how Brady might have been able to have sex with another inmate.
“As the landing cleaner, Brady wouldn’t just have had free run of the passageway outside the rooms, where there were officers supervising, he would also have had access to the toilets,” he says. There were no toilets inside the cells then. Showers were also separately located.
Even this incident didn’t lead to Brady’s instant removal from the Mental Observation Landing – he was still there in August, months later. The files do indicate he had lost his job as a landing cleaner by November 1981. Brady complained about this to Lord Longford – who, as before, contacted the Home Office to intervene on his behalf.
This time, there was no private meeting with the home secretary, just a short note from Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Lord Belstead. He wrote: “I am satisfied that there were good reasons for the decision to remove Mr Brady from his job, and I see no reason to intervene in this matter.”
In March 1982 Brady was transferred to Parkhurst, and from there he was later moved to Ashworth secure hospital, where he died in 2017.
Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, says that the high-profile support Ian Brady enjoyed contributed to an “extraordinary set of circumstances”. However, she adds: “What happened, and what he did in prisons, I think, is not extraordinary. Actually, I think it happens and has happened every day for years, and is still happening.”
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “There have been huge changes in the criminal justice system in the last 40 years and allegations of sexual assault are taken extremely seriously and reported to the police. Boys under 18 are placed together in youth custody and those aged between 18-21 are held either in young offender institutions with their own age group, or in designated cells or wings in the adult prison estate. We are conducting a review into safeguarding in the youth estate to further improve the welfare of those in our care.”
Pervert MP Cyril Smith was pals with satanic child sex monster
Victim Michael Roberts reveals his devil-worshipping stepdad Michael Horgan organised abuse
3 SEP 2014
Paedophile MP Cyril Smith was in league with another appalling child sex abuser who set up satanic rituals and raped children as young as TWO, the Sunday People has discovered.
Victim Michael Roberts, 40, today bravely puts aside his right to anonymity to tell for the first time how he was only six when he was sexually abused by 29-stone politician Smith.
And shockingly he has revealed his devil-worshipping stepdad Michael Horgan organised the horrendous ordeal. Horgan made a deal with the man who went on to be knighted after years as a respected Member of Parliament.
Michael claims Smith, who was also a close pal of Jimmy Savile, told him he had been “a naughty boy” before forcing him to take part in a perverted spanking and groping ritual.
Now studying for a counselling qualification, Michael fought back tears as he recalled: “I was frightened of him because of his size. But by then I was getting abused by so many people I’d just got used to it.”
Horgan, who has also used the name Shaun O’Donnell, became known as the High Priest of Satan.
Devil worshipper: Pervert Michael Horgan organised abuse
He was jailed for 10 years and placed on the sex offenders’ register after he was found guilty of six sex abuse charges in 1992. Smith died in 2010 aged 82.
The twisted pair are believed to have bonded initially over their mutual love for Elvis Presley before finding they also shared a sexual interest in children.
Abusing the young and vulnerable became an obsession.
Horgan organised a series of satanic-themed orgies for like-minded paedos.
In one of them he raped little Michael and an even younger female child before watching on as others did the same.
The monster, whose youngest victim was only two, also hung up his stepson and the girl on hooks.
In further horrendous episodes he stripped the children naked, blindfolded them and tied them to a cross next to a black magic altar so that his “disciples” could use them for sex.
The abuses were often filmed to be gloated over later.
Horgan also forced the children to carry out disgusting sex acts on other kids, including their friends and each other.
He organised outdoor “parties” for these activities on Saddleworth Moor, where child killers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley had buried their victims.
Youngsters from two to 13 were drugged, tortured and sexually abused during the satanic “ceremonies”.
The shock revelation over the satanist and MP’s friendship raises questions over any role Smith and Jimmy Savile may have played in Horgan’s paedo ring.
Horgan was also pals with Raymond Hewlett, the child rapist questioned in relation to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.
Michael added: “Michael Horgan used to take me out to ‘visit’ people regularly. It didn’t seem that far away. It didn’t take us long to get there. We went there in a taxi. Just me and Michael Horgan.
“I can’t remember where it was, just that it was a long row of houses and that it wasn’t far from where we lived in Rochdale.”
Michael says the visit had obviously been set up beforehand as local MP Smith greeted him by his first name when he walked in the room.
He added: “We went into the house. He was a big fat guy. They (Horgan and Cyril) were talking between themselves. It looked like it had been pre-planned because he (Cyril) said, ‘Hello, Michael.’ Then he said I had been ‘naughty’ and that he had to spank me three times.
“He spanked my bum three times and then he touched me up. He touched my private parts.
“It didn’t last five minutes because my stepdad was stood there and said, ‘You’ve got to go,’ and that was it.
“That was the end of it. For some reason, all of a sudden, we had to get back. I don’t know why.”
Smith, elected to Parliament in 1972, first rose to national prominence when he awarded his mother Eva the title of First Lady of Rochdale after he became the town’s mayor in 1966.
He lived with her in her small terraced house in the Lancashire town until her death in 1994.
Never married, Smith’s later years were dogged by rumours about his sexuality and allegations of child abuse.
According to police records, prosecutors were given evidence about him in 1970, 1998 and 1999 but charges were never brought.
He was finally exposed as a paedophile in November last year. The Crown Prosecution Service admitted he should have been charged.
One of his victims claimed he was sexually abused in a room in the Houses Parliament as MPs walked past.
Michael said: “I nearly fell off my chair when I saw it come on the news. I went into shock when I saw him.
“I thought, ‘Oh my God, it has finally come out. At the time he abused me I didn’t know who he was. In my mind I called him the fat man.
“It wasn’t until years later that I realised he was an MP. I remember being there and being spanked and that it stung, like when someone slaps you.
“I smelt a funny smell off him. A musty smell and there was a musty smell in the house as well.
“I remember a brownish coffee table in the room and that’s about it.”
The twisted child killer, Ian Brady, wanted the fifth movement of Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique played at his funeral – a piece that the composer envisaged as a ‘witches sabbath’, where hideous monsters gathered to laugh at a burial.
ROY JENKINS was the Home Secretary who allowed Ian Brady to move to the hospital wing of Wormwood Scrubs, where he had access to youngsters and where many complaints and concerns were made about him. Lord Longford always smoothed the waters.
Home Sec, Roy Jenkins, with the allegations, it has been reported. But Lord Stonham, the Home Office Minister at the time, responded nine days later saying: “careful inquiries had been made” and there was “nothing to substantiate” the claims.
…a private member’s bill thanks to the efforts of two ministers who, though they had become thoroughly heterosexual, had enjoyed homosexual adventures as Oxford undergraduates: the home secretary, Roy Jenkins, who had been in love with his future cabinet colleague Tony Crosland; and the leader of the House of Commons, Richard Crossman, who had had an affair with the poet WH Auden.
Tony Crosland had concealed the abuse of Dafydd’s mates Matt Arnold and Peter Howarth in the mid 1960s when Arnold and Howarth worked at Axwell Park Approved School in Gateshead. The man who told Crosland that a barrel of crap needed covering up was Ernest Armstrong, who later became the Labour MP for North West Durham, 1964-87. Ernest was most helpful to Miranda when Miranda wanted to bag a Labour seat in the north east. Ernest’s daughter Hilary succeeded his seat, 1987-2010 and was a member of Miranda’s inner circle.
Detectives investigating allegations of historical child sexual abuse have uncovered compelling evidence that a paedophile ring operated among senior Scottish lawyers in the 1970s.
The majority of the suspects, including Sir Nicholas Fairbairn, QC, the former solicitor-general, are dead, but extradition proceedings have begun to have a retired QC who lives abroad brought to Scotland to face charges.
Further allegations against two very senior retired lawyers who are still alive have been left on file by police so that they can be reopened should other victims emerge to corroborate the claims.
A five-year investigation by Police Scotland was begun in 2014 when Susan Henderson, 52, daughter of the late Robert Henderson, QC, told police that she had been repeatedly raped by her father, a flamboyant figure regarded as Scotland’s top QC in the late 1970s and 1980s, and a number of his friends in the legal profession, when she was aged three to 12. She has waived her right to anonymity.
Five of the men are dead. As well as Sir Nicholas, who died aged 61 in 1995, and her father, who died in 2012 at 75, Ms Henderson says she was abused by Sheriff Andrew Lothian, QC, and the advocates Raymond Fraser and Lawrence Nisbet.
Sir Nicholas was a Tory MP for Kinross & Western Perthshire. Later, as Scotland’s second most senior prosecutor, he would have taken decisions on the prosecution of other sex offenders.
Mr Lothian, who died aged 74 in July 2016, quit his post after it emerged that he was using prostitutes at an Edinburgh sauna. He was an alcoholic and was exposed as a wife-beater in 2001. Despite testimony from his wife, Harriet, and their children, the Crown refused to prosecute him.
He continued to work as a judge, including dealing with other domestic abusers and sex offenders, until he was disgraced by the sauna revelations and forced to quit towards the end of 2008.
Mr Fraser, also an alcoholic, died of cancer aged 55 in 2002. He was disciplined numerous times by the Faculty of Advocates for his conduct, which included being charged with shoplifting.
Mr Nisbet, a noted hedonist, had a heart attack and died at 45 in 1993.
Two detectives visited Ms Henderson at her home in the north of Scotland last week to brief her on the outcome of their investigation. They reassured her that had the five dead men been alive they would have been charged.
Evidence against them included information from other sources that corroborated her claims. This has been underlined by a decision by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) to make the maximum award of £22,000 to Ms Henderson as a victim of sexual crimes.
Ms Henderson, a carer and mother of one, said last night: “It is an enormous relief to know that my story has been placed under rigorous scrutiny and I have been believed. The award by CICA is important because it emphasises that I have been telling the truth for years, but I am still looking for justice.”
She said she was glad that the police intended to pursue one of her alleged abusers, even though he lived abroad.
She added that she was disappointed the two other men who were alive were not being pursued but hoped that other victims would come forward.
The Crown Office confirmed that the case against one man was active but declined to comment further.
@minoguetomPerhaps Esther thought Niki (Fairbairn) was above suspicion as he & Henderson were members of the elite<sic> Speculative Society of Edinburgh whose members include Prince Philip & all our top judges such as Lord Cullen. See: https://www.tomminogue.com/tom/?page_id=636…Times reports that a Scots lawyer is being sought for extradition into allegations of child abuse made by Susan Henderson, daughter of Robert Henderson QC, who together with Nicholas Fairbairn QC and Sheriff Andrew Lothian were cited along with two others of abusing Susan when she was a child. All three were members of the Speculative Society of Edinburgh. Another two lawyers were named in the article. All are deceased.It seems as if the movers and shakers of our society are allowed to abuse with impunity in their lifetime and only come under scrutiny when they are dead for some years. A bit like Savile, et al. LINKhttps://www.tomminogue.com/tom/?page_id=587Lord Robertson, a self-confessed Freemasonic member of Edinburgh’s sinister “Speculative Society” lodge, who enjoyed a peculiarly close personal relationship with Thomas Hamilton, the mass murderer of abused children in Dunblane, failed to sue the Sunday Herald for libel and promptly disappeared from public life.Police records revealed that Robertson had helped expedite the process by which the Manchurian Candidate, Hamilton, already a convicted child molester with known affiliations to the British elite, was able to obtain gun licenses.Roberston worked in collusion with Michael Forsyth (Secretary of State for Scotland), a fellow “Speculative Freemason” and Robert Bell, an associate of Malcolm Rifkind (British Foreign Secretary). Robertson, at the behest of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, had a vested interest in ‘wasting’ children who were beginning to talk.http://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/?p=12346
@MinogueTom
New name for list of “Untouchables” Lawrence Nisbet who featured in Magic Circle. Adv for Clarke in HMA v Duncan
Five of the men are dead. As well as Sir Nicholas, who died aged 61 in 1995, and her father, who died in 2012 at 75, Ms Henderson says she was abused by Sheriff Andrew Lothian, QC, and the advocates Raymond Fraser and Lawrence Nisbet.
Raymond Morris Fraser accused of child abuse by Robert Henderson’s daughter – was a good friend of the Duke of Hamilton. He got married at the Duke’s home.
The Duke and The Queen entering the Scottish Parliament on the occasion of the state opening, 9th October 2004
Queen Elizabeth was close to the Duke of Hamilton
He was the Queen’s official representative in Scotland
The heir to the Hamilton titles is the eldest son, Alexander Douglas-Hamilton, Marquess of Douglas and Clydesdale, who was born in 1978.
The Crown of Scotland is carried by The Duke of Hamilton – Rebecca Scott’s cousin
Alexander Douglas-Hamilton is the cousin of Rebecca Scott, the daughter of the former IICSA Inquiry head, Lowell Goddard
Through her marriage to Sir Johnny Scott, the current head of the Home Office‘s ‘independent’ inquiry into child abuse, Judge Lowell Goddard, has links with Camilla and Prince Charles
Mr Henderson is often chosen to defend colleagues who fall on the wrong side of the law. He represented lawyer James McIntyre, who admitted unlawful possession of guns in 1997, and flamboyant QC Raymond Fraser when he admitted stealing a hat and cravat from Jenners in Edinburgh.
Raymond Morris Fraser was born out of time, a throwback to the days when legal dandies swaggered around Scotland.
It is no coincidence that he once lived in the former home of Lord Cockburn, the 19th century judge, whose circuit travels were as legendary for boozing as they were for legal achievements.
The son of a butcher, when he came to the Bar in 1971 with an honours law degree from Edinburgh University in his waistcoat, he was immediately seduced by the lifestyle of some of his peers.
He was taken under the wing of the late Sir Nicholas Fairbairn, then one of the most successful QCs in the country, whose flamboyancy in both courtroom and dress style was to have a massive impact on Fraser.
He followed him into politics, standing for the Tories in 1974 against Jo Grimond in Orkney and Shetland. He failed to win many votes.
Undaunted, he got in tow with Lionel Daiches, QC, the leading criminal advocate of his time, renowned for his colourful court pleading. Fraser soaked up the approach.
Daiches had worked long and hard to reach the top, but Fraser wasn’t prepared to wait for fame.
In 1976, he flew to Angola to offer his services to 13 British mercenaries on trial for alleged atrocities.
He wasn’t allowed to represent the men at their sham hearing, but did manage to speak to some of them and stayed on as an observer.
Cruel wags back home joked that Fraser was the only advocate who had managed to get his clients shot.
Fraser was now a name, however, and solicitors anxious to get the best representation for clients queued up to obtain his services.
Though a brilliant lawyer, with the potential to reach the top of the legal tree, he became a caricature of himself. He threw lavish parties for friends. Like Fairbairn, he became a bon viveur and wit – but without the financial clout to sustain it.
He got hold of an old Mercedes car which fellow advocates immediately nicknamed the “Hitler mobile” and Fraser even bought a long leather coat to enhance the image.
Living well beyond his means, when he started on the downward spiral, he did so in spectacular style.
He moved out of Bonaly Tower – Lord Cockburn’s former home – and threw a final party lasting for two days. Unfortunately, his friend and fellow advocate Laurence Nisbet, who had been at the binge, died shortly after it ended.
At a legal dinner in the grandiose setting of the Signet Library in Edinburgh, Fraser plunged 30ft over a banister into the well below. He suffered only minor bruising.
He took everyone by surprise in 1993 when he married divorcee Larch Cullen at Lennoxlove Estate in East Lothian, the home of his friend, the Duke of Hamilton.
The reception was held at Powderhall Stadium – Edinburgh’s greyhound track. Guests were asked to chip in pounds 10 a head.
The marriage went to the dogs after only a year. Larch later claimed that his drinking had turned him into an embarrassment.
When he represented the Duke of Hamilton on a drink driving charge, Fraser bizarrely told reporters that his name was Raymond Carruthers-Fraser.
He was later suspended by the Faculty of Advocates for three months for sending a bill for pounds 1500 to the Duke after telling him he would represent him for nothing.
Months later, Fraser was back in the same court, but this time in the dock, when he admitted a drink driving offence and was fined pounds 2000 and banned for seven years.
That resulted in another suspension as well as a severe reprimand.
Yesterday, in a suit and smart overcoat Fraser wandered his local streets in Newington, Edinburgh. He sported a nasty looking gash above his left eye, possibly the result of a fall.
Yet he seemed in good spirits as he set off from the ground floor flat he shares with friend Elizabeth Orr.
He said: “I’ve got nothing to say at the moment. I don’t want to talk.”
But his latest folly is likely to prove the final straw for the Faculty, who will consider striking off the man who seems to have been born 200 years too late.
Clarissa Dickson, pictured below with good friend and colleague Sir Johnny Scott, father of Rebecca Scott and ex-husband of former IICSA chair Lowell Goddard, was also close to the Duke of Hamilton, a close friend of alleged paedophile Raymond Morris Fraser QC.
Clarissa Dickson-Wright’s father was a physician who treated the Queen Mother, but at home he was viciously cruel to mother and daughter. Here she teams up with Johnny Scott, mate of Prince Charles, to visit the Denbyesque town of Grange-over-Sands:
One of (Robert/Bob) Henderson’s most vocal supporters was Lord McCluskey, a leading judge who also jumped to the defence of the convicted paedophile Jim Torbett of Celtic FC. Both were directors at Fairbridge in Scotland, a charity for vulnerable young people.
But McCluskey and Torbett weren’t the only Fairbridge directors of interest. A certain Commander Charles Howeson, charged with buggery but convicted for abusing eight young men, was also on the board.
Ironically, Howeson’s barrister was Daniel Janner QC. (son of Greville Janner MP, also accused of abuse)
Daniel Janner: “Looking forward to Boris spllaffing IICSA up the wall.
Daniel Janner’s father Greville Janner:
Lord Janner case: ‘Enough evidence for arrest in 1990s’
The former police officer who led an investigation in the 1990s into abuse allegations involving Lord Janner has told the BBC there was enough evidence to arrest him.
However, former Det Insp Kelvyn Ashby said the decision to arrest the Labour peer in 1991 was “taken out of our hands”.
McCluskey of Fettesgate was also patron of the Scottish Refugee Council, where Chris Jay was director from 1995 until 1998. This brings us to the current IICSA chair Alexis Jay, who is Chris Jay’s wife.
Janey Buchan was a Strathclyde Councillor, 1974-79. So she will have known about the abuse of kids in care and the chaos in Strathclyde Regional Authority – which many years ago employed Chris Jay as Deputy Director of Social Work.
Chris then employed his much younger newly qualified partner Alexis, who is now Professor Alexis Jay and currently presiding over the imploding IICSA (Independent Inquiry Into Child Sexual Abuse)
Chris Jay wasn’t a common or garden social worker. Chris was a very senior social worker – he was Deputy Head of Social Work for the former Strathclyde Regional Authority, then the biggest authority in the UK.
Alexis shares her talents with the Third Sector as well – she is a Trustee of the Royal Voluntary Service, of which HM the Queen is Patron and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, is President
But Henderson’s record of senior legal figures supposedly compromised by their homosexuality never truly existed. It was a classic poker player’s bluff – an attempt to convince potential opponents he held a stronger hand than he really did. And it worked. Henderson died at 75 in 2012 with his reputation largely intact.
Retired judge Lord McCluskey was among those to write a glowing tribute to him in the national Press. Henderson the smooth, impeccably attired defence counsel never did move from the well of the court to the part of the room where he truly belonged – the dock, to stand trial.
The paedophile Fairbairn was Honorary vice chairman of the Scottish Minorities Group set up by PIE founder Ian Dunn, a man with links to IICSA-disgraced David Steel and Leon Brittan cousin Malcolm Rifkind of Dunblane fame.
Sir Nicholas Fairbairn, left, and Dr Alistair Smith
THE two top Scots Tories from Margaret Thatcher’s Government are linked to an alleged child abuse ring.
Former Kinross and Western Perthshire MP Sir Nicholas Fairbairn and former party Scottish chairman Dr Alistair Smith were named as suspects in the historic abuse of underage boys.
Last night, Labour justice spokesman Graeme Pearson said a public inquiry “cannot afford to leave any stone unturned and it must have the confidence of the victims”.
Senior officials in Thatcher’s Government were alleged to have attended private sex parties with underage boys and visited a notorious guesthouse.
A former Conservative activist – claimed Dr Smith, who died in July 2012, had arranged for rent boys to have sex with Cabinet members.
Anthony, 52, said he was used to procure boys as young as 15, who indulged in alcohol and cocaine before having sex with politicians at party conferences in Blackpool and Brighton in the 80s.
He said: “Dr Smith, who I looked up to at the time and was the most important Tory in Scotland, told me to go and fetch some ‘entertainment’, which was code for young boys.
“It was the norm and an open secret that these older members of the Tory Party, like Dr Alistair Smith, paid for young men to join them at sex parties.
QC, advocate, born March 8 1911; died November 11 1999
Lionel Daiches, who has died aged 88, was for many years one of the leading defence counsel at the Scottish bar and (with the late Nicholas Fairbairn) the most flamboyant, bringing a theatrical flair to his natural eloquence.
He became a QC in 1956, after a distinguished war career where, as well as soldiering, he fought cases in courts martial, enabling him to develop his dramatic as well as legal gifts, and to use his easy wit to confuse and undermine the opposition.
The elder of the two brilliant sons of Salis Daiches, chief rabbi of Scotland and a famous Edinburgh character, he was educated at George Watson’s School and Edinburgh University. His brother, the eminent academic and literary critic David Daiches
The Nimmo Smith/Friel findings concluded that this conspiracy DID NOT exist. Their report accused police officers involved of being homophobic and lawyerphobic and that their prejudice clouded their understanding of the facts.
The Who’s Who Superstar Legal Witness List
“David Blair-Wilson holds the photographs for when he needs them or when Stephen needs them to pull a favour.” – Magic Circle Witness
Many senior members of Scotland’s current Legal Establishment were cited as witnesses:
Douglas ALLAN , Sheriff
David BLAIR-WILSON, Solicitor
Edward BOWEN Q C
Douglas BROWN, Assistant Solicitor
David BURNS QC
Alastair CAMPBELL, Advocate
Isabel CLARK, Procurator Fiscal
The Honourable Lord CLYDE
Stephen CONROY
Frank CROWE, Procurator Fiscal, Kirkcaldy, formerly Assistant Solicitor,
Leslie CUMMING , Chief Accountant, The Law Society of Scotland
Thomas DAWSON QC, Solicitor General for Scotland
Leeona DORRIAN , Advocate
Brian DOUGLAS, Advocate
Kevin DRUMMOND QC
Gordon ELLIS, Depute Clerk of Justiciary
Mark FITZPATRICK, Advocate
Hugh FOLEY, Principal Clerk of Session and Justiciary
The Right Honourable the Lord FRASER OF CARMYLLIE QC
Brian GILL Q C , Keeper of the Advocates’ Library
William GILLON , formerly Depute Clerk o f Justiciary
Richard GODDEN , Solicitor, Edinburgh
Robert HENDERSON QC
William HIDDLESTON, formerly Detective Chief Superintendent
The Right Honourable Lord HOPE, Lord President of the Court of Session
Alan J O H N S T O N QC, Dean of the Faculty of Advocates
Richard KEEN , Advocate
Robert LEES, Regional Procurator Fiscal, Lothian and Borders
Gordon Mc BAIN , Solicitor, Edinburgh
Paul McBRIDE, Advocate
The Right Honourable Lord McCLUSKEY OF CHURCHHILL
Norman McFADYEN, Assistant Solicitor, Fraud U n i t , Crown Office
Kenneth MACIVER, Assistant Procurator Fiscal, Edinburgh
Elish McPHILOMY, Senior Legal Assistant, Crown Office
Iain McSPORRAN, Procurator Fiscal Depute, Edinburgh
Maria MAGUIRE, Advocate
Elaine MATTHEWS
Hugh MATTHEWS QC
The Honourable Lord MILLIGAN
John MITCHELL Q C
James MUIR , Solicitor, Shorts
John MURRAY Q C
Neil MURRAY QC Lawrence NISBET, Advocate
Derek OGG, Advocate
Charles ORR, Sergeant
Roger ORR, Chief Inspector
The Honourable Lord PENROSE
Richard PRENTICE, Assistant Chief Constable, Lothian and Borders Police
James REILLY, Advocate
The Right Honourable Malcolm R I F K I ND QC M P
The Right Honourable the Lord RODGER OF EARLSFERRY Q C , Lord
Advocate, formerly Solicitor General for Scotland
Linda RUXTON , Assistant Procurator Fiscal, Glasgow
John SIMPSON, Advocate
The Honourable Lord SUTHERLAND, Senator of the College of Justice
Sir William SUTHERLAND, Chief Constable, Lothian and Borders Police
Colin TUCKER
Peter WATSON , Solicitor, Glasgow
John WATT Q C
Thomas WELSH, Advocate
Robert BLACK: murder of Susan Claire MAXWELL (age 11), Caroline HOGG (age 5), Sarah Jane HARPER (age 10), preventing their burial and kidnapping of [Name withheld] (age 15) between 30 July 1982 and 24 April 1988. Convicted
Note:
The naming of a defendant within this catalogue does not imply guilt.
Debauchery, drugs, champagne parties and the legal elite behind a sinister child sex ring
As third lawyer is linked to sex probe, a shocking picture emerges of a depraved network of abusers at the heart of Scottish society…
Scottish Daily Mail
By Emma Cowing
Dark dandy: Sir Nicholas Fairbairn has been accused of sexual abuse Bacchanalian:In January 1993, Raymond Fraser hosted a wild party at Bonaly TowerPerpetrators and victim: Robert Henderson, Lawrence Nisbet and Henderson’s daughter Susie
ONE cold Edinburgh night in January 1993, a dapper QC named Lawrence Nisbet attended a party at the lavish home of fellow silk and well-known bon viveur raymond Morris Fraser. Fraser was moving out of the capital’s grand Bonaly Tower, once home to the legendary 19th century judge and drinker Lord Cockburn – and a party of bacchanalian proportions was thrown to mark the occasion. A bath, guarded by a fierce-looking stuffed crocodile, was filled with ice and champagne.
Edinburgh’s legal elite – judges, QCs and advocates – mingled and caroused. As well as Nisbet, a high-flying pillar of the city’s legal establishment, they would have included robert Henderson, the dazzlingly brilliant QC, and Nicholas Fairbairn, the flamboyant MP and one-time favourite of Margaret Thatcher.
The timing was intriguing. Later that month, William Nimmo-Smith, another QC who later became Lord Nimmo-Smith, was due to publish his report into an alleged ‘magic circle’ of judges, sheriffs and advocates who, it had been suggested, were conspiring to ensure that homosexual criminals were given soft-touch treatment by the courts.
There had been allegations of senior judges in this magic circle being blackmailed by rent boys. Documents relating to the case had been stolen from Lothian and Borders Police’s Fettes headquarters the previous summer. It was the talk of the town.
None of that seemed to matter, though, to the guests at Bonaly Tower. Instead, they drank and partied away the hours. The binge lasted two days.
Shortly afterwards, Nisbet, aged only 45, was dead. The cause was recorded as chronic alcoholism, although the obituaries of the day discreetly said he had died of a heart attack.
This week, more than 20 years on, allegations have emerged that Nisbet abused a six-year-old child. They came after a man who had known Nisbet in the 1980s contacted the Scottish Daily Mail to say he believed the lawyer was a child molester.
Upon being told of the accusations, Nisbet’s horrified former wife Susan said: ‘It makes me want to throw up.’
That Nisbet lived a life of excess is not in doubt. The legal pack he ran with – which included Henderson and former Solicitor General Fairbairn – were prodigious drinkers and debaters, leading lights of the Edinburgh legal establishment who were well known in the 1970s and 1980s for playing as hard as they worked. They knew each other both inside and out of the courtroom, were as used to sparring across the floor of the court as the end of the bar and prided themselves as the sharpest legal minds of their generation.
Now, the dark underbelly of the murky world these men inhabited is slowly coming to light. Last year, Henderson’s daughter Susie gave a shocking interview to the Mail in which she claimed she had been raped by Fairbairn at the age of four. She also accused her father of repeatedly raping and abusing her, often at lavish, private house parties held in their smart Edinburgh home.
During that interview, Miss Henderson gave the Mail the names of six other senior members of the Scottish legal profession, two of whom are still alive, who either abused her or were aware of the abuse. One of those names was Lawrence Nisbet.
Since then, a major police investigation into her allegations has been launched. A second victim came forward late last year. The inquiry has now been widened to include the latest allegations against Nisbet, which involve a third victim. Decades later, what is emerging, piece by horrifying piece, is evidence not so much of a magic circle, but a paedophile ring. FAIRBAIRN, Henderson’s best friend, was a self-styled eccentric who dressed in blue baronial tartan adorned with two miniature ( working) silver revolvers, which he would load with blanks and fire when drunk. The man who had been a trusted member of Mrs Thatcher’s inner circle ( he once informed her that he had ‘always fancied’ her, to which she responded: ‘Quite right Nicholas, you have very good taste’) was well-known for his excess.
As Solicitor General, he apparently insisted on having colour copies made of the goriest crime scene photographs – particularly of horrifically butchered women. He would then pass these around with the brandy and cigars at dinner parties at Fordell Castle, the crumbling pile in Fife he had restored, and where he lived with his longsuffering wife Lady Sam.
Last year, documents revealed Fairbairn had attended the notorious Elm Guest House in London, a haunt for paedophiles in the early 1980s where youngsters from children’s homes were allegedly sexually assaulted by highprofile visitors. The papers said ‘Fairburn’ had ‘used boys in sauna’ and photos had been taken of him – as well as former Liberal MP Cyril Smith – at the guest house. Police have confirmed that Smith, a known paedophile, was a regular visitor to the address.
It was during raucous parties at Henderson’s house in Heriot row that his daughter says she was abused, not just by her father, but by his friends.
‘My father had parties where I had to dance for people,’ she said. ‘He’d then put me in a bedroom. People came in. There was drugs, lots of drink. My dad used to give me drink.’
It was during one of these horrific encounters that Miss Henderson was raped by Fairbairn. She was only four years old. ‘The house was five floors and the top floor was where the guests used to stay. I was in bed in the guest room with Fairbairn and another guy.’
This week, further evidence of the set’s sordid lifestyle emerged when a retired police detective revealed that Henderson and Nisbet were interviewed by police investigating the disappearance of six-year- old Caroline Hogg because of their connection with a known paedophile.
While there was never any question either man had a connection to the girl’s disappearance, it shines a further light on their antics. The paedophile, who has not been named, used the pair as an alibi when questioned by detectives, saying all three had been at a brothel at the time the little girl – who
was murdered by serial killer Robert Black – disappeared.
Miss Henderson said she remembered her father flashing around a business card for an Edinburgh brothel.
Nisbet, for all his seedy side, was a dyed-in-the-wool member of the Edinburgh establishment. An Edinburgh University graduate, he was called to the Scottish Bar in 1972, where he formed a partnership with Lionel Daiches, a distinguished and flamboyant QC who was often compared to his friend Fairbairn.
Daiches had returned to the Bar after being forced to resign as a sheriff in the mid-1960s when he was caught drink- driving and a friendly judge dismissed the case rather than take away his licence.
Nisbet was often Daiches’ junior in High Court trials and the two were drinking buddies.
Professionally, Nisbet was perhaps best known for interrupting his Italian holiday in 1982 to try to free Scottish nanny Carole Compton, who had been accused of witchcraft.
She had been working as a live-in nanny i n Italy, but the f amily claimed that, after she moved in, strange things started occurring in the house. A fire burned through a mattress and small religious statues were found broken on the floor. After a fire consumed a three-yearold’s cot, the family called the police and accused Miss Compton of arson and attempted murder.
She claimed she had no idea what was happening and maintained her innocence. She was held for 16 months without trial, until Nisbet intervened, saying that ‘if it wasn’t for the satanic obsession of the Italians, she would have been out by now’. She was eventually freed.
Nisbet married twice. He divorced first wife Anne in 1985, after less than six years of marriage.
In 1990 he married Susan Ridings, who was also divorced. He had no children.
BY the time Nisbet died, his group’s glory days were over. Fairbairn – who after being removed as Solicitor General took to complaining, and drinking, copiously, in the House of Commons bars – died two years later of cirrhosis of the liver. Lady Thatcher read the eulogy at his funeral.
Four years later, when anonymous allegations about his abuse of Miss Henderson, then known as Julie X, emerged, senior Tories, including Sir Malcolm Rifkind, rallied to his defence.
Henderson – a QC so brilliant that Lord McCluskey once said of him: ‘It was a joy when Bob walked into court and announced he was appearing as counsel f or the defence. The lights seemed to shine a little brighter.’ – died in relative obscurity in France in 2012.
He had left Edinburgh in some disgrace after being charged in 1999 for non-payment of VAT. Miss Henderson says that after the first Julie X allegations against Fairbairn and her father (then unnamed) emerged in 2000, he threatened her, saying he could ‘put her in the ground’.
Fraser, host of the infamous party and another of Daiches’ prodigies, also came to an unhappy end. His drinking became increasingly heavy and at a legal dinner in the Signet Library he fell 30ft over a banister.
He was suspended three times by the Faculty of Advocates for misdemeanours such as being drunk in court – one client watched in horror as he attempted to tender a guilty plea, only to have to inform the clearly inebriated Fraser that he wished to plead not guilty.
Fraser saw out his final years in poverty, living in a B&B, his name appearing only briefly in the headlines when he was charged for stealing silk cravats, a tie and a hat from Edinburgh store Jenners. He died in 2002.
Nisbet never lived to see the publication of the Nimmo-Smith report into the magic circle affair, in which his name was mentioned. It was published on the day of his funeral.
Some of those involved, including Henderson, went straight from the cemetery to the press conference at which it was declared there was no evidence of a conspiracy.
Perhaps not. But more than 20 years on, it would appear it was something much darker, and more dangerous, which bonded this group of powerful men together.
Robert Henderson QC and Lawrence Nisbet provided an alibi for a paedophile who was questioned about the Caroline Hogg murder. They said all three were at a brothel.
Former IICSA head Fiona Woolf links to the Magic Circle via Colin Tucker of Laughing Duck
@MinogueTom
3 of 5 abusing lawyers named RH, NF & AL were Speculative Society of Edinburgh extraordinary members. Nimmo Smith (also Spec) gave this lot a clean bill of health in Magic Circle Inquiry! https://www.tomminogue.com/tom/?page_id=587… Brave girl Susan H, as is H. Lothian both couldn’t get MSM cover.
Five of the men are dead. As well as Sir Nicholas, who died aged 61 in 1995, and her father, who died in 2012 at 75, Ms Henderson says she was abused by Sheriff Andrew Lothian, QC, and the advocates Raymond Fraser and Lawrence Nisbet.
Raymond Morris Fraser – friend of the Duke of Hamilton
Raymond Morris Fraser was born out of time, a throwback to the days when legal dandies swaggered around Scotland.
It is no coincidence that he once lived in the former home of Lord Cockburn, the 19th century judge, whose circuit travels were as legendary for boozing as they were for legal achievements.
The son of a butcher, when he came to the Bar in 1971 with an honours law degree from Edinburgh University in his waistcoat, he was immediately seduced by the lifestyle of some of his peers.
He was taken under the wing of the late Sir Nicholas Fairbairn, then one of the most successful QCs in the country, whose flamboyancy in both courtroom and dress style was to have a massive impact on Fraser.He followed him into politics, standing for the Tories in 1974 against Jo Grimond in Orkney and Shetland. He failed to win many votes.
Undaunted, he got in tow with Lionel Daiches, QC, the leading criminal advocate of his time, renowned for his colourful court pleading. Fraser soaked up the approach.
Daiches had worked long and hard to reach the top, but Fraser wasn’t prepared to wait for fame.
In 1976, he flew to Angola to offer his services to 13 British mercenaries on trial for alleged atrocities.
He wasn’t allowed to represent the men at their sham hearing, but did manage to speak to some of them and stayed on as an observer.
Cruel wags back home joked that Fraser was the only advocate who had managed to get his clients shot.
Fraser was now a name, however, and solicitors anxious to get the best representation for clients queued up to obtain his services.
Though a brilliant lawyer, with the potential to reach the top of the legal tree, he became a caricature of himself. He threw lavish parties for friends. Like Fairbairn, he became a bon viveur and wit – but without the financial clout to sustain it.
He got hold of an old Mercedes car which fellow advocates immediately nicknamed the “Hitler mobile” and Fraser even bought a long leather coat to enhance the image.
Living well beyond his means, when he started on the downward spiral, he did so in spectacular style.
He moved out of Bonaly Tower – Lord Cockburn’s former home – and threw a final party lasting for two days. Unfortunately, his friend and fellow advocate Laurence Nisbet, who had been at the binge, died shortly after it ended.
At a legal dinner in the grandiose setting of the Signet Library in Edinburgh, Fraser plunged 30ft over a banister into the well below. He suffered only minor bruising.
He took everyone by surprise in 1993 when he married divorcee Larch Cullen at Lennoxlove Estate in East Lothian, the home of his friend, the Duke of Hamilton.
The reception was held at Powderhall Stadium – Edinburgh’s greyhound track. Guests were asked to chip in pounds 10 a head.
The marriage went to the dogs after only a year. Larch later claimed that his drinking had turned him into an embarrassment.
When he represented the Duke of Hamilton on a drink driving charge, Fraser bizarrely told reporters that his name was Raymond Carruthers-Fraser.
He was later suspended by the Faculty of Advocates for three months for sending a bill for pounds 1500 to the Duke after telling him he would represent him for nothing.
Months later, Fraser was back in the same court, but this time in the dock, when he admitted a drink driving offence and was fined pounds 2000 and banned for seven years.
That resulted in another suspension as well as a severe reprimand.
Yesterday, in a suit and smart overcoat Fraser wandered his local streets in Newington, Edinburgh. He sported a nasty looking gash above his left eye, possibly the result of a fall.
Yet he seemed in good spirits as he set off from the ground floor flat he shares with friend Elizabeth Orr.
He said: “I’ve got nothing to say at the moment. I don’t want to talk.”
But his latest folly is likely to prove the final straw for the Faculty, who will consider striking off the man who seems to have been born 200 years too late.
Eight-year road ban for duke: Peer is spared jail after fifth drink-drive offence
18 June 1993
THE DUKE of Hamilton, Scotland’s premier peer, was banned from driving for eight years yesterday after being convicted of his fifth drink-driving offence, writes James Cusick.
The duke, who is also the Hereditary Keeper of the Palace of Holyrood in Edinburgh, was three times over the legal drink-driving alcohol limit when he evaded police in a car chase, at speeds of up to 95 mph, on 20 December last year.
Police said lives had been in danger as the 54-year-old duke sped through villages during the chase around Haddington. He accelerated through police road blocks, eventually crashing into a road sign at high speed.
In court, Raymond Fraser, for the duke, said: ‘It is perhaps difficult for people who work hard and play hard not to do things to excess.’
Police knew Enniskillen businessmen met for sex at Council toilets where alleged child abuse took place
POLICE in Enniskillen were informed of inappropriate sexual activity in public toilets at Nugent’s Entry during the 90s involving local businessmen and mounted a surveillance operation but nobody was ever arrested or prosecuted, The Impartial Reporter has learned.
A business owner claims observing highly regarded men and even young boys frequent the Council-run toilets at least twice a week and recalls contacting the RUC on at least three occasions after growing concerned about the ages of those using the public amenities.
“I saw the same faces again and again, I recognised four of the businessmen. When I saw parents waiting at the top of the entry on high street and their children running down to use the toilets I was concerned in case they walked in on something. I phoned the police three times and they took it seriously once.
“Nobody was ever charged or anything,” said the source.
The claim comes months after a man broke his silence to allege that he was sexually abused by businessmen in the toilets when he was a schoolboy and one week after Fermanagh and Omagh District Council said it “did not hold any record” of reports of child sex abuse at the facility.
Two police sources have also alleged that officers launched a surveillance operation on the men entering and leaving the toilets and took photographs of them for two weeks. The former officers, both of whom served in the RUC, have contacted this newspaper to claim the operation was carried out in the late 90s [possibly 1996/`97] on the toilets after suspicions that married men were meeting up for sex during the day.
“There was a circle cut in the side of the cubicle and one of them used to stick their penis through and get the other to touch them,” said a source.
“Two officers [provides their names] worked on it and photographs were taken. People in business were involved, not just your average man on the street. Word spread that they were being watched,” he said.
Police knew what was going on but evidence was hard to obtain with the concern over a breach of privacy, said the source.
A second source said: “The men were approached and told to stop what they were doing, none of them were prosecuted. It was thought to have been a homosexual ring.”
Meanwhile the business owner claims the men, whose names have been given to this newspaper, were usually seen on Friday and Saturday afternoons for up to four hours.
“It was a regular thing, it wasn’t just me, we could all see it. A businessman beside me noticed it too. You kept thinking ‘that doesn’t seem right’. It went on for months and months. There was one man who stood beside where Benetton was previously with a view to the entry. He stood in that doorway all afternoon to see who was going down, then he’d go down.
“I can’t say what was going on but they were definitely in there for long periods of times. There was one young boy, I think he was at the Tech. Once he arrived that was when you could see all the activity taking place, one man after another into the toilets. It was all definitely organised.”
Messages written in speech bubbles were etched on the walls and indicated appointments and times.
“The messages said ‘I will meet you here next week, same time,’ another said ‘I’ll meet you at 3.30pm, or whatever. That was every Friday afternoon — every Friday afternoon.”
After contacting police twice and nothing being done, the business owner made another phone call back in the 90s and within half an hour officers arrived at the toilets.
“They entered the toilets and pulled out six men. One of the men was in his 80s, he was a very old gentleman,” said the source.
Immediately after police had apprehended the men an officer walked into the business owner’s property and in front of the individuals requested a statement.
“I had already told them on the phone that I did not want to get involved. I said I was doing my public duty. The next day he came back to say just to update you ‘we are not pressing charges, there won’t be a case, we couldn’t prove anything because there were six men behind three cubicle doors.”
The business owner always thought the toilets were a meeting place for homosexuals then three months ago a man claimed he had been abused in the cubicles when he was a schoolboy as part of a suspected paedophile ring.
“The assault happened in the toilet, in the cubicle and I came outside and I was actually physically sick on the floor. I wasn’t really sure what had just happened to me, I was 12 so I wasn’t really that aware of things,” he told this newspaper.
“That has shocked me,” said the business owner. “I thought it was just homosexual men, everyone knew that’s where they went. It is really upsetting to think that was going on in there. This is why I reported it to police because I was afraid that something like that was happening. It is sickening, it is awful. I know it was a different time, I think people were naïve. But this was the job of the police, to protect children.”
A retired bishop who was jailed for a string of sexual offences against teenagers and young men has died.
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) said Peter Ball “was able to sexually abuse vulnerable teenagers and young men for decades”.
He was jailed in 2015 after being found guilty of misconduct in public office and indecent assaults.
The Church of England confirmed Ball’s death and offered “prayers and thoughts” for “everyone affected”.
Bishop Peter Hancock, the Church’s safeguarding lead, said: “We have been made aware of the death of Peter Ball and our prayers and thoughts are with everyone affected by this news.”
Ball, of Langport in Somerset, was Bishop of Lewes between 1977 and 1992 and Bishop of Gloucester from 1992 until he resigned the following year.
After his trial at the Old Bailey he was sentenced to 32 months for offences against 18 teenagers and men between the 1970s and the 1990s.
POLICE investigating claims of a child abuse ring led by Bay City Rollers manager Tam Paton have made an arrest, it can be revealed. Detectives have been carrying out a long-running investigation into the actions of the late pop Svengali and those around him from the 1970s to the 1990s.
22 JUNE 2019
Officers swooped on the 77-year-old suspect last month and he has since been charged in connection with “non-recent sexual offences”. The Police Scotland probe has been carried out alongside the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry, chaired by judge Lady Smith. Several men who claim to have been abused at Paton’s Edinburgh home when they were teenage boys in care are understood to have spoken to the inquiry.
Last night, one survivor – who cannot be named for legal reasons – said: “The police came to my door and said they had made an arrest.
“They said the charges are relating to the parties held at Paton’s house.
“I wasn’t expecting it at all as I was interviewed by the police ages and ages ago.
“I believe it has all come about as a result of the historic abuse inquiry.”
Paton, who weighed 25 stone when he died in 2009, was jailed in 1982 for gross indecency with 16 and 17-year-old youths.
It was an open secret in Edinburgh for many years that vulnerable teenagers and runaways were invited back to Paton’s home for drugs and sex parties.
However, he always defended his controversial lifestyle and claimed he was unfairly targeted for being openly gay.
In 1990, a 16-year-old boy from a care home was held at a flat owned by Paton in the New Town and raped repeatedly over several days.
This led to the Operation Planet scandal, where charges against a number of unidentified high-profile individuals were mysteriously dropped.
Five years ago, shortly after the truth emerged about Jimmy Savile, this newspaper was the first to question why Paton’s alleged crimes had apparently been ignored for so long.
At the time, Edinburgh University child sex abuse expert Dr Sarah Nelson said she had encountered many “damaged young men” who had been used by Paton and his group.
She said: “I have heard long-standing claims that very vulnerable boys and young men were not only sexually abused by Tam Paton but also that there was a paedophile ring in existence.”
Author Simon Spence uncovered links between Paton and an Edinburgh institution known as the Ponton House Lads’ Home in his 2016 book When the Screaming Stops: The Dark History of the Bay City Rollers.
Last year, he told the Scottish Sunday Express: “I interviewed over 100 people, including quite a few individuals who talked about how they were groomed and abused by Paton when they were as young as 13.”
Mr Spence was among those who urged Lady Smith and her team to look into the links between Paton and Nazareth House orphanage in Lasswade, Midlothian.
However, it is understood that most of the claims relate to council-run children’s homes in Edinburgh, which are still to be examined by the inquiry.
Last night, a Police Scotland spokesman said: “A 77-year-old man was charged on May 17, 2019 in connection with non-recent sexual offences and a report has been submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.”
FREE PRESS: The Mail assign 6 journalists the job of discrediting the witnesses to a domestic disturbance at the home of Boris Johnson. This should tell you all you need to know.
@ciabaudo
This is precisely what happened to CSA victims of VIP paedophiles
During Boris Johnson’s long tenure as Mayor of London, Tory stalwart David Russell Walters worked in the mayor’s office as Special Assistant for Education. Was Johnson unaware that such a key aide was reportedly linked to child pornography?
“Surely it can’t be true that Russell Walters, formerly employed to run the Scottish CCO … recently had his house raided by the police. And what did they allegedly find? Reams of child pornography.”
[Scallywag magazine, issue 24, 1994]
If the allegation is true, didn’t Boris Johnson as mayor have a duty to recommend Walters’ dismissal? And why was Walters appointed to such a sensitive post in the first place, given the man’s career history as an organiser of VIP sex parties?
What did Boris Johnson know about Walters’ past, and what did he do about it?
BIGGEST EVER FILTHY-RICH ORGY: WPC COPS OFF.. Royal firearms officer caught romping among 300 VIPs on giant bed at pounds 15m mansion.
MAR 20 2005
PRINCE Andrew’s female bodyguard has been caught having sex on film at Britain’s biggest VIP orgy.
Firearms cop Sarah Cox was snapped romping at the sex party alongside 300 other depraved swingers.
After tearing off her clothes, WPC Cox – who also guards PM Tony Blair at Chequers – and her cop boyfriend plunged into the orgy on a 20ft by 14 ft steel-reinforced bed.
Fever Club orgy bosses put Cox, 26, and PC Bernard Bourdillon, 36, in charge of security at the pounds 150-a- couple party in a pounds 15million London mansion.
But the police couple are regular swingers too – and as the night wore on THEY threw off their clothes and joined the throng of writhing bodies.
Thames Valley Police chiefs will be horrified by their antics and the couple – who boasted about borrowing police metal detectors to search guests – could face disciplinary action.
Only Britain’s elite, including aristocrats, politicians, civil servants and lawyers, are allowed to join the secret society, which met for its first orgy of 2005 last Saturday night.
Rich brokers from City institutions Citigroup, Credit Suisse, Deutschebank and Commerzbank indulged in a free-for-all with scientists, lawyers, corporate directors, a TV presenter, fashion models and an Olympic athlete.
In an undercover operation, Sunday Mirror investigators posing as security men looked on as a mass of naked men and women romped on a pink satin-covered bed in the main candle-lit “playroom”. Another 11 couples were having sex on marble-topped gilt tables, and on the floor two women were fondling each other while performing sex acts on FIVE men.
The night of debauchery began at 9pm. Guests arrived in a fleet of limousines and stepped on to a purple carpet across the pavement outside the 24-bedroom former ambassadorial residence opposite BBC Radio One’s offices in London’s Portland Place. One Italian heiress was dressed in a pounds 4,000 Dolce & Gabbana gown.
They were greeted by the party’s organisers – the men behind Fever Parties are property tycoon Jonathan Friedman, 41, and married right-wing anti-Europe politician David Russell Walters, 44.
The pair use professional events organiser Emma Sayles, 26, to front their organisation. Her father is a Cambridge-educated former Welsh Guards’ officer.
For security reasons members were ticked off a photographic guest list to make sure that there were no impostors.
Then they were searched by off-duty Thames Valley firearms cops Cox and Bourdillon using handheld metal detectors.
Their job was to take mobile phones and cameras from guests.
Dark-haired bisexual Cox wore a tight-fitting, short flower print dress and Bourdillon wore beige chinos and a blue shirt. “A couple of people got stroppy,” said Bourdillon, an armed police constable based at High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. “But once we explained the need to do it they were like, ‘Oh, all right then’.”
Asked if he had found any illegal substances, Bourdillon said: “The only thing I’ve found is four Viagra. They were confiscated.”
Cox, a PC based in Windsor, Berkshire – near where Prince Andrew lives – added: “That’s our big worry. If we found anything we’d have to confiscate it because of our jobs.” Later our investigators found evidence of drugs, smuggled in by guests, in the venue’s toilets.
The party’s floor manager was also offered a powdered cocktail called Magic by a guest – a combination of pure ecstasy and speed.
In the lobby the guests were greeted by a tanned semi-naked harpist wearing a white basque and lacy stockings who later joined the sex party during her break.
The immaculately-groomed guests were then led through to a cocktail reception where they chatted politely. Celebrity DJ Dan Lywood, former boyfriend of Zoe Ball, played dance music. Beautiful guests had flown in from New York, Paris, Italy, Germany and Holland especially for the party.
At about 10.30pm the first couple followed a trail of red rose petals up the sweeping stone staircase, through oak-panelled doors into the main playroom. The woman, a marketing executive with blonde bobbed hair, stripped off to reveal a G-string and began having sex with her partner, a city banker.
A second couple played with a sex toy while being watched by a group of women. After about half-an-hour there were 60 people having sex on the vast bed, reinforced with steel plates to bear the weight.
The room, decorated by film set designers for pounds 7,000, was candlelit. Classical music played in the background. Around the bed three couples were having sex against radiators and two women fondled each other while performing sex acts on several men.
One fashion model having sex with a lawyer groaned in ecstasy. Another man fed her grapes from a cut-glass bowl, Belgian chocolates and Laurent Perrier champagne straight from the bottle while fondling her breasts.
The owner of the pounds 15million mansion, toff Edward Davenport, was filmed kissing and fondling a woman on the bed.
Davenport, a property developer who is worth pounds 133million, also has residences in Monte Carlo, Mayfair and the West Country.
He made a fortune organising debauched Gatecrasher Balls for public school teenagers in the 1980s but was later jailed for VAT fraud on tickets.
After finishing their security duties Cox and Bourdillon came upstairs. Cox took off her dress to reveal a large, tribal-style tattoo across her back and an expensive black thong and bra.
Sunday Mirror investigators saw Cox perform oral sex on Bourdillon in front of 100 naked guests while sitting on the edge of the bed. They then jumped on top to have sex with each other.
Cox later came out of the playroom wearing only a black choker and her underwear and danced provocatively with Bourdillon in the cocktail lounge.
She told our investigators: “I work as one of Prince Andrew’s protection officers. It’s a good laugh. I know he gets quite a bit of stick in the Press but he’s actually an alright bloke. He’s not so aloof with people once he gets to know them. He calls me by my first name. I work in firearms, I’m trained in that. I just have to accompany him with other protection officers whenever he’s being driven about.”
Talking about using police equipment to carry out searches at the orgy, she added: “We used the equipment from the station. There’s no problem with it because they’re not supposed to be in use.
“Next time I’ll bring some evidence bags. I could have used them to put people’s belongings in.”
Cox revealed that she is bisexual. She said: “I’m in a committed relationship so these events are good for me because it allows me to explore my sexuality.
“It can be a bit uncomfortable if I’m with Dillan (the name she uses for Bourdillon) and I see someone I fancy but who he doesn’t like because I can’t always go with them, so I just have to go, ‘Aww’.”
Bourdillon said: “We’ve been doing it for a couple of years.
“We weren’t going to work here tonight because we weren’t sure if one of us was going to be on a shift.
“It turned out all right though and Johnny (Friedman) phoned us begging to help out. We don’t mind doing it as a favour. We get in for free and have a few drinks.
“It’s the first time we’ve done an event as big as this.”
Referring to the metal detectors, Bourdillon said: “We’ve brought them from the station. There’s no problem because there are lots of them up there so even if something happens tonight they won’t be missed.”
Later he denied taking them from any police station, saying they were from “central stores”.
“No one else at the station knows that we go to parties like this.
“I don’t really mind but I don’t want them to because all they will do is take the Mick.
“I’m not really comfortable here. It’s too formal. There’s too many people.”
After deciding that was enough, they dressed, had a couple more drinks, then left.
Last night Bourdillon confirmed he and Cox had been at the party, but denied they’d been moonlighting as they were not paid.
“I certainly haven’t done anything illegal or against any codes of conduct,” he said. “We were there as a favour to friends.”
A Home Office spokesman said: “Police officers must inform their chief officer if they wish to pursue outside business interests for gain, be it financial or otherwise.
“It is then down to the chief officer to give permission.
“It would be inappropriate to use police equipment in non- police matters.”
Fever owner David Russell Walters told our investigator: “We asked them (Cox and Bourdillon) to frisk people down. We didn’t pay them because they are clients of ours.
“We took it that they would come and do that a for a few hours and they would be free to enjoy the rest of the party .
“They got free entry in exchange.”
Edward Davenport said: “I was there a little bit. I am not a swinger.
“I am used to quite wild parties. But I didn’t get involved.
“I’m not embarrassed about it. They had a good-looking crowd there. Mostly models.”
graham.johnson@mgn.co.uk
CAPTION(S):
PC Bourdillon searched guests; COP ON THE NIGHT; WPC Sarah Cox stripped to bra and thong; & HER YESTERDAY; She and policeman partner deny being paid; pounds 15m mansion hosted the orgy; 1.28 last Sunday morning.. nude and semi-naked revellers writhe on the huge orgy bed – the gun cops had sex here too
33 Portland Place: halfway between Jimmy Savile’s flat and BBC/33 Portland Place: scene of sinister parties
Quote:
“In the new film Sleeping Beauty, Emily Browning portrays a student who stumbles into a shadowy sexual hinterland of rich people with gorgeous houses, who are happy to pay for extraordinary sensual experiences. While this might seem the stuff of fantasy, it is not so far removed from the lotus eating that occurred until recently at 33 Portland Place, a dilapidated 22,000sq ft Robert Adam mansion south of Regent’s Park.
33 Portland Place was the elegant backdrop for the Killing Kittens parties,licentious events attended by carefully selected members. Evenings would begin with up to 200 members arriving in masks…
The owner of Killing Kittens is good friends with Kate Middleton. The Middleton family are involved in the kinky party business – see previous posts re: Kate’s uncle Gary Goldsmith, her brother James, and the very questionable finances of her parents’ “party” business.
Emma Sayles: Killing Kittens owner & friend to Kate Middleton
Quote:
SHOCK! Kate Middleton’s former rowing partner runs Killing Kittens raunchy sex party business
Emma Sayle set up Killing Kittens in 2005
Killing Kittens parties
Sayle hosts some of her sex parties 33 Portland Place, Marylebone, London, where The King’s Speech was filmed
33 Portland Place: halfway between JIMMY SAVILE’S flat and BBC
Jonathan Fletcher is brother of David Fletcher, head of Iwerne camps and Titus Trust Trustee. JF was a frequent visitor at Iwerne, along with @justinwelby
Minister ‘spiritually abused’ the vulnerable
Emmanuel Church in Wimbledon
21 June 2019
One of the Church of England’s leading evangelical figures was banned from preaching after “spiritually abusing” vulnerable adults, The Daily Telegraph has learnt.
The Rev Jonathan Fletcher, 76, was stripped of his Church powers by the Bishop of Southwark in 2017 following complaints made to the London church where he used to minister.
However, Mr Fletcher, the former trustee of Reform – the conservative movement that has led the opposition to the ministry of women and homosexuals in the Church – continued to preach around the world.
West Yorkshire child sex abuse inquiry police arrest 44
21 June 2019
Detectives investigating claims of historical child sex grooming have arrested 44 people.
Four women complained of being abused between 1995 and 2005 when they were aged between 12 and 16.
During the course of an investigation police said they had arrested dozens of people across Bradford, Leeds, Kirklees and other areas of the country.
Those arrested within the past two weeks include 36 men and three women. Five other men were arrested earlier.
West Yorkshire Police, who are dealing with the allegations, said those arrested ranged in age from 39 to 81.
All of the 44 people questioned have been released under investigation.
In a statement police said the allegations of sexual abuse centred around the time the women were children in the Dewsbury and Batley areas of Kirklees.
Det Insp Seth Robinson said: “We hope that these recent arrests reassure our local communities that we are wholly committed to tackling child sexual exploitation in Kirklees, both current and non-recent.
“Child sexual abuse and exploitation is an abhorrent and heinous crime and one which affects some of the most vulnerable people in our society.
“We would urge anyone who has been a victim of sexual abuse, whether recent or historical, to report it to the police.
“Please be assured that you will be listened to, taken seriously and supported by professionals with experience of dealing with these kind of offences.”
So why did Bramall make a claim under caution which could so easily be refuted by a quick Google search? And why did the Met not query this? And why would Bramall be so at pains to distance himself from Greville Janner?
1966 Bramall and Janner’s Frank Beck both in Borneo and Bramall on Lord Mountbatten’s staff from 1963.
Frank Beck always claimed that he had carried the can for a number of other people, including one Greville Janner.
Beck was found dead in prison in May 1994 before he could do anymore mouthing off, what with all those criminal investigations in Leicester, north Wales, Islington, Lambeth…
2 RGJ Air Platoon. In the 60s infantry battalions in Borneo had an aviation platoon, with the helicopters piloted by officers from the battalion. Bramall is stood at the end of the table.
1942 Jul 19 Frank Beck Born [56] in Salisbury, the son of a train driver and the youngest of five children [more info]
Beck was raised in Thornton Heath, South London.[56]
Left secondary modern school without any qualifications.[56]
1956-1959 Beck then spent three years working on a farm before suddenly announcing that he was joining the Royal Marines. [56] [8.16]
1959 -1969 Beck spent nine years as a marine, serving in Borneo and Aden and attaining the rank of sergeant. Emerging with an honourable discharge and campaign medals, Beck apparently turned down officer training and chose instead to train as a social worker. [56] [8.16]
1966 Beck & Bramall in Borneo (Bramall Lord Mountbatten’s staff from 1963)
Bramall in Dispatches Borneo 1966 [HT @CassandraCogno]
When the Indie reported on the paedophile gangs operating within prisons, David Ramsbotham was HMI Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales. Ramsbotham was in post 1995-01.
David Ramsbotham was the son of a clergyman, John Ramsbotham, who became the Bishop of Wakefield, retiring in 1967. John Ramsbotham is one of the generation of senior clergyman whom we now know colluded with a massive child abuse problem within the Church of England.
David Ramsbotham was educated at Haileybury and the Imperial Service College. Ramsbotham entered the Army to do National Service and was commissioned into the Royal Artillary in 1953. After National Service, he retained a TA commission and then completed a degree at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.
In 1958 Ramsbotham was appointed to a regular Army commission. He served in Borneo during the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation, Dec 1965-66. By 1971 Ramsbotham had achieved the rank of Lt Col and from 1970-73 he served as Military Assistant to the Chief of the General Staff, Sir (Later Lord) Field Marshal Michael Carver.
Ramsbotham commanded a battalion of the Royal Green Jackets in N Ireland from 1974-75. By the end of 1978, Ramsbotham had achieved the rank of Brigadier and served again in N Ireland, commanding a brigade based in Belfast from June 1978 and was appointed CBE for his service there in the operational honours of Oct 1980.
David Ramsbotham will know a great deal about shoot to kill, the torture and sometimes murder of suspects, the law breaking that was associated with internment, the miscarriages of justice in N Ireland, the internal wars between different factions of the security services and of course the identity of those who were abusing boys at the Kincora Boys Home, as well as about the activities of the paedophile child psychiatrist who was linked to Kincora, Dr Morris Fraser, who was afforded complete protection by the British establishment.
Lyra McKee’s book on the assassination of Robert Bradford MP is to be released within a matter of weeks.
The book will explore the deeply sinister links between the slaying of Bradford and the Kincora Boys Home scandal.
@RolandMcVeigh1
Lyra McKee’s forthcoming book may raise questions of the State-sponsored assassination of a sitting Westminster MP by an MI5 agent inside the Provisional IRA? | Village Magazine
@ciabaudo
The Tory yeomanry …
…there is a connection between the NXIVM sex trafficking cult and ‘The Institute for Jewish Policy Research’ in the UK.
‘The Institute for Jewish Policy Research’s’ past directors include:
-1- The late Edgar Miles Bronfman Sr.
His daughter, Clare Bronfman, was arrested in respect of involvement with the NXIVM cult.
And his son, Edgar Bronfman Jr., was listed in Jeffrey Epstein’s so-called black book of contacts.
-2- Lord Greville Janner, the ‘allegedly child-raping’ British peer who evaded justice.
-3- Daniel Finkelstein, the associate editor of Rupert Murdoch’s ‘Times’ newspaper (previously its executive editor). Mr Finkelstein claimed on Twitter that Greville Janner, the serial paedophile (see above), would have made an excellent leader of the British Labour party.
-4- Rabbi Julia Neuberger. Rabbi Neuberger is the sister of former UK Supreme Court president Lord David Neuberger, the eminent judge who advocated censorship of social media to suppress references to VIP paedophiles.
-5- Lord Jacob Rothschild
I wonder what is the nature of these so-called ‘Jewish policies’ that the ‘Institute for Jewish Policy Research’ spends its millions on ‘researching’?
Mr. Raniere set up a harem of sexual “slaves” who were branded with his initials and kept in line by blackmail.
19 June 2019
Keith Raniere, 58, co-founded Nxivm in the 1990s as a self-help organization based near Albany. A prosecutor told jurors that he was “a crime boss with no limits and no checks on his power.”
He was a con man who stole money and created a harem of sexual “slaves,” branded with his initials and kept in line with blackmail, prosecutors said. But he claimed he was only helping his followers reach personal fulfillment by breaking down emotional barriers.
On Wednesday, jurors in Federal District Court in Brooklyn sided with prosecutors. They found Keith Raniere, the leader of the cultlike group near Albany known as Nxivm, guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking, ending a six-week trial that exposed the sordid inner workings of the organization.
Mr. Raniere attracted high-profile followers, among them the “Smallville” actress Allison Mack and Clare Bronfman, a heiress to the Seagram liquor fortune, who helped finance its activities.
The jury deliberated less than half a day before finding Mr. Raniere, 58, guilty of all seven counts against him. The defendant, wearing a maroon sweater with dark brown elbow patches, was impassive as the verdict was read. He faces up to life in prison when he is sentenced on Sept. 25.
Minutes later, Ms. Oxenberg thanked federal investigators. “They saved my daughter, they saved so many other women,” she said.
Outside the courthouse, elated ex-Nxivm members celebrated and cheered Richard P. Donoghue, the United States attorney in Brooklyn, as he addressed reporters.
“Raniere, who portrayed himself as a savant and a genius, was in fact a master manipulator,” Mr. Donoghue said. “His crimes, and the crimes of his co-conspirators, ruined marriages, careers, fortunes and lives.”
One of Mr. Raniere’s lawyers, Marc Agnifilo, said he planned to appeal the verdict. “It was very obvious the jury had strong negative feelings about Keith and about certain aspects of his lifestyle,” Mr. Agnifilo said, adding, “Not everything that’s offensive translates to a crime.”
Much of the trial focused on a secret sorority within Nxivm called The Vow or D.O.S., in which women were branded, asked to adhere to starvation diets and assigned to have sex with Mr. Raniere.
As proof of their commitment to his teachings, the women handed over nude photographs and signed letters containing embarrassing secrets, which were then used to compel them to follow orders, prosecutors said.
“With his inner circle, he was the ruler in his universe,” a prosecutor, Moira Penza, told jurors during her closing statement. “A crime boss with no limits and no checks on his power.”
Mr. Agnifilo countered by telling jurors that although Mr. Raniere was involved in sexual activities that might seem “repulsive, disgusting and offensive,” that did not make him a criminal.
“You might find a lot of things about him distasteful,” Mr. Agnifilo said. “But most of them aren’t part of the charges.”
Mr. Raniere was convicted of a raft of crimes including, racketeering, sex trafficking, conspiracy, forced labor, identity theft, sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child pornography. Five women with senior roles in the group, including Ms. Mack and Ms. Bronfman, pleaded guilty to various crimes before trial.
Beyond exploiting women for sex, prosecutors said, Mr. Raniere charged more than $100,000 to the credit card of a senior Nxivm member after her death and wrote checks totaling more than $300,000 on her bank account, Ms. Penza said.
The trial was conducted under the sort of security that is usually associated with terrorists and drug lords. The jurors, whose names were withheld, were brought to and from court in vans driven by United States marshals. Many of the witnesses were identified only by their first name.
The evidence included seized documents, email messages, audio recordings and testimony from more than a dozen people, including women who had been former “slaves.”
The proceedings offered a chilling and sometimes surreal glimpse of daily life inside the highly secretive group, where Mr. Raniere was revered and appeared to exercise broad power.
Nxivm members thronged to late-night volleyball games in which he was a participant, eager to catch a glimpse of him and pay their respects. His birthday, in late August, was marked by several days of celebration called V-Week at a rustic retreat near Lake George in upstate New York.
High-ranking members of Mr. Raniere’s organization hacked into computer accounts and paid private investigators in an effort to obtain personal information on perceived enemies including Senator Chuck Schumer and the liquor magnate Edgar Bronfman Sr., whose two daughters became members of Nxivm, evidence showed.
Sometimes, witnesses said, Mr. Raniere retaliated against people who displeased him. One woman, identified in court only as Daniela, testified that all six members of her family moved to New York State from Mexico to become part of the group. Before long, she said, Mr. Raniere started sexual relationships with her, her older sister, Marianna, and her underage sister, Camila.
But when she told Mr. Raniere that she was attracted to another man, he directed that she be confined inside a room for nearly two years, convincing her family that she needed to be punished because she was “prideful.” In the end, her father and another Nxivm member drove her to the Mexican border.
Mr. Raniere co-founded Nxivm (pronounced NEX-ee-um) with Nancy Salzman in the 1990s as a self-help organization, offering courses with names like Rules and Rituals, Civilization and Human Pain. More than 16,000 eventually took the group’s classes in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
In many of the courses, men were presented as resolute “protectors” while women were described as self-absorbed and narcissistic.
Witnesses described Mr. Raniere’s views of women as deeply misogynistic. Although he had simultaneous sexual relationships with up to a dozen women within Nxivm, those women were told they could only have sex with him.
He demanded that some women starve themselves to attain the physique he found most appealing and sometimes grunted like a pig when women went to eat, according to testimony.
“I really felt like I started to hate the fact that I was a woman,” said one witness, identified as Sylvie, who joined Nxivm when she was a teenager and became a member of D.O.S.
In 2015, Mr. Raniere created D.O.S. — an acronym for a Latin phrase that roughly translates to “Lord/Master of the Obedient Female Companions” — as part of what prosecutors said was a scheme to provide him with a flow of submissive women.
He recruited eight women as “first-line masters,” including Ms. Mack, the actress, and considered them his “slaves,” witnesses said. Each of the eight then recruited her own slaves and those, in turn, recruited others.
The first-line members held frequent meetings inside a “sorority house,” disrobing to take naked group pictures, according to testimony. There were plans to build a “dungeon” that would include a cage in which someone who was willing to “surrender,” in the interest of personal growth, might be locked for hours or days or longer.
In one recorded conversation with Ms. Mack, Mr. Raniere meticulously planned branding ceremonies to resemble a “sacrifice,” asking at one point, “Do you think the person who is being branded should be completely nude?”
As part of the ritual, she was asked to kneel and say, “Master, please brand me. It would be an honor, an honor I want to wear the rest of my life.” Then she said she was held down while another woman used a cauterizing pen to etch Mr. Raniere’s initials near her pelvis.
“It was the most painful thing I’ve ever experienced,” she said.
Ms. Salzman said the women in D.O.S. were subjected to sadistic punishments, including being whipped with a leather strap or being asked to stand barefoot in the snow.
Another former D.O.S. member, identified only as Nicole, described how Mr. Raniere took her to a house, told her to disrobe, blindfolded her then tied her down to a table. He then walked around the table asking her questions about her sexual history while another person performed oral sex on her, she said.
When news reports about women in D.O.S. being branded appeared in late 2017, Mr. Raniere went to Mexico himself, stopped using his phone and switched email accounts, prosecutors said.
Ms. Salzman said he then summoned his first-line masters to a gated community near Puerto Vallarta for a “recommitment ceremony” that she believed was to include group sex.
Instead, the Mexican police knocked on the door in March 2018 with a warrant for Mr. Raniere because he had been charged with sex trafficking in the United States.
Ms. Salzman was with Mr. Raniere in a bedroom. She said he hid in a closet and sent her to negotiate with officers through a closed door. The police kicked the door down and entered with drawn guns.
More than a year later, on the witness stand, Ms. Salzman recalled that she was puzzled by Mr. Raniere’s decision to hide since it contradicted his teachings about the roles of men and women.
“I could not make sense of how that could even be in any universe where he was who I believed he was,” she said.
Christ’s Hospital School chaplain jailed over vile abuse of nine pupils across three decades
Gary Dobbie was found guilty last month of four counts of indecent assault against a boy between 1986 and 1991
12 JUN 2019
The chaplain of a top private school has been jailed for 12 years for abusing nine pupils across three decades.
Gary Dobbie was found guilty last month of four counts of indecent assault against a boy between 1986 and 1991, having already been convicted last year of abusing eight other pupils.
The 67-year-old was a teacher and chaplain at Christ’s Hospital School in Horsham, West Sussex when the assaults took place.
He was sentenced at Hove Crown Court on Wednesday to 12 years in jail for all 19 offences, a court official said.
He is one of five ex-teachers convicted after police investigated complaints spanning 30 years by 22 of the school’s former students.
For the latest on trials and court cases from across Birmingham and the West Midlands, join BirminghamLive’s Court Facebook group .
Following the sentencing current headmaster Simon Reid said: “It is hard to find the right words to express the depth of our sadness and dismay, as a school community, at the dreadfulness of this situation.
“We are deeply sorry that the school failed to protect the victims of these offences and those others who were entrusted to our care during what should have been happy and settled years.
“Our apology to them is heartfelt and we hope that this conviction, the culmination of what must have been a very difficult experience in the criminal justice process, will bring some measure of comfort.
“The school today is a very different place, one in which the safety, happiness and wellbeing of our pupils is at the centre of all we do.
“Close links with local statutory agencies help ensure that our practices and decision-making are compliant, effective and open.”
In the latest trial, Dobbie’s victim told jurors it was “habitual” for him to be groped during night visits to his on-site lodgings while he was given wine and once fed smoked oysters.
Dobbie preferred to smoke cigars but would buy Turkish cigarettes for his pupil and also assaulted the boy during two school trips, at one point drunkenly lunging at him in a violent and sexual manner.
Describing him as “a very civilised man” who loved indulging in the grandeur of high church traditions, the man said the whole school would attend Dobbie’s services in the chapel four or five times a week.
He told how visiting Dobbie was an “escape” from being bullied.
But he was shown little sympathy and instead groped under his school shirt while they sat alone on a sofa.
The married father, who still battles with urges to suppress the traumatic memories, said when he confided in a fellow teacher at the school he was told to “get over it and move on”.
Dobbie was arrested while teaching at independent Shrewsbury School, Shropshire, where he worked after leaving Christ’s Hospital. He then moved to France after living in Hereford.
He was found guilty last year of 15 charges detailing multiple offences against six boys and two girls as young as 12 between 1998 and 2001.
He had denied 12 counts of indecently assaulting four boys and two girls, attempting to indecently assault a boy and two counts of indecency with a child.
Sports coach Ajaz Karim, was jailed in August for 10 years after assaulting six girls between 1985 and 1993.
In July, James Husband, also known by his middle name of Andrew, was jailed for 17 years for raping and indecently assaulting a girl as young as 14 between 1990 and 1994.
Peter Webb and Peter Burr admitted indecently assaulting pupils at the school between the 1960s and 1980s and were also jailed.
Christ’s Hospital is one of the oldest boarding schools in the country, dating back to the 16th century, and the Queen is a patron.
Pupils still wear a Tudor-style uniform of a long blue coat and high yellow socks with boarders charged fees of up to £31,500 a year.
Poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Sir Barnes Wallis, inventor of the bouncing bomb, are counted among its famous alumni.
Football coach Bob Higgins jailed for 24 years for abusing trainees
12 June 2019
A former youth football coach has been jailed for 24 years and three months for abusing young players.
Bob Higgins sexually touched and groped 24 victims, most of them trainees at Southampton FC and Peterborough United.
In May, Higgins, 66, was found guilty at a retrial of 45 counts of indecent assault between 1971 and 1996. He was convicted of another count last year.
Judge Peter Crabtree called Higgins a “predatory, cunning” serial sex abuser who “carefully groomed” the teenagers.
Higgins’ victims told Winchester Crown Court of suicidal thoughts and relationship problems later in life.
An emotional statement, read by Dean Radford on behalf of the victims on the steps of the court, said Higgins’ “arrogance was his downfall”.
“You can call us brave, you can call us courageous – we were not – we were the unlucky ones for falling into the entrapment of Higgins’s manipulative, deceitful and sexual behaviour,” it said.
During Higgins’ trial, prosecutors told the court he was “idolised” by trainees, who viewed him as a mentor and father figure.
Victims said they were abused during post-exercise soapy massages, in Higgins’ car while he played love songs on the stereo and at his home where he cuddled with boys on his sofa.
‘Severe psychological harm’
Judge Crabtree said Higgins had shown “not one jot of remorse”.
“They believed you held the key to their futures,” he told the defendant.
“You normalised cuddling and stroking, which paved the way for more intimate abuse.
“For many the impact extended to their performance on the field or to turning their backs on a football career. Some of them suffered severe psychological harm.”
Higgins made no reaction as the sentence was passed.
The allegations arose after the NSPCC set up a dedicated helpline for people who had encountered childhood abuse within football.
It was launched after a number of former footballers, including Billy Seymour, spoke on the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire programme in November 2016.
On Tuesday, his mother Jean read his victim impact statement, written before his death, to the court.
Addressed to Higgins, it said: “I am sick to my stomach of giving you any more thought. I have been a broken man. You have debilitated my whole life.
“The mist is clearing. I can see some light at the end of the tunnel.
“I will beat the hating of you in my soul. This is closure. Goodbye, Bob Higgins.”
Mr Radford had given evidence as a character witness because Higgins was found not guilty of abusing him at a separate trial in the early 1990s.
Reading the victims’ statement, he said: “There were so many warning signs out there but no-one would listen – that let this monster walk free and carry on abusing.
“We believe that many people must have known what was going on, the truth will come out in the end.
“Today is not just about us complainants and witnesses who have suffered through this nightmare, it’s the wives, girlfriends, sons and daughters who have suffered with us.”
He also paid tribute to their “dear friend” Billy Seymour.
“We did it Billy – just like you said we would, you can now rest in peace.”
‘Further allegations’
Det Ch Insp David Brown, of Hampshire Constabulary, said the conviction was “testament to the bravery of those who came forward to give evidence”.
“There can be no understanding of the damage that individual has caused to the lives of the people who stood with us through the criminal trial”.
He said the force was “assessing a number of reports” of further allegations against Higgins.
Southampton FC offered an “unreserved apology” to his victims last week.
In a statement, the club said it recognised boys under its care “suffered exposure to abuse when they should have received protection from any form of harm”.
During his time as a coach, Bob Higgins worked with young footballers who would go on to become national heroes and household names.
But others were not so fortunate.
Some were haunted by their ordeals, and gave up on football entirely.
Such was Higgins’s hold over those he abused, many felt unable to say anything, even to close family members, for up to 30 years.
Order of Canada recipient Peter Dalglish found guilty of child sex assault in Nepal
11 June 2019
An Order of Canada recipient has been found guilty of sexually assaulting children in Nepal after a police investigation and trial his lawyers describe as a travesty of justice.
Sentencing for Peter Dalglish, expected in about two weeks, could see the well-known aid worker jailed for as long as 13 years.
“This has been like watching a wrongful conviction unfold in real time,” Dalglish’s Canadian lawyer, Nader Hasan, said in an interview Tuesday. “We have deep concerns about the process here, both from the perspective of procedural fairness of the court proceedings as well as certain tactics taken by the police and the state.”
The judge, who rendered his verdict late Monday, has yet to release his reasons for the guilty finding. Dalglish, 62, has denied any wrongdoing.
Originally from London, Ont., Dalglish has spent years working around the globe. Nepalese police arrested him in the early hours of April 8 last year in a raid on the mountain home he had built in the village of Kartike east of the capital of Kathmandu. Police alleged he had raped two Nepalese boys aged 11 and 14, who were with him.
Pushkar Karki, chief of the Central Investigation Bureau, said at the time Dalglish lured children from poor families with promises of education, jobs and trips, and then sexually abused them. Karki said other foreign men in Nepal had also been arrested on suspicion of pedophilia.
“There have been some instances where they were found working with charities,” Karki told the New York Times. “Our laws aren’t as strict as in foreign countries, and there is no social scrutiny like in developed countries.”
“There ought to have been reasonable doubt,” Hasan said. “The police intimidation tactics and the police bribes and the police threats ought to have been insurmountable evidence of not just not guilty, but of actual innocence.”
Hasan said the Nepalese legal system, which operates largely in secrecy, bears little resemblance to anything in Canada _ or many other countries. Among other problems, courts do not record proceedings or produce transcripts, leading to confusion about what witnesses actually said.
His lawyers say in one incident, a witness helpful to the defence was testifying when the judge excused himself from the courtroom to go eat dinner. They say he told parties to carry on without him and that he would catch up with the court clerk afterwards.
Hasan said Dalglish’s family — his ex-wife and daughter live in the Netherlands and his brothers in Ontario — as well as friends have been standing by him. In addition, he has strong support in Nepal, where two young men he had previously mentored have been visiting him twice daily in prison in Dhulikhel near Kathmandu to take him food.
“Obviously, (it) was emotionally devastating for him –as it would be for anyone, particularly someone who is innocent,” Hasan said of the guilty finding. “But he’s a remarkably resilient human being and it’s helpful that he has a very strong support system. That helps him stay positive.”
Dalglish, who had spent years doing humanitarian work in Nepal, co-founded a Canadian charity called Street Kids International in the late 1980s. He has worked for several humanitarian agencies, including UN Habitat in Afghanistan and the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response in Liberia. He was named a member of the Order of Canada in late 2016.
In a statement emailed to Global News, Hasan said Dalglish’s family, friends and supporters were “deeply troubled” by Monday’s verdict and remain “steadfastly convinced of Peter’s innocence.”
“The local legal team in Nepal did not merely raise a reasonable doubt; they demonstrated that Peter was factually innocent,” the statement reads.
Hasan said they remain “optimistic” that Dalglish will be exonerated by Nepal’s appellate courts.
I am also intending to write a report on the time Peter Dalglish worked with Ethiopian vulnerable children during the infamous famine of 1984. I am reaching out to the publicist of Bob Geldof, who funded most of his activities for comment. If anyone has any info, please DM me.
8 May 1986
Bernard Doherty – Geldof’s publicist. Bernard Doherty was a publicist for David Bowie and Peter McCartney
CV 1996: Co-founder and CEO, LD Communications 1989: Director, Laister Dickson PR 1985: Head of comms, Band Aid/Live Aid 1981: Head of music division, Rogers & Cowan PR 1979: Press and promotions manager, Hannibal Records 1974: Tour manager and promotions, Jo Lustig Management 1972: Artist and repertoire assistant, Island Records
The head of LD Communications masterminded the publicity for Live8. Doherty’s reputation rests with his associations with The Brits, The Rolling Stones and Tina Turner. Keeping a coterie of loyal cronies, he can share gossip, safe in the knowledge he will never be betrayed and his clients will never hear. At least that was the theory until the 3am Girls stitched him up over some off-the-record remarks about Mick Jagger. Big-names are thin on the ground but he’s still first on the list for any major event.
Oxfam failed to act on reports its workers were raping girls as young as 12, damning report concludes
Senior staff failed to alert law enforcement to allegations aid workers were having sex with minors, a damning Charity Commission report concludes
11 June 2019
Oxfam failed to act on reports children were being sexually abused by its workers in Haiti in 2011, according to a major Charity Commission inquiry which concluded the allegations were “not taken seriously enough”.
A report by the Charity Commission into Oxfam GB, undertaken in response to revelations last year of sexual exploitation by its aid workers, concludes the safety of potential victims took “second place”.
It discloses a series of emails received by the NGO in 2011 alleging some workers were having sex with women and girls, including minors, in refugee camps after their homes were destroyed by the earthquake which devastated the country in 2010.
Oxfam suspected the emails were not genuine, and did not raise them with local police.
In one case, two emails dated 18 July 2011 and 20 August 2011 – both said to be from a 13-year-old Haitian girl – alleged she and a 12-year-old friend had suffered physical abuse and other misconduct at the hands of Oxfam staff.
The emails stated the girls had been engaging in prostitution and the author had been “beaten and used by two men who I know work for you”. It continued: “They also have a boss who works for you and I have not met, but my young friend. She is 12. Has had sex with him.”
The inquiry established that the emails were not raised with any law enforcement at the time and former trustees said they were not made aware of them.
Taking into consideration the “seriousness of the allegations” made in the emails, as well as the “clear risks to the safety and security of those minors” if they were true, the Commission said Oxfam “should have tried harder” and taken more steps at the time to identify the source of the concerns and follow up the allegations.
“Oxfam GB should not have taken the risk with the safety of minors. It should have reported the possibility of two girls being at risk to the local law enforcement authorities … The risk to and impact on the victims appeared to take second place and was not taken seriously enough,” it said.
The Charity Commission said that given the period of time that had passed, it would not be possible to conclude with sufficient certainty whether minors were involved or at risk.
But it raised concerns that Oxfam’s handling of these matters was influenced by a “desire to protection the charity’s reputation and to protect donor and stakeholder relationships”.
Oxfam’s chief executive in 2011 has accepted publicly that further steps could have been taken to determine whether minors were involved in the original allegations.
The findings come nearly a year after it emerged that senior aid workers working for Oxfam had used prostitutes in Haiti. Four members of staff were subsequently dismissed and three, including the country director, resigned.
The report also found that incidents in Haiti in 2011 were “not one-off” and examples of poor conduct by staff and behavioural issues dated back to June 2010.
It said failure to consistently hold people to account for poor behaviour and to ensure robust and consistent action was taken in practice had resulted in a “culture of tolerance of poor behaviour” which “likely resulted in putting victims off speaking up”.
“The risk to, and impact on, the victims appeared to take second place at times and was not taken seriously enough; victims, whistleblowers and those staff who tried to raised concerns were let down,” stated the report.
While the inquiry notes that the NGO has since made “significant progress” in improving weaknesses in its safeguarding, it said “significant further cultural and systematic change” was required to address the issues fully.
In light of the findings, the Charity Commission has exercised its legal powers and issued an official warning to Oxfam on the grounds that there has been some areas of mismanagement in relation to Haiti and its safeguarding governance prior to 2018.
Chair of trustees Caroline Thomson said Oxfam was “deeply sorry for its failure to prevent sexual abuse by its former staff in Haiti” and that it accepted it should have improved its safeguarding “further and faster”.
“What happened in Haiti was shameful and we are deeply sorry. It was a terrible abuse of power, and an affront to the values that Oxfam holds dear,” she said.
“The Commission’s findings are very uncomfortable for Oxfam GB but we accept them. We now know that the 2011 investigation and reporting of what happened in Haiti was flawed; more should have been done to establish whether minors were involved.”
The international development secretary, Rory Stewart, said: “The revelations of last year were horrifying and shone a light on fundamental problems. The Department for International Development [DFID] agrees that we must always put people first.
“DFID has driven reform and our priority remains delivering for the world’s poorest and most vulnerable, while keeping people safe from harm.
“Oxfam is an important British institution that saves lives in some of the world’s toughest places. This is a long-term process, in which there are no easy answers or room for complacency. We will be working closely with both Oxfam and the Charity Commission in the coming weeks.”
Former Celtic chairman claims ‘no knowledge’ of his business links to Boys’ Club sex beast Jim Torbett
Kevin Kelly denies he was a director of the Trophy Centre which was the firm run by convicted paedophile Torbett..
10 JUN 2019
Former Celtic chairman Kevin Kelly has claimed ignorance of his business links with Celtic Boys’ Club beast Jim Torbett.
And Kelly, who was vice-chairman of the club when it investigated and then cleared boys’ club “leaders” of any wrongdoing – and was also president of the boys’ club – has told the Daily Record he has “no knowledge of the past”.
Speaking for the first time since the abuse scandal emerged, he said he had no idea that beasts Torbett and Frank Cairney were preying on children over decades on his watch.
The Daily Record revealed last month details of a 1986 probe by the Celtic FC board into allegations of boys being taken to weekend tournaments that did not exist, boys being taken out socially and boys being late home from training.
It appeared to be at odds with Celtic’s claim that the boys’ club was “entirely separate” from Celtic FC and that the club had first learned of allegations against boys’ club predators in the 1990s.
Four paedophiles linked to the boys’ club have been convicted of preying on children in recent months.
At the time of the 1986 probe Kelly, now 81, was vice-chairman of Celtic FC, president of Celtic Boys’ Club and worked for Torbett at his Trophy Centre business.
When we visited Kelly at his home, he was reluctant to discuss the abuse scandal. Asked about the 1986 probe, he said: “I’ve nothing to say about that.
“The club are looking into all these things, so I’m quite happy about that.
“No, sorry about that. As I say I’m quite happy with what’s gone to the police and everything.”
We put it to Kelly the 1986 probe by Celtic FC had cleared Torbett and Cairney of any wrongdoing and that Celtic FC had then endorsed the pair by branding the claims as “scurrilous” and saying they should be “buried once and for all”.
Many of Torbett’s victims were abused after he had been cleared by Celtic FC. Kelly said: “I’m quite happy for the club to do whatever they have to do. Those who committed crimes are in jail and that’s where they should be. That’s all I’ve got to say.”
When we asked about his directorship of the Trophy Centre – Torbett’s company – he said: “I wasn’t a director.”
We put it to him that he has a legal listing as a director of the company.
He said: “Look, I’ve no knowledge of the past, I’m sorry about that.”
Asked if he had knowledge at the time of what was going on, Kelly said: “Not at all, I’d never have joined it if I knew that.
“A lot of it is conjecture and it’s taken the police a long time, and I’ve been told by the police to stick by my statement and not to talk to anyone else until it is all resolved.”
Records show Kelly became a director of the Trophy Centre in October 1989. Torbett was first convicted of sexually abusing three boys in 1998 and jailed for two years.
But Kelly remained a director of the Trophy Centre until 2005.
Boys’ club founder Torbett was jailed in November for six years, former general manager Cairney was jailed in January for four years, fellow boys’ club coach and Celtic FC man Jim McCafferty, 73, was jailed for six years and nine months, while former chairman Gerald King was convicted of preying on children at a Glasgow school, but avoided jail.
Records also show that Kelly and Torbett were the sole directors of a now dissolved company – Panrole Ltd – set up in April 1991.
Helene Gray, 71, who’s son Andrew was a victim of Torbett at Celtic Boys’ Club, said: “There are many who held authority who continue to deny and deflect from what my son and many other young boys suffered whilst in their care at Celtic Boys Club. Their silence and denial is sickening.”
Andrew died after an accident on holiday aged 41. His testimony helped convict Torbett.
A PETITION calling for a public inquiry into historical child abuse on Caldey Island has been launched.
The change.org online petition, created by Lynwen Evans, from Mydroilin, states: “Children have been historically sexually abused on Caldey Island. When the abused later spoke out they faced nothing but judgement and dismissal. Let us pressurise the Government to investigate this abuse, so that these victims can have some closure and to stop the abuse of our children.”
It appears Kotik was never questioned by police, who were not informed of allegations against him until 2014.
In 2017 it came to light that the island had a long history of child sexual abuse after six women received compensation from Caldey Abbey in an out-of-court settlement.
Twenty-one victims have come forward to Dyfed-Powys Police, with cases going back to the 1960s.
It has come to light that the abbey was told by a victim about the abuse in the 1980s but did not report it until 2014.
Instead the abbot at the time, Robert O’Brian, asked the victim for forgiveness.
ITV Wales asked the current abbot, Brother Daniel van Santvoort for his response to the latest evidence that Kevin O’Connell was also abused on the island. Despite contacting the Brother several times, he never responded.
The Diocese of Menevia in Swansea was contacted as it has been advising the Abbey on their safeguarding policies and practices for the last 18 months.
The Bishop Tom Burns said: “the Abbey has insisted on retaining its oversight of any specific cases, past, present, or in the future.”
Lynwen, in her petition, adds: “Kevin O’Connell was one of the abused, coming to terms with it 18 months ago was when he confided in his wife of 30 years.
“He came out publicly on an emotional Welsh TV Program called Byd ar Bedwar, where he was taken back to Caldey Island to face his demons.
“The Guardian News Paper states that six other victims had been paid for their silence… Why?
“Kevin is determined that this abuse of trust is not to happen anymore and wants an investigation as to why this has been covered up for all these years.
“An investigation started 29 years ago, but nothing has come of it… We want as many signatures as possible to force the Government to continue with this investigation, and not let it be swept under the carpet for another 29 years.”
Mr Sharp urged inquiry chairwoman Lady Smith, to piece together the “jigsaw” of victims’ accounts and called for a “national discussion” on the subject.
The 60-year-old, who has waived his right to anonymity, was put into care after his mother died when he was aged one.
Tied up
He stayed in several institutions before going to the Catholic-run care home in Fife.
He told how he was groomed by one of the religious brothers, who would tell him he loved him, which “no-one had ever done” before.
The inquiry heard the then-12-year-old was later raped.
Most of the abuse was said to have taken place in the shower rooms, where the witness would be made to stand in the dark through the night as a punishment.
One attack came after he had asked about the whereabouts of a friend who had disappeared. It was later discovered the boy had taken his own life.
Mr Sharp said he was taken to the shower room by a drunken religious brother, tied-up and gagged.
The witness claimed he was hung by a cord, threatened with murder if he spoke out and was then raped.
He added: “It was from that day everything I did was under his complete and utter control.”
The inquiry heard “two or three” boys were trafficked around Scotland and Ireland at a time to be used in drink-fuelled sex parties, which he described as “satanic”.
One occasion in Ireland was said to have involved 10 men taking turns to rape the boys.
It was heard priests were among those involved and incidents took place over the duration of his time at St Ninian’s, which was run by religious order the Christian Brothers.
He left the home aged 16 without “any memory other than continually being abused”.
Drug addiction
It was then that he found out he had a family, but he did not settle and became dependent on drugs and alcohol.
He said he struggled with a “£100-a-day” habit for up to 25 years and attempted to kill himself on numerous occasions.
Mr Sharp was married for five weeks during this period, until his wife died of natural causes.
This led to him having a “breakdown” and he was taken into hospital care, where he found religion and decided to “turn his life around”.
The inquiry, before Lady Smith, continues on Tuesday.
They claimed Government inspectors should have acted to remove the victims. Records showed instances of abuse were recorded at St Ninian’s De La Salle List D school at Gartmore as long ago as 1963.
Hundreds came forward in response to the Sunday Mail’s award-winning campaign for justice for the “lost boys”. Police reported dozens more but the Crown charged only Benedict, teacher Charles McKenna, 83, and nightwatchman Jimmy McKinstry, 70, who were all sentenced to two years in jailAlthough there was enough evidence to charge seven others, the Crown Office failed to act and alleged victims are pressing ahead with a judicial review.
Two of the seven men still had contact with children.
Alan Draper, chairman of abuse campaign group INCAS said: “It is clear that abuse was covered up by all those involved
CAMPAIGNERS yesterday demanded new probes into all the Scottish schools run by De La Salle monks.
Lawyers for three men who face sentencing tomorrow after being convicted of abuse at one school claim victims had not come forward from any other institution run by the monks.
But we can reveal dozens of alleged victims claimed to have been abused at other De La Salle schools – although prosecutors refused to take their alleged abusers to court.
Emil Szula, 51, of Glasgow, was abused while a pupil at St Ninian’s school in Gartmore, Stirlingshire.
He said: “I’d give evidence in court about being assaulted.
“But the man who raped me repeatedly when I was a frightened little boy is still walking free.
“I have been told by the Procurator Fiscal’s office that they haven’t decided whether they will proceed with charges against this evil beast.”
Three former members of staff at the school – former monk Michael Murphy, 69; teacher Charles McKenna, 81; and nightwatchman James McKinstrey,
– were found guilty of 10 charges of abusing and torturing pupils at St Ninian’s last month.
A FORMER woodwork teacher who abused youngsters in his care walked free from court yesterday.
Appeal judges slashed the two-year jail term imposed on Charles McKenna, 89, by half and declared that, because of the usual rules on early release, the six months he had served was enough.
In 2003, McKenna, of Stirling, was found guilty of indecent assault and lewd conduct involving vulnerable pupils at St Ninian’s List D School in the late 1970s.
The school on the Gartmore Estate, near Stirling, was run by the de la Salle teaching order and took in boys who had committed petty offences, or who were thought to be in need of care, until it closed its doors in 1982.
McKenna’s trial heard he fondled three pupils at the school.
He was freed on bail on January 23, 2004, after appealing his conviction.
In June his appeal was thrown out.
Yesterday at the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh, McKenna’s counsel, Andrew Brown argued the two-year sentence was too harsh.
He also pointed out that another member of school staff, Michael Murphy, had his two-year sentence for assaults on pupils reduced to one year.
Brown also told the court that McKenna was suffering from prostate cancer and other health problems.
Lord Osborne, who took yesterday’s hearing with Lord Eassie, said, in light of what had happened since 2003, the two-year term could be seen as excessive.
He said the sentence should be cut to a year, adding: “McKenna will not require to return to custody since he has, in effect, served that sentence.”
June 2003
ABUSE TEACHER LIED TO GET JOB AT KIDS CHARITY; THE DE LA SALLE SCANDAL
A TEACHER at the heart of a school sex abuse ring lied his way into a leading children’s charity.
Predatory paedophile Charles McKenna “befriended” an eight-year-old boy after being taken on by the respected Aberlour Child Care Trust.
But the 82-year-old was banned when the trust was alerted by police investigating the abuse of boys at a List D school.
McKenna – nicknamed Lurch by boys he abused – was one of three staff found guilty at the High Court earlier this month of torturing, sexually abusing and assaulting pupils at St Ninian’s School run by De La Salle monks in Gartmore, Stirlingshire.
He was taken on by the Aberlour Trust after answering a newspaper advert looking for volunteers to become mentors to vulnerable children.
The former teacher hoped to use his charity work to show how trustworthy he was around children to help deflect a sickening catalogue of sex abuse charges.
He said he had been vetted and cleared and had spent years as a “father figure” to a child he first met when the boy was just eight. McKenna said: “I built up a father/son relationship with the boy.”
But he was stopped from seeing the boy when Central Scotland Police told him he was under investigation for sex abuse dating back to the mid- 1960s when he was teaching at St Ninian’s.
McKenna said: “The boy was told I couldn’t be his friend anymore.”
The Aberlour Child Care Trust deals with children with learning disabilities, disruptive youngsters and families torn apart by drugs and alcohol.
Last night, their Chief Executive Romy Langeland told of the charity’s horror when they discovered the truth about McKenna, who was exposed by a Sunday Mail investigation into De La Salle schools.
Ms Langeland said: “We were shocked. The problem is that these men don’t look any different from any other. People think you should be able to tell but you can’t.
“We did put him through the full vetting procedure with Scottish Criminal Records Office background checks but nothing showed. We’ve since reviewed our procedures.”
She said as soon as the police investigation emerged, the charity took immediate action to isolate McKenna.
She said: “We ensured there was no possibility of him having any further contact with the boy he befriended.
“We also took strenuous steps to investigate and there were no indications anything untoward happened in relation to the child.
“One of the best ways to protect a child is to make sure they know they can come forward with anything they feel uncomfortable about.”
The children’s charity – the biggest of its kind in Scotland – runs dozens of highly respected projects across the country providing lifelines for vulnerable families and teenagers.
Last night, child abuse campaigner Sandra Brown, of the Moira Anderson Foundation, spoke in support of Aberlour.
She said: “Regrettably, children’s charities are targeted by paedophiles to get access to vulnerable children and their families. Not only does it give them the opportunity to groom victims, it gives them access to the child protection information they often use within their sick `industry’.
“This may also have been a cynical attempt to create an alibi for past behaviour.
“The tragic consequences of incidents like this are that they discredit hardworking organisations and may cause an undeserved public backlash.”
McKenna, who will now be on the sex offenders register for the rest of his life, had applied to the charity to be a volunteer, claiming “retired life was passing me by”.
He’d seen an advert for Aberlour in a free newspaper and was accepted to befriend a vulnerable boy. McKenna had contact with the youngster for several years.
But at the end of 2000, the allegations about McKenna’s involvement in sex abuse dating back to his years as woodwork teacher at St Ninian’s came to light. He was ordered to have no further contact with the boy or his family.
McKenna, of Colquhoun Street, Stirling, had laughed off suggestions he was an evil sexual predator, describing one trembling witness as a “nice little actor”.
But the smirk was wiped off his face when he was found guilty of three child abuse charges.
His fellow-accused were also found guilty of a sickening catalogue of abuse.
Retired De La Salle monk Michael Murphy, 69, known as Brother Benedict, was found guilty of 10 charges of torture, assault, forcing children to eat their own vomit, breaking a boy’s arm and a shameful list of sadistic assaults on vulnerable children.
Nightwatchman Jimmy McKinstrey, 70, of Port of Menteith, Stirlingshire, was convicted of four sexual abuse charges, despite defence protests that he was mentally retarded.
McKinstrey callously attempted to infiltrate an abuse survivors support group only months before his court appearance, claiming he’d been a victim of abuse in a Catholic home. He left when his motives were questioned.
Michael Murphy, 71, a monk known as Brother Benedict, was found guilty of ten charges of torture, assault, forcing children to eat their own vomit, breaking a boy’s arm and a list of sadistic assaults on vulnerable children.
Jimmy McKinstrey, 71, a nightwatchman of Port of Menteith, Stirlingshire, was convicted of four sexual abuse charges, while Charles McKenna, 84, a teacher from Stirling, was found guilty of three offences. All three were sentenced to two years in jail.
A man convicted of sexually abusing boys during the 1970s and 1980s at a school run by monks was jailed for two years yesterday.
Charles McKenna, 83, a former woodwork teacher, was one of three men convicted of abusing boys at St Ninian’s List D school in Stirlingshire, a residential facility for troubled boys.
Sentencing McKenna in the High Court in Forfar, Lord Carloway told him that despite the offences being historic he had still abused the boys while in a position of trust.
McKenna, a former woodwork teacher, who was found guilty of three charges of sexual abuse, had consistently denied the charges against him despite a series of allegations from witnesses.
Frances Hughes, defending, told the court: “The charges are all historic in nature stretching back from 1976 to 1981 at the latest.”
McKenna, a Second World War veteran from Stirling, had, with the exception of the court case, led a “largely useful life” and had been praised by some staff and pupils at his former school for his guidance over the years.
However, Ms Hughes added that, since the closure of the school, McKenna’s life had become “largely solitary”. “He appears to have few friends and even fewer interests in life” she said.
Lord Carloway rejected a request to consider probation, telling McKenna that it was “in the public interest” to impose a custodial sentence.
On Monday, Michael Murphy, 69, of Liss, Hampshire, who was known as Brother Benedict, was sentenced in the High Court in Edinburgh, to two years in prison after being found guilty of physically abusing boys at the school.
James McKinstrey, 70, of Port of Menteith, Stirling, a former night-watchman at the school, was found guilty of four sex abuse charges and sentenced to two years.
The inquiry was told in October that more than 360 people have made complaints of physical and sexual abuse at orphanages run by Quarriers, Barnardo’s and the Aberlour Child Care Trust.
Aberlour Orphanage, the Princess Margaret Nursery and Aberlour’s Children Home in Keith will all be scrutinised as part of the inquiry.
1907 – 1953 the royal visits
With the Royal Residence of Balmoral relatively close by, Aberlour orphanage received a number of Royal visits. In 1907 Edward VII visits the orphanage followed by Edward VIII and Queen Mary in 1922. Years later, in 1953 Princess Margaret opens the Princess Margaret Residential Nursery School, an extension of the orphanage at the Dowans.
I would like to know that there has been a thorough investigation into whether there was a paedophile ring in operation on the Isle of Man during the 1970s. Clearly the manager of the
1465 children’s home was sexually abusing the children. We now know that the vicar of St Ninian’s, who the children went to on a Sunday from the children’s home, has been convicted for child abuse. We saw in the Isle of Man newspapers recently that a headmaster at Murray’s Road School … I cannot remember the details, but the newspaper article I read connected the headmaster of Murray’s Road School with child sexual abuse and the children at the Children’s
1470 Centre were sent to Murray’s Road School. So you have got a vicar, you have got a manager of a children’s home and you have got a headmaster: how many other people were involved with abusing children during the 1970s?
We know – well, I know from having spoken to interviewees who were at the children’s home in the 1970s – that children were abused when they went on holiday to the UK under
1475 Mr Marshall, so did this extend out into a UK-wide ring?
My name is Dave Sharp and I am a survivor and a campaigner of historical child abuse.Just after I was born my mother died and I was put into the care of the Catholic church where I spent the first 16 years of my life. I was moved about a lot from home to home and even to this day I cannot seem to get hold of my records to finally be able to know where I actually was.
What I do know is that I was in Nazareth House Kilmarnock and also Nazareth house in Bonnyrigg and at the age of 10 I ended up in St Ninians in Fife which was run by the Catholic order the Irish Christian Brothers.
Almost from the day I arrived I started being abused…
Lord Janner, haranguing a group of ex-care children, Broadoak School, Weston! Me nearest to camera at front!
This photo shows me and other ex care home children meeting Lord Janner, which was the prize for writing an essay on our care home experiences. I am slumped, sitting on a desk. Before he would start talking, Janner made the boys unstitch the school badges from their blazers so
I am the girl with long hair and short skirt, sitting on the desk nearest to the camera. Meeting Janner was the prize for writing an essay on our experiences in care. First, Janner made the boys unstitch the school badges from their school blazers so the school couldn’t be traced in any photos that were taken.
Then Janner talked for hours, asking us to repeat any unkind words used against us, names he would constantly throw at us to undermine us. He then took us aside individually and abused some of us. Afterwards I stitched badges on.
…no one could locate the school in any photos. He asked us to repeat cruel names we had been called but kept on using these names against us until we lost all confidence. He saw some of us individually and abused some of us.
The male teacher seen in this photo knew Janner from his time working in Leicester and had set up this meeting. We were told to wear clothes that we might have worn in care, but I seemed to be the only one so scruffily dressed! After the one to one sessions, I was made to sew badges back on for the boys, through my tears
@InquiryCSA I was told by police from Operation Hydrant that I would be eligible for core participant staus if I wanted to attend the inquiry. My mental health is too precarious for me to do that. Just examine what I have told you. There are 13 children in the photo with Janner.
I wonder how many survived?
The awful truth is the Janner attack at Broadoak school was, and probably still is, so dangerous to the school’s reputation that it will always be covered up. If it ever hit the press, who would ever send their child there?
………………………..
Jill Dando attended Broad Oak school in the 1980s. In her youth, she wrote a letter to Jim’ll Fix It.
Home Office ‘tells Met Police it will fund hunt for Madeleine McCann for another year’ in investigation that has already cost nearly £12million
Detectives have been given another year’s worth of funding into disappearance
Over £11.75million has been spent on the UK inquiry since it launched in 2013
New probe was launched after official Portuguese investigation was closed
5 June 2019
The Home Office has given the Metropolitan Police enough funding to investigate missing toddler Madeleine McCann’s disappearance for another year, sources claim.
Detectives asked for more money to investigate the three-year-old’s disappearance in March.
More than £11.75million has already been spent on trying to find the toddler since she went missing from her parents’ holiday apartment in Portugal on May 3 2007.
But today Sky sources claimed police have been given the green light to spend even more public money on the probe, which began in 2013 after the Portuguese inquiry was closed.
At the end of 2018 her parents Kate and Gerry McCann, both 50, from Rothley, Leicestershire, vowed never to give up hope of finding their daughter in an emotional online message.
The family’s spokesman said in a statement: ‘Kate and Gerry are extremely grateful to the Metropolitan Police for making a new funding application and whilst they know it is not guaranteed they are hoping it will be approved.
‘It shows that officers are still doing everything they can to get a resolution after all this time. And it gives them hope that one day they may finally find out what happened to their daughter.
‘It gives them belief there is still work left to be done.’
£12m of our taxes have already been spent searching for Maddie. What is so special about this case? The #McCanns left THREE toddlers home alone. If they had been working class parents, and not doctors, they would have been prosecuted for child neglect.
Three sex abuse victims name same businessman
Two men have broken their silence to claim they were sexually abused by the same Enniskillen businessman in a suspected paedophile ring over 30 years ago.
The latest revelations about Fermanagh’s dark past comes as the Police Service of Northern Ireland confirms it is now reviewing 19 historic sex abuse cases in Fermanagh. Seven of these cases relate to suspected child abuser and former Ulsterbus driver David Sullivan. It follows a long-running investigation by this newspaper that is set to continue in the coming weeks.
In today’s Impartial Reporter, two men, both of whom came forward separately, claim the now retired businessman sexually abused them while a third alleged victim has claimed the same businessman was in a house moments before he was drugged and raped by Sullivan.
The alleged abuser who two alleged victims say knew Sullivan still lives in Fermanagh, is well known in the business community and held significant positions of trust in the past.
None of the alleged victims know each other; one is based in Belfast, the other in England, and the third still lives in the county. They are from different backgrounds and would have never met.
Paul (not his real name) claims he was first sexually abused on the Ulsterbus Sullivan used to drive to and from local schools when he was 11 years old. He is the second alleged victim of sex abuse on board Sullivan’s Ulsterbus to come forward.Translink has previously declined to comment due to the ongoing police investigation.
“The last drop off was in Hillview, I was the last one on the bus. He pulled over there. He was going on about how he was into model aeroplanes and model cars, and all the rest. He touched me then he made a joke about it. That was it. He parked the bus and went into his house.”
Paul, who is now 40, had first met Sullivan while out fishing at a jetty near Cornagrade.
“It was right where the police station is. He told me he remembered bringing me to Castle Archdale on the school bus. He came back with a Tab cola and a packet of crisps,” recalled Paul.
Sullivan befriended Paul’s mother who was in the same mobility club as him. He recalls him telling his mother he had work for him to do such as painting and gardening.
“He’d say ‘have a wee beer’ when I was 12, 13. It started from there. He was touching me, watching pornographic videos, taking his thing out and masturbating in front of me and other young boys. I would be there for 10 minutes on my own, he’d go off and he’d bring other adult men over. I wasn’t there for that, I was there for the money.” He recalls first meeting the Enniskillen businessman at Sullivan’s house in Lisbellaw.
“I recognised him from my mother bringing me into his business. He was constantly staring down between my legs. He was a creep. We were sitting there and the beer came out, before I knew it he was over to me and opened my belt, put his hands down my trousers and grabbed my privates.”
He claims there were two other adults in the room and four children from Tamalght, Lisbellaw and Coleshill who he claims were abused at the same time.
Paul was given alcohol by Sullivan after being asked over to paint his mother’s skirting boards in her home in Enniskillen when she was away. A short while later he woke up to find the Enniskillen businessman sexually abusing him as Sullivan sat watching from another room.
On another occasion he was abused by Sullivan in his car and claims the abuse also took place across the Border in counties Leitrim and Monaghan.
He believes Sullivan had managed to ‘groom’ the police, too. “I got stopped by police driving a car at a checkpoint in Enniskillen when I was 15, Sullivan came up behind in another car, a red polo. He flashed the lights at me as if to say ‘don’t worry’. He stuck his head out of the window and the cop said ‘OK, go on ahead’. “The cop actually tapped on the top of Sullivan’s car as he drove by,” said Paul.
Now he intends to speak to police. “I think that Enniskillen businessman should be brought before the courts before it is too late to give people a peace of mind. I will absolutely go to the police now,” he told this newspaper.
Chris (not his real name) was 15 when he was first sexually abused by Sullivan after thumbing for a lift near Maguiresbridge.
“It was Spring, Summer and I was looking for a lift to Lisbellaw. It was quite busy, a lot of cars went by, then this man stopped. I recognised him from driving the school bus.
“He started driving and said to me, ‘What’s a good looking fella like you out thumbing for?’ and within minutes he started rubbing my leg, then he put his hand up further and asked me to show him my penis. I said no, I told him he was making me feel uncomfortable. Then he said he would take his out. He kept grabbing me. I was shaking,” recalled Chris, who is now 47. After arriving in Lisbellaw, Chris managed to get away from Sullivan. Several months later he would meet the alleged child abuser again.
He was in a pub in Lisbellaw with his friends when he spotted Sullivan. He froze as the former youth club leader summoned him outside. “He wanted to explain what had happened in the car the last time he saw me. He told me to go to his house which was a few yards away,” he said.
When Chris walked into the front door of the house another man whom he believes was the same Enniskillen businessman was sitting on a seat drinking and smoking cigarettes. “Sullivan asked me if I wanted a drink. I said no and sat down on the settee. Then he said ‘I am sorry about the other time’. He said ‘I want to see all that you’ve got’ and as he said that the other man went out of the room. I was left alone with Sullivan.”
After accepting a cup of tea Chris said he felt himself “getting drowsy” and believes Sullivan may have “put something in my drink”.
“I got drowsy all of a sudden and he started fondling me. Then he raped me, it was horrible, it lasted 10 or 15 minutes. I was screaming and roaring, I just wanted someone to help me but nobody heard me. The other man could have been there too, for all I know.”
He never went to police at the time but will now make a formal statement.
A third victim was 13 or 14 when he was allegedly abused by the Enniskillen businessman in toilets at Nugent’s Entry in the town, around 1988. “I don’t remember what I was wearing but he started touching me while pleasuring himself. I recognised him from a business my mother used to bring me into. I used to get angry at her for taking me there.”
He too intends to report this man’s name to police.
Speaking yesterday (Wednesday) Detective Chief Superintendent Paula Hilman said: “The enquiry into historical sexual abuse in Fermanagh is currently reviewing 19 cases dating back to 1963. Seven of these cases relate to David Sullivan.
“We are taking all of these reports very seriously and I would encourage anyone who has been a victim to please come forward and speak with us. Please be assured that we will make it as easy as possible for you. You do not have to come to a police station. You can report directly to the police via 101 or through a dedicated email address at historicalabuse@psni.pnn.police.uk and we will arrange to meet at a time and place that best suits you. Please don’t suffer in silence, come and speak to us,” she told this newspaper.
Half of all top IRA men ‘worked for security services’
Half of all senior IRA members in the Troubles were working for intelligence services, a secret dossier of evidence into the murder of two RUC men has claimed.
The remarkable document has laid bare a startling series of claims about the infiltration of both the police and terror groups during the ‘Dirty War’.
It claims the IRA ran agents in the RUC and also that Dundalk Garda station was regarded by British intelligence as “a nest of vipers”, with at least two officers actively assisting the Provos.
The information is contained in a secret 24-page document in the name of Ian Hurst — a British intelligence whistleblower — which has been seen by the Belfast Telegraph.
The sensational claims are due to be made to Justice Peter Smithwick’s Dublin tribunal of inquiry into the murder of two senior RUC officers in 1989.
The victims, Chief Superintendent Harry Breen and Superintendent Robert Buchanan, died in a hail of IRA gunfire as they crossed the border following an intelligence exchange with the Garda in Dundalk.
The dossier also claims:
The shadowy Force Research Unit (FRU) had a file on suspected rogue gardai prepared to pass information to the IRA and act as its agents. MI5 also had a network of agents with the Garda.
The IRA had a network of informants in public agencies such as social security offices and vehicle licensing departments.
One in four IRA members was an agent, rising to one in two among senior members.
Martin McGuinness was involved in all strategic military decisions taken by the IRA.
At the centre of the web of intrigue sat the IRA’s head of internal security, the agent known as Stakeknife, who took information from rogue gardai while himself working for British intelligence.
Perhaps the most shocking claim is that a rogue Garda Sergeant leaked intelligence to Stakeknife. Stakeknife has been identified as Freddie Scappaticci, a veteran Belfast republican.
Scappaticci has strongly denied working for British intelligence and said he had cut his links with the IRA in 1990. He is legally represented at the Smitwick Tribunal and is now considering giving evidence in person.
Last night Mr Hurst refused to comment on the document.
He said: “I believe that this was made public to mess me about. I cannot comment on it because of an injunction preventing me from giving details of my career in special forces.”
Mr Hurst worked in military intelligence between 1981 and 1990, spending most of that time in the FRU, responsible for handling agents and informants in Irish paramilitary groups. The injunction has been varied to allow him to give evidence to Smithwick in Dublin.
However tribunal lawyers are insisting that he give his testimony in closed session, something he suspects is part of a deal with the British authorities to limit potentially embarrassing disclosures.
One of the alleged rogue officers in Dundalk has already been indentified. Owen Corrigan, a detective sergeant, was named by Jeffrey Donaldson under Parliamentary privilege. Mr Corrigan, now retired, has always denied the allegation and appeared at the tribunal to reject them. He is one of three gardai, two based in Dundalk and one in Donegal, named in the document.
In the document Mr Hurst says “the fact that a Garda was passing information to the IRA did not bother me anymore or any less than in the same way members of the RUC/UDR/BA (British Army) occasionally passed information to the IRA and regularly to members of various loyalist paramilitaries.”
Mr Hurst assisted John Stevens’ inquiry into security force collusion with terrorists in Northern Ireland.
The document states Lord Stevens told him that of 210 terrorist suspects he arrested, only three were not security force agents, and some worked for several agencies.
Background
The Smithwick Tribunal is examining claims that members of the Irish police or other employees of the Irish State colluded in the murders of the two most senior RUC officers to die in the Troubles. Chief Superintendent Harry Breen and Supt Robert Buchanan were shot dead while returning from a meeting at Dundalk Garda station in the Republic. The tribunal has so far heard evidence from a number of witnesses, some of whom have alleged that members of the Garda passed information to the IRA.
A MAN FROM THE DARK CORNER OF MILITARY INTELLIGENCE
Doubts about Ian Hurst’s reliability were dispelled after I published stories based on his information back in 1999.
The first, an unlikely sounding tale claiming military intelligence had doctored bullets used to shoot Gerry Adams, was immediately confirmed by the Defence Advisory Committee. After that he was arrested, and I was questioned under caution.
For a time I gave him the pseudonym Martin Ingram to obscure his identity, but now that alias has been dropped.
He was the first member of the Force Research Unit (FRU) — the dark corner of military intelligence which ran agents in terrorist groups — to speak publicly.
He had two tours of duty in Northern Ireland. Between 1982 and 1990 he was in Londonderry handling agents like Frank Hegarty, an IRA quartermaster later murdered for betraying a cache of Libyan weapons, and Willie Carlin, who got out just ahead of the execution squad.
A second tour was in Enniskillen between 1990 and 1991. There he met his wife, from a Donegal republican family. That affected his vetting and he bought himself out of the Army in 2003.
Penetration of the Provisionals
Mr Hurst was responsible for handling agents in the IRA and for a time had enhanced access to other agents’ reports, though not their names, on military intelligence computers. He has painted a picture of an organisation penetrated at almost every level and with its head of security, Stakeknife, working for the other side. The document says: “As a rough guide you should expect one in four PIRA volunteers to be agents of one agency or another.” Lord Stevens (above), the former Met chief, is quoted as
saying that only three out of 210 terrorist suspects he arrested in a collusion probe in Northern Ireland were not working for either the RUC, MI5 or the Army. The document claims that Hurst secretly taped a conversation with RAF Air Vice Marshal Andrew Vallance, who was quoted as telling him that the most sensitive matter was the identity of Stakeknife and his role as a British agent.
IRA agents within the Garda
The document claims that the FRU had a file on suspected rogue gardai prepared to pass information to the IRA and act as its agents. It names three people who were allegedly on the list, two in Dundalk and one in Donegal. It quotes Basil Walsh, a senior Garda officer who Mr Hurst met in 1999, as saying he was aware of one named Garda who worked for the IRA. Mr Walsh allegedly told him “that every time something was done to try and eradicate the mess something happened to intervene”. The document also claims MI5 had a network of agents with the Garda. MP Jeffrey Donaldson has named retired detective sergeant Owen Corrigan under Parliamentary privilege in the House of Commons in April 2000, as being a “rogue garda”. Mr Corrigan denies all allegations of collusion. Last week former agent Kevin Fulton claimed Corrigan was passing information to the IRA and was regarded as a “friend” of the group
Role of McGuinness in the IRA
MR Hurst once backed claims that Martin McGuinness reported to MI6, the British foreign intelligence agency. This was based on a document passed to him, and accepted by him in good faith, after he left the Army but which appears to have been a forgery. The document does not repeat that claim but it does put Mr McGuinness in a central role in the IRA. It states the IRA’s “security unit came under the operational command of Northern Command” and adds “the person in charge of that unit throughout the entire Troubles was PIRA member Mr James Martin McGuinness”. It accuses McGuinness of being “directly involved in matters of life and death for persons rightly or indeed wrongly suspected of informing on PIRA members. Mr McGuinness was also a key player in the long-term strategic strategies used by PIRA”. McGuinness has always denied such a leading role and stated that he left the IRA in the early 1970s.
Republican intelligence gathering
It is claimed that the IRA had a network of informants in public agencies such as social security offices and vehicle licensing, North and South. This echoes claims by Martin McGartland , a former RUC agent in the IRA. One section of the document reads: “PIRA was extensively penetrated at all levels, most sources of the information to PIRA were readily identified (by military intelligence) but seldom compromised.” To back up its claims that the intelligence services turned a blind eye to IRA intelligence sources, it claims that in the early 1990s a FRU agent was targeted by the IRA with the help of a social security employee who is still working in the same office. It claims that the IRA could informally “obtain information from driver licensing, social security, councils, utilities far quicker than the FRU”, especially in cross-border areas where red tape was involved in working through the RUC and Garda.
Stakeknife, the Army’s key agent
Stakeknife was a key military intelligence agent within the IRA, a man with a hotline of his own which gave him direct contact with dedicated handlers in an office known as the ‘rat hole’. When he called, he identified himself with a code number, but Mr Hurst learned his true identify by chance while manning the phone. Stakeknife had been caught drink-driving and gave uniformed police the hotline number in an effort to extricate himself. Hurst vouched for him, and it has been claimed that Stakeknife was Freddie Scappaticci, though Mr Scappaticci strongly denies this. The document expands on Stakeknife’s role as head of the IRA internal security. It claims he controlled IRA agents in the Garda. The most corrosive suggestion which Justice Peter Smithwick will have to consider is that officers Breen and Buchanan were allowed to die rather than risk compromising the Army’s most important agent in Ireland.
The web of collusion and spies
MR Hurst has frequently claimed some members of the RUC, UDR and Army colluded with terror groups. The statement portrays a wilderness of mirrors in which every organisation has the other penetrated to some degree and “all sources have a shelf life”. It talks of British agents in the Garda, Garda agents in Northern Ireland, IRA agents in the RUC and Garda and RUC agents in the IRA. It states “the fact that a Garda was passing information to the IRA did not bother me any more or any less than in the same way members of the RUC/UDR/BA (British Army) passed information to the IRA and members of various loyalist paramilitaries. It was a matter for HQNI and the RUC and way above my pay grade … in other words it was a strategic and not a tactical problem”. It concludes that none of this “registered massively on the Richter scale, it was just a fact of life, indeed it was well within the rules of our game!”
The document states Lord Stevens told him that of 210 terrorist suspects he arrested, only three were not security force agents, and some worked for several agencies – a proxy war fought in NI by shadowy competing westminster groups
Jimmy Savile was a guest of Celtic in 1987 and was hailed as a “staunch supporter”, only months after a club dismissed allegations of widespread abuse as “scurrilous”.
My office has received several letters from constituents calling for a public inquiry into Celtic boys club. We are looking at the matter very carefully. This story would appear to strengthen the case for a full inquiry
Cathedral music director Scott Farrell admits child sex offences
29 May 2019
A former cathedral music director has admitted child sex offences.
William Scott Farrell, 48, who worked at Rochester and Ely Cathedrals, showed children pornography in his flat before carrying out sexual acts, said police.
Farrell, of Wouldham, near Rochester, admitted three counts of gross indecency with a boy under 16, two counts of voyeurism and one count of taking indecent images of a child.
He was bailed and is due to be sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court.
The counts of gross indecency, which relate to three different victims, all happened in Ely, Cambridgeshire, where Farrell was assistant organist.
The remaining three offences were committed during Farrell’s time at Rochester, where he was director of music.
‘Great bravery’ of victims
Police began to investigate Farrell after receiving reports in November 2017.
It was alleged Farrell befriended children under his supervision at Ely Cathedral in Cambridgeshire between 1999 and 2001.
Farrell was arrested and suspended from his role at Rochester Cathedral during investigations.
Devices were seized from his house which showed voyeuristic images and videos believed to have been shot on hidden cameras in bathrooms and bedrooms, some at his flat and others at different homes.
Police also found 135 category C indecent images – category A being the most severe – which Farrell had taken himself.
Det Con Claire Bamford, from Cambridgeshire Police’s Child Abuse Investigation and Safeguarding Unit, said the victims showed “great bravery in speaking out about the abuse they suffered at the hands of Farrell”.
In a statement, The Dean of Rochester Cathedral, Rev Canon Philip Hesketh said: “We are truly sorry to these victims for what has happened and for what they have experienced.”
He said a review would “examine the circumstances” of how the church responded to the offences.
SEOs: Dr Colin Parsons MBE, Bill Thomas General Secretary: Paul Melville Academic Registrar: Dr Kevin Morgan Bursar: Derek Matthews Patrons: Dame Dr Evelyn Glennie CH DBE, Revd Canon Beaumont Brandie MBE, Prof Dr Ian Tracey, Dr Carol Williams, Dr Kemp English, Scott Farrell, Donald MacKenzie, Elizabeth Stratford, Andrew Whelan, Peter Wright
Malcolm Archer (Director of Chapel Music at Winchester College), an honoury fellow of the NMSM for many years, also became a patron of the School.
Having been Principal of the School since its inception, in 2004 Professor Dr Colin Parsons retired from the post to allow ‘new blood’ to bring in new skills and experiences. Dr Stephen Oxley took over as head of the NMSM in 2006, establishing a new ‘layer’ of Advisory Executive Management. He brought in two new patrons – Lord Warleigh of Devon, Sir David Lumsden. Malcolm Archer (Director of Chapel Music at Winchester College), an honoury fellow of the NMSM for many years, also became a patron of the School.
In April 2008, David Smalley took over the position of Principal and Dr Carol Williams (USA) and Donald MacKenzie (London) were appointed as patrons. Following a postal ballot, the School decided not to pursue QCA status as members wished it to remain independent and be able to offer its specialised academic assessments.
In December 2009, the NMSM opted to modernise its structure, and Prof Dr Ian Tracey (Livepool Cathedral) became the School’s new President.
In 2013, Dr Carol Williams took over as School President, and in 2016, Malcolm Archer became the School’s new President
Convicted paedophile Scott Farrell is an alumnus of Dover Grammar School for Boys as is convicted paedophile Stephen Madge
In the mid-Eighties, Stephen Madge, who attended Dover Grammar, became Director of Music at St.Martin’s School, Northwood, where he also taught geography. https://contactout.com/Stephen-Madge-76498937…
The charity Madge worked for is Janmarek Music Foundation, now disbanded:
Stephen Madge who repeatedly abused teenage boy while involved in charity project jailed
MAY 7 2019
A paedophile who repeatedly abused a child while involved in a charity project more than 20 years ago has been jailed.
Stephen Madge, from Sevenoaks, was convicted of six counts of indecent assault at Maidstone Crown Court after targeting a teenage boy during the 1990s.
Allegations of abuse were first made to Kent Police in November 2014, when it was reported that Madge, 62, had been responsible for multiple offences during his charity work.
He was said to have developed an obsession with the victim, who he came into contact with in 1993 and repeatedly abused him throughout the year.
Officers arrested him at his home in Bradbourne Vale Road, Sevenoaks, in May 2015 and despite denials of any wrongdoing Madge was charged with six counts of indecent assault.
He pleaded not guilty and the case went to trial, where a jury unanimously found Madge guilty on all counts.
He was today sentenced to six years imprisonment, with an extended licence period of a further year.
Madge was also made subject of a sexual harm prevention order and added to the sex offenders register, both for indefinite terms.
Stephen Madge, a conductor of St Andrews Cantata based in Hever & founder of now disbanded charity Janmarek Foundation which he set up to invite choirs from Poland and also offer scholarships, jailed for 6 years for abusing teenage boy in 1990s: http://bit.ly/2DWWbGJ
Uxbridge & W. Drayton Gazette – Thursday 22 May 1986
Jeremy Hanley, MP for Richmond and Barnes whose son is at St Martin’s Prep School in Moor Park Road, Northwood, is to host a fund-raising reception at the House of Commons
for 200 school parents.
(paedophile) headmmasterJohn Mash
April 5 2016
John Mash, former headmaster of St Martin’s Preparatory School in Northwood, has avoided imprisonment despite admitting 7 counts of indecent assault on boys under 14.
Uxbridge & W. Drayton Gazette – Wednesday 15 April 1987
Angry parents hit out at the sentence passed on a teacher convicted of indecently assaulting a Northwood schoolboy. Stephen Madge, a former master at a fee-paying school in Northwood was released from prison on a two-year probation order with a condition that he undergoes psychiatric treatment….
Scott Farrell (Director of Music)
Educated at Dover Grammar School for Boys, Scott Farrell took up the organ at the age of thirteen & by the age of sixteen had passed his Associateship of the Royal College of Organists. In 1989 Scott went up to Royal Holloway, University of London as Organ Scholar to read music. He then pursued post-graduate studies at the Institute of Education, University of London combining this with the post of Assistant Organist at St Paul’s, Knightsbridge.
In 1993, Scott took up the post of Assistant Director of Music at St Edmundsbury Cathedral & then in 1999 moved to Ely Cathedral as assistant to Paul Trepte. Whilst here, he undertook tours radio broadcasts and recordings with the choir alongside concert platform performances with the Britten Sinfonia & as Musical Director of Ely Choral Society.
In 2002, the Cathedral Church of St Nicholas, Newcastle upon Tyne claimed Scott’s services as Organist & Master of the Music. It was here that Scott formed a strong relationship with Regent Records, releasing three discs with the Cathedral Choir & a solo organ disc, Vol VIII in Regent’s The English Cathedral Series to critical acclaim (“Nimble playing from Scott Farrell” BBC Radio 3 Record Review). Scott built the reputation of the choir such that they were invited back to the Radio 3 Choral Evensong schedule as well as to perform regularly with the Royal Northern Sinfonia alongside guest appearances with the Mediaeval Baebes & Fine Arts Brass.
In 2008 a new chapter opened as Scott moved to Rochester, the second most ancient Cathedral in England, founded in 604 AD, where he was responsible for all music in the Cathedral until 2018. Under Scott’s leadership, the choir were regular broadcasters on BBC Radio 2, 3 & 4, as well as Classic FM & appearances on television.
The choir released five discs, including three for Regent Records, including Sing Alleluia, Christmas from Rochester and A Year at Rochester, as well as The Rochester Mass with the James Taylor Quartet; a true crossover between the worlds of cathedral music & acid jazz.
Under his direction, the choir toured widely including participating in the Victoria International Arts Festival in Malta three times. They were also invited to the Internationale Chorbiennale, Aachen, Germany to sing in performances of Britten’s War Requiem and enjoyed three Christmas tours to Germany & Holland.
Recent concerts saw the choir join forces with English Touring Opera, London Concertante, The King’s Singers, The Sixteen and, most unusually, the James Taylor Quartet in the Queen Elizabeth Hall & Ronnie Scott’s, the world-famous Jazz Club.
As a solo organist, Scott has recorded discs on the organs at St Edmundsbury, Ely, Newcastle and Rochester. Solo recitals have taken Scott to Sweden, Malta and also Westminster Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Temple Church, and the Cathedrals of Liverpool, Canterbury, Chichester and St. Paul’s amongst others.
In October 2017, Scott was awarded an Associateship of the Royal School of Church Music in acknowledgement of his work in cathedral music as well as for the RSCM.
19th August, 1988 at 5 pm – Evensong in St. Paul”s Cathedral
At the organ was 17 year old Scott Farrell who has now played in Westminster Abbey, York Minster and St. Paul’s, with Canterbury to follow in October.
27th October in the Cathedral Church of Christ, Canterbury.
The organist was Scott Farrell of the sixth form who excelled himself and after service played a voluntary that suggested he was reluctant to leave such a splendid instrument.
Scott Farrell.A.R.C.O. (1982-89) who, under Adrian Boynton’s training and direction, has played on the organs of all the cathedrals the choir has visited, has gained an organ scholarship for a Bachelor of Music course at The Royal Holloway and Bedford New College in Egham. Surrey.
Ave verum Mozart Prelude and Fugue in G Major J S Bach Missa brevis Pancti Joannis Haydn Introduction and Passacaglia Regcr Mass in G Major Schubert
by the choir of Dover Grammar School for Boys with Scott Farrell, Old Pharosian, at the organ: and with Treble, Tenor and Bass soloists from Canterbury Cathedral, most memorably the treble voice of Benjamin Warn, aged 13.
This concert took place in the lovely Norman church at St Margaret’s at Cliffe on 17th July at 8 pm Conductor: Richard Davies the school’s master of music.
Scott Farrell showed his expertise on the quite excellent organ at St Margaret’s.
Choristers from Dover were among those who attended the wedding at Milton Keynes of Adrian Boynton, former Director of Music at our school. Adrian married Jillian Britton at the Milton Keynes City Church of Christ the Cornerstone, where he is in charge of the music, and she is a member of the choir. Members of the Dover Chamber Choir, representatives from the Dover Operatic and Dramatic Society and some of the local soloists went to the wedding.
Adrian composed much of the music for the ceremony, including the introit as the bride arrived, an anthem and a choral piece, and he conducted some of the music. Also taking his turn at conducting was SCOTT FARRELL (1982-89) who is now assistant director of music at Ely Cathedral.
MR. STEPHEN MADGE is a MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT from SEVENOAKS KENT. This person was born in March 1957, which was over 62 years ago. MR. STEPHEN MADGE is BRITISH and resident in ENGLAND. This company officer is, or was, associated with at least 2 company roles.
Their most recent appointment, in our records, was to ENGAGING WITH BUSINESS LIMITED on 2013-08-19.
Former Cripps learning and development manager jailed for historic indecent assaults against teenage boy
Law firm ‘horrified’ to learn about Stephen Madge’s conviction
A former learning and development manager at recently-merged Cripps Pemberton Greenish (CPG) has been sentenced this week after being found guilty of six counts of indecent assault against a teenage boy.
Stephen Madge, who worked for CPG as an external consultant from January 2016 until April 2019, was sentenced yesterday at Maidstone Crown Court to six years in prison, with an extended licence period of a further year.
As reported by Kent Online, the allegations, first made to the Kent Police in November 2014, concerned abuse by Madge of a teenage boy while involved in a charity project during the 1990s.
Following the allegations, Madge — who according to his LinkedIn page (seemingly now deactivated, though Legal Cheek has retained screenshots) has worked for Holman Fenwick Willan (now HFW), Squire Sanders (now Squire Patton Boggs) and RPC — was arrested in May 2015 at his home in Sevenoaks and was charged with six counts of indecent assault. He was subsequently found guilty on all counts.
In addition to the sentence of six years in prison, Madge, aged 62, has been made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order and has been added to the sex offenders register, both for indefinite terms.
Responding to the news, Gavin Tyler, managing partner at CPG, told Legal Cheek:
“We were horrified to learn about Stephen Madge’s conviction, and his sentencing [yesterday], for such shocking offences. Our knowledge of Mr Madge was in his capacity as a respected legal education and training specialist, used by many law firms besides ourselves. He worked for us as an external consultant from January 2016 to April 2019. We did not know about his offending, the charge and his conviction until after his contract ended.”
Stephen Madge (attended Dover Grammar 1968-76)
1979
At Oxford on 2 February K. H. R. met David Sheasby (Geography), Andrew Sims (Geology), Marcus Longley (History) and Stephen Madge (Geography). Stephen is training a choir at Oriel and achieving very high standards.
Stephen Madge (1968-76) is moving in September to St. Martin’s School, Northwood as Director of Music. He will also teach geography throughout the school.
under the direction of Stephen Madge asisted by Julian Poore and Jeremy Banks on trumpet.
1985:
Stephen Madge is Director of Music at St. Martin’s School, Northwood. Over a hundred boys are learning to play instruments and the choir has sung Evensong in Norwich Cathedral.
Head of St Martin’s School, Northwood, avoids Jail for Sexual Abuse
April 5 2016
John Mash, former headmaster of St Martin’s Preparatory School in Northwood, has avoided imprisonment despite admitting 7 counts of indecent assault on boys under 14.
The 79 year old was appointed headmaster of the boarding school in or around 1980. He used his position to sexually abuse young boys in his care. Mash would enter the dormitories at night and sexually abuse the young boys whilst they were in their beds. The headmaster preyed upon young boys who had been sent to the boarding school by their parents for an enriching education. Instead, they were abused by Mash for his own desire.
Mash received a sentence of 2 years imprisonment suspended for 2 years and a 2 year supervision order. He was also sentenced to 1 year in prison, suspended for 2 years, at Isleworth Crown Court on 1 April 2016. He is also required to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register for 10 years.
The police commended the 4 survivors for their courage in coming forward. The school had over 200 pupils at the time that Mash worked there. It has been commented upon that Mash may have abused more than the 4 individuals who have bravely spoken out against him.
Barrister misled court to block abuse trial, claims Tory MP
Cheryl Gillan alleges QC failed to disclose evidence to judge, blocking prosecution
22 May 2019
A former cabinet minister has accused a barrister of deceiving a court to successfully block the prosecution of a headmaster who had been accused of sexually abusing five boys.
In a debate in the House of Commons on Wednesday, the Conservative MP Cheryl Gillan alleged that the QC, Andrew Bright, “gravely” misled the court while he was representing the headmaster.
Gillan alleged that the QC failed to disclose evidence to a judge who ruled that the headmaster, Peter Wright, would not be prosecuted for the offences.
The MP alleged that had this “hidden” evidence been disclosed, it would probably have undermined the attempt to have prosecution blocked.
A decade later, Wright was convicted in a related case of abusing five other boys while he was headmaster of Caldicott prep school in Buckinghamshire and jailed for eight years.
The allegation against Bright was made by Gillan in parliament, which means she is protected from being sued.
Bright now sits as a judge at St Albans. A spokesman for the judiciary said: “The Solicitors Regulation Authority conducted an independent investigation and rejected the complaint that the court had been misled. It maintained that conclusion after a review.”
Gillan, the MP for Chesham and Amersham, also alleged that a series of authorities – including the attorney general’s department, the crown prosecution service and legal regulators – did nothing to correct the failure to disclose the evidence.
The MP, who was secretary of state for Wales in David Cameron’s government, highlighted the case of Wright, who was the headmaster of Caldicott between 1968 and 1993.
He and three other members of staff have been convicted of sexually abusing boys at the fee-paying school in the 1960s and 1970s.
In 2003, prosecutors prepared to bring Wright to court on 16 charges of sexually abusing boys at the school between 1964 and 1970 while he was a teacher and then headmaster.
Before the case came to trial, lawyers for Wright, then 73, submitted an application to block the prosecution on the grounds that he would not get a fair trial as the allegations were three decades old. In legal terms, this is called a stay of indictment.
On Wednesday, Gillan alleged that Wright’s lawyers misled the judge at Aylesbury crown court, Roger Connor, by failing to disclose relevant information.
“The information could have meant that Connor could probably have considered the stay of indictment not at all justified,” she claimed.
She alleged that Wright’s lawyers had corresponded with the school about obtaining lists of former boys who could be called as witnesses for him. She alleged that his lawyers had “acted improperly” when they told the judge that these lists could not be obtained from the school.
Jonathan Fletcher is brother of David Fletcher, head of Iwerne camps and Titus Trust Trustee. JF was a frequent visitor at Iwerne, along with @justinwelby
Pupils at Caldicott School, Farnham Royal, Buckinghamshire suffered child sexual abuse over a number of years and a number of abusers. It is now a charity [4], as are many “public” schools. It is not known what the status of the school was when child sexual abuse offences were being committed by its teachers and covered up by the school.
Known abusers so far were
Peter Roland Wright, former Caldicott pupil [23], was finally charged and convicted in 2014. Previous attempts to indict him failed in 2003 due a Judge deciding it was too great a the length of time since offences and the defendants health. A stay on that indictment meant he only faced charges from new victims who came forward. He was sentenced to 8 years. He was tried with offences from 1964-1970 [3]. Victims were mainly 11-13 years old [3]. He was at the school from 1952 -1993, the last 25 years as Headmaster. Wright, and when Headmaster covered up Marton Carsons abuse [1] See also Court Appeal Roland Peter Wright 5 August 2014 Court of Appeal[3] Peter Wright still lived at a cottage overlooking the school after he retired, before his recent vacation in prison.
Peter Roland Wright – Serial Child Abuser
Hugh Edward Henry admitted 13 counts [3] including two counts of incitement to gross indecency and eleven counts of indecent assault [9][12]. He is thought to have been at Caldicott between 1958-1963 and offences on one boy were from 1962-63 [12]. He committed some of his offences at his bedsit and on a school skiing trip with Peter Wright. He was also charged with offences at Gayhurst School, Gerrards Cross. Little else is known of his offending, where else he worked and any other possible offences. He killed himself by walking in front of a train before sentencing. [12]
John Addrison, another former Caldicott pupil [34], was charged in 2012 with offences at Caldicott between Jan and July 1978 and at Moor Park School, Ludlow between 1985 and 1988 and sentenced to roughly 5 years. It is also not clear what he did straight after leaving Caldicott; when he started at Moor Park school or what he did after being dismissed from Moor Park School in 1988, although he was teaching in 2010 [2]. It is not known if he committed further offences after 1988. Also see Government UK National College for Teaching and Leadership Mr John Addrison: Professional Conduct Panel outcome Panel decision and reasons on behalf of the Secretary of State for Education [2] pdf download, and reproduced in Appendix 1 below
Martin Carson, a science teacher, was found to be committing child sexual abuse offences at Caldicot in 1973, but it was covered up by the school and he received just a 5 year ban from teaching [6]. Carson was charged with two charges of buggery, eight charges of indecent assault and one count of possessing indecent photographs. He pleaded guilty in 2003 and was sentenced to just 2 years in prison. Details are lacking of offences, when employed at Caldicott. Carson resumed his career in 1980 at prep school in Eastbourne where he was appointed Head of Pastoral care [38] and he taught at Harrodian School, Bath, at the time of the video Chosen in 2008. It is not known if the committed further offences at these school or elsewhere [6].
David Keith Geddes, another teacher, was acquitted of offences between 1975-77 after a retrial [14][28]
George Hill Peter Wrights deputy in the 1970s killed himself which probably saved him from facing charges [33]
There is a good summary of legal outcomes on the Mandate Now website [28]The Caldicott Trials and Outcomes [28] where there is also a video interview of Tom Perry with Jon Snow.
the boarding school that British politician Nick Clegg attended as a child; Caldicott School
Quote:
Caldicott Preparatory School became a charitable trust in 1968 under the Headmaster at the time Peter Wright.
Today there are around 250 boys. The present headmaster, Simon Doggart, was appointed in 1998; he came from Eton College where he taught history and was master-in-charge of cricket. He is a member of IAPS and the school’s governors include past parents, old boys and headmasters of public schools.
According to the school’s website, many pupils at Caldicott subsequently “win” places at major independent schools, such as Eton College, Harrow School, Winchester College, Marlborough College, Wellington College, Haileybury College and Radley College.
On 30 September 2008 the school was the subject of a feature documentary, Chosen, transmitted on More4 as part of the “True Stories” strand, about the sexual abuse that went on at the school during the late 1960s and early 1970s.[2] The headmaster Peter Wright was active in this, as well as a number of other teachers, targeting boys good at sports and, to a lesser extent, in the choir. In The Guardian published on the same day, a former parent alleged that Lord Justice Scott Baker former Chairman of the Board of Governors, and Simon Doggart the current headmaster, mishandled a case of alleged sexual abuse of their son by a teacher in the early 2000s.[3] Martin Carson was dismissed for sexual abuse of a pupil in 1972, and went on to teach at the Harrodian School. He was subsequently prosecuted and found guilty of indecent assault and possessing indecent images of children in 2003.[4]link
Caldicott Summer Fete
The Headmaster, Simon Doggart finished off the fete with a very popular raffle.
Thank you to everyone for coming along and supporting the school fete. It was a great success and all the money raised by the boys will go to The Prince’s Trust.
Caldicott…under the current headmaster Simon Doggart, another incident of alleged child sexual abuse was reported in the late 2000s. The headmaster and the chairman of the board of governors, Lord Justice Scott Baker, suspended the teacher (who did not return) but failed to report the incident to the police or social services, contrary to the school’s written policy on this matter.
Another victim, Andy Morse, described how, to continue the beatings, Mr Smyth recruited boys from among victims to take over while he watched. These were often more brutal than Smyth’s attacks. Mr Morse named Simon Doggart as one of these substitutes. “The strokes he gave me were probably the equivalent of three of John’s. Simon was completely brainwashed. I think even then I sensed that it wasn’t my friend beating me: it was actually John Smyth beating me, using my friend to carry out his abuse.”
Another victim spoke of Doggart’s strokes as “far, far worse than Smyth. There was no discussion, no emotion, I recall, just a fit sportsman using all his force.”
The alleged beatings took place in a shed, equipped, Mr Morse said, with dressings to be applied after the beatings. “John Smyth had every single bandage, dressing, iodine, anything that had been invented, but even though he had all that equipment and, I would call it, paraphernalia, we were bleeding everywhere. Even with these dressings on, wearing these adult nappies, we bled all over his house. . .”.
The beatings stopped in 1982, when Mr Morse tried to take his own life.
One survivor who has come forward is the Bishop of Guildford, the Rt Revd Andrew Watson (News, 10 February), who described the beatings as “abuse perpetrated by a misguided, manipulative, and dangerous man.
Review to begin into alleged sexual abuse by late Bishop of Chester Victor Whitsey
22 May 2019
AN inquiry into reports of sexual abuse by a former Chester bishop will begin imminently – two years after it was first promised.
The Church of England has today (Wednesday, May 22) disclosed details of a ‘learning lessons case review’ into the actions of the late Hubert Victor Whitsey.
Cheshire Police began an investigation in 2016 after a church safeguarding adviser in Chester passed on details of alleged abuse by Whitsey.
A year later detectives revealed that they would have spoken to him in relation to 10 of the witness allegations if he had been alive.
Whitsey died in 1987.
The review will be carried out by His Honour Judge David Pearl, an independent reviewer commissioned by the Church’s National Safeguarding Team (NST).
Documents outlining its ‘terms of reference’, shared with this newspaper by the Diocese of Chester, reveal it intended to cover a timespan of alleged abuse from 1974 to 1982.
However, specialist abuse lawyer Richard Scorer, who represents nine of Whitsey’s alleged victims, said the abuse began earlier and he had requested to have the timeframe extended to 1966.
He told The Standard today: “I welcome the fact that the review has been announced. It is important that the reviewer leaves no stone unturned in investigating what was known within the church, by whom and at what point in time.
“These issues have to flushed out and the reviewer needs to be determined and forceful in his pursuit of answers to these questions.”
Mr Scorer had previously been critical of the way the Church and the Diocese of Chester had handled the Whitsey case, alleging a cover-up had taken place.
His suspicions were reaffirmed earlier this year when it emerged the Diocese had missed two opportunities to report paedophile Warrington vicar Charles Gordon Dickenson who was jailed in March.
A separate NST review is expected to begin shortly to investigate these failings and to determine whether the current bishop of Chester, Dr Peter Forster, was aware of any cover-up.
Mr Scorer, who works for Slater & Gordon, said at the time: “The church cannot be relied on to police itself – we urgently need all these instances of possible cover-up to be investigated independently, and until that happens victims will have no confidence that the church is serious about rooting out abuse.”
A Church spokesman has since apologised for the delay in starting the review into the Whitsey case.
He said: “We apologise for the length of time this has taken to sort and for any distress this may have caused survivors.
“A separate ‘lessons learnt review’ will be carried out into the case of the Revd Dickenson.”
The terms of reference for the Whitsey review state that a total of 19 people have come forward with allegations of abuse by the late bishop.
Outlining its remit, the document states: “This review (“the Review”) will allow those individuals who have indicated that they have sustained harm at the hands of Hubert Victor Whitsey or another Church body or officer to describe their experiences.
“The Review will identity both good practice and failings in the Church of England’s handling of the allegations relating to Hubert Victor Whitsey, including its safeguarding practice, in order that the Church of England can take steps to enhance and improve its response to allegations of abuse and, thereby, ensure a safer environment for all.”
It will focus on two questions: what the Church of England knew about alleged abuse perpetrated by Whitsey and what the Church of England’s response was to those allegations.
The reviewer will investigate whether any further abuse could have been prevented and will pledge to be “transparent and open” about information collected, the document states.
The news comes as the Church faces continued scrutiny over its safeguarding processes in the wake of the Dickenson case – first reported by The Standard and sister paper the Warrington Guardian – and the BBC Panorama investigations team which broadcast a programme on church-related abuse last month.
Gazette was correct about ex-mayor’s pro-paedophile past, top lawyer concludes
07 November 2018
A top barrister has confirmed former Islington councillor Sandy Marks’ past links to a pro-paedophile campaign group.
An independent review by Sarah Morgan QC, published on Wednesday, vindicates the Gazette’s revelations about Sandy Marks’ past links to radical campaign group Fallen Angels – whose publication 18 months ago triggered the lawyer’s probe.
It also confirms Ms Marks and then-colleagues at Islington would have been aware of allegations about the abuse of children in the care system before the horrific scandal emerged in 1992.
But it stops short of suggesting an inquiry into the abuse be re-opened, and asserts that Ms Marks’ involvement with campaign group Fallen Angels had “no impact” on her later oversight of children’s services.
Ms Morgan’s 127-page paper comes at the end of a review spanning eight months and involving thousands of pages of documents, as well as interviews with victims and survivors, with Ms Marks herself, and with the Gazette staff who originally worked on the story in May 2017.
It will make disappointing reading for the Islington Survivors Network (ISN), which is led by social worker Dr Liz Davies – the original whistleblower into physical and sexual abuse taking place across Islington’s children’s homes in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
The group hoped it would recommend the 1995 White Report into the scandal be reopened, as they believe it failed to uncover evidence of organised abuse rather than simply the poor management and negligence it did find.
In the report, Ms Morgan says Ms Marks’ work as chair of the social services committee, which covered children’s services, was likely not affected by her past involvement with Fallen Angels, a radical pro-paedophile activist group.
But she admits it doesn’t “sit easily” that “someone could be associated with an organisation so malign and yet, in the years following that association, it had no detectable impact on her conduct of a role in a public office which included the oversight of the welfare of children in care”.
Former Islington council leader Margaret Hodge said: ‘If Sandy Marks did hold those views, I was not aware of them.’
‘If Sandy Marks did hold those views, I was not aware of them’.
Social worker Dr Liz Davies, the original whistleblower on the scandal, tried to alert senior Islington officers and councillors – including then leader Mrs Hodge – to fears a paedophile sex ring was operating in the borough.
“Sandy Marks was at the centre of the council throughout this time,” said Dr Davies.
“This new information about her and our research about PIE and its widespread connections in Islington emphasise the importance of a police-led investigation, because many of those who held pro-paedophile views remain within professional systems and still have influence.”
No senior Islington councillors or officers were ever held accountable for the decades of abuse that went on in the council’s kids’ homes.
After 1995, Ms Marks’ career went from strength to strength.
She took up a role at the National Children’s Bureau and became mayor of Islington in 1996.
Today, she is a noted disabilities campaigner within the borough.
DRAFT AIM OF BURBIDGE & RIGHTON’S JOINT COUNCIL FOR GAY TEENAGERS, 25 NOVEMBER 1978
Burbidge kept Nettie Pollard (PIE member #70) in the loop on how he and (Peter) Righton were progressing with establishing the National Joint Council for Gay Teenagers. Copies of JCGT minutes in archive are addressed to Nettie in Burbidge’s handwriting.
During this period Burbidge was also active in lobbying for the legal defence of PIE by meeting with Dutch youth parliamentary people (as introduced by the British Youth Council), at Burbidge’s Department of Environment offices to discuss options to report back to CAPM.
A number of the invitees to the Council’s Gay Groups Meeting were of the same view as the Fallen Angels, the pro-paedophile rights groups Councillor Sandy Marks had been involved approximately 18 months before becoming elected – that paedophile rights to liberation such as the abolition of the age of consent – should be campaigned for within the mainstream gay rights movement.
CAPM’s third meeting was attended by (Lord Justice) Adrian Fulford, (Islington Chair of Social Services Committee) Sandy Marks, and two PIE members and NCCL Gay Rights Committee members Nettie Pollard and Tom O’Carroll. As Burbidge was already keeping Pollard appraised of how far progress was being made in pushing his pro-paedophile rights agenda in the gay youth movement, particularly in Islington, it is unsurprising he would document his attempts to network on behalf of CAPM.
Keith Veness recruited Sandy Marks to the Labour party in 1975 and is currently campaigning for her suspension to be lifted following Morgan QC’s Review determining Marks was more likely than not a Fallen Angel and involved with Conspiracy Against Public Morals, campaigning for PIE
Hailed as a PIE supporter by PIE chairman Steven Adrian Smith, Eric Presland, was invited to the meeting by Cllr Bob Crossman and met with Cllr Sandy Marks and Cllr Keith Veness. Veness, who was soon to become Jeremy Corbyn’s electoral agent for the next 9 or so years, has since defended Sandy Marks’ various denials of her involvement with Fallen Angels and following her suspension has demanded her reinstatement to Islington North Constituency Labour Party.
REVEALED: We Found Billionaire Pedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s Secret Charity
Through a shadowy private foundation, convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein has continued to shell out cash to celebrities, elite universities—and an all-girls school.
04.16.19
Billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein may have stopped trumpeting his million-dollar donations to charities in light of accusations he molested dozens of underage girls. But he continues to quietly distribute his wealth—including to the nonprofits of Deepak Chopra, Elton John and a doctor linked to President Trump—through a shadowy private foundation called “Gratitude America, Ltd.,” The Daily Beast has learned.
Gratitude America, Ltd. was launched in 2012 to back “organizations around the world that seek to celebrate the United States of America and the American Ideals,” the group stated in its application for tax-exempt status. Those ideals, the nonprofit added, include “liberty, equality, democracy, individualism, unity, and diversity.” At the time, Epstein was three years out of jail, but disturbing allegations from his alleged victims, including one who claimed Epstein kept her as a “sex slave” for his famous friends, continued to hound him.
Epstein apparently needed some favorable news to change the narrative and embarked on a public relations crusade that depicted him as a renowned “science philanthropist,” rather than a convicted sex offender.
Not to be confused with GratitudeAmerica, Inc., a Florida nonprofit for veterans, Epstein’s latest private foundation doesn’t appear to have a website or online presence. The only traces of the group lie in tax returns, a fundraising site for multiple sclerosis, and a book of abstracts from a 2017 academic conference in California.
In 2016 and 2017, Gratitude America Ltd. funded an all-girls school in Manhattan, a youth tennis program, cancer charities, Harvard’s famous theater troupe, posh New York arts societies at Lincoln Center and the Met, and a nonprofit linked to the wife of a former Harvard president who flew on Epstein’s private jet, dubbed the “Lolita Express” by the press.
Indeed, a review of tax returns reveals Epstein’s foundation donated at least $1.84 million to host of causes, including $15,000 to the Hewitt School, the elite private girls school on the Upper East Side; $30,000 to the O’Gorman Garden, a Harlem preschool; and $25,000 to the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Maryland.
Gratitude America’s biggest donations included a $375,000 payout to the International Peace Institute Inc., a New York think tank staffed by former United Nations officials and run by Norwegian diplomat Terje Rød-Larsen, and $225,000 to the Melanoma Research Alliance—both of which Epsteinboasted of supporting financially in years past.
As The Daily Beast previously reported, Epstein once cultivated a web presence that portrayed a multi-hyphenate superhero: an “armistice activist” with the peace institute; one of the largest funders of scientists around the world” who helped to curb ivory poaching; and an “education activist” who delivered the Virgin Islands its first Head Start program.
Yet the 66-year-old financier’s philanthropy has failed to repair his reputation.
In the early Aughts, Epstein was known to rub elbows with the likes of Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, Woody Allen and Kevin Spacey. His enigmatic rise from Dalton physics teacher to “international moneyman of mystery” who palled around with Prince Andrew and British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell was chronicled by the tabloids and New York magazine and Vanity Fair, which in 2003 reported, “Epstein is known about town as a man who loves women—lots of them, mostly young.”
“He’s reckless, and he’s gotten more so,” one former business associate told Vanity Fair of Epstein, who owns mansions in Palm Beach, Florida and Manhattan’s Upper East Side, along with a ranch in New Mexico. “Money does that to you. He’s breaking the oath he made to himself—that he would never do anything that would expose him in the media.”
Trump, too, once alluded to Epstein’s penchant for younger women. “I’ve known Jeff for fifteen years. Terrific guy,” Trump told New York in 2002. “He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it—Jeffrey enjoys his social life.”
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Mystery surrounds the sudden departure of Phillip Schofield’s former personal assistant and runner after he left This Morning for a rival ITV show.
10 Dec 2019
The male runner, who had a close working relationship with Schofe, quit the show earlier this year and is now working on Loose Women – frequently fronted by Ruth Langsford, who has reportedly lodged an official complaint against Phil.
And while ITV has said the runner was promoted, other staff are said to be confused about the move.
“It was odd because they were so close and then he up and went to Loose Women and they didn’t seem to be talking much anymore,” one insider told the Sun .
It comes as an actor who previously worked with Phil branded him a “t**t” on Twitter .
Former Emmerdale and Tracy Beaker star Connor Byrne blasted the host, tweeting: “I’ve seen a lot of the nonsense on here about Philip Schofield’s encounter with the duplicitous Bulsh*t Johnson this morning and, having worked with Mr Schofield I can categorically state cuddly Phil is a total t**t. So, it’s no surprise.
“Schofield only serves Schofield,” he added savagely.
Revealed: The frenzied 24 hours of planning at ITV before Phillip Schofield came out as gay on live TV
Philip Schofield might have been approached from a media organisation
His announcement at ITV on Friday morning might have been prompted by this
It is understood those present were asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement
9 February 2020
The Mail on Sunday has learned that Friday’s announcement followed a frenzied 24 hours for ITV, during which a carefully orchestrated plan was put in motion to ensure his coming out went without a hitch.
Rumours have circulated within the showbusiness world that the announcement may have been prompted by an approach to Schofield from a media organisation.
This was said to have led to discussions between the TV presenter, his representatives, ITV head of daytime Emma Gormley and This Morning editor Martin Frizell.
It is understood those present were asked to sign non-disclosure agreements to prevent damaging leaks.
On Thursday morning, Frizell, a workaholic, was notably absent from the daily ideas meeting he usually leads. Production executives began to suspect something was afoot and later overnight staff were told to cancel a number of guests booked to appear on the following morning’s programme, due to be presented by Friday hosts Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes.
She is said to have a particularly close relationship with the This Morning presenter and last year began working as his agent.
Schofield last night admitted he had known that he was gay ‘for a while’, but said it wasn’t something he had considered when he married wife Steph in 1993. In an interview with the Sun on Sunday, the This Morning host said: ‘I admit I was perhaps a bit naive. But when we got married it was a joyous time and it wasn’t a consideration in my head…
‘I was confused by what it was. I thought maybe I was bisexual. But over time I realised and started coming to terms with it. And I realised I had to be honest with myself.’
During his television revelation on Friday, Schofield, 57, paid tribute to his family, saying: ‘My family have held me close. They have tried to cheer me up, to smother me with kindness and love, despite their own confusion.’
He told the Sun on Sunday it was too early to say if he and his wife will remain married. ‘It has taken me a long time to get here. I am not rushing to get to any other place,’ he said.
He declined to say if he was in a relationship with a man, or had been in the past, adding: ‘Steph and I have agreed to keep our private life private
But it was when Frizell, husband of former GMTV host Fiona Phillips, arrived from his home in Wandsworth, South-West London, earlier than normal at 6.45am on Friday and looking tired that This Morning’s behind-the-scenes team guessed they were in for a different kind of day. It is understood Frizell had toiled until the early hours ensuring that Schofield’s Instagram and Twitter posts announcing his coming out – issued to coincide with his televised revelation – were word perfect. He also worked on the interview with Schofield that co-presenter Holly Willoughby was preparing to conduct, post announcement.
The only other party who knew of the plans except Schofield’s family was the £30,000-per-month crisis management firm Phil Hall Associates who he instructed to work on his behalf three months ago when allegations of bullying by Schofield – which he angrily denied – began to circulate.
Frizell’s next job was to call Langsford and Holmes, who according to close friends were expecting their once-a-week presenting slot to be no different from any other. They were let into the ‘circle of trust’ just after 7am via their mobiles as they travelled to work.
An hour and a half later, staff were said to be ‘stunned’ when Willoughby and Schofield unexpectedly arrived in the studios.
Schofield went on to make his announcement, and then the two This Morning pairings embraced on camera.
For the first time in a career that has spanned more than three decades, golden boy of television Schofield has in recent months seen his name tarnished by accusations of being difficult to work with.
There were rumours of a fall-out with Willoughby, while Ms Langsford reportedly made an official complaint against him. ITV denied all claims.
Tomorrow though, ITV staff are expecting a ratings boost when Schofield and Willoughby return to their presenting duties.
Phillip Schofield surprises charity with £20,000 donation
A HENLEY charity has received a surprise £20,000 donation thanks to Chris Evans and Phillip Schofield.
The Chiltern Centre, which offers support to young adults with learning or physical disabilities, only learned about the money when the donation was made on live television.
Schofield, who lives in Fawley, was interviewing Evans on ITV’s This Morning show about Carfest, an annual family music and motoring festival that was founded by the radio presenter in 2011 and raises funds for children’s charities.
Evans revealed he had two cheques for £20,000 each from the funds raised at the event, which he was giving to Schofield and his co-presenter Holly Willoughy to donate to the charities of their choice.
Schofield chose the Chiltern Centre, of which he has been patron since 2009. Later, he posted on Instagram, where he has 2.6 million followers, said: “Thank you, Chris Evans and Carfest, for the £20,000 you have so generously donated to the Chiltern Centre.
Carfest, which is held in Cheshire and Hampshire, gave half of the money it raised this year, to the BBC’s Children in Need appeal, while the other beneficiaries included the Teenage Cancer Trust, the Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity and the Starlight Children’s Foundation.
Willoughby chose to donate her £20,000 to Short Lives, a children’s charity of which she has been patron since 2008.
Phillip Schofield’s daughter Ruby Schofield: charity work
Ruby Schofield has also been involved in charity work over the years, raising £15,000 for Teenage Cancer Trustas well as volunteering at The Chiltern Centre – a charity for disabled children
Not much chance of avoiding his fans last week, when Phillip Schofield took a short holiday on Cunard’s newest cruise ship, Queen Elizabeth (above),which was making its maiden round-Britain voyage.
Back on our TV screens last week after a summer break, he was soon off again, travelling to Liverpool to board the ship, sailing to Dublin for a taste of the black stuff and then on to Cork where he disembarked to fly home.
While on board, he shaved and put on a smart jacket and crisp white shirt to be shown around the bridge by Captain Chris Wells (below).
^ So Phillip Schofield was also on the maiden cruise in 2011, as was Savile
Savile following on 4 people on twitter – Phillip Schofield, Russell Brand, Jonathan Ross, Chris Moyles
Savile sailed with Cunard on a number of occasions. Notably, he travelled onboard the Queen Elizabeth on its first voyage around Britain in September 2011, the month before he died, and attended the ceremony when the Queen named the ship in 2010.
In January 2011, when plans were made for the memorial tribute, a Cunard spokeswoman described Savile as “a true friend of Cunard,” according to the BBC.
Savile enjoyed complimentary cruises onboard both Cunard and P&O Cruises for many years. It has been claimed he was kicked off P&O’s Canberra in Gibraltar by the captain who heard claims he abused a 14-year-old girl, according to a report in the Mirror.
Hiding in plain sight: Well, for a start there was Paul Trotter who slipped through Cunard’s oh so strict vetting procedure to become a pianist and youth counsellor, supervising kids in the on-board children’s PlayZone. But there were more …
Simon Schofield – friend and business partner of Phillip Schofield
SHOOTING STAR CHASE CHARITY
Phil Schofield – Shooting Star charity Patron
A wealth of celebrities including Dragon’s Den Peter Jones CBE, Declan Donnelly and Jonathan Wilkes came together to support our Patron Phillip Schofield as he hosted the annual Clay Pigeon Shoot at the exclusive Royal Berkshire Shooting School, raising £137,000 for Shooting Star Children’s Hospices and the Peter Jones Foundation.
Phillip Schofield, who has been a patron of Shooting Star Children’s Hospices for over 16 years, hosted the event with his wife Stephanie, welcoming guests to the Royal Berkshire Shooting School, one of the UK’s premier shooting schools.
Sir Cliff Richard performed the ‘Topping Out’ ceremony at Shooting Star House in 2004. Recently Sir Cliff performed a rendition of his hit ‘Summer Holiday’ at our Hampton Hospice, with a sing-a-long for the children, parents and grandparents.
Simon Cowell was appointed Vice-President in May 2015 and has been supporting the charity since 2003. Simon makes regular visits to both hospices and enjoys time chatting with the children and young people. Every year, Simon kindly hosts a special Afternoon Tea to raise funds for the charity and welcome supported families, whilst encouraging a number of high-profile celebrities to join him in making it a very special day. Simon also hosts a special day at the X Factor rehearsals where children from both hospices are able to spend the day at the studios, chatting to Simon, who introduces them to his fellow Judges.
Simon together with his partner Lauren Silverman (Patron of Shooting Star Children’s Hospices) also attends the annual Shooting Star Children’s Hospices Ball, where he has helped create some amazing auction prizes to raise much needed funds. In 2013 the staff at Shooting Star House gave Simon a surprise with our very own Britain’s Got Talent, with Simon as a judge. The red buzzer was very busy that day! Simon’s company Syco Entertainment, together with Sony Music chose Shooting Star Children’s Hospices as their Charity of the Year for 2015.
Shooting Star Chase supports children with life-limiting conditions and the X Factor USA judge has been a devoted supporter for nine years drafting in celebrity support from the likes of JLS,Phillip Schofield and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York.
Simon recently hosted a fundraising event for the charity at the Dorchester hotel in London, and was joined by stars including Peter Andre, Jahmene Douglas and JLS.
Peter, who recently lost his brother Michael to cancer, said, “I know we’ve been through it, but you look around at children going through similar things and as a dad I think ‘Now that’s tough.'”
Sarah, Duchess of Yorkspent time cuddling three year old leukaemia patient Alfie. “I love what Shooting Star does for people,” she said. “I’d do anything for children like Alfie to have a chance of a moment of respite from their pain.”
Famous faces including the Duchess of York, Peter Andre and JLS members met families with children not expected to reach their 19th birthday.
Mar 28, 2013
The stars were just some of those who attended an Easter afternoon tea at the Dorchester hosted by Hampton hospice charity Shooting Star Chase.
Families were welcomed by a giant Easter chick and bunny and enjoyed meeting the celebrities at the fundraising event, where an auction and other activities raised £65,000
Joan Collins ‘shut down’ by Piers Morgan after asking questions about Phillip Schofield
‘Everyone who knew him knew he was gay’
10 FEB 2020
Joan Collins appeared to be shut down by Piers Morgan during a Good Morning Britain chat about Phillip Schofield.
The actress said it was ‘odd’ that people have to make such a ‘big statement’ about their sexuality when the ITV host diverted the chat elsewhere.
The pair made up the GMB Oscars special panel along with co-host Susanna Reid and guests Kelly and Sharon Osbourne, and showbiz blogger Perez Hilton.
But it was Phillip’s revelations from Friday that dominated the chat.
Joan replied: “That’s what I thought when I saw it. I thought, why does he have to do that? It seems like he was living a fine life. Everyone who knew him knew he was gay. Why does he want to tell anybody and confess, as it were?
“We take for granted these days that people are gay, lesbian or trans, or whatever. It seems a little odd to make a big pronounced statement…”
Kelly then butted in with her opinion.
Piers then lamented about how much he likes Phil before closing the conversation and trying to cut to the link up with Lorraine – which didn’t end up happening as their sister programme wasn’t ready.
Simon Cowell and Max Clifford support Shooting Star Chase
05 March 2012
Plus Annie Lennox, Cherie Lunghi, Emmanuel Petit, Alistair McGowan, Jessica Hynes, Simon Webbe, David Hasselhoff, Chris Evans and Tim Minchin
The pop mogul Simon Cowell and the PR expert Max Clifford hosted a Valentine’s Day tea party at the Dorchester Hotel in London for families supported by the Surrey children’s hospice charity Shooting Star Chase. Clifford, a patron of the charity, and Cowell are pictured with Sian, 16, who is supported by the charity. Cowell said: “I’ve got to know many of the children there. For example, Sian will often text just to tell me what a great day she’s had at Chase.”
– The singer Annie Lennox and the actor Cherie Lunghi are supporting a march across London’s Millennium Bridge as part of the world’s largest women’s rights campaign. The series of marches across bridges in places such as Canada and South Sudan on 8 March, which is International Women’s Day, are organised by Women for Women, an international charity for female survivors of war.
– The former footballer Emmanuel Petit has become a global ambassador for the Homeless World Cup. Petit, who played for Arsenal, Barcelona and Chelsea, and scored a goal in the 1998 World Cup final, said: “I believe that sport and football are very important for human beings, and that is why I decided to be an ambassador.” This year’s event, organised by the charity the Homeless World Cup Foundation, will be in Mexico City in October.
– The comedian Alistair McGowan, the actor Jessica Hynes and Simon Webbe from the boyband Blue will feature in a series of YouTube films that encourage people to use fairly traded products during Fairtrade Fortnight. In the videos for the Fairtrade Foundation‘s Take a Step for Fairtrade campaign, the celebrities break into a frenzied dance – the ‘Fairtrade step’ – every time they see the Fairtrade logo.
– The Baywatch star David Hasselhoff met abandoned puppy Dexter on a visit to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home. A dog owner, Hasselhoff visited the charity after filming a TV programme at studios nearby.
– Red-headed celebrities, including the TV presenter Chris Evans and the comedian Tim Minchin, are backing an auction to raise money for the Sumatran Orangutan Society, which is trying to prevent the ginger-furred ape from becoming extinct. The auction launched on eBay on 1 March.
Charities sever ties with Max Clifford after guilty verdict
29 Apr 2014
Shooting Star Chase and the Woking and Sam Beare Hospices have said that Max Clifford will no longer be acting as a patron for them after a jury found him guilty of eight charges of indecent assault.
He had been a patron of Shooting Star Chase since 2011 and prior to this was a supporter of the Chase hospice before it merged with Shooting Star.
The charity said none of its patrons have unsupervised access to children or young people at its hospices.
Sister Frances Dominica is the President of FACT (Falsely Accused Carers, Teachers and other professionals).
Hours after their six-year-old son Ivan died on Wednesday morning, David and Samantha Cameron asked well-wishers not to send them flowers. Instead, the couple said, donations should be sent to one of the many institutions which had helped Ivan, who suffered from a combination of severe epilepsy and cerebral palsy known as Ohtahara syndrome, throughout his brief and difficult life.
If it were possible for good to emerge from the death of their eldest child, the Camerons felt, it would be that these care centres, which have been pillars of hope in the lives of thousands of parents, received the recognition they deserve.
Among them are two hospices linked by an unlikely meeting 14 years ago. Sister Frances Dominica, the British nurse who in 1982 opened the world’s first children’s hospice, Helen House, in Oxfordshire, was invited for coffee by Kathryn Turner, a 55-year-old administrator working at the React children’s charity.
Inspired by Helen House, and galvanised by her meeting with Sister Frances, Ms Turner set about trying to create a similar institution in Hampton, Middlesex. It took her 10 years to raise the funds – £3m – with donations ranging from 10p to £100,000.
Eventually, in 2005, the Shooting Star Children’s Hospice was founded. At the time it was one of only eight such hospices in the world; today, it is an international standard-bearer. The Camerons, who spend weekends in the Tory leader’s constituency of Witney, in Oxfordshire, used Helen House extensively when away from London. But during the week, they relied even more heavily on the outreach services – meaning nursing visits to the family home in Kensington – provided by Shooting Star.
Open 365 days a year, the hospice offers several types of service, entirely free of charge, to parents of children with disabilities. Aside from outreach staff and day care, it provides “end of life care” to support parents in the final stages of children’s lives.
As well as family rooms, children’s bedrooms and therapy rooms designed to provide relaxation, Shooting Star has an arts and crafts room, a sensory room with soft furnishings and music, outdoor play areas and a peaceful garden for grieving parents. Its hydrotherapy pool and spa is hugely popular because it gives children freedom they otherwise don’t have.
“David and Samantha would have outreach nurses visit them quite regularly,” said Dalton Leong, a former Barclay’s banker who now works full-time as chief executive at Shooting Star. He added: “They also came to us regularly on our short break scheme, where they would drop Ivan and his brother and sister off with us while they recharge their batteries. Sometimes this would be for a few hours; at other times it would be for a few days.”
Mr Cameron has said repeatedly that his political outlook has been conditioned hugely by his experience of hospices, which he as Prime Minister would seek to give greater prominence. With growing demand – the paucity of such facilities means they are hugely over-subscribed – comes growing needs too. The centre, which receives only 8 per cent of its funding from the Department of Health, costs £8,000 per day to run. Its annual fundraising target rose last year, from £2.5m to £3m. With a third of its funding coming from local community donations, Britain’s recession is going to make hitting that target difficult this year.
Campaigning from some well-known patrons has helped. These include Sir Cliff Richard, Sir Trevor McDonald, Joan Collins, Richard E Grant, Vince Cable and Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, the last of whom donated £500,000 he earned from a Valentine’s Day edition of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? But few people realise the fragility of these centres’ finances, the Spandau Ballet singer Tony Hadley told The Independent yesterday. Hadley has played in several fundraising concerts free of charge for the hospice.
THE adopted son of the founder of Helen House hospice imprisoned a former nun in his car before punching her in the face.
Kojo Ritchie, who was adopted as a baby in Ghana by Sister Frances Dominica, was jailed for two-a-half-years at Oxford Crown Court yesterday.
The 25-year-old has 38 previous convictions for offences including headbutting his ex-partner, stabbing someone in the leg and causing grievous bodily harm to his adoptive mother, who set up Helen and Douglas House hospices in East Oxford.
Yesterday the court heard Ritchie forced his ‘auntie’, former nun and family friend Caryn Hughes, into his car and drove her around the Oxford bypass against her will before punching her in the face, making her nose bleed heavily.
Judge Tom Corrie told him: “You were adopted when you were about one by your adoptive mother who has stood by you ever since.
Prosecutor Matthew Walsh said there had been “previous incidents of violence” from Ritchie, of St Mary’s Road, East Oxford, towards Miss Hughes and that he once showed her what she thought was a gun.
During the incident on June 5 Ritchie became aggressive towards Miss Hughes and smashed the glass panel of a door at her house before taking a bag, containing knives, from his garage….
Mr Walsh said Ritchie then hit the former nun, who was wearing spectacles, in the face, but immediately apologised and later took her to hospital where she needed stitches.
John Reilly, defending, said his client was a devoted father-of-two and the incident lasted only 20 to 30 minutes.
Trust Moves Closer To Its Children’s Hospice Dream
The formal transfer of the land took place at York House in Twickenham during a fundraising concert in aid of the trust.
Richmond’s deputy mayor, Councillor Tony Mollett, presided over the formal purchase of the site on The Avenue in Hampton.
The trust is in the process of raising £6.5 million to build and equip the first hospice for terminally ill children in south west London.
Chairman Edward Bentall, who recently took over at the helm of the charity, said he was looking forward to seeing the dream of opening the hospice become a reality.
PRINCESS ALEXANDRA was celebrating her cousin’s jubilee in Ham on Friday when she opened the fundraising flower festival at a local church.
The festival at St Andrew’s Church, in aid of the Shooting Star Trust’s Children’s Hospice Appeal, was officially opened by Princess Alexandra and attended by Shooting Star founder Katie Turner and Edward Bentall of Bentall’s Kingston. The church was filled with dramatic flower arrangements to celebrate the 50-year reign of the Queen and the festival continued for four days.
On Saturday the church hosted a special jubilee concert with music from St Andrew’s choir, Grey Court School Big Band and Gospel Choir and Meadlands Community Choir. There were also solo performances and dramatic readings.
Children were invited to create a Hand Print picture to present to the Queen on Monday followed by a picnic lunch. In the afternoon they enjoyed a puppet show from puppeteer Stephen Novy followed by jubilee cakes and tea provided by Greggs of Twickenham.
The bakers also donated jam doughnuts for the children involved in the Hand Painted picture and are involved with the Shooting Star Trust as part of a three years scheme donating £10,000 as part of their commitment to local charities.
Kate Turner, Shooting Star Children Hospice founder
A SPORTSCAR driving granny with a passion for rugby players was not quite what I expected when I went to meet the inspiration behind one of the borough’s most well-known charities.
Kate Turner has been the driving force behind the Shooting Star Trust for the past nine years and her dream of opening a children’s hospice in Hampton will be realised this summer.
The Shooting Star Trust was born after Kate became aware of Sister Frances Dominica (who was accused of child abuse) , who started the first children’s hospice. She was caring for her aunt at the time and worked out that she could afford to be out of work for 18 months. She explained: “I thought I would research the need for a children’s hospice in the area and within three weeks the need was obvious. I got together a group of friends and asked them if they would become trustees and by July 1995 we had achieved charitable status. It started from my bedroom.”
Kate says the Hampton Fuel Allotments Charity have been a particular help by giving an interest free loan, which allowed them to buy the land and the property in Hampton Hill where their offices are now based. “The fact that we own these offices saves us £20,000 in what it would cost to rent.
Kate’s modesty shines through when she describes receiving the Paul Harris Fellowship, an award from the Rotary Club for people who make an outstanding contribution to society. “I was highly embarrassed. I went to a dinner with Edward Bentall
The trust will be in the safe hands of Dalton Leong, who has been involved since its inception, when Kate steps down.
Kate is taking part in the Flora light marathon next month. To sponsor her, see
Sister Frances Dominica has “wholly” denied claims that two women were abused between 1980 and 2000. After a police investigation, no charges were brought by the Crown Prosecution Service, owing to “insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction”. The allegations do not involve the Hospice at all.
Camilla charity clashes with nun cleared (not true – there was insufficient evidence) of sexual abuse
March 25 2019,
Sister Frances founded Helen House in 1982 but was excluded from it in 2013
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A children’s charity with links to the Duchess of Cornwall is engulfed in a row after the nun who founded it was barred from working there by a former boss of Scotland Yard.
Sister Frances Dominica has accused Lord Blair of Boughton, who is now chairman of trustees of Helen House in Oxford, of refusing to discuss her return five years after she was cleared of sex abuse allegations.
Controversy over the ban threatens to embarrass the duchess, who is a supporter of the charity and met the former Metropolitan Police commissioner at Clarence House last month.
Sister Frances was excluded from Helen House, the world’s first children’s hospice, in 2013 after two women made allegations of historical sexual abuse. Prosecutors ruled in 2014 that there was insufficient evidence to bring charges.
Financial difficulties at the charity resulted in Lord Blair announcing the closure of the Douglas House hospice for young adults last year.
Sister Frances said that she had asked to speak with Lord Blair, the head of Scotland Yard until 2008, but claims he has refused to meet her. “I have not had a response. Through someone else I have been told he is not prepared to speak with me.”
Supporters of the nun have suggested a link between financial difficulties at the charity, known as Helen & Douglas House, and public concern and confusion over Sister Frances’s ban. The charity raised £6.23 million in the year before her ban was made public. The most recent accounts show it received £3.46 million.
Sister Frances, 76, who is president of a charity called Falsely Accused Carers, Teachers and other professionals, founded Helen House in 1982 and it has inspired similar hospices around the world. She remains a trustee of React, a London charity that helps children with potentially terminal illness. When React checked, the regulator said that it had not required her to stop working with Helen House. She is also a trustee of The Porch charity which works with the homeless in Oxford.
The Duchess of Cornwall became patron of the hospice in 2007. Children from Helen House are invited to Clarence House each year to help her decorate the Christmas tree.
Lord Blair said: “The trustees of Helen and Douglas House yield to no one in our admiration for Sister Frances.” But her readmission as a trustee would “not be compliant with a risk assessment” and overriding the findings of the official review would be “extremely difficult to justify”.
Lord Blair said that React did not deal with children directly and pointed out that the Care Quality Commission, as a regulator, could not require charities to do anything. There was “no significance” to a suggestion that the hospice’s financial dilemma coincided with Sister Frances’s resignation, adding: “Our expenditure has now fallen and our income is rising.”
Howeson claimed the trial was “unfair”, but in a two-hour hearing at the Court of Appeal, three judges upheld the verdicts.
“We are left with no real doubt that the verdicts are safe,” said Lord Justice Hickinbottom.
“On the evidence, we consider the verdicts were unsurprising.”
Appealing today, his barrister Daniel Janner QC claimed that the way the trial judge summed up the case to the jury was unfair to Howeson.
The summing up lasted four days and was a “mish mash muddle” of fact, legal directions and comment by the judge, he argued.
The length of the speech may have led to jurors “switching off” or they may have been “distracted” from the actual issues they had to decide.
Rejecting the appeal, Lord Justice Hickinbottom accepted that the judge’s summing up could have been better, but said the resulting verdicts were not “unsafe”.
‘He engaged in a course of conduct over more than 10 years’
The appeal judge, sitting with Mr Justice Jeremy Baker and Judge Deborah Taylor, rejected the sentence appeal.
That same month the judge sentenced him to seven-and-a-half years in prison and ordered him to pay £50,000 in costs.
He will also be on the Sex Offender’s Register for life.
Today Howeson will sit before the Court of Appeal in London to appeal against both his conviction and sentencing of the historic sex abuse charges.
Howeson will sit before Lord Justice Hickinbottom, Mr Justice Jeremy Baker and Her Honour Judge Deborah Taylor in a bid to clear his name.
In the last trial, the court heard Howeson had been diagnosed with cancer and was due to begin chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
At the time his wife Emma gave a moving statement outside court, saying they intend to appeal the convictions.
Sentencing Judge Mark Horton said at the time: “This case has revealed that whilst to the outside world you displayed the finest qualities of diplomacy, charisma, endeavour, organisation and charm which you demonstrated during your period in the navy and in your extensive and successful career and involvement at the very highest level with public bodies authorities, businesses, including a bank, but also in your public and charitable works, mainly associated with the community of Plymouth, the hidden and dark truth is these same qualities were the very qualities which enable you to mask and conceal a dark secret, only revealed for the world to see some 30 years later in this trial.
“That secret was your uncontrolled and predatory sexual behaviour towards particularly young, or at least vulnerable men, under your control.”
Judge Deborah Taylor stopped the recent Jonathan King abuse trial.
Surrey Police failures in Jonathan King child sex abuse investigation ‘undermined criminal justice system’
Judge Deborah Taylor said the prosecution of Jonathan King had been motivated by “concerns about reputational damage to Surrey Police” after revelations about Jimmy Savile’s crimes
Briscoe, 56, who denies three counts of intending to pervert the course of justice, said she had permission to sign out Deborah Taylor from the continuing professional development (CPD) course at Windsor that they were both attending in May 2012.
The court was told Howeson, of Craigie Drive in Stonehouse, intends to appeal his convictions.
He is due to be sentenced on Friday at Bristol Crown Court for his convictions last year.
Howeson is due to be sentenced at Brstol Crown Court next Friday – June 22.
Following the initial trial, Judge Horton told Howeson that he would be sent to prison.
He offered the defendant the chance to speak to a probation officer and face up to his guilt.
Daniel Janner, QC for Howeson, replied: “The defendant’s position remains the same. He didn’t commit these offences and he has been wrongly convicted.”
Jury told dark past had ‘caught up with’ businessman accused of attempt rape of boy
Prosecution and defence barristers give closing speeches in Charles Howeson case as jury prepare to be sent out by judge to consider verdict
13 June 2018
A jury heard how the dark past had “caught up with” a leading city businessman who stood accused of attempting to rape a boy 30 years ago.
Prosecutor Paul Dunkels QC summed up the Crown’s case against 68-year-old Charles Howeson, noting how the former Royal Navy commander had been convicted of ten counts of indecent assault against eight young men last December following a lengthy trial.
In his closing speech to the jury of nine men and three women at Bristol Crown Court, Mr Dunkels noted how victims of sexual abuse were frequently unable to talk openly about their suffering for many years.
He noted how the partner of Howeson’s accuser had told the court how the man was left sobbing as he finally recounted the sexual assault in a field near the businessman’s home in Crownhill in the late 1980s.
Mr Dunkels, recalling the words of defence barrister Daniel Janner QC, asked the jury if they thought these were “crocodile tears”, adding there was “no reason to put on an act for her, surely?”
Judge Horton said he would conclude his summation on Thursday morning before sending the jury out to consider their verdict.
A man who claimed a leading city businessman tried to rape him when he was a boy told a jury that making the complaint to police destroyed his life.
The man – who cannot be named for legal reasons – responded angrily to suggestions by Daniel Janner QC, that he only accused Charles Howeson of attempted buggery for a “compensation claim”.
The man turned to the jury at Bristol Crown Court and said: “Do me a favour – find him [Howeson] not guilty”. Turning back to Mr Janner he suggested the barrister stick his suggestion “up your a***.
“I didn’t do this for compensation. I never did this for me.”
Howeson, a former Royal Navy commander, faces one count of attempted buggery of a boy aged between 14 and 15 during a summer in the mid 1980s.
Howeson, aged 68, also faces an alternative count of indecent assault of the boy in the area of Crownhill.
On the first day of the trial the jury was told that Howeson had been convicted last December of 10 counts of indecent assault on eight young men following a six-week trial.
The offences took place when Howeson was a senior officer in the Royal Navy in the mid 1980s, while running the Groundworks charity in early 1990s and at his home address also in the early 1990s.
When Mr Janner suggested the man had made the entire sexual assault allegation up merely “for compo” because he knew Howeson was wealthy, the man replied the assertion was “utter b*******.”
He said: “I had no idea who he was. No idea whether he was alive.”
He told the court that when investigating officers told him about the application deadline for the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board he told them: “I don’t want to apply – because I don’t want any scumbag lawyer saying I was doing this for money.”
In response to questions from prosecutor Paul Dunkels QC, the man said he only came forward after his partner revealed she had been victim to sexual abuse when younger. The man told the jury he only related the alleged incident to his partner “to let her know I understood… I wish I hadn’t.”
He told the jury he did not want to go to the police and took months of arguments between the couple before he finally did after his partner “insisted” he do so in an effort to save their relationship.
The alleged victim told the jury he had no idea who his attacker was, merely a number of details he could still recall from 30 years ago.
When he was later shown 10 photographs as part of an identification parade, he immediately picked out Howeson, but said he still did not know who he was.
The jury later heard from an identification officer who noted how the man appeared distressed after seeing the picture of Howeson which he had picked out immediately. Following the identification process, a video of which was played to the jury, the officer noted how the man had wiped his face and nose because “he’s wiping his tears away”.
The man had told the jury that after seeing the picture of Howeson: “I went into shock. I couldn’t control myself.” He said that even then he did not know the name of the man, nor that he had committed indecent assaults on other men in 1985, 1992, 1993 and 1994.
During an exchange between the man and Howeson’s defence barrister Daniel Janner QC, the man repeatedly denied he had “waited” 30 years before coming forward in 2015, saying: “I was never going to tell anyone. It was my business. I didn’t want to tell anyone. I’ve never been tempted to tell anyone other than my partner.
“It’s not ‘waiting’ to tell anyone. I wish I hadn’t told anyone. It’s affected lots of my life. The last three years it has destroyed my life”.
He admitted he had been jailed previously for a number of offences and was currently imprisoned for smashing up and setting fire to a large truck.
He said: “I’ve paid and am paying my debt to society and fully accept my behaviour was not right and I’m paying for it right now.”
He accepted that in his victim impact statement he had said that “certain aspects” of his behaviour “directly resulted to what he [Howeson] did to me”.
He accepted he had got “into trouble” in the years following the alleged incident and said he was “ashamed” and “embarrassed” that he had been violent towards his partner and a previous partner.
At one stage he angrily insisted “I’m not on trial”, saying he was paying for his past crimes.
His hands, clenched being him, began to shake as he replied to Mr Janner’s questions as to why he had assaulted his partner, why he had tried to take his own life in the past, why he had admitted specifically taking jobs that were “dangerous”.
He said: “When you… you wouldn’t understand. You do not know what it’s like to be a victim of this. What it does to your head.
“Do you know how hard it was to tell the woman I loved, the mother of my son?”
Noting the man had previous convictions for violence, he asked the man had not sought out Howeson to physically punish him, the man replied: “I want him to face justice”.
The man told the court he buried the incident, saying he told no one, not even his best friends, his brother or mother, adding: “I was deeply ashamed about it and didn’t want to tell anyone. I felt naïve.”
He admitted he was currently in prison for wielding an axe and covering a truck in petrol before setting it alight, saying “I lost my mind… I had a psychotic episode”, insisting it was his own truck.
When Mr Janner suggested the man knew Howeson, that Howeson had been the chair of the Plymouth Chamber of Commerce, the man snorted: “Do I look like I know anything about the Plymouth Chamber of Commerce?”
The man revealed that the day the Plymouth Herald and Western Morning News published reports of Howeson’s arrest on suspicion of indecently assaulting a number of young men, alongside photographs him, he had been in Woking with his brother.
He said that he rarely read newspapers and TV news and for a number of years worked “off shore on oil rigs”.
Suggesting the man had seen pictures of his alleged attacker in the Plymouth Herald, Mr Janner claimed Howeson was “probably the highest-profile person in Plymouth. He was Mr Plymouth.”
The man replied “I don’t move in those circles”.
He was repeatedly questioned about the date he gave of the alleged attack, and repeatedly admitted he had got the date wrong by two years, saying “I’m sorry about that – I’ve tried to blank it out”.
The man claimed that every time the man who lived at Smallack House “approached us as teenagers [in the field] he made up some reason to talk to us.
“We thought he was weird and I should’ve known better than to go with him [shooting] and he ended up doing what he did.”
He man said he had resented his partner “making me come forward” adding that everyone who had tried to help him “I’ve pushed them away… people have tried to help me but they can’t.”
However, he added that while his behaviour since coming forward had “been horrific” and resenting his partner at “other times I’m thankful to her… for everyone else, not for me.”
The man’s partner took the witness stand saying she had known him for around 15 years. She said that he had mentioned something had happened to him in the early stages of their relationship but nothing more. She told the jury she spotted small signals in his behaviour as their relationship continued, noting that as they walked along, if she put her hand by his bottom as he had his arm around her shoulder “he would flinch – I knew something had happened but I never asked.”
She said he would leave the room during conversations, TV programmes or news items which discussed paedophiles, rape, and sexual assaults.
She said: “All I can say is his behaviour after he told me in detail, he changed and he felt emasculated and he was just different. He drank more, he was going missing more and I couldn’t take it any more so I told him to go to the police.
“He was different, angry, defensive. I felt closer to him and I think he sensed that I wanted to protect him and he didn’t like that because he had always protected me.”
She said that when he had revealed the alleged abuse to her: “He was shaking and sobbing and this was like a child. I had never seen him like that. Not ever.”
She said he had refused to go to police, but after she gave him an ultimatum of going to police or ending their relationship, he did make a statement.
She told the jury: “I’m the reason he is here. He didn’t want any of this. If I had known it would’ve been this big I wouldn’t have made him go to police. I wouldn’t have.”
She was asked why had she insisted he go to police, she replied she hoped: “he would get specialist help, he would get counselling – instead of self-destructing around people who love him. He couldn’t cope with it, with any of it.”
The jury were told the alleged victim had a number of convictions against him including theft, assault, burglary, disorderly behaviour, shoplifting, threatening behaviour, battery, arson and breach of a restraining order and criminal damage.
They were told that he had pleaded guilty to every single matter except that of criminal damage.
Howeson’s police interview with the lead investigating officer Det Con Paul Enticknap was read out in court and the jury heard him admit he had lent a motorbike to youngsters who visited the field nearby his then home in Smallack House.
Howeson revealed he had run the local Neighbourhood Watch and was himself allowed to ride his motorbike around the Ministry of Defence-owned field, but he denied it was the one described by the alleged victim. He also denied having an air rifle, saying that at the time of the alleged incident he owned a single-barrel shotgun.
He described the allegations made against him as “a complete work of fiction” adding “it’s disgusting, it isn’t me”. He also denied he had any interest in young men, nor any homosexual tendencies.
Plymouth businessman ‘tried to rape me’, man tells sex assault trial
Jury was told the former Naval officer and leading Plymouth businessman was convicted last year of a string of indecent assaults on young men
June 4 2018
A prominent Plymouth businessman – found guilty last year of indecently assaulting eight young men – also attempted to sexually abuse a boy in a field, a jury has been told.
Former Royal Navy commander Charles Howeson appeared at Bristol Crown Court today where he faced one count of attempted buggery of a boy aged between 14 and 15 during a summer in the mid 1980s.
Howeson, aged 68, also faces an alternative count of indecent assault of the boy in Plymouth.
Howeson, of Craigie Drive, Stonehouse, denies all charges.
Paul Dunkels QC, for the Crown Prosecution Service, told the jury of seven men and five women that Howeson stood accused of pushing himself up against the naked buttocks of the boy in a field in Crownhill in the late 1980s.
Mr Dunkels said the man only disclosed this information to his own partner in 2015, who urged him to go to police.
While not able to give the name of his alleged abuser, the information he provided enabled police to identify and arrest Howeson.
Mr Dunkels told the jury the arrest “attracted local publicity” and because of this police learned that a number of other men had made previous claims of being indecently assaulted by Howeson.
The jury were told the men alleged the offences took place when Howeson was a senior officer in the Royal Navy in the mid 1980s, while running the Groundwork Trust charity in early 1990s and at his home address also in the early 1990s.
Mr Dunkels told the jury Howeson was convicted last December of 10 counts of indecent assault on eight men following a six week trial.
He added this witness “couldn’t have known that the person he was describing to police in 2015 was the man who had indecently assaulted others in the 1980s and 1990s.
“[The witness] did not know that this man [Howeson] had a propensity to abuse men in this fashion,” he told the court.
He said the witness gave a video interview to police in which he had a “clear memory” of what was done to him although his recollections “was inaccurate” as to his age at the time and year it is alleged to have taken place.
Mr Dunkels said Howeson did not buy the property the alleged victim believed belonged to the Royal Navy officer until 1987, which suggested the alleged incident could only have happened after this year and not in 1985 as the man recalled.
The prosecutor also noted that while the alleged victim did not know the name of the man, he was able to identify him “without hesitation” during a photo identification parade which took place in April 2016, nearly 30 years later.
Mr Dunkels explained the incident was alleged to have happened while Howeson was teaching the boy how to shoot.
According to the alleged victim – who cannot be named for legal reasons – Howeson offered to teach him how to shoot an air rifle, although Howeson later told police he only ever previously owned a .22 air rifle but at the time of the alleged incident he owned a single-barrel 12 bore shotgun.
Mr Dunkels emphasised that the young man “could not have known that the man he described and identified was in fact a man with a history of sexually assaulting young men”.
The jury were then shown the video interview, where the complainant explained how the man in question “started being friendly” with young lads from the nearby naval estate, allowing them to ride motorbikes in the field near his home.
He alleged Howeson offered to teach him how to shoot and took him into the field after retrieving his rifle from his home. He said the gun was “old” and was “wooden… everything apart from the barrel was wood, dark brown wood.”
The pair laid down on the grass and began to shoot the rifle with no indication of anything to follow. However, after several minutes of shooting he claimed Howeson rolled onto his side up against him before rolling on top of the boy’s back.
Speaking to the detective about Howeson laying closer to him on his side he admitted: “I thought it was a bit odd but I didn’t think anything of it. Then he laid on top of me and put all his weight on me and I couldn’t move.
“He pulled down my trousers and tried to rape me and I couldn’t even move, he was so heavy.
“The second he took his weight off me I squirmed out and took off. I was so naive. I didn’t shout or cry out. I didn’t move. He tried to put his […] in me.
“I didn’t say anything, I didn’t even make a noise when he climbed onto me. It was just a shock. I didn’t expect it in any way. I thought this was not right but I still didn’t think this was going to happen.”
The man said he did not tell anyone until he told his partner two weeks before going to the police in 2015.
He told the officer: “If it was three weeks ago I would never have said anything. I hate talking about it. It’s hard enough talking to my partner who I’ve known since I was 14. It’s only because I’ve spoken to my partner a lot that I can even speak about it [now].
“In the years [immediately] afterwards I thought about it a lot and I was really really angry and dealt with it by drink and drugs and violence.
“I don’t remember thinking about it for years and years and years until this last year. In the last year, everything that’s happened in the news, all about paedophiles has made me think about it. About a month ago my partner told me something that happened to her when she was 13. Not similar but close enough to make me really think about it.”
He said the revelation made him think more about this incident which left him “feeling really angry about it”.
He told the detective that for a while afterwards he believed he knew the name of the man, but as time passed by he could not recall. However, he was adamant about the naval property and that it happened during the summer of 1985. He also recalled the man had dark hair and was “overweight”.
He said he also recalled the man had let him and a friend ride his the man’s motorbike which he claimed had been a 250cc Honda Superdream in blue and silver.
He said they were amazed they were allowed to ride this powerful bike around the field by comparison to their own small 50cc scooters, noting “we were all little kids… it was odd that someone was being friendly to us”.
Howeson denies the charges and the trial, which is expected to take around two weeks, continues.
Charles Howeson to face trial over sexual abuse charges
The trial will be held in Bristol in June
2 Feb 2018
Plymouth businessman Charles Howeson is set to face a trial in June on charges of sexually abusing a teenager.
The 68-year-old will face a jury charged with attempted buggery and an alternative count of indecent assault against a male person under the age of 21 between November 1987 and December 1988.
Judge Mark Horton start before him at Bristol Crown Court on June 4.
Disgraced Plymouth businessman Charles Howeson will face retrial later this year
Charles Howeson will be sentenced next month but faces retrial on two charges after a jury failed to return verdicts
23 JAN 2018
Plymouth businessman Charles Howeson is set to face a retrial later this year on outstanding charges of abusing a teenage boy.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has confirmed the 68-year-old will be sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on February 2 after being found guilty in December of ten counts of indecent assault against eight young men.
The majority verdicts followed 20 hours of deliberations by the jury of six men and six women who sat through the six-week trial.
The jury was unable to reach a decision on a single allegation of attempted buggery and an alternative count of indecent assault against a boy when he was 14 or 15.
George V changed the name of his royal house from Saxe–Coburg–Gotha to Windsor, after the castle. At the same time, he also took Windsor as a surname for his family. On her accession, Queen Elizabeth II chose to keep the name Windsor
The alleged assaults were said to have taken place in Drake’s Island tunnels and in dark rooms at the Royal William Yard, all involving volunteers for a Plymouth charity.
The jury was sent out shortly before midday on Monday to consider its verdict.
Howeson, 68, denied 11 counts of indecent assault and one count of attempted buggery, dating from 1985 and 1994.
Judge Horton told Howeson that he was going to be sent to prison. He gave the defendant the chance to speak to a probation officer and face up to his guilt.
Daniel Janner, QC for Howeson, replied: “The defendant’s position remains the same. He didn’t commit these offences and he has been wrongly convicted.”
Judge Horton adjourned the case until February 2 when Howeson will be sentenced or a date will be set for a new trial.
The jury was unable to reach verdicts on two alternative counts against a boy aged 14 or 15 who used to live near Howeson’s former home.
He was charged with attempted buggery of the teenager and indecent assault.
Judge Mark Horton discharged the jury and adjourned the case for the Crown Prosecution Service to consider whether to seek a retrial on those two counts next year.
Howeson, who sat stony-faced throughout the verdicts, was released on bail until a date to be fixed for sentencing, thought to be in February.
As recently as 2015, just before the first allegations of sexual misconduct were made against him, Mr Howeson was named honorary vice-president of Devon and Cornwall Business Council.
Howeson was also a well-known face in Westminster and Whitehall, lunching with MPs at the famous Strangers’ Dining Room.
In fact, the question among many in Plymouth business circles was just how Mr Howeson found the time, and energy, to do so much work.
Companies House has him listed as involved in 45 separate businesses.
Some of these, such as the Plymouth Naval Base Visitor centre ltd, and London and Westcountry Estates are now dissolved or liquidated.
Mr Howeson chaired the Plymouth Area Business Council for 15 years and was chairman and president of Plymouth Chamber of Commerce.
As an advocate for the city, he was involved in pushing for it to have a Business Improvement District, for the Langage power station to be built, for preservation of the airport and for the mall to be constructed, particularly when it hit snags following the withdrawal of department store Allders before the building was completed.
Were the Plymouth solicitors in on a possible cover up, or did they advise not contacting @DC_Police due to their sustained protection of prolific paedophile William Goad?
William Goad ) was a British millionaire businessman from Plymouth, Devon, who was imprisoned for life for child rape. Goad, who lived in Plymouth, abused boys over a 35-year period dating back to the 1960s.
Goad, who abused him for four years from the age of 12, was part of a “bigger network of paedophiles” which included people in positions of “power and trust”.
Goad’s fortune was once estimated to be around £25 million.[6] Goad opened Cornish Market World in 1991
Police hunt millionaire paedophile’s accomplices after report finds they failed to do enough to find people who helped him prey on 3,500 children
Victims have always claimed he had links with other paedophiles and sometimes abused boys with them. A police document from 1996 warned that Goad’s abuse ring contained ‘prominent members of society’ – but none were ever identified.
Brian Turner (aka ‘Chickenmaster’ & member of Dirty Dozen) was part of the Baden-Powell Scouting paedophile ring, one of which lived in Plymouth. The ring stretched across Europe:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/185142.stm…
Confidential documents seen by The Herald have also revealed that as far back as 1996, police were aware of allegations that Goad was part of a paedophile “ring” which included “prominent men in society”.
The same document notes how boys were “threatened to keep quiet”.
Boys were disclosing how Goad “and associates” were taking boys away to London and Manchester “where the boys were shared with other men in these cities”. The confidential report also notes how boys said they were “threatened to keep quiet and were paid off”, adding “some prominent men in society have or did have associations with this ring”.
The reports also highlighted concerns around record keeping central to the original investigation’s remit, revealing how a key “policy book” – which contained decisions about why no action was taken against alleged paedophiles – could no longer be found.
It noted that of six names given by Mr Wyatt during a video interview on April 5, 2005, only one – Eddie Pratt – was subsequently investigated. The report found there was “no paperwork, policy book or any other documentation… to comprehend the rationale for this.”
Other suspected paedophiles who abused them were being named – including a man called Peter Norsworthy
Ms Thompson said much of the information given by victims was left uninvestigated. Locations where boys were abused, such as a venue in Blackpool, were ignored. Allegations he had taken boys on trips to America were also ignored.
She admits there was a sense that Goad was untouchable and protected by people who had “sold their soul to the Devil”.
Judge William Taylor who sentenced Goad went on to be the patron of Twelves Company, a charity which supported and counselled many of Goad’s victims.
Operation Emotion 2 was launched with the aim of tracing and interviewing all of Goad’s victims.
Examination by legal experts has found that between 1996 and his final arrest in 2003 Goad resigned his directorships from a number of his businesses and transferred many of them to other business partners.
Study of e-mails uncovered in the UK suggested one of his businesses was transferring around £3,000 a month to Goad during 2004 and 2005. Former Det Con Thompson said there was no police investigation into Goad’s activities in Thailand.
Goad had nine previous directorships and was linked to two addresses, one in Ford Park Road and one in Ladysmith Road.
In 2005 Ian was allowed some access to his social service files. He was horrified to find notes which clearly stated that social workers knew he was being visited by Goad, referred to as “Billy Goad – sexual offender”.
He said Goad was even able to visit him while he was at St Luke’s boarding school in Teignmouth.
Ian said what angered him in later life was learning that social services had clearly been aware he was in regular contact with a known sex offender – but nothing was done.
PLYMOUTH MP OLIVER COLVILE BACKS REINVESTIGATION INTO WILLIAM GOAD
Mr Colvile said he sits on the select committee for Northern Ireland
William A Goad aka William A Scott born September 1944 in Plymouth to parents Miss Emily M B Scott and Mr William C Goad with siblings Pauline A Goad, Michael J W Goad, Alan M D Goad and Peter J Goad
Truthseeker@thewakeupcall09
Maybe the other directors, if not Goad himself, knew Charles Howeson CORNISH MARKET WORLD LIMITED
First elected to the Plymouth City Council in 1979
Leader of the Council Opposition in 1989.
Leader of the Council 1991 to 1998.
Retired from Council 2000.
Granted Freedom of the City in 1998
Lord Sebastian Seymour – the son of the Duke of Somerset – also vouched for Howeson.
Lord Sebastian Seymour, son of the Duke of Somerset
The court heard how Howeson acted as a trustee to the Seymours in their private affairs and offered guidance in family matters.
Lord Seymour, who has known Howeson for 18 years, wrote in his statement read out in court: “Charles is a wonderfully-kind family man who is proud of his children and new grandson.
“He has always been prepared to go out of his way to help other members of my family.
“I have never had any sense of impropriety [from Howeson] around me, my family or my friends.”
The DUKE & DUCHESS OF SOMERSET and their son LORD SEYMOUR
Dukes are just one rung down from royalty in the social pecking order and enjoy a special status way above the rank and file of the aristocracy. As peerages go, it’s the jackpot.
The assembled: (from left to right) 1. James Graham, 8th Duke of Montrose; 2. David Manners, 11th Duke of Rutland; 3. John Seymour, 19th Duke of Somerset; 4. Ralph Percy, 12th Duke of Northumberland; 5. Andrew Russell, 15th Duke of Bedford; 6. Edward Fizalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk; 7. Torquhil Campbell, 18th Duke of Argyll; 8. Maurice FitzGerald, 9th Duke of Leinster; 9. Murray Beauclerk, 14th Duke of St Albans; 10. Arthur Wellesey, 8th Duke of Wellington.
Conservative MP Mrs Murray had her statement read out in court by Daniel Janner QC.
The court heard how Howeson had supported both Mrs Murray and her son through the death of her husband Neil, after he suffered a fatal accident aboard a fishing vessel.
“Charles and Emma also supported my son in the aftermath [of his father’s death] and I know that my son has nothing but respect for them and their children.”
Appearing at Bristol Crown Court to give evidence, Mr Ingham, former Plymouth City Council leader from 1991 to 1997, said he thought the allegations against Howeson were “some terrible mistake” when he found out about it through court proceedings last year.
The former Labour councillor said: “I knew Charles’ family very well and Charles was a great help to me as leader of the council.
Mrs Gilroy, a former Labour MP, praised Charles’ work in the community and how he made ‘good things happen
In a statement read out in court, Lord Seymour said he had known Howeson as a friend for 18 years.
The court heard how the leading Plymouth businessman acted as a trustee to the Seymours in their private affairs and offered guidance in family matters.
Lord Seymour wrote: “Charles is a wonderfully-kind family man who is proud of his children and new grandson.
“He has always been prepared to go out of his way to help other members of my family.
“I have never had any sense of impropriety [from Howeson] around me, my family or my friends.”
One employee of Howeson’s also travelled up from Cornwall to give evidence – the family’s electrician, Paul Chubb.
A number of other witnesses appeared in court or had their statements read out, including:
Peter Voelker
Jean Kiani
Reverend Sam Philpott
Sally Curness
John Friedburger
Cpt Mike Mann
John Rafferty
Chris Forrest
Bob Fordham
The Master of the Household is the operational head of the “below stairs” elements of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. The role has charge of the domestic staff, from the Royal Kitchens, the pages and footmen, to the housekeeper and their staff.
Francis Redfarn
Andrew Gough
Cpt Rick Cosby
Lt Cdr Christopher Durnford
Elaine Keith-Hill
Luke Foster
Nicola Checkley
Robert Clifford
Zanah Corum-Wright
Cdr Steve Mackay
Trustee of the Britannia Royal Naval College Association, Freeman of the Honourable Company of Master Mariners, Member of the Institute of Directors and a member of the First Great Western Advisory Board (supports exec role).
Charles Howeson ‘a man with a dark side’, jury in sexual assaults trial told
Prosecutors have made their closing speeches in the trial of leading Plymouth businessman Charles Howeson
Leading Plymouth businessman Charles Howeson has been described in court as “a man with a dark side” who used his status to sexually abuse young men.
Prosecution barrister Paul Dunkels QC told jurors at Bristol Crown Court there was “no coincidence or misfortune” that 11 people had made accusations about Howeson, a former Royal Navy officer.
Howeson, 68, is on trial at Bristol Crown Court for 11 counts of indecently assaulting 10 young men and one count of attempted buggery.
He denies the charges dating from 1985 and 1994.
Mr Dunkels said Howeson had a lot to lose if he was caught out for groping or fondling his victims, but that he was “confident enough in his status [compared] to his victims to brazen it out.”
He told the jury during his closing speech that it was not “bad luck” on Howeson’s part that the allegations were so similar.
He said: “If anyone is setting out to invent completely fictitious allegations, they have a blank canvas to work with.
“They are not constrained by truth and not limited by actual events – you can make up anything you can think up, make it as sordid as you wish.
“Here, Charles Howeson says that 11 people have made up lies against him, that each has invented a story of wholly false allegations, yet many of these lies as he dubs them, we suggest are strikingly similar.
“[A common theme was] getting his victim to a dark location or making a move on his victim at such a location, whether a boat deck, a cross passageway on a ship, dark tunnels on Drake’s Island, in deserted buildings at the Royal William Yard or in a gloomy pump house at [Howeson’s home].
“Another common theme was getting his [Howeson’s] victim up higher so he could be in close contact behind that victim whether on a ladder or whether lifting Groundwork Trust volunteers
“And the nature of the indecency has a common theme – touching the penis and testicles over clothing, groping, with one [victim] saying a hand went inside, and [another victim] saying the defendant tried to get his hand inside.
“Another common theme is [Howeson] pressing up against the victim on [their] thigh or backside.
“If you’re making it up and you have a completely blank canvas, you say whatever comes into head.
“[But] 11 people inventing [these] stories? How are they going to be so similar?
“The only sensible explanation is that they [the victims] all endured similar experiences of indecent assault and for him [Howeson] now the sky is dark, and the chickens are coming home to roost.”
The court heard how evidence submitted in the case had not shown any link between the men bringing the allegations, nor that the victims would have known about Howeson’s alleged sexual assaults.
Mr Dunkels went on to say Howeson had a “position of authority” over the victims, and he was a man who had “influential friends”, making it all the more harder for the victims to speak out about the abuse they faced.
Mr Dunkels told the jury: “You’ve heard from vice admirals, a bishop, a bursar, down to his [Howeson’s] nanny and cleaner.
“[We] don’t dispute the defendant has many qualities which have brought him success and benefits to the wider community, but this is a man who also has a dark side, one which of course he would not show to his peers and certainly not to his family and friends.
It was suggested earlier in the trial that one of the victims had only come forward as a way of claiming compensation from Howeson, but Mr Dunkels asked the jury to consider why the victim would have only given a description of the defendant rather than his name, and that if it was the case he was trying to make money, it was a “very subtle game” the victim was playing.
“What luck for [the victim] that he picks out and chooses [a face from the police lineup] with a track record of sexual abuse allegations being made against him,” added Mr Dunkels.
Mr Dunkels concluded to the jury: “Step back and look at the case. It’s no longer just an able seaman’s word against a first lieutenant, it’s no longer the word of one Groundwork Trust volunteer against the executive director, it’s not anyone’s individual word against Charles Howeson’s – it’s the whole picture you must look at.
Vice-admiral signed letter about formal warning for Charles Howeson, jury is told
11 Dec 2017
Vice-Admiral has told trial that former lieutenant-commander was facing a warning as defence case closes
A Navy Vice Admiral says he signed a letter to confirm a senior officer was being warned over his alleged sexual behaviour.
The Royal Navy had apparently decided to formally warn Lieutenant-Commander Howeson after he was the subject of allegations by two junior sailors onboard HMS Cleopatra in 1985.
Lieu-Commander Howeson was second-in-command of HMS Cleopatra in 1985.
Vice Admiral David Dobson (centre)
Vice Admiral Sir David Dobson served with Prince Charles on the destroyer HMS Norfolk in the early Seventies,
The warning letter, presented to the court, was signed by Vice Admiral Sir David Dobson.
However a jury at Bristol Crown Court has heard there was no formal record of the warning ever being carried out.
And Howeson, 68, a leading Plymouth business figure, has insisted that it was not administered.
Sir David said he was “astonished” to see the letter about Charles Howeson to the Ministry of Defence after 31 years.
Sir David, a former mentor to Howeson, gave evidence for his character last week but was recalled to clarify parts of his evidence.
He admitted he was shown a letter to the Ministry of Defence saying that Howeson was to be warned after the allegations by ratings on board the frigate.
Sir David added that he played no part in the decision to administer a warning, which was taken by the Admiralty Board.
He said that he had forgotten signing the letter shown to him from March 1986 when he was acting in place of the Chief of Staff at Fleet headquarters in Northwood.
It told the Ministry of Defence Director of Naval Security that Howeson was to be formally warned.
He said that he would not have then been involved in giving Howeson the warning.
Sir David added: “I have no recollection of signing this note, I have to say.”
The jury had been told previously that Howeson, then First Lieutenant on HMS Cleopatra, was jack-stayed, or line-transferred from the frigate shortly after the second allegation was made.
Howeson and the two ratings were interviewed by Royal Navy investigators, the court heard.
The sailors have already told the court that they were groped by Howeson, who was second-in-command on the ship.
Further disciplinary action was rejected at the time because of the “lack of corroborative evidence” over the alleged assaults, the court heard.
Daniel Janner, QC, has formally closed the defence case, bringing an end to the evidence.
The jury will hear prosecution and defence closing speeches tomorrow.
Former Navy top brass have come forward in support of Charles Howeson
Vice Admiral Sir Richard Ibbotson
Vice Admiral Sir David Dobson andVice Admiral Sir Richard Ibbotsonappeared at Bristol Crown Court to give evidence on behalf of Howeson, who both are still good friends with.
First to take to the stand was Sir David Dobson, who rose up through the naval ranks to become Vice Admiral.
The court heard how Sir David first met Charles in 1969 at Dartmouth, where he was Howeson’s divisional officer – describing the role as that of a mentor and a housemaster.
Over the years, Howeson and Sir David bumped into each other on occasion, leading to the pair becoming good family friends.
Vice Admiral Sir also took to the stand to explain how Howeson had been a great help to him after leaving the navy with charitable support and his role in training the Royal Navy Reserves.
Sir Richard Ibbotson and Prince Charles
Sir Richard Ibbotson has been Chair of Trust at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust since June 2014. Sir Ibbotson retired as Admiral in the Royal Navy. His naval career included periods as Commodore of Britannia Royal Naval College, Commander British Forces Falkland Islands and, most recently, Deputy Commander-in-Chief Fleet (effectively Chief Operating Officer of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines). As well as being knighted for his services, Sir Richard is a Companion of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath and holds the Distinguished Service Cross and the NATO meritorious service medal. He also holds other public roles, as a Deputy Lord Lieutenant for Devon, Governor of Plymouth University and Chairman of the Royal Navy Royal Marines Charity and was a Member of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body.
When questioned, Vice Admiral Dobson said he had no knowledge of the HMS Cleopatra investigation.
However, evidence given later in court by a Royal Navy lawyer revealed that Vice Admiral Sir David Dobson had actually authorised and signed the warning letter.
He said that he had forgotten signing the letter shown to him from March 1986 when he was acting in place of the Chief of Staff at Fleet headquarters in Northwood.
The letter had told the Ministry of Defence Director of Naval Security that Howeson was to be formally warned.
“One question we cannot answer is if Howeson was not given the warning as he should have been, then why not?
“The other question we cannot answer is if he had been given the warning, would this have affected Howeson’s future behaviour?
“He was moved from the Royal Navy where he learned his modus operandi of offending behaviour, to Groundwork Trust where he was even more powerful.
“He admitted to me during interview, highlighting his position in the charity, ‘I am employee number one’. He demonstrated his power with his connections, including the Royal Family.”
A Major General from the Royal Marines also appeared at Bristol Crown Court, telling the jury how he and Howeson had become friends after meeting at the Plymouth Area Business Council which Charles ran.
Chairman of the FGW Advisory Board, Captain Charles Howeson RNR and Major General David Hook
The business council had held a dinner in Stonehouse Barracks to which Major General David Hook was invited.
Mr Hook told the court how he and Howeson became better friends over time, and how he would turn to Charles with trusted matters.
Maurice West, Plymouth Albion RFC Board Member, and Major General David Hook CBE,
Maurice West is a co-director at businesses with Charles Howeson
Further Royal Navy colleagues and friends including
Commodore Jon Welch,
Commodore Peter King,
Rear Admiral John Lippiett,
Commander Steve McKay,
Commander Andrew Wynn
Andrew Wynn, a former commander in the Royal Navy, went on to be Eton College’s bursar.
He told the court: “After [serving on the] frigate we went our separate ways but have formed a very lasting friendship – he asked me to be godfather to their son.
“Over the years we have been on holiday together to France for about a fortnight where we shared a house.
and British Army Colonel David Baylis all appeared to give evidence vouching for Howeson.
Amongst the witnesses was Plymouth GP Stephen Warren, who had been Howeson’s doctor up until March this year.
The court heard how Dr Warren had grown to know Howeson personally and explained how they had mutual interests in the NHS.
Restaurateur Sally Baum from Jolly Jacks also took to the stand to defend Howeson.
Sally Baum, owner of Jolly Jacks
Ms Baum told the jury that she and Howeson “hit it off immediately” after the family came into the eatery shortly after its opening.
Further witnesses appeared in court who have known Howeson across the years, including a lieutenant commander from the Royal Navy and friend Caroline Thynne, whom Howeson met whilst in Hong Kong where her first husband was serving on a ship back to England.
Mrs Thynne, who is Tavoya’s godmother, explained how her family had lived in the same area as Mr and Mrs Howeson when on deployment to Gibraltar and how they would stay at the Howeson’s when they visited Plymouth.
The jury heard how lieutenant commander John Martin had known Howeson for the past 35 years through their naval professions…
Charles Howeson says it would have been ‘impossible’ to grope men on ship
The high ranking officer denies touching the two men in a sexual way whilst aboard HMS Cleopatra
4 DEC 2017
A Plymouth Royal Navy officer said it would have been “physically impossible” to have sexually touched a man whilst on the ship which they both worked.
Charles Howeson, 67, is on trial at Bristol Crown Court for 11 counts of indecently assaulting ten young men and a boy and one count of attempted buggery.
He denies the charges dating from 1985 and 1994.
Under cross examination by Paul Dunkels QC, Howeson, of Cragie Drive, told the jury that accusations of sexual touching whilst aboard HMS Cleopatra would have been “impossible” because he didn’t come into contact with the alleged victims’ genitals.
When questioned about the incident in which one of the victims alleged Howeson had grabbed his backside, the high ranking naval officer said he had stumbled on a curtain shielding part of the bridge, causing him to fall down four steps – which resulted in Howeson touching the victim “chest to chest”.
He added that the impact of the fall pushed the victim backwards against the bulkhead, and that it would have been “impossible” for him to have touched the man inappropriately.
Mr Dunkels said: “When you lost balance, didn’t you grab his [the victim’s] bottom to steady yourself? You didn’t come into contact with the inside of his leg by his genitals?”
Howeson replied: “Certainly not, absolutely not. It was accidental and nothing like [the victim] describes. [Sexual contact] would have been impossible.”
Mr Dunkels asked Howeson about another incident alleged to have happened aboard the ship, involving “rubbing his [the victim’s] leg” as he followed him up some stairs.
Howeson told the jury that he recalled going up the stairs before the victim, saying: “It [the touching] would have been physically impossible as I would have been on the bridge.”
The court heard how “commonplace banter” took place between the officer and one victim on HMS Cleopatra, which came about during a man overboard exercise.
Mr Dunkels said that Howeson had made comments about the victim’s stomach being harder than his own, adding that while making those comments Howeson was “squeezing [the victim’s] thighs, penis and testicles – a claim which Howeson refuted.
The 67-year-old said the conversation about his weight was “commonplace banter, not to be misinterpreted as having a sexual component to it.”
Mr Dunkels said: “The truth of the matter is you were using your position in each of these situations [as a naval officer and a boss of the Groundwork Trust] to engineer a situation where you could take advantage of your victims. You had power and control. Was the risk you were taking part of the excitement?”
Howeson replied: “There was no excitement and I did not do this. The risk would have been utterly appalling for anyone in my position to do this.”
Howeson is accused of indecently touching men in the lower naval ranks, civilians in and around his home and some men working for The Groundwork Trust, a charity where he was the boss.
Charles Howeson was vetted at highest level by Royal Navy, jury hears
29 NOV 2017
A jury heard how a prominent Plymouth figure accused of groping 10 young men and a boy was vetted at the highest level by the Royal Navy as part of his secretive work in Gibraltar.
Charles Howeson, aged 68, told the jury at Bristol Crown Court that after leaving the second-in-command post of HMS Cleopatra he was posted to Admiral command in Plymouth for two-and-a-half years to carry out “NATO counter terrorism work”.
He told the jury: “I had a highly sensitive job. What it stated on the door tally wasn’t quite what I did”.
After promotion to Commander he was then posted to Gibraltar to an “equally sensitive” role “if not more sensitive” which he explained the Royal Navy called the “Operations and Plans and Intelligence” department.
He added: I was responsible for all the ships coming into Gibraltar. All of them.”
However, he left the Royal Navy after what he had previously described as a “triple whammy” of tragic family events.
He was asked by his barrister Daniel Janner QC what his plans had originally been. Howeson explained that he would have remained as a Commander in Gibraltar and gone to sea as Captain of his own ship before being posted to a senior position with the Ministry of Defence.
Asked about the vetting process for such work he replied: “At that time there were three levels of vetting.”
He said the “normal” vetting was the basic level while “positive vetting” covered “positions of sensitive and secret” nature while the highest was “EPV – Extra Positive Vetting for a few people in very sensitive positions. I held the latter”.
Mr Janner referred to the Royal Navy’s Service Investigation Squad inquiry at the time into the allegations made by sailors aboard HMS Cleopatra.
Howeson said the investigation was “very, very thorough”, but later revealed he had been given opportunity while on board to view the statements by the alleged victims prior to his interview with SIS officers.
Howeson also revealed he had written a 13-page account of his movement and actions relating to the allegations while on board the RFA tanker which he had been transferred to following the claims being made.
He said he sealed the document in an envelope and sent it over to the HMS Cleopatra using a rope “within 72 hours” of the allegations being made.
He was later presented with this document and read out the details of the actions he took on those occasions to the jury.
In the account he explained how he had felt unwell and suffered a rare bout of seasickness after leaving Bermuda. He felt increasingly unwell with a rising temperature and had “aching legs”.
After his transfer to the RFA tanker Howeson was bed-bound with flu for three days before he was able to write his report.
In response to questions by a jury member, it was revealed both the prosecution and defence teams had seen a final Admiralty report of the inquiry into the allegations. Howeson said he had only seen the report when it was presented to him a month ago.
The jury heard he was asked directly by the SIS officers if he had any “homosexual tendencies”, to which he replied “no, and I’m quite positive on that” citing his wife and then two children.
After explaining he was given a lift to Admiral Hogg’s home after his SIS interviews by one of the officers, where he met his wife who took him the rest of the way home, he was asked if he was friends with the Admiral.
Howeson said his wife was friends with Admiral Hogg’s wife, adding that he had served under Admiral Hogg “when he was a commander and I was a cadet”.
Howeson said: “We’re friends now. It’s very difficult for a Lieutenant Command and an Admiral to be friends.”
Mr Janner replied: “Like a barrister and a judge?”
Howeson, noting Judge Mark Horton’s intense glance at his barrister, answered: “There’s a huge age range in age and seniority” which prompted laughter from the jury.
The jury heard Howeson was later phoned by the SIS to be told it had been examined by Royal Navy lawyers and there was no further action to be taken.
When questioned about an alleged attack on a young boy at his property Smallack House in 1985, Howeson said he did not move there until 1987.
The alleged victim, who identified Howeson from picking him out from a series of images, had told the jury earlier in the trial Howeson had allowed him to ride his Honda 250 Superdream motorbike and taken him to a nearby field to learn how to shoot an air rifle.
Howeson told the jury he had not owned an air rifle, claiming he only owned a licensed shotgun which was kept secured in a loft. He also explained he not only did not own a 250cc motorbike but he had no such licence to ride one. He admitted to owning a small 80cc Suzuki moped which had been brought from his former home in Cornwall to allow him to commute to work.
When asked by Mr Janner if his face was often in the local press, Howeson replied that “rightly or wrongly” he appeared in the Plymouth Herald “frequently” sometimes with a picture. He noted how the Herald had an extensive photographic library, adding: “They have a lot of pictures of me in it
At one stage Mr Janner read out an “officer’s confidential report” on Howeson from his commanding officer at Gibraltar Rear Admiral Biggs, following his request to leave the Royal Navy.
A departmental report from Air Commander RAF Lovett said Howeson had been responsible “for setting up the tri-Service Operations and Plans Division in our embryo Joint Headquarters.
That it is up and running at some speed in two months before the official ‘go-live’ date is a reflection of his vitality and capacity for sustained hard work. With his marked enthusiasm he is a point of inspiration for his team and gets a lot out of them. As a Staff Officer he had great output and expresses his ideas with clarity: he is an impressive orator who commands immediate attention, and his writing, although not always as concise as one might wish, is punchy and easy to read.”
The ‘general report’ completed by Rear Admiral Biggs noted at how Howeson had been “beset by a number of domestic tragedies that could have destroyed a lesser man. He, though, has carried the burden, cared for his family and continued to do his job with efficiency and flair. He has shown that he has deep reserves of moral courage, unswerving determination and unquestionable loyalty to the Service”.
The Rear Admiral notes how Howeson was “blessed” with a “colourful, bubbling personality, a delightful sense of humour and a relaxed and confident manner”.
He wrote how people “look to him [Howeson] for leadership and he never fails them; but he does dominate the stage ad can sometimes deny others the opportunity to display their own initiative. He has a good intellect, an agile mind and sound powers of reasoning. He works fast and is impatient of delay, and it is perhaps this latter quality that occasionally leads him to see things in rather blacker or white terms than is actually warranted. But above all he is an outstanding achiever whose successes far outweigh any minor or temporary shortcomings.
“Sadly Howeson has opted to leave the Navy on his return home from Gibraltar, and the Service will thus lose a most able and colourful character with enormous generosity of spirit and all the qualities for successful Command at sea. Were he to change his mind I would recommend him strongly for this and for EARLY [sic] promotion to Captain when eligible.”
The jury were shown a promotional video for the Plymouth Area Groundwork Trust which explained the ideals and actions of the organisation. Filmed by the BBC, it included footage of the Queen opening the Groundwork’s headquarters at the Royal William Yard.
Howeson told the jury he would visit Drake’s Island at least once a week and take a circular tour of the entire island. He said the ultimate aim was to see it handed over by the Crown Estate who owned it at the time, to become “a public trust for the people of Plymouth”.
When asked how he first heard of the allegations, he said he was met by Scott Norman, chair of the Trust saying there was “some unpleasant allegations” made about Howeson by members of staff”.
Howeson said he was not given any names or details other than the complaints were “sexual allegations”.
He said he responded with “shock… horror”. Howeson said he was advised by Mr Norman to go home and consult a lawyer. However, he was told he was unable to use his ‘normal’ lawyer because it was the one used by the Groundwork Trust. He instead used a “distinguished lawyer” from Bristol who told him his position was “untenable”. Noting there was a “group of employees” making allegations which were “similar” he said the lawyer told him he had experience of such situations and chief executives “never go back when something has reached this stage”.
Howeson said he was never interviewed and never went through any investigative process until his arrest years later. As each allegation was read out to him by Mr Janner, Howeson strenuously denied each one.
He said he felt it was “a fait accompli”, claiming the investigation by the Trust itself had concluded before he even sought legal advice.
Howeson said he recognised that “this would cause great damage to an organisation that quite frankly I loved and had built up.
“You may feel you’re very important but the organisation is more important. No sailor’s more important than his ship”.
He wrote a letter of resignation, and Mr Janner read out a letter from Mr Norman to the Trust’s partners to let them know Howeson had resigned due to him being “under stress for some considerable time”.
Mr Janner asked Howeson if he was under any conditions – specifically whether he was told he could not work with young people or children.
“Absolutely not,” replied Howeson. “There were no conditions”.
He said he received numerous letters of thanks and appreciation for his efforts and work for the Trust.
The jury also heard he contacted a member of staff, to ensure a two-page supplementary article he had written for the Plymouth Herald about the proposals for Drake’s Island was still to be sent.
He also revealed that while he was unable to return as an executive director to the Groundwork Trust he spent eight months as a paid consultant writing a detail submission to the Crown Estate for the future plans of Drake’s Island.
He told jury the ultimate objective and his “personal challenge” was to see Drake’s Island turned from “a derelict embarrassment to become a publicly owned trust, to allow them [the public] to access it and a sustainable maintenance regime” put in place. He had earlier said the population of Plymouth had were “thoroughly ashamed” of the state of the island, claiming “it should have been the jewel in the crown of the 27 miles waterfront” instead of being “derelict and covered in seagull droppings”.
Howeson, of Craigie Drive, Stonehouse, denies 11 counts of indecently assaulting 10 young men and a boy and one count of attempted buggery, charges which date from 1985 and 1994.
Charles Howeson takes to the stand for the first time
28 Nov 2017
He married his wife Emma in 1978 and they had four children, sadly later losing one. He confirmed he had recently become a grandfather.
Robin Rudolf Menzel (b.1966) [son of Baroness Karoline-Eleonore von Schröder (b.1940) {herself daughter of Countess Eleonore von Pückler (1919-1997) & her first husband Baron Manfred von Schröder (1914-1996)} & her husband Rudolf Menzel (b.1924)] & his wife Phillippa, nee Howeson (b.1982) had their first child, Arthur, this year.
He said he had left the Navy for “personal reasons”, stating that he and his wife had lost a child while he was in Gibraltar, a tenant of his had “wrecked our house” and “stolen most of our belongings” and his mother had died. This “triple whammy” meant he feel he had to spend more time with his family “and a little less time on my career.”
He had also been the chair of a consumer watchdog which over saw the Royal Mail group, involved with St Peters church in Plymouth assisting it with a “multi-million pound refit” using Lottery money.
the jury heard Howeson had been chair of Plymouth Area Business Council Plymouth business council and a governor of city school for girls.
Earlier today, prosecutors closed their case against Howeson, finishing police interviews carried out after his arrest.
Mr Janner said the jury would hear a “considerable” amount of evidence to support his case, as well as from a number of witnesses, including Howeson’s wife and adult children, Royal Navy personnel and charity staff.
In addition, the jury would hear from a large number of character witnesses who knew the defendant during the periods addressed in the 12 charges which date from 1985 and 1994.
Former Royal Navy officer was ‘too familiar’ with sailors, jury heard
Charles Howeson questioned about numerous allegations while he was in Royal Navy
A leading Plymouth businessman admitted to police he had been confronted by a fellow naval officer, who claimed that he was ‘too familiar’ with sailors, a jury heard.
But former lieutenant-commander Charles Howeson, who turned 68 today, explained ‘that’s kind of how I am’.
Howeson, Bristol Crown Court heard, also replied to a detective interviewing him about allegations made against him by ‘lower ranks’ stating; “you don’t hold top security clearance in the Navy if there’s something dodgy about you”.
The jury at Bristol Crown Court, where Howeson faces 11 counts of indecently assaulting 10 young men and a boy and one count of attempted buggery, listened as transcribed interviews between investigating officer Det Con Paul Enticknap and the former executive director of the charity Groundwork Trust were read out by the officer and prosecution junior Patricia Cornwall.
Det Con Enticknap, in the witness box, had questioned Howeson about the numerous allegations while he was in the Navy.
Howeson recalled that on board one ship – HMS Cleopatra – where he was second in command there was “only about five baddies and I wasn’t one of them”.
He recalled a man overboard drill he had instigated but said he could not recall nominating a sailor to assist him.
The former junior rating had given evidence saying Howeson had groped at his genitals over his trousers during the drill in December 1985.
He had claimed in court he believed the senior officer had arranged the test as a pretext to get him alone at night.
The jury heard how during his police interview that Howeson admitted he had had ‘daily’ contact with the sailor, but denied groping the man, saying it was a night time exercise, the deck was dark and he was holding onto the back of the man’s life-jacket who had been wearing ‘foul-weather gear’ at the time.
Earlier during the trial the jury heard the man had immediately gone to the Master at Arms to make the complaint and that he was “shaking and very upset” and appeared “grey”.
He said he recalled being brought into the Captain’s cabin to be told “Charles, I’m very sorry but a serious allegation has been made against you and we need to investigate it”. He was then transferred off the ship to a Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) tanker as the investigation was carried out which Howeson said was “all completely in order”.
During the interview Howeson said he believed they were taken to Portsmouth and he was then driven home. However, the officer highlighted a statement from a member of the Navy’s Special Investigations Squad (SIS) how two days after the incident the vessel they docked at Gosport in Hampshire and Howeson was driven home.
However, the jury heard how Howeson agreed with Det Con Enticknap that he had called his wife and then a Rear Admiral while on board the RFA, admitted he was a friend and is now a neighbour. The jury heard how Howeson was initially driven by an SIS to meet his wife at the Rear Admiral’s home before returning to Plymouth.
He said he was later telephoned by a member of the SIS and told ‘investigation over, no further action’. Two weeks later he returned to the ship to collect his belongings as the Captain was leaving and Howeson had already been recommended for promotion.
When questioned by Det Con Enticknap about the alleged indecent assault, Howeson replied “it would’ve been a superhuman thing to do given the clothing we were wearing”. He also told police he was never told all the details of the allegation.
He said he could “attribute no motive” to the sailor’s allegation, stating he “was a perfectly good bloke”.
Howeson admitted another officer who was of the same rank as him had taken him to one side earlier in the operation as the vessel crossed the Atlantic from Barbados to criticise his “leadership style”. Howeson said the officer ‘thought I was too familiar”.
“Touchy feely?” asked Det Con Enticknap.
“That’s kind of how I am,” answered Howeson.
He said the Rear Admiral had not stopped his promotion, which he was capable of doing, but that the Captain had recommended Howeson’s promotion. He told the detective: “Can I say my report from [the Captain] was exceedingly good, in fact it was quite exceptional”.
Questioned about an allegation regarding groping another sailor, Howeson had replied “I deny it then and I deny it now.
“You don’t hold a top security clearance in the Navy if there’s something dodgy about you”.
Questioned about the allegations of indecent assault while he was chief executive of the Groundworks Trust he told the officer the allegations all appeared the same and “make for horrific reading – I deny all of them”.
He said he knew some of the complaints came at the time, saying: “Some people did complain about me being touchy feely.” When asked what he thought the phrase meant he answered “putting arm around somebody’s back. I’m a sort of person do would do that… but not that.”
He said he was recruited to head up the charity after he left the Royal Navy having had “a jolly career” and wanted to have more time with his children at home.
He said the ‘raison d’etre’ of the charity was to get people into employed work and it had taken on people “from probation” and on “benefits”.
Their work included garden on more than “50 projects” around the city including Royal William Yard and Drake’s Island. He admitted he left after he was called in by the chairman and deputy chairman of the charity and confronted with the complaints, adding “I left in part because of these complains and I wanted to dis-embarrassment the Groundworks [charity]” and because he had “a heart murmur”.
When asked why the complaints about indecent assaults may have come about he said he did not have the details, but added “I may have dismissed some of these people” noting there had been incidents of “drug taking on Drake’s Island”.
He told the detective around 10 individuals from Groundworks were living on the island as they carried out the clearing and repair work and had been interfering with the Royal Navy’s navigation lights, turning them on and off. He had been contacted by angry Navy personnel and “I shut it down”.
He said: “We had about 10 people who lived on Drake’s Island and they certainly were drug users” which he admitted had drawn the attention of the Ministry of Defence police.
He added that they were led by “a dealer” describing the man as “most able, most literate”.
He insisted he left Groundworks because he felt the complaints would damage the charity’s reputation.
He denied he had taken anyone into the tunnels of Drake’s Island or into sheds or outhouses at Royal William Yard to indecently assault them.
Howeson was formerly chairman of First Great Western trains and also chairman of the now defunct South West Strategic Health Authority, which used to oversee health spending.
He joined the Royal Navy in 1967.
Howeson, of Craigie Drive, Stonehouse denies all 12 charges which date from 1985 and 1994.
The trial, before Judge Mark Horton, continues and is expected to take between four and six weeks
Plymouth solicitors advised charity not to report Charles Howeson claims to police, trial told
The Groundwork Trust said it followed strict instructions which led to Charles Howeson’s resignation
The former vice chairman of a charity which has been accused of hushing up sexual abuse claims has told a jury how he “followed legal advice” after discussing the claims with solicitor.
In the early 1990s a string of young volunteers at The Groundwork Trust accused Charles Howeson, then executive director of the Royal William Yard-based charity, of indecent assault.
But Alistair Norman, who was vice chairman before becoming acting chairman of charity, told the jury he was advised by a Plymouth legal firm not to pass the matter onto the police, but to leave that decision to the victims.
Mr Norman added that on finding out about the accusations Howeson reacted with “incredulity, astonishment and denial”.
Today Howeson’s former colleague, Mr Norman, told a court he was telephoned by a colleague on a Saturday informing him of “a handful” of young volunteers accusing Charles Howeson of “inappropriate touching”.
Having never dealt with a matter of this nature before, he decided to seek legal advice from a city-based solicitors, the court heard.
He said: “[Our solicitors] advised me to speak to Charles Howeson and mention the allegations to him, and then ask him to go on leave.”
Paul Dunkels QC, for the Crown Prosecution Service, asked the witness what the allegations involved, to which he replied: “From memory, it was something like ‘inappropriate touching’.”
Mr Norman said: “I said [to Howeson] there had been accusations of inappropriate touching. [His reaction] was…incredulity, astonishment and denial.”
“It was suggested at the time the individuals concerned should be informed that if they wished to take the matter further, due to their age profile, they should take the matter to [the police] and I should interview Charles Howeson and ask him to resign.”
Asked whether the board discussed bringing the matter to the police itself, he added: “There was a discussion, but by that time we had had legal advice and it was felt we should follow the legal advice we had been given.”
The court heard by this point Howeson had engaged his own solicitor and resigned from his position at the Trust.
Howeson’s defence barrister, Daniel Janner QC, asked Mr Norman if any condition was imposed on his client never to work with children again, which several of the alleged victims claim they were told, to which he replied: “We did not do that.”
Mr Janner said: “Before these allegations were made Charles Howeson was a very effective leader of the organisation; he built it up from scratch. He was immensely hard working.
“He was trusted by all members of staff…and the advisory board were extremely happy to have him at the helm. He was charismatic… and was responsible for an organisation with over 100 people working there.
“From your point of view, did these allegations come out of the blue? Until that moment you hadn’t had the slightest hint of impropriety?” Mr Norman replied: “No.”
Mr Janner continued: “And his immediate reaction was one of incredulity, astonishment, and flat-denial?”
“Correct,” said Mr Norman. “There was no way of proving the allegations against Charles Howeson and on that basis it was considered the course of action was that he should be removed.”
The trial continues.
Royal Navy officer ‘humped odd-job man like a dog’ in garden pump house
Charles Howeson allegedly assaulted 12 victims and is alleged to have groped a junior rating during a man overboard drill.
24 NOV 2017
A senior Royal Navy officer on trial for sexually assaulting nine young men ‘humped an odd-job man like a dog’ at his house, a court heard.
Charles Howeson, 67, allegedly assaulted victims while serving with the Navy including groping a junior rating during a man overboard drill.
Complaints were made, but Howeson was let off with a warning and went on to pursue a successful career in the service with the court being told that he believed he was ‘unassailable’ because of his position.
He became a first lieutenant and second-in-command on a ship and felt he was ‘too powerful’ to be affected by complaints against him, a jury heard.
Bristol Crown Court heard Howeson hired a former car valeter to help him with odd jobs around the house.
His alleged victim claimed he was ‘humped like a dog’ by Howeson in his garden pump house.
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said he began working for Howeson after he was let go by a city car valeting business in the early 1990s.
The former car valeter told a jury how Howeson phoned him up and asked him to do ‘odd jobs’ around the garden.
The man told the jury it was when Howeson asked him to check for damp in the garden pump house that he first touched him inappropriately.
He recalled the second time Howeson allegedly assaulted him – as he stood on a step ladder in the pump house. He felt Howeson ‘coming in closer’ and touching him.
He told the jury: “His groin was touching the side of my leg, rubbing against me, pushing against me.
“In a way it was like when a dog jumps up at you and holds you and pushes against you. It was that kind of feeling, like he was trying to hump you.”
On the third occasion, he claims he could feel Howeson’s penis beneath his clothes.
“I could feel it on my leg or thigh,” he told a jury.
“It was within his clothing. I can remember rapid breathing and he was quite forceful as he was holding me on the ladder.”
He told the jury he left only after the third attack because he needed money to support his then pregnant wife.
“It’s made me scared of a lot of things,” he added. “Like being close to people. It has changed a lot of stuff for me. I was embarrassed and ashamed.”
Howeson also went on to allegedly abuse young men after he left the Navy and went to work for an environmental charity organisation.
Paul Dunkels, prosecuting, said: “He was emboldened in his behaviour by the thought he could face off the allegations because of his powerful position.”
Mr Dunkels said that the alleged offences took place between December 1985 and August 1994,
He said they relate to three “wholly unrelated” phases of Howeson’s life – the Navy, his private life and at the charity – but all tell a “similar story”.
“It is the story of a man who was successful in his careers, both in and after the Royal Navy , and a man who had much to lose,” said Mr Dunkels.
“But nevertheless, he was seemingly confident that he was ‘unassailable’ because of his position of power.
“Some of his victims complained at the time, but others felt their word would not be believed because of his status relative to them, or that he was ‘too powerful’ to be affected.”
The earliest charge was said to have taken place in December 1985, while Howeson, of Plymouth, was employed as an officer in the Royal Navy.
He allegedly groped a junior rating on the ship during a man overboard drill, touching the young man’s legs and lower back and his penis and testicles over his clothing.
The “shaken and upset” victim reported the incident to a petty officer and the master-at-arms.
There was an investigation launched into Howeson’s behaviour following a similar complaint from a ship’s steward.
But the court heard the defendant was let off with a warning about his future behaviour – and went on to enjoy a successful Navy career.
It was also Howeson was granted a similar ‘escape’ during his subsequent employment at environmental organisation Groundwork Trust in Plymouth, where he was employed as executive director.
Six of his 12 victims were allegedly indecently assaulted by Howeson between April 1992 and February 1993, during his time working at the Trust.
The court heard he would take them individually to an isolated place and make up some excuse to lift them up – for instance, checking the cabling in the lights – before touching their penis and testicles, either inside or outside their clothing.
Howeson denies 12 historic serious sexual offences, including 11 of indecent assault and one of attempted buggery.
The offences happened against nine alleged male victims.
But the charity, which was based at the Royal William Yard at the time, has been accused by alleged victims of protecting itself instead of taking the matter to the police.
One witness, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said in court the Trust “didn’t take it seriously” and was personally told the matter “couldn’t go to court”.
He added he was allegedly told at the time: “We all enjoy the Trust and if this were to come out it would destroy it.”
The complainant told the jury the alleged indecent assault Howeson, now aged 67, subjected him to meant he “lived in fear” and led to him moving house and seeking counselling.
But Howeson’s defence barrister, Daniel Janner QC, suggested the alleged victims were part of a “conspiracy” and that this particular complainant made the allegations up “to support a friend”.
The alleged indecent assaults are said to have taken place in the early 1990s in both the tunnels of Drake’s Island and a building in Royal William Yard.
The court heard how three separate victims, who were friends, discovered each had allegedly been groped by Howeson and decided to take the matter further to protect others.
Giving evidence today, one of the witnesses said he decided to write a letter intended to be posted to the employment agency that found him the voluntary work.
But he was persuaded to first tell his line manager by another alleged victim, the court heard.
The man told the court: “[My colleague] said I would be doing our immediate manager a disservice if it was seen I went behind his back.
“Therefore on the Friday after I had written the letter I showed it to [my line manager]. He said ‘Oh my God’. [He] took the letter from me and he said he would follow it up. That was the only copy of that letter.
“On the following Monday I saw [my line manager] and he said the letter had been taken very seriously and had been discussed over the weekend and he then said, ‘I can’t speak to you any further about this’.”
The court heard how the complainant was subsequently invited to attend a panel made up of the deputy director, his line manager, and his line manager’s boss.
“I was asked, ‘Is there a conspiracy against Charles Howeson?’ [and] they were very anxious to know this was the only copy [of the letter] and that it hadn’t been sent. I confirmed it had not.
“I said there wasn’t [a conspiracy]. I felt humiliated, angry and belittled.”
Following a series of meetings with the complainant, and separate panels with other alleged victims, Howeson resigned, the court heard.
The jury heard the volunteers were told this was for “health reasons” and were also made aware the Trust had made it a condition Howeson never worked with young people again, something Howeson’s barrister contests.
He was also not allowed to return to the Groundwork Trust offices, the court heard.
The witness said: “I was told this could not go to court. There was no point trying to obtain an apology from Charles Howeson because it would be worded in such a way that it would be…a non-apologetic apology.”
However, the following Wednesday, the witness was contacted by Howeson, who asked a question about ongoing work at the Trust, the court heard.
Queen Elizabeth visited the Groundwork Trust in Plymouth on May 1, 1992
The witness told the jury he “felt frightened” by this.
“I felt this was Charles Howeson getting in contact with me directly and saying, ‘I know what you have done’. I lost all confidence; I became paranoid; I felt that as he had telephoned me that I needed to watch out, so consequently I moved house. I lived in fear.”
Defending, Mr Janner said: “What you’re saying is The Groundwork Trust was merely going through the motions, but not taking it at all seriously? If that’s the case and they have swept your criminal complaint under the carpet, why not go to the police?”
The witness replied: “[We] felt there was no way on earth we are going to be believed.
“Charles Howeson was asked or told to resign and that was as much as we could hope. We were [in our early 20s] and we didn’t feel we had the authority or the confidence to go any further, simply because we had already achieved what we wanted to do, which was Charles Howeson could not abuse people in the Groundwork Trust.”
‘Charles Howeson groped me in Drake’s Island tunnels’, former charity worker tells trial
A former charity worker has told a jury he was “groped” by prominent Plymouth businessman Charles Howeson in the tunnels of Drake’s Island.
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, claimed Howeson, who was then executive director of the Groundwork Trust, touched him inappropriately on more than one occasion.
The alleged victim, who claims the sexual assault happened in in the early 1990s, told a jury Howeson, now 67, groped his groin area in the “complete darkness” of the tunnels on Drake’s Island.
The witness told the jury Howeson, a former Naval officer, approached the charity worker “one afternoon” and asked if he could come to the island to help find a set of switches and cables.
On the boat, which the complainant said only carried the two of them, Howeson asked if he would like the steer, the jury heard.
The complainant said: “At first I was sat down and Charles Howeson came up behind me and put his hand on my shoulder, then put his hand down onto my leg and started rubbing my leg.
“He leant over on my back to show me on the front the fish finder and depth of water. He was leaning over my back and I thought it was really strange as there was no reason for him to be doing that. It was very confusing for me. I was very confused.
“I felt very intimidated and that it wasn’t right what he was doing. It was like it was a sexual come-on.”
The jury heard that the man did not challenge Howeson over the alleged incident – and the two are said to have moored up on the island and made their way to the tunnels to find the switches and cables.
But once there, the witness said he was touched again, this time on his penis.
He told the trial: “It was complete darkness – I was asked to find some cables and switches and I had to get up onto his shoulders. He crouched down and I went to get up and as he did he started to rub my legs again.
“I went behind him and as I did […] he put out his hand to rub my leg again.
“He stood up with me on his shoulders. I had to stretch up. He put his hands across and then I was touched on my testicles and my penis. It was more like groping. It went on for about a minute.”
This happened twice in the tunnels, the complainant told a jury, before three other workers entered.
“[Howeson] was quite shocked when they came in,” the man told the jury.
Despite not telling anyone of the alleged sexual offences at first, the worker was called into a meeting some months later to give a statement, the court was told.
But the complainant claims the alleged offences were “brushed under the carpet” by the Trust.
The court then heard from the man’s carer, who told the jury she was told about the alleged abuse when she brought up Drake’s Island in conversation following its purchase by Dan McCauley, the former Plymouth Argyle chairman.
The witness, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the jury: “I brought it up and I said, ‘We’ll be able to go over fishing’.
“He said he wasn’t going to go over there, and he said that’s where things had happened to him. He said he was abused.
“We had a bit of an argument because he didn’t like it and he stormed off.
“All I said to him was he needed to sort the issues out because it happened more than once.”
‘Charles Howeson tried to rape me’, victim told police
20 Nov 2017
The former Naval officer and leading Plymouth businessman denies a string of sexual assaults
A man has said a senior Royal Naval officer pinned him down and tried to rape him when he was a young teenager, a jury has heard.
The alleged victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, claims Charles Howeson befriended him and a group of other schoolboys on a Plymouth Naval estate by letting them ride motorbikes in his field.
In an interview with police shown to the jury, the complainant told officers that Howeson, who denies the claims, was teaching him how to shoot a wooden air rifle gun in the field when the alleged offence took place.
He claims Howeson moved closer to him, pulled down his trousers and tried to rape him, but was unsuccessful.
Howeson indecently touched men in the lower ranks, civilians in and around his home and some men working for a charity where he was the boss, a jury has heard.
The charity, the Groundwork Trust, investigated complaints from six young men but “swept them under the carpet” back in 1993, the court was previously told.
Howeson is accused of two alternative charges dating back to the 1980s, attempted buggery and indecent assault, which are based on the same evidence and allegedly took place near his home.
In the interview with officers at Charles Cross Police Station, the complainant said “everything was normal” before Howeson allegedly took him to a field by himself to teach him how to shoot an air rifle.
“[Howeson] started laying closer to me,” the complainant said in the recorded interview, shown to the jury. “I thought it was a bit odd but I didn’t think anything of it. Then he laid on top of me and put all his weight on me and I couldn’t move.
“He pulled down my trousers and tried to rape me and I couldn’t even move, he was so heavy.
“The second he took his weight off me I squirmed out and ran away. That’s all I can remember and all I know about it.
“I didn’t say anything, I didn’t even make a noise. It was just a shock; I didn’t expect it in any way.
“Years after I thought about it a lot. I dealt with it with drink, drugs and violence.”
The jury heard the alleged victim has more than two dozen previous convictions dating back several years, which Howeson’s defence barrister suggests indicates he is lying about this allegation.
Daniel Janner QC said: “I want to suggest to you you are lying about what’s happened for an easy way of getting [compensation].
“You are a career criminal […] [and] from the age of about 17 you were a thoroughly dishonest person.”
The complainant replied: “I got into trouble with the police a lot, yes. What happened to me has affected every aspect of my life.”
Mr Janner then asked: “Are you going to make a claim for compensation?”
“No,” the complainant said. “I have said I do not want to claim compensation.
“I was not a good kid. I did bad things and I paid for it.”
Last year the complainant attended an identity parade, identifying Howeson as the man who allegedly assaulted him 30 years ago.
He claims he did not even know Howeson’s name until three months ago, and had not seen a picture of him in the time between the assault and the ongoing court case.
Royal Navy ‘covered-up incident where senior officer groped a young seaman’s genitals to avoid a scandal in the newspapers’
Nov 17 2017
Former Naval officer is accused of groping a junior on a warship in 1985
Alleged victim says he told his superiors about the incident at the time
He believes the matter wasn’t dealt with as the Navy didn’t want a scandal
Accused officer denies the attack and 10 other alleged sex offences
The Royal Navy has been accused of trying to cover up a high-ranking officer’s alleged sexual assault on a sailor in a bid to avoid a scandal.
Charles Howeson, 67, who was a lieutenant commander, is on trial accused of several sex attacks including groping a junior on the frigate HMS Cleopatra in 1985.
The court heard claims that, despite complaints made against Howeson, he was allowed to carry on in his role as it would have ‘looked bad’ for the Navy if the scandal had got out.
His alleged victim, who was in his 20s at the time, said he believed no action was taken because the service wanted to keep it quiet.
he immediately complained to a senior officer and the Master at Arms, who was in charge of on-board discipline.
The man, in his 20s, said he was then interviewed by two members of the Navy’s Special Investigations Squad.
The witness said he never saw Howeson again after the incident. The defendant was moved from the ship on health grounds, the jury were told.
The complainant said he was later told that no record of the incident he reported could be found.
The witness said that he was contacted by police more than 30 years later in 2016. Only then, he said, did he realise that Howeson had continued in the Navy.
Howeson told investigators more than 30 years ago it was ‘inconceivable’ he had sexually assaulted the junior rating on HMS Cleopatra.
After being flown off the ship, he was later interviewed and said: ‘I completely refute the allegation.’
Members of the service’s Special Investigations Squad have told the court that they pursued the matter thoroughly before passing the file to the Provost Marshal.
Charles Howeson trial: sailor had his bottom touched by senior Naval officer on board frigate, court hears
The jury heard how the alleged victim reported the incident to superior officers.
He added he woke his petty officer to report what had happened and then spoke to his head of department.
The man, together with the other complainant, was later interviewed by the Navy’s Special Investigations Squad.
He was interviewed by Navy investigators but was shocked to encounter Howeson, who was originally from Mevagissey, three years later and find he had been promoted to commander.
Another junior rating has already told the court he was groped by Howeson on a boat deck on the same ship during a man overboard exercise that December.
He said to the jury that he believed the Royal Navy then kept the matter quiet to avoid a scandal.
Former officers in the squad told the court they investigated the matters and passed a file to the Provost Marshal, in charge of the Navy’s police service.
The jury heard the second part of the Service Investigation Squad interview with Howeson in December 1985.
He added his reaction to the ladder allegation was “absolute shock and horror”.
Howeson said: “I totally deny any allegation of that nature. In my mind it is unthinkable.”
The ship’s second-in-command added that he “half fell down” the ladder into the junior rating. He added the contact only lasted a few seconds and was not indecent.
The First-Lieutenant said he could not think of any reason why the two junior ratings would act in concert to make complaints against him.
He said that the allegations as a whole were “like a script from a dirty movie”.
Howeson, then married for seven years with two children, denied he had any “homosexual tendencies”.
The head of department who was told by the rating about what had happened said he decided with other officers not to tell the ship’s captain, Roy Newman.
He told the jury that Howeson claimed it was a “misunderstanding” and appeared “horrified”.
The senior officer said he decided not to tell the captain about what he said was a very “serious and difficult matter”. But the witness added he did warn Howeson he would report him if there was another complaint.
The retired officer said that the junior rating agreed with this course of action.
The former head of department duly told the captain when the second junior rating came forward two months later and the matter was included in the Royal Navy investigation.
Charles Howeson trial: accused was flown from Royal Navy frigate following allegations of sexual assault on board
Two Navy investigators flew by helicopter and were winched on to HMS Cleopatra in the English Channel in December 2015 (should be 1985?)
(The former junior rating, the first complainant to give evidence, had earlier told the jury that Howeson groped at his genitals over his trousers during a man overboard exercise in December 1985.)
The former sailor described Howeson as “flamboyant” and that he pulled up to join the frigate on a yacht.
He was also told that the lieutenant commander’s children had jetted off to join Princess Anne’s children horse riding.
A ‘cover’ story was put out that a high-ranking officer needed medical treatment when he was removed from a Royal Navy frigate following an allegation of a sexual assault, a court heard.
He said Howeson, second-in-command on the ship, groped him at night while they were alone during a man overboard drill on the boat deck.
Leading Plymouth businessman Howeson, 67, has gone on trial accused of abusing his position of power to indecently touch ten young men and a teenage boy.
Howeson indecently touched men in the lower ranks, civilians in and around his home and some men working for a charity where he was the boss, a jury heard.
The charity, the Groundwork Trust, investigated complaints from six young men but “swept them under the carpet” in 1993, the court was told.
Retired Warrant Officer Robert Payne, of the Navy’s Special Investigations Squad, said he and a colleague flew by helicopter and were winched on to HMS Cleopatra in the English Channel in December 2015.
He added that he was the senior investigator in that squad, which could be called to any ship by its captain to investigate any serious allegation anywhere in the world.
Mr Payne said himself, then a Master At Arms, and the squad’s commanding officer, Lieutenant John Buchanan, were briefed by HMS Cleopatra’s captain, Roy Newman.
Paul Dunkels, QC, for the Crown Prosecution Service, asked whether Howeson was on the ship when they arrived.
Mr Payne said: “No he had been jackstayed (line transferred) to a Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Some story was put out that he was unwell and needed treatment.”
The witness, giving evidence over a videolink from Mold Crown Court in North Wales, said he and his commanding officer interviewed the complainant.
He added that he later interviewed Howeson on board the RFA docked at Gosport in Hampshire.
The witness said he co-operated and described him as “cool and relaxed”.
Mr Payne said: “He said to me that when he was transferred from HMS Cleopatra he only had the clothes he was standing in. He told me that he had no driving licence and I offered to drive him back to Plymouth.”
He stressed they never spoke about the investigation during the journey.
Lieutenant Buchanan, who took to the witness stand, said that he passed his report to his superior, Lieutenant Commander Bob Doyle, the Provost Marshal, the head of the Navy’s regulatory or police branch.
He added that the Provost Marshal, not a trained lawyer, would have taken legal advice before making a decision about what happened next.
The witness added that Lieutenant Commander Doyle was “sadly deceased”.
Lieutenant Buchanan said that was the end of his role in the matter.
Under cross-examination, he added that his squad had carried out a thorough and independent investigation.
Howeson, of Craigie Drive, Plymouth, has gone on trial at Bristol to answer 12 charges dating from 1985 and 1994.
Drake’s Island, where the trial has heard that Howeson was accused of abusing men in tunnels (Image: James Breeden)
He denies 11 counts of indecently assaulting ten young men and a boy and one count of attempted buggery.
One of the men he allegedly touched on board HMS Cleopatra and another in the Groundwork Trust are not subject to any charge.
Howeson was formerly chairman of First Great Western trains and also chairman of the now defunct South West Strategic Health Authority, which used to oversee health spending.
He joined the Royal Navy in 1967 and also had a senior role at the Queen’s bank, Coutts and Co.
The trial, before Judge Mark Horton, continues and is expected to take four to six weeks.
Top Plymouth businessman carried out sex attacks in Drake’s Island tunnels, trial told
Charles Howeson is on trial after denying a string of sexual assaults which the prosecution claim were ‘swept under the table’ by a leading charity
14 Nov 2017
A leading city businessman abused his position of power to grope 11 boys and young men – with a jury told some of their complaints were “swept under the carpet”.
Former Royal Navy officer Charles Howeson, aged 67, indecently touched men in the lower ranks, civilians in and around his home and some men working for a charity where he was the boss, a jury heard.
Barrister Paul Dunkels, QC, prosecuting, told his trial: “This was a man who was prepared to risk his success by abusing his dominant position over his victims seemingly confident he was unassailable because of his status.”
The former lieutenant-commander allegedly touched two men inappropriately on board a Royal Navy ship in 1985.
He went on to grope a young man who lived close to him at a former home in Plymouth and a young workman there, the jury heard.
Howeson, then executive director of the Groundwork Trust, allegedly touched seven men who worked for the charity. Its premises were visited by the Queen in 1992.
Charles Howeson stands between The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh during a visit to the Groundwork Trust exhibition in 1992 (Image: Tony Carney)
Mr Dunkels, opening the case for the Crown Prosecution Service, said some of the alleged victims complained at the time.
He added that others never spoke out because they felt they would not be believed.
The barrister said Howeson was moved from the ship where the alleged offences took place on health grounds after the complaints were investigated.
Mr Dunkels said: “Howeson conveniently retired on health grounds (from the Groundwork Trust) after six young men who worked for the trust complained of similar sexual offences.
“One of the young men was told by the trustees that it was pointless taking the matter to the court and that the negative publicity would destroy the Groundwork Trust.
“The defendant should resign on health grounds and would not work with young people again. In other words it was swept under the carpet.”
The barrister said the complainants working on Drake’s Island through the charity were vulnerable and two had mental health or learning difficulties.
Leading Plymouth businessman and captain of industry Charles Howeson has denied a series of historic sexual abuse charges
Howeson, of Craigie Drive, Stonehouse, has gone on trial at Bristol Crown Court to answer 12 charges dating from 1985 and 1994.
He denies 11 counts of indecently assaulting nine boys and young men and one count of attempted buggery.
One of the men he allegedly touched on board HMS Cleopatra and another in the Groundwork Trust are not subject to any charge.
Mr Dunkels said Howeson was second-in-command of HMS Cleopatra in 1985.
He added the lieutenant commander would initiate physical contact with a particular sailor, touching his hand and leaning into him.
Mr Dunkels said that Howeson touched the legs and lower back of the man as he walked up stairs on the ship. He then touched his crotch over his uniform, the barrister added.
Mr Dunkels said the man was “shaken and upset” and complained to a petty officer and the Master at Arms.
The barrister said another man on board the ship also complained that Howeson had touched his bottom. He also complained to a senior officer.
Mr Dunkels said Howeson denied the allegation and claimed it was a misunderstanding. He was moved on to another ship on health grounds.
The barrister said Howeson befriended a teenager near his former Plymouth home.
He added that he lent him a motorcycle to ride and taught him to shoot an air rifle. Mr Dunkels said that while he was lying in a field Howeson attemped to bugger him.
Mr Dunkels said a second man in his 20s did odd jobs at the defendant’s home and cleaned his car.
Queen Elizabeth visits The Groundwork Trust in Plymouth, May 1, 1992
He added that Howeson asked him to go up a ladder to do some work and touched him indecently three times.
Mr Dunkels said in the early 90s Howeson was executive director of the Groundwork Trust, based in the Royal William Yard. He added that the charity would help “vulnerable” young people or those who were finding it hard to find jobs.
He added that the trust was doing environmental work on Drake’s Island.
Mr Dunkels said: “His method was to take them individually to an isolated place, often a tunnel on Drake’s Island and make up some reason for him to lift the man up to check a cable or to put on some lights.”
The barrister said Howeson would stand close behind the man and touch him indecently, often over but sometimes under his clothing.
He described how seven men were touched in this way – six of them are subject of the charges.
The court heard how a Groundwork Trust official spoke to six of the men in February 1993. The matter was not reported to the police.
Mr Dunkels said the victim of the attempted buggery came forward only in in 2015, later picking an image of the defendant from a video identification parade.
The barrister said that following a report in The Herald the second man, allegedly assaulted doing work at the defendant’s house, came forward.
Police were also told of the investigations in the Royal Navy and the Groundwork Trust and tracked down the notes of the official who carried out the investigation.
Howeson denied all allegations put to him in police interview.
Howeson, wearing a smart dark suit and tie, spoke only to confirm his identity at the start of proceedings.
Charles Howeson stands next to the Duke of Edinburgh who addresses the crowd at the Mount Batten Centre in 1999 (Image: Brian Jones)
Howeson was formerly chairman of First Great Western trains and also chairman of the now defunct South West Strategic Health Authority, which used to oversee health spending.
He also held a role as a senior staff member at the Queen’s bank, Coutts and Co.
The trial, before Judge Mark Horton, continues and is expected to take four to six weeks.
The case has been moved from Plymouth because of Howeson’s high profile.
He was raised in Mevagissey in Cornwall and joined the Royal Navy in 1967, before making his fortune as a property developer and launching a long career in the public, private and voluntary sector.
The man said Howeson, who he described as ‘flamboyant and different’ and as ‘having money’, groped his genitals over his clothes.
He said he went to a senior officer to complain and a helicopter landed on HMS Cleopatra later that night and two members of the special investigation bureau came on board and took a written statement from him.
The man said he was told ‘somebody with a blanket or towel’ over their head was taken off.
He said he did not see Howeson on the ship after that night.
He said he thought Howeson would face a court martial, but heard nothing afterwards and that it ‘was not handled properly’.
‘I just wonder at the thought process of allowing somebody who has been accused of an assault not to be heard by other people (in a court or tribunal),’ he said.
He added that he had ‘honestly believed the Navy would take care of me’, despite the fact it was the word of a junior crew member against a senior one.
Let’s get this straight: A man accused of buggery turns to a QC whose father, according to CPS, should have been charged with buggery?
Lord Janner: CPS and police were ‘wrong’ not to prosecute earlier, says official report
Abuse allegations against Greville Janner should have been taken further in 1991, 2002 and 2007 – and discloses how Leicestershire police hid a crucial statement from prosecutors
Lord Janner’s family to ‘undermine’ sex abuse inquiry strand into their father after being given formal role in investigation
1 February 2017
Welcoming the decision, his son Daniel Janner QC said: “It gives me the chance to undermine my father’s strand of the inquiry from within
The family, including his son Daniel Janner, were granted core participant status, which gives them access to documents and to have lawyers attend the inquiry’s hearings
Executive director Plymouth Area Groundwork Trust, since 1991. Managing director Bailey Management Group Ltd. Chairman Bailey M & E Ltd., Bailey Environmental Ltd., Indiana Legal Practitioners Ltd., DNA Facilities Management Ltd., RNH Ltd.
Having been launched in 1991 by Her Majesty the Queen (under the name of Groundwork Plymouth Area Trust), the charity was celebrating its 21st anniversary this year, and launched its first charity shop in Plymouth’s Derry Cross. At the launch of the shop Groundwork South West warned that “with ever-decreasing funding, Groundwork has to rely more and more on public support,” calling for donations to stock the store.
Groundwork South West goes into administration with 150 jobs lost
16 May 2012
Sir Tony Hawkhead, the national chief executive, said in a statement: “We are obviously very sad to see a member of our federation forced to take this difficult step.
“We aim to work closely with administrators when they’re appointed to provide whatever help we can to ensure communities in the south west continue to get the support they need.”
Employment Minister Chris Grayling MP recently described Groundwork’s programme as “one of the most innovative, motivational programmes” he had seen.
Charles Howeson, British portfolio manager, director. Certified yachtmaster, licensed private pilot.
Background
Howeson, Charles was born on November 27, 1949 in Ticehurst, Sussex, England. Son of Arthur Coningham Howeson and Sheila Beatrice Uniacke.
Education
Graduate, Royal Naval Staff College, 1980.
Career
Executive director Plymouth Area Groundwork Trust, since 1991. Managing director Bailey Management Group Ltd. Chairman Bailey M & E Ltd., Bailey Environmental Ltd., Indiana Legal Practitioners Ltd., DNA Facilities Management Ltd., RNH Ltd.
Major achievements
Certified yachtmaster, licensed private pilot.
Membership
Vice chairman Plymouth Chamber of Commerce. Board directors Healthy Plymouth Alliance Ltd., Plencraig Ltd., Sailport Plc, Solemeasure Ltd. Director development Plymouth Theatre Royal.
Member Devon Food and Farming Committee. Board directors Plymouth Health Action Zone. Member Regional Flood Defense committee National Rifle Association.
Member advisory committee Plymouth Post Office and Telecomm. Chairman Seaton Area Residents Association, Crownhill Estates Ltd., Eko-Tek Power Ltd., Piers Ltd., Buckland Corporation Finance Ltd., AYS 2000 Ltd., Powerplus Marine Ltd., Millfields Estate Management Company Ltd. Board directors Somerset Estates Ltd., London and Westcountry Estates Ltd., Frog Construction Ltd., Hockin Dinamic Holdings Ltd., Enterprise Plymouth Ltd.
Chairman Plymouth Economic Development Group, Plymouth Employment Action Zone Board. Vice chairman Millfields Community Economic Development Trust. Chairman, member national council Consumer Council for Postal Services United Kingdom.
Fellow: Royal Inst Navigation, Nautical Institute, Faculty of Building, British Institute Management, Institute Directors, Royal Society Arts. Member: Board Trade, Younger Brother Trinity House, Liveryman Worshipful Company Shipwrights, Freeman of City of London.
According to a BBC report Howeson will face trial at Bristol Crown Court on November 13. It is estimated the trial will take around five weeks.
The alleged offences are understood to have taken place at a number of locations in Plymouth, including Royal William Yard, Drakes Island and HMS Cleopatra.
Charles Howeson, 67, of Craigie Drive, Stonehouse, Plymouth, appeared in court and denied sexually abuse charges while he was a Royal Navy officer. He has pleaded not guilty to 15 charges – 12 counts of indecent assault, two of buggery and one of attempted buggery, against 10 boys and men between December 1985 and September 1994.
According to a BBC report Howeson will face trial at Bristol Crown Court on November 13. It is estimated the trial will take around five weeks.
The alleged offences are understood to have taken place at a number of locations in Plymouth, including Royal William Yard, Drakes Island and HMS Cleopatra.
As of 14 Sept 2017 – no news updates on Charles Howeson, even though he was scheduled to be in court on 11 Sept 2017 for an interim hearing.
His next court date is on 13 Nov 2017
Former Naval officer Charles Howeson, aged 67, faces 12 counts of indecent assault, two of buggery and one of attempted buggery between December 1985 and September 1994.
The alleged offences relate to 10 different males and prosecutors claim the incidents took place at a number of locations in Plymouth, including Royal William Yard, Drakes Island and HMS Cleopatra.
Howeson has not been arraigned on any of the charges.
He appeared for the second time at Plymouth Crown Court, where his barrister applied for the case to be heard in Bristol – an application which was not opposed by the Crown.
Judge Ian Lawrie ruled that the trial should not be heard in the Plymouth because of Howeson’s high profile.
The resident judge in Bristol will now formally have to decide whether to take over the case.
Top Plymouth businessman Charles Howeson appears at Crown Court
May 08, 2017
A leading Plymouth businessman has appeared at Crown Court where he faces more than a dozen serious sexual abuse charges.
Former Naval officer Charles Howeson, 67, faces 12 counts of indecent assault, two of buggery and one of attempted buggerybetween December 1985 and September 1994.
Drake’s Island
The alleged offences relate to 10 different males and prosecutors claim the incidents took place at a number of locations in Plymouth, including Royal William Yard, Drakes Island and HMS Cleopatra.
Royal William Yard– The Ministry of Defence, which owned the site, closed it in 1985. Michael Heseltine was the presiding axeman.
Howeson was not arraigned and no charges were put to him.
Previously, Howeson, of Craigie Drive, Stonehouse, has refuted the allegations and said he had co-operated fully with the police investigation.
A trial was estimated to take between two and three weeks. A hearing to discuss legal arguments was set for June 16. Howeson was released on unconditional bail.
The War Department stopped using Drake’s Island in 1956, and after a seven year period of dormancy, they leased it in 1963 to the Plymouth City Council.
For eight years Drake’s Island had an official status as a youth training base, until it was leased to the Mayflower Centre Trust in 1971.
The Mayflower Centre Trust ran Drake’s Island as an Adventure Centre, and opened it to the public in summer months. However, soon the island became dormant again and has been unoccupied since.
Gary also said that there was evidence to suggest that the island is regularly visited. “In the first house, people had used chalk to write their names on a blackboard, and there were quite a few dated from 2010-2015,” he added.
The former chapel turned military base became an adventure centre in the 1960s before being closed and abandoned, then sold off.
However, a city historian says there’s not enough proof a tunnel runs from Plymouth Hoe to Drake’s Island as records of it being built have never been discovered.
PLANS to build a luxury hotel, spa and restaurant on Drake’s Island have been resurrected.
The £10million scheme to bring the derelict island back to life was thrown out by Plymouth city councillors in January last year.
Members of the council’s planning committee rejected the plans, saying there was not enough information on the risks to wildlife.
Charle’s Howeson – Drake’s Island Jan 9 2014
Charles Howeson, the chairman of the Plymouth Area Business Council, said “For so many years we in Plymouth have looked forward to our waterfront mosaic being completed with the removal from the post war ‘dereliction inventory’ of arguably its most significant and certainly its most visible component, St Nicholas or Drake’s Island.
“At last we, as a city, have a champion willing, and in resource terms capable, of achieving this against very many odds, and we should all be very grateful and supportive of this, perhaps at the very eleventh hour of its being offered and so being available in this form.
“The comparatively past of a couple of decades of recent history has left neither the island nor us with anything to be particularly proud of, and yet there is a west country family who are now prepared to complete the mosaic for all of us, probably with a degree of philanthropy and almost certainly bearing a degree of commercial risk which would frighten the most of us off, and which we can thus only therefore admire.
“So, let all of us in Plymouth now wholeheartedly, and without reservation, welcome the regeneration of ‘our island’, the very jewel in our waterfront crown, and the final component in our recovered and regenerated mush damaged waterfront, and thus, as our forefathers used to say so often after the last war during the great years of rebuild, let us just ‘get on with it and make it happen!’ – and, given the macro economic climate, and the growth challenges facing us all, let us do this, and with full enthusiasm, whilst the opportunity is still available to us, and so whilst we still can.”
A year ago the council’s planning committee was advised by officers to refuse the plans because environmental surveys of the island and surrounding sea were missing or incomplete.
The councillors were told that environmental surveys needed to be carried out in the summer.
But now revised plans have been submitted by owner Dan McCauley’s Rotolok (Holdings) Ltd.
They include a luxury hotel boasting 43 rooms, some with view of Plymouth Hoe and the city’s waterfront.
There would also be a spa, a restaurant and a revamped jetty.
The hotel, which would be built over 3,322 square metres, would create 50 full-time jobs, according to Rotolok.
In a statement this morning, the company said: “Rotolok (Holdings) Ltd are pleased to announce that they have resubmitted an amended planning application for the regeneration of Drakes Island.
Police say the charges are two counts of buggery, one of attempt buggery and 12 counts of indecent assault.
These matters relate to 10 alleged victims, all of whom are male.
At the time of the alleged offences one was aged 14/15,another was aged between 16 to 18 and eight were described as being in their early 20s.
Howeson was raised in Mevagissey in Cornwall, joined the Royal Navy in 1967 before making his fortune as a property developer and launching his long career in the public, private and voluntary sector.
Howeson is vice president for life of the Plymouth Drake Foundation, a charity he founded in 2008 to help communities in the city.
In creating the foundation, from which he stepped down in 2012, Howeson established a so-called “charity of charities” designed to support individuals and groups through grants.
The jewel in the foundation’s crown is a £10 annual trust membership for 10,000 Plymothians.
Howeson … shocked ANOTHER one bestowed with honours by the queen accused of abuse
Update:
Top Plymouth businessman Charles Howeson in court on 15 sexual abuse charges
April 13, 2017
The wife of a former Coutts bank manager today vowed to stand by him as he appeared in court accused of sex offences against men and boys as young as 14.
Charles Howeson, 67, was regional head of the Queen’s bank after serving as a Royal Navy officer, where Queen Elizabeth appointed him as one of her Royal Navy Honorary Captains.
Today his wife Emma came with him to Plymouth Magistrates Court after he was charged with sex offences against 10 teenage boys and young men dating back 32 years.
HMS Cleopatra
Mr Howeson is accused of committing the offences between 1985 and 1994 including one alleged sex attack on board a Royal Navy ship – HMS Cleopatra.
He is accused of 12 counts of indecent assault, one of attempted buggery of a boy aged between 14 and 15 and two counts of buggery without consent on a male aged over 16.
Howeson who was raised in Mevagissey in Cornwall, joined the Royal Navy in 1967 before making his fortune as a property developer and launching his long career in the public, private and voluntary sector.
He is vice president for life of the Plymouth Drake Foundation, a charity he founded in 2008 to help communities in the city.
Former Naval officer Charles Howeson, 67, is facing 12 counts of indecent assault, two of buggery and one of attempted buggery between December 1985 and September 1994.
Dressed in a smart blue suit and accompanied by his wife at Plymouth Magistrates’ Court today, Howeson spoke only to confirm his name and address and said “I understand, thank you” when the charges were read out.
He did not enter a plea and will next appear at crown court on May 15.
In 1972, Cleopatra took part in escort duties during the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh‘s South East Asia tour.
The National Archives records that MOD has on file details of intelligence collection activities by Cleopatra in January–March 1978. The original document is still closed, but the bare fact of the activity itself is available.
I had a great time in Bermuda right up until the First Lieutenant landed on me breaking a couple of ribs HMS Montrose, 1998-2000!
Wasn’t that the irrepressible drunken loud eccentric BUT fantastic Charles Howeson. He was just something else My boss in Gib – had his mini-moke brought out on an RFA
Aaaggghh my Jimmy on the Cleopatra !
Yep, the very same. The most eccentric XO I ever served with
Edited to add, having seen John’s post above it was indeed the Cleopatra not Montrose! I was DWEO from 86 to 88.
He left the RN to try and become an MP but didn’t quite make it. Its one of about 2 reasons the RN are obliged to let you back in again. He would have been huge in the Commons – and kept the bar afloat. :stout:
Cannot argue with that. Would like to have seen a Chief Whip who impose anything on him! He was there (Gib) towards the end of my time and certainly made the social arena and ONH a better place to be. Without ever being near the ship I had heard he was a legend during his time in Cleo.
Cleo was from 84 to 86 so it seems we served together John.
Charles Howeson retains his links with the MOD and particularly with the Royal Navy where HM the Queen appointed him one to be of her small number of Honorary Captains in the RNR in 2009.
Director, COMPANY DIRECTOR, 2007.01.21
315-317 NEW KINGS ROAD , LONDON
SW6 4RF
MICHAEL MANSFIELD and Mohamed al-Fayed
Richard Howeson became a director there in Jan 2007 as did the barristerMICHAEL MANSFIELD Director at Prospect QUAY ltd – MICHAEL MANSFIELD (resigned),
Director, BARRISTER, 2007.01.25 – 2014.03.17
FLAT 2 PROSPECT QUAY 98 POINT PLEASANT , LONDON
SW18 1PR
It’s been another busy year at EuroTalk, with new products, new languages… and a new puppy. Throw in a royal encounter and a cake that looks like a Dalek, and you’ve got the makings of an interesting twelve months.
JLC Champion and runners-up with EuroTalk Chairman Richard Howeson
Cannes:
28 Feb 1998
Oui, Cannes Multimedia’s jetsetters go on an annual pilgramage – exposes computing’s beautiful people
Richard Howeson – his Eurotalk is making big waves in Europe – sailing his clients, in style, to his favourite islands offshore.
28 Feb 1998
Oui, Cannes Multimedia’s jet-setters go on an annual pilgramage – exposes computing’s beautiful people…bringing together the elite from the world’s new media content and games industries.
A RETIRED Royal Navy Commander and prominent city business leader has been granted a rare title by the Queen.
Charles Howeson has been made an Honorary Captain in the Royal Naval Reserve by order of the Queen on the recommendation of the head of the Royal Navy, the First Sea Lord.
It is a rare privilege granted to just a handful of people in the UK.
To date only eight people have been presented honorary ranks in the armed forces by the Queen.
During his 25 years in the Royal Navy Mr Howeson commanded the minesweeper HMS Walkerton, and was Second-In-Command of HMS Cleopatra.
Aug 1, 1977 – After ” II escorting four Dartmouth picket boats to Spithead, the Walkerton (Lieut. Charles Howeson) made four tours of the Fleet for the benefit of staff and cadets of Britannia Royal Naval
WRNS officer cadet Hilary Benyon took command of the minesweeper HMS Walkerton watched by commanding officer, Lieutenant Charles Howeson, and second officer Elizabeth McCombe
A former Navy officer who held a leading role overseeing NHSspending in Bristol has been charged with historic sex offences against males as young as 14.
Charles will add strength and depth to DCBC’sstrategic lobbying activities through his connectivity into London, Westminster and Whitehall.
In addition, Charles will play a key role in further strengthening DCBC’s position as the single voice for the business community across Devon and Cornwall, something which is more important now than ever before.
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, with Plymouth businessman, Charles Howeson (centre), charged with sex abuse claims alleged to have taken place between 1985-1994.
Although his success in business and attention to detail has not always made him popular, for reasons he is reluctant to divulge.
“I have got lots and lots of friends in Plymouth. But I know there are one or two people who do not have me on their Christmas card list.
Devon businessman Charles Howeson, rebailed over historical sex abuse allegations
December 07, 2016
Charles Howeson (centre) with Prince Philip
A leading Devon businessman and captain of industry has been bailed for a third time while police investigate allegations of historical sexual abuse.
In March, former Naval officer Charles Howeson, 67, was questioned by detectives over the abuse claims.
It’s business as usual for Prince Andrew
Thursday 10 March 2011
Buckingham Palace today moved to shore up Prince Andrew’s image by announcing a series of engagements with British businesses.
Prince Andrew met the Queen on Tuesday following the controversy over his friendship with convicted child sex offender Jeffery Epstein. The Standard understands she gave her son her “full support”.
Charles Howeson, who will host a lunch for the Duke (Prince Andrew) at the Plymouth Business Area Association, said that he was a major asset to UK firms hoping to trade abroad. Mr Howeson added: “He has been doing this longer than civil servants and probably longer than many company chairmen, and he has built up a network of contacts that is incomparable.”
Royal 1 Fix It 1 first
Lt-Cdr The Duke of York became the
first Royal host of TV’s ‘Jim’ll Fix If show
when he agreed to let 8-year-old Harriet
Cooper be an admiral for a day on board
his minehunter HMS Cottesmore.The Duke her to sea for exercises out of
Rosyth last month — using the ship’s sonar to
help search for Charles I’s treasure barge which
sank in the Firth of Forth in 1633 — and later
presented her with her ‘Fix If badge when the
show was recorded at the BBC’s Shepherds
Bush studios.
It will form part of the final series of the 20-
year-old TV favourite presented by Sir Jimmy
Savile — in which the Navy has frequently lent a
hand — starting at the end of next month.
The Duke has lately been a surprise host for a
number of Navy supporters, old and young. As
we reported last month, he visited Cottesmore
St Mary primary school at Hove. Earlier, a party
of Royal Naval Patrol Service veterans expect¬
ing to spend a day at sea in HMS Atherstone
found themselves on board the Cottesmore
after a late change in Atherstone’s plans (see
page 11).
https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:OAc-43Z4otIJ:https://archive.org/stream/NavyNews1994Collection/199403_djvu.txt+&cd=13&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-b-1-d
Final Fix: Prince Andrew and Jimmy Savile 1994
Prince Andrew, Duke of York commanded HMS Cottesmore from April 1993 until November 1994.
Savile did not confine himself to one royal. Prince Andrew was called on to help in an episode of Jim’ll Fix It when an eight-year-old girl asked to visit a warship.
The Naval officer Prince was her host on his minehunter, HMS Cottesmore.
Jim’ll Fix It & Princess Anne Daily Express 28-09-79
1994 Final Fix “Final Fix: Prince Andrew helps Sir Jimmy (Savile) fulfill a dream in the last series of the programme April 2nd 1994 HMS Cottesmere Daily Express
Prince Andrew, Duke of York commanded HMS Cottesmore from April 1993 until November 1994.
Savile did not confine himself to one royal. Prince Andrew was called on to help in an episode of Jim’ll Fix It when an eight-year-old girl asked to visit a warship.
The Naval officer Prince was her host on his minehunter, HMS Cottesmore.
1990 Sir Jimmy Saville OBE DJ & TV Presenter stands to attention in a naval uniform saluting on board HMS Belfast in London with his Brother John.
Duke forced to miss city visit
March 02, 2010
Prince Andrew had been invited to the city by the Plymouth Area Business Council (PABC) and the University of Plymouth in his capacity as the UK’s Special Representative for International Trade and Investment.
He was due to meet 100 leading Plymouth business figures and VIPs at the Commando Forces Officers’ Mess at the Royal Marines Barracks, in Stonehouse yesterday.
Charles Howeson, chairman of the Plymouth Area Business Council, said he spoke to the Duke by telephone after the lunch engagement, which went ahead in his absence.
Mr Howeson said the Duke was ‘mortified’ to have missed the event, and added: “He’s asked us to reschedule the whole visit, which we would be delighted to do.”
The Duke had been due to give a speech to invitees including Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress Cllrs Ken and Wendy Foster, council leader Cllr Vivien Pengelly, Plymouth City Development Company chief executive Gavin Carrier, Plymouth’s top police officer Chief Supt Andy Bickley, and many city business figures.
Stonehouse Barracks is home to the headquarters of 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines as well as a collection of its units including 30 Commando Information Exploitation Group … Location Stonehouse, Plymouth
A Devon-based Royal Marine unit has been renamed after a World War II intelligence unit formed by James Bond’s creator Ian Fleming.
Formerly known as the UK Landing Force Command Support Group (UK LFCSG), it carries out intelligence gathering and analysis.
In recent years it has been deployed on operations in Iraq and AfghanistaThe unit is part of 3 Commando Brigade.
Covert operations
Lt Col Matt Stovin-Bradford, the unit’s commanding officer, said: “A change of name hardens an already galvanised group of specialists.
“The role we perform can be traced back to the Second World War, a lineage of which we are immensely proud.”
Earlier a ceremonial inauguration parade was held to mark the name change at Stonehouse Barracks in Plymouth, the unit’s headquarters.
The original 30 Commando Assault Unit was formed in 1942.
Bond author Ian Fleming, who worked in wartime intelligence, based the concept on similar units used by the Germans.
It gathered information from enemy positions using covert methods and operated in North Africa, the Greek Islands, Norway, Sicily, Italy, Corsica and North West Europe.
It was also involved in the D-Day landings.
The new 30 Commando IX Group will be based at Stonehouse Barracks in Plymouth.
Last week’s Parliamentarians’ Dinner at Stonehouse Barracks was another fabulous event.
Members of Plymouth Area Business Council (http://pabc.co) attended this sell out event and here is Jonathan with Simon King and Charles Howeson, being greeted by David Coslett of Plymouth University, and with Major General David Hook of the Royal Marines.
“Jimmy Savile was always a great friend of the Royal Marines.”
The year was 1969 and the Leeds legend was at the Royal Marine Commando School in Lympstone, Devon, to take on its famous assault course for a children’s documentary.
JIMMY SAVILE carried out a string of sex assaults at a Royal Marines Commando base. He attacked at least four people at the elite special forces unit’s training centre.
Among those who trained at the site in Lympstone, Devon, was Prince Edward. Edward joined as a cadet officer in 1986
FGW advisory board chairman Charles Howeson July 19 2014
Mr Howeson made his name at the helm of organisations including First Great Western, NHS South West and the regional arm of the Queen’s bank, Coutts and Co.
A Devon and Cornwall Police spokesman said: “A 67-year-old man from Plymouth, arrested on suspicion of historical sexual offences, is on police bail until January 23, 2017.”
He left the service at the age of 39 from the post of Chief of the Allied Staff in Gibraltar
1975 When H.M.S. Sirius was manning the guardboat she gave as many volunteers as possible the chance of duty in her – pictured at the Rock are Lieut C. A. Howeson and members of one of the crews who served in H. M. F. T. Ettrick.
He is a Member of the Establishment:
Fellow of the Institute of Directors Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts Fellow of the Faculty of Building Fellow of the Nautical Institute Member of the Royal Institute of Navigation Freeman of the City of London and Member of the Guild of Freemen Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Shipwrights Younger Brother of Trinity House Honorary PhD (Management) from the University of Plymouth Honorary Captain in the Royal Naval Reserve
…the bank could have been handling the proceeds of crime for a three-year period up to November 2010 after failing to properly deal with customers classified as “politically exposed persons“.[19]
Breaches of money laundering rules
In March 2012 Coutts was fined £8.75m for breaches of money laundering rules after three years of “serious” and “systemic” problems in handling the affairs of customers vulnerable to corruption because of their political links.[19] The Financial Services Authority (FSA) fined Coutts because of an “unacceptable risk” that the bank could have been handling the proceeds of crime for a three-year period up to November 2010 after failing to properly deal with customers classified as “politically exposed persons“.[19]
Charles Howeson:
Former Chief of the Allied Staff of Nato, and commander in Royal Navy; director of six companies; board member of Millfields Community Economic Development Trust, Plymouth Naval Base Museum, Seaton Area Residents Association and Theatre Royal – Portsmouth; patron of St Austell’s Royal Navy Association; vice-president of the charity Tomorrow’s People;
previously ran Groundwork Plymouth and a board member of
Whilst in the private sector Charles has just handed over the Chairmanship of the Rowe Group,one of the largest private company groups based in the South West.
He is the Chairman of SPS Ltd (Pathology) and Regional Chairman of Coutts and Co bankers and of Harvey Nash plc.
He is also a trustee of the Bermuda Institute of Oceanographic Sciences (BIOS) and trustee of the 19th Duke of Somerset.
He remains (after 13 years) the annually elected Chairman of the Plymouth Area Business Council (PABC), comprising the City’s top 250 key sector leaders.
When not working, Charles is a keen family man (youngest daughter 22) who lives in Plymouth, and enjoys being a competent international cruising yachtsman link
SPECIAL GUESTS: Anthony Payne, Lt Col Nick Bruce-Jones, Peter Reichwald, Senior Consultant Harvey Nash plc , Admiral Lord West, Councillor Vivien Pengelly, David Smith, Economics Editor of The Sunday Times, Charles Howeson and Nigel Theyer
A FORMER First Sea Lord was among the guests at a charity dinner in Plymouth last night.
Admiral Lord West of Spithead, who was also the former Minister of Homeland Security, joined 100 guests at the Lord Lieutenant’s charity dinner at the Royal Marines Barracks at Stonehouse.
The dinner was expected to raise well over £1,500 for the Plymouth Drake Foundation.
Organiser Charles Howeson, chairman of the Plymouth Area Business Council (PABC), said the charity had raised more than £1.3million in the past 24 months and distributed some £400,000 through about 150 local grants.
2010 Plymouth College report – lacking:The school does not meet all the requirements…and therefore it is required to: implement appropriate safeguarding arrangements…
The Marine Biological Association’s Royal Charter. From left to right: MBA Deputy Director Dr Matt Frost, MBA President Sir Geoffrey Holland, The patron of the Marine Biological Association, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh,and MBA Director Professor Colin Brownlee.
Lady Butler-Sloss criticised for giving evidence for defence in child rape trial
Retired high court judge also gave character evidence in 2007 assault trial of Philip Chard, who was convicted this month of raping 13-year-old girl
Butler-Sloss said she had known Chard for 20 years because his mother, Valerie, was her cleaner at her home in east Devon. Chard, from Lympstone, near Exmouth in Devon, often took his mother to Butler-Sloss’s farmhouse home and sometimes stayed there for a couple of hours.
Captain Charles and Emma Howeson representing the Royal Navy
Devon History Society: April 2010
www.devonhistorysociety.org.uk/2010_04_01_archive.html?m=0 The campaign, led by Charles Howeson, chairman of the Plymouth Area Business …. will lay the stone, and it is expected to be done with due masonic honours.
Mountbatten Britannia Pitcairn – Earl Mountbatten and HRH Prince Phillip visited Pitcairn via the Royal Yacht Britannia during February 1971.
HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and Lord Mountbatten wearing tropical white Admiral of the Fleet uniform with Rear Admiral Trowbridge with Britannia anchored at the Pitcairn Island on the 21st February , anchoring at Bounty Bay
‘PERV’ DOSSIER
Prince Charles’ mentor Lord Mountbatten was ‘a homosexual with a perversion for young boys’, FBI files claim
18 Aug 2019
NEWLY unearthed FBI files describe Prince Charles’s mentor, Lord Mountbatten, as “a homosexual with a perversion for young boys”.
The 75-year-old secret dossier was obtained by British historian Andrew Lownie, using freedom of information laws.
Prince Charles and Lord Mountbatten visit Nepal to attend the coronation of King Birendra in 1975
Quotes from the files are included in his new biography of Mountbatten – Prince Philip’s uncle – and his wife Edwina.
The US dossier sheds further light on the sex life of Mountbatten, the last viceroy of India, and his wife. An aristocratic source close to the couple, interviewed by the FBI in the 1940s, described them as “persons of extremely low morals”.
Another source in the FBI files claimed that Mountbatten’s private life made him “an unfit man to direct any sort of military operations.”
Mr Lownie believes US spies began compiling intelligence on Mountbatten’s private life after he was made supreme allied commander of Southeast Asia during the Second World War.
It’s not known if the material was passed to the British government.
The book, The Mountbattens – Their Lives and Loves by Andrew Lownie – will be published on August 22.
Lord Louis Mountbatten former chauffeur Norman Nield exposed him
Meanwhile, in New Zealand, there have been such newspaper headlines as, “‘Uncle Dickie’ the Sex Pervert” (N.Z. Truth, Sept. 8, 1987), since Mountbatten’s former chauffeur, Norman Nield, started revealing details of the late Lord Mountbatten’s alleged sexual exploitation of boys.
Paedophile Lord Louis Mountbatten
Edward Prince of Wales and his cousin Lord Louis Mountbatten “relax” in a canvas swimming pool on board H. M. S. Renown during their 1920 Empire Tour.
Lord Louis was a great grandson of Queen Victoria and the uncle of Prince Philip (consort of Queen Elizabeth II). Mountbatten was also a promiscuous bisexual who was famously rumored to have had an affair with Edward VIII (who was Prince of Wales at the time) when he accompanied him on his Empire tours (see photo above).
The Queen. Like any human being, she is subject to the influence of those around her. While he lived, Lord Mountbatten was a persuasive counsellor, and he formulated the plan for Prince Charles’s unusually rigorous education.
September 4 2003 : The Prince of Wales, Patron, the Britannia Association, this morning received Admiral Sir John Brigstocke, Captain Sir Donald Gosling RNR and Commander Charles Howeson, RN (Retired).
Captain Sir Donald Gosling Vice Patron, together with the President Sir John Brigstocke, Chairman Rear Admiral Robin Shiffner and the Hon Secretary Commander Charles Howeson marked the publication of the Britannia Association Commissioning Book Bravo Zulu — Bravo Alpha with a presentation of the book to the Patron, Vice Admiral The Prince of Wales at Clarence House on Wednesday. They were joined by Admiral Sir Alan West, First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Sir Jock Slater, Chairman The White Ensign Association, Vice Admiral Sir Jeremy Blackham, Editor The Naval Review, Vice Admiral Sir Christopher Morgan Chairman RNBSO, the book Editor Captain David Wixon and Designer Mrs Alison Graham.
Rear-Admiral Sir Richard Trowbridge, who died on Sunday aged 83, was the first officer to rise from boy sailor to captain of the Royal Yacht Britannia and the last Briton to serve as Governor of Western Australia.
A personal friend of Prince Philip since they had served in the British Pacific Fleet at the end of the Second World War, he had an unusually long-serving and successful term as Flag Officer Royal Yachts from 1970 to 1975 when Britannia
Trowbridge was commissioned in 1940 and served at sea throughout the Second World War. He was in the destroyer Wakeful after the end of hostilities with Japan when she transported prisoners of war to Sydney; and Lady Mountbatten was in charge of repatriation. Trowbridge was mentioned in dispatches.
This was when he met Prince Philip, who was first lieutenant of another destroyer in the 27th Destroyer Flotilla. Together they were in Tokyo Bay when the Japanese signed their surrender after atomic bombs had been dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Crew enjoy a drink in the petty officers’ mess in August 1973. Each of Britannia’s 20 officers and 220 yachstmen, known as ‘Yotties’, were personally selected by the Commanding Officer to serve on the vessel. They wore soft-soled shoes to reduce noise and were given orders by hand signal to avoid disturbing The Queen. Duties included ensuring the slope of the royal gangway was never steeper than 12 degrees.
^ Brian Gerrish of UK Column was a co-director of Bailey Energy Management Limited and on the PLYMOUTH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY with Charles Howeson
Brian Gerrish served on the HMS Cleopatra with Charles Howeson
Lieutenant Commander RN Brian Gerrish, rt: “I was in the Navy for 21 years and left in 1993.
Gerrish then went into business…
The business was energy management. We looked after the energy accounts, electricity, gas,water for large commercial organisations
Of course, it would be unfair and unreasonable to draw kneejerk conclusions from this friendship. However, as Gerrish himself would (somewhat hypocritically) put it, it’s important to get all the facts out there.
John Hemming MP – Brian Gerrish had invited him to the conference
John HOf course, it would be unfair and unreasonable to draw kneejerk conclusions from this friendship. However, as Gerrish himself would (somewhat hypocritically) put it, it’s important to get all the facts out there.emming and his Fathers Rights friends (one of whom is the convicted paedophile Nigel Oldfield)
Terence Ewing was arrested with Gleaves. Who are these MPs?
Were Austin Mitchell and John Hemming aware of the fact that Terence Ewing was a paedophile?
The Association of McKenzie Friends are the group ‘supporting’ Ella Draper and Abraham Christie, who along with Sabine McNeill are wanted for questioning by police in relation to allegations of harassment and child abuse connected to the Hampstead Satanic Claims.
Belinda McKenzie, Terence Ewing, and Sabine McNeill
Jan 10 2019 Sabine McNeill jailed for 9 years for harassment.
Interesting at this juncture to see what the blogger Anna Raccoon, erstwhile friend of Barbara Hewson until she saw through her, has to say about McKenzie, McNeil et al …
Terence Ewing, having been described by a high court judge as “unattractive and indicative of a lack of personal integrity and honesty”, is banned from taking a civil action in England and Wales unless he has the permission of a High Court judge. (BBC News)
I’m sure that many will think that this proves nothing other than that Terence Ewing has an extremely poor taste when selecting business partners.
However, call me old fashioned but I do believe that it is extremely unethical and potentially illegal for ‘The Association of McKenzie Friends’ to seek to sell “video evidence”, “interviews with victims of child trafficking”, and “documentation regarding child abuse”.
Belinda MacKenzie is another name that becomes yawningly familiar. Belinda lives in leafy Highgate and had ambitions for her home to become an “in-house charity” for impoverished activists supported by “some kind of international fund“. That information was gleaned from an injunction taken out by one of her many tenants. An injunction which also revealed that her other tenants included David Shayler and girlfriend Annie, ex-MI5 defector, who subsequently preferred to be known as ‘Dolores’ and declared he was the Messiah. Curiously, he started work with MI5 as a result of an advertisement entitled ‘Godot isn’t coming‘.
Belinda also gave board and lodging to Sabine McNeil, of whom we shall hear more later. So many mouths to feed, no wonder she needs a donate button. Belinda would tell you that Iran Aid, a charity that she was closely involved with for many years, along with her ‘is he/isn’t he’ husband, Esmail Vafa Yaghmaei, and which managed to ‘misplace’ £75 million pounds, resulting in the charity commission closing it down, is NOT the source of the millions which allowed her to buy into leafy Highgate – she says her father left her millions.
John Alexander Melvin Hemming (born 16 March 1960) is a British Liberal Democrat politician and a businessman. He served as the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Yardley from 2005 to 2015.
AS his wife is found guilty of stealing his lover’s cat, why life is never dull around John Hemming – the politician accused of having 26 affairs during his marriage.
A former heavy-metal drummer who once put himself forward as a candidate for Britain’s first astronaut, he is a multi-millionaire who set up a company writing software for stockbrokers when he was only 23.
One fellow MP denouncing him as unfit for public office. And as of yesterday he is also the man who drove his long-suffering wife to criminality.
Hemming seems to relish his womaniser image; he once voted for himself in a national poll as Britain’s biggest love rat.
Barbara Hewson’s willing helper Simon Just reblogged Hopkin’s/Smith’s/Vordrak’s blog recently. Would that be the same Smith referred to in this Early Day Motion by John Hemming?http://archive.is/QEvPq
There is something incredibly sinister about John Hemming MP submitting an Early Day Motion in parliament to support this chap who then reappears later to bash @Esther9982, Hemming’s accuser, in a blog which is then reposted by
It is also worth looking at the other sponsors of Hemming’s EDM. Let’s commence with Peter Bottomley. His name was on the Elm Guest House list and his wife Virginia had dealings with the paedophile Peter Righton for decades.
Who is Milo Yiannopoulos and, above all, is that the fascist and Vordrak/Hoskins/Sam Smith/Samuel Collingwood grinning together into the camera. Is that the company he keeps?
The second of the other two EDM sponsors was Mike Hancock who served 2 terms as MP for Portsmouth South. He was forced to resign the LibDem whip after allegations of impropriety were brought against him by a Annie, a mentally ill constituent seeking help from him.
In 2011, claims of paedophilia were made against Hancock by his opponent Les Cummings.
In 1984, the death of Ralph Bonner Pink, Hancock’s constituency predecessor, brought on a by-election, which Hancock won. Another contender for the seat was Cameron’s paedo friend Patrick Rock. Bonner Pink is said to have abused his adopted daughter.
Hancock and Savile were friends, as Pink’s adopted daughter testifies. Indeed, the two are said to have worked on the same corridor at the BBC. Interesting, too, are accounts of Pink with Peter Ball and a man called Morris beside a boat called Ambler.
Sterling work has been done by @CathyCathyFox on Hancock, Bonner Pink and the Portsmouth connection:
‘Annie’ was not the only pretty woman to walk into Hancock’s constituency office and be given help. A Ms. Ekaterina Paderina who turned to Hancock for help later became Katya Banks, proud wife of Aaron, friend of Nigel.
Indeed, the interests of Russia appear to have been closer to the heart of Hancock than his country of birth.
A scan of Hancock’s directorships is also very revealing. On the Southern and South East Tourist Board, his name sits alongside Frederick Alfred John Emery-Wallis and Lord Edward John Barrington Douglas Scott Montagu: https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/01345038…
Lord Montagu, 3rd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu, was a close friend of the paedophile Bonner Pink and was charged with sex with 14 year old boy scouts.
Given recent revelations re. CSA in football as exposed by, among others, @OffsideTrust and Hancock’s own associations, I find this Commons question rather worrying.
And of course no mention of Hampshire and the New Forest would be complete without the purveyor of jollies and freebies Derek Laud, Master of the Hounds and close friend of Lord Montagu and both directors of Posmark:
This wasn’t the only instance of a Bottomley EDM link to Mike Hancock either: In 1991, Sir Peter pushed for the kin of Оле́г Анто́нович Гордие́вский to come to Britain. The spy Oleg Gordievsky accused Hancock’s aide of espionage.
It is intriguing that Peter Bottomley and Ken Hind, both PPS to Peter Brooke, had allegations of child abuse levelled against them. Bottomley was also PPS to Norman Fowler who agreed to make funds available for Savile’s charitable work in 1981.
It was Peter Bottomley’s wife who buried the Peter Righton report and went out of her way to convince the public that Satanic Ritual Abuse doesn’t exist. …
Oh, and Mike Hancock, Hemming’s EDM sponsor, was promoted to the frontbench by Paddy Ashdown, the man with the funny nickname, in 1997 as the spokesman on foreign and commonwealth affairs. …
Back to Vordrak aka Hopkins for a moment. It is interesting that he served on Welwyn/Hatfield council, switching from Labour to Tory. Alan Franey, who gave Jimmy Savile unfettered access to Broadmoor, was deputy leader on the same council
Savile’s close buddy Alan Franey had considerable support among Welwyn/Hatfield Tories, including Grant Shapps, the infamous local MP, together with the council leader.
Vordrak’s dalliance with Grant Shapps didn’t last long either. Within just days of joining Shapps’ team, Hoskins hit the headlines for a sleight on the Liberals and was forced to apologise.
An interesting find: Sabine McNeill, recently convicted to 9 years in prison, was a founder member of the Forum for Stable Currencies and worked closely together with McKenzie Friends patron and business associate of Hewson uncle Richard Denby at Radio Pennine, Austin Mitchell.
Apart from his years at Denby’s paedoincubator Pennine Radio, Austin Mitchell also presented Calendar on Yorkshire Television from 1969-77. Here he is talking about his friend Savile who appeared frequently on Calendar. A man without a clue!
Letter from Austin Mitchell MP to Sir Christopher Meyer
In 2008, whilst ArchPaedophile Jimmy Savile was still alive and kicking, his friend and ‘anti-Jersey MP’ Austin Mitchell tabled a Commons motion calling on the UK government to hold an inquiry into Jersey child abuse allegations.
Allegations centred around horrific reports of abuse at the Haut de La Garenne children’s home on Jersey. A related motion was tabled a year later by John Hemming, supported by Austin Michell and Peter Bottomley.
Was Austin Mitchell, co-patron of McKenzie Friends with John Hemming, aware at the time that his friend Jimmy Savile was a visitor to Haut de La Garenne as this photo clearly shows, and if so, did he challenge Savile re. these claims?
Austin Mitchell’s friend Jimmy Savile at Haut de la Garenne
John Hemming, along with fellow Liberal Democrat Bob Russell and former Conservative minister Peter Bottomley, said Stuart Syvret had been jailed for ‘criticising the Jersey establishment for its failures to enforce the rule of law’.
In 2009, the press reported that Stuart Syvret had sought refuge with John Hemming, who was supporting Mr Syvret’s application for protection from the Jersey judiciary. In 2011, Hemming selflessly tabled another EDM re. Syvret.
Ben Birnberg – civil liberties lawyer who acted for Ian Brady on being introduced by Harriet Harman’s uncle Lord Longford[Farewell to a non-fat cat lawyer, The Independent, 25 February 1999]
“He recalls his first meeting with Ian Brady, who was introduced as a client through long-time friend Lord Longford. “Brady was in a terrible state in prison – he looked like a skeleton coming out of a Nazi concentration camp.” Using an internal Home Office psychiatrist’s report, which recommended that Brady be moved to a mental hospital, Mr Birnberg started an action against the Home Office in the early 1980s and succeeded in having Brady moved to Park Lane (now Ashworth), where he has been since 1985.”
Dr Lindsey Neustatter – Albany Trust’s Deputy Chairman in 1962 – and member of the interviewing panel appointing Antony Grey to the Trust [see blog post here on Grey’s interview] had provided the initial psychiatric report on Brady in 1966 prior to his sentencing.
On retirement in 1999:
“He (Ben Birnberg) will also spend more time campaigning, with “maverick” MP Austin Mitchell, for a National Legal Service. He has already made submissions to the Lord Chancellor. “Needless to say, I’m a very old acquaintance of the Lord Chancellor, I think I gave him one of his first legal aid briefs – possibly the only one he has ever had.”
Dame Alun Roberts @ciabaudo
Knowing of Austin Mitchell’s close friendship with Savile, his Radio Pennine links and his interest in Jersey abuse, I was pretty gobsmacked to read his incredibly insensitive comments on the 2015 General Election in his constituency of Grimsby
Lord Irvine, Tony Blair’s former Head of Chambers was the Lord Chancellor at the time Birnberg is mentioning having instructed him on a legal aid case, perhaps one of the very few. Bizarrely Austin Mitchell MP’s name is only familiar to me due to attracting headlines a few weeks ago for declaring Labour will still win Grimsby even if the party selected a ‘raving alcoholic sex pedophile’ [Independent, 25 February 2015]
Lord Irvine, Tony Blair’s Head of Chambers and Lord Chancellor, remembered Mitchell for his statement: ‘… his name is only familiar to me due to attracting headlines … for declaring Labour will still win Grimsby even if the party selected a ‘raving alcoholic sex pedophile’.
On the occasion of his retirement in 1999, it was claimed of Ben Birnberg that he would be spending more time campaigning with ‘maverick’ MP Austin Mitchell for a National Legal Service. He had already made submissions to Lord Irvine. But who was Ben Birnberg?
Ben Birnberg who represented the PIE- affiliated Albany Trust.
Paul Boateng writing about Ben Birnberg:
“my legal hero… He struck a blow for artistic freedom, defending David Hockney’s right to bring back magazines deemed obscene by customs and excise.
This didn’t inhibit a lifelong friendship with Lord Longford. …Ben Birnberg went on to help form the Butler Trust.”
Ben Birnberg was a civil liberties lawyer acting on behalf of Ian Brady after an intro by Harriet Harman’s uncle Lord ‘Porn’ Longford. Boateng looked up to Birnberg as his legal hero for defending a man’s right to bring back obscene magazines! I hear Leon Brittan applauding!
THE LOUDOUN TRUST
TO ADVANCE EDUCATION FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT ABOUT PAEDO-SEXUAL OFFENDING (SEXUAL CRIME AGINST CHIDREN).PROTECTING CHILDREN THROUGH INCREASING KNOWLEDGE.
Austin Mitchell was chair of the Fabian Society, with many links to PIE and the world of paedophilia. One member was David Owen who rubber-stamped giving Savile the keys to Broadmoor. And then there was the Harwoman and Hewitt with their Hewsonesque views.
David Evans former MP for Welwyn Hatfield
Another Welwyn Hatfield MP also piqued my interest: David Evans was one of the kind donors who gave Harvey ‘Cottonrose’ Proctor a leg-up after Spanker was kicked out of parliament.
Evans lost his seat shortly after his verbal abuse of an opponent.
After his defeat in 1997, David Evans returned to managing his cleaning business. Another 1997 failure, Michael Brown MP, joined Evan’s firm. Brown was a contemporary of Proctor, Christine Hamilton and Proctor’s criminal buddy and Hewson cousin Jonathan Denby at York University.
Michael Brown was closely linked to Derek Laud, Thatcher speechwriter, purveyor of fine jollies and freebies, alleged paedophile, Portillo mate, and one of the last persons to see Michael Colvin alive.
Michael Brown was closely linked to Derek Laud, Thatcher speechwriter, purveyor of fine jollies and freebies, alleged paedophile, Portillo mate, and one of the last persons to see Michael Colvin alive.
Harvey Proctor turned from politics to hosiery and opened his shop in Brewers Lane, off Richmond Green, in 1988 with a pounds 2,000 grant from the Government’s Enterprise Allowance Scheme, and a little help from his friends: a start-up fund of pounds 75,000 was organisedby Tristan Garel-Jones MP, the former Tory deputy chief whip and one of the party’s best-known fixers.
Lots of former chums chipped in. Besides multimillionaires such as Lord Archer and Mr Heseltine, they included the present Paymaster-General, David Heathcote-Amory; Mark Lennox-Boyd, a former junior Foreign Office minister; and MPs Sir Nicholas Bonsor (Upminster), Richard Shepherd (Aldridge-Brownhills) and David Evans (Welwyn Hatfield).
Evans represented Welwyn Hatfield as the Conservative Member of Parliament from 1987, until he lost his seat at the 1997 general election .
Shortly before losing his seat, in early March 1997, he attracted controversy over unguarded remarks in an interview by sixth-formers at Stanborough School for a school magazine in which he referred to his opponent as a “single girl” (she was 42 years old at the time) with “bastard children”,[3] and claimed that the Birmingham Six were guilty and had “killed hundreds” before being caught, as well as making remarks considered racist, such as asking how the sixth-formers would feel if their daughter was raped by “some black bastard”.[4]
The Six won substantial damages from Evans in July 1998.[5][6] After losing his seat in Parliament, he continued to manage his industrial cleaning business, the Broadreach Group, which he sold in May 2002 for around £17 million.[6]
Michael Russell Brown (born 3 July 1951) is a British political journalist, noted as a former Conservative Party Member of Parliament (MP) from 1979 to 1997.
THE WESTMINSTER CHILD TRAFFICKING RING — How child trafficker Derek Laud is connected to Harvey Proctor, Michael Portillo, Neil Hamilton, Ian Greer, and Michael Brown
Greer After Westminster Brown lost the election for the new Cleethorpes seat at the general election on 1 May 1997.
Greer then went to work for David Evans’ cleaning firm Michel Brown MP – working for MP David Evans’ contract cleaning firm
The deputy leader of Welwyn Hatfield Council told an NHS colleague that Jimmy Savile had a “little secret” and a “liking for young girls, the younger the better”, it has been claimed.
The allegations were put to investigators compiling a Department of Health report into Broadmoor Hospital, where Councillor Alan Franey was former general manager. When interviewed by investigators, cllr Franey – now responsible for finance at the borough council – strenuously denied making the comment.
The report, published today, stated: “The former chief executive of the High Security Psychiatric Services Commissioning Board, Ray Rowden, reported to us that he had been told by the chief executive of the hospital, Alan Franey, that Savile had a ‘little secret’, a ‘liking for young girls, the younger the better’. “This is strenuously denied by Franey, and it is not clear whether ‘the younger the better’ was understood in any way to encompass those below the age of consent.” It also said cllr Franey had said he was not aware of any complaints during his tenure at the hospital.
Sex offence reports rise after Jimmy Savile scandal, top cop tells meeting
23 January 2013
THE Jimmy Savile scandal has seen a 45 per cent jump in sexual offences in Welwyn Hatfield, claim police. Senior officers say the publicity generated by the shamed DJ’s crime has led to more victims coming forward, with some offences dating back to the 1970s.
Welwyn Hatfield Chief Inspector Dave Wheatley revealed the rise at a meeting of Welwyn Hatfield Councils Social Overview and Scrutiny Committee. He said: “We have a seen a rise of 45 per cent, that is 15, a total of 48 we are currently sitting on at the moment. “I attribute that to operation Yewtree and certainly on the highlighting of the Jimmy Savile and the press coverage. “We have seen a significant rise in historic sexual offences.”
Brian Gerrish was awarded a Royal Navy Scholarship in 1972 and served until 1993, achieving the rank of Lieutenant Commander. After an early career in Minehunters and Frigates as a Bridge watch-keeper, Navigator and Principal Warfare Officer, he specialised as an anti-submarine warfare expert during the cold war period. He has extensive experience with RN, United States Navy and NATO forces in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Norwegian Sea, detecting and tracking Soviet Nuclear Submarines. Operations included protection of UK nuclear deterrent as well as joint US/UK anti SSBN (ballistic missile submarine) missions along the eastern seaboard of the USA.
His expertise included fixed, mobile and airborne active and passive sonar systems, electronic warfare, weapons systems, chemical, biological and nuclear protection, communications and COMSEC, oceanography, wide area and local intelligence picture analysis, and associated security matters. Brian also lectured at the Royal Netherlands Navy School of Warfare Den Helder for two years, and headed the Royal Navy’s anti-submarine warfare staff for Flag Officer Sea Training at Portland UK. His last appointment before leaving the service was in Command of HMS Orkney, an Offshore Protection Vessel, tasked with Fisheries Protection and security of North Sea Oil installations.
Plymouth Radio’s board of principal shareholders is made up of leading Plymouth business figures including Charles Howeson, chair of the Consumer Council for Water’s Western committee, and Karen Stockdale, director of the Plymouth media partnership.
TV’s Philip Schofield – who began his career on Hospital Radio Plymouth – is also an investor and is expected to contribute to the on air-launch.
RAILWAY HERITAGE TRUST
OFFICERS AND ADVISORY PANEL
EXECUTIVE BOARD
The Hon Sir William McAlpine Bt
Sir William (Bill) McAlpine is the Chairman of the Railway Heritage Trust, a post he has held since the Trust was formed in 1985. Sir William is the great-grandson of Sir Robert McAlpine, who founded the contracting company that bears his name to this day. Sir William spent his working career, apart from National Service, in the company, starting as an apprentice fitter, and spending many years as a Director.
Sir William has a life long interest in railways, and has one of Britain’s most interesting private railways in the grounds of his home. He is more well known for saving the locomotive ‘Flying Scotsman’ which was stranded in America in the early 1970s, repatriating it to the UK, and running it on the main line for many years. He has also been heavily involved in other locomotives and carriages, and retains a large private collection. In addition, he served on both the Southern and the Great Western Advisory Boards of British Rail, is Chairman of both Dartmouth Steam Railway and River Boat Company and the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Light Railway, is President of the Transport Trust and is involved with many other preservation organisations.
Charles Howeson
Advisory Panel Member since 2009
Amongst other appointments, Charles is currently the Chairman of First Great Western Trains Advisory Board, Chairman of the UK Seafish Industry Authority, and Chairman of the National Health Service (Strategic Board) for the South West and the Consumer Council for Water in the South West. In the private sector Charles Chairs the Board of the Rowe Group, one of the largest private company groups based in the South West and is the Regional Chairman of Coutts and Co bankers. He is also a trustee of the Bermuda Institute of Oceanographic Sciences (BIOS) and of the 19th Duke of Somerset.
In the voluntary and community sector, he holds a wide range of honorary and elected appointments in the South West including, in Plymouth, being Chairman of the Plymouth Area Business Council and Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce. He is the founding Chairman of the City Regions (Community) Drake Foundation. Charles is passionately interested in the UK Railway and has “Second Great Western” running around his garden in G Gauge.
Charles Howeson served for 25 years in the Royal Navy, retiring in 1991 from the post of Chief of Allied Staff in Gibraltar. In the mid 1990s he established a successful property company, and followed that by founding a retail, wholesale and distribution company group that became a significant retained contractor to the government.
Charles has held a number of significant positions, including Chairman of the Plymouth Chamber of Commerce and Director and Vice Chairman of the Millfields Community Economic Development Trust. He is currently a Board member of the Local Strategic Partnership (2020), and Chairman of First Great Western Trains Advisory Board, the UK Seafish Industry Authority
and the Rowe Group. In the last month he has been appointed Chairman ofthe NHS in the South West.
The Reverend Prebendary Samuel Philpott from Plymouth is made an MBE by Princess Anne at Buckingham Palace..
Father Sam Philpott – Party to celebrate Priest’s MBE
July 31, 2012
Father Sam Philpott was ‘overwhelmed’ that parishioners at St Peters Church in Wyndham Square threw a party for him inviting along many people he had worked with over the years.
Father Philpott has been at the forefront of pioneering projects including the Ship homeless hostel, Plymouth Mediation and The Millfields Economic Development Trust, which he chairs. He also worked with sex offenders to try to get them to face up to their offences and lay down roots so they weren’t constantly travelling round.
He has been involved in schemes including Wheels, which encouraged children to work on car repairs, and Stables, which taught children how to interact more effectively by teaching them activities such as theatre and rock climbing.
He is currently involved in the Widening Horizons project which encourages children’s aspirations.
And he has worked with business leader Charles Howeson on the Drake Foundation which is “raising sums for good things in the city”.
He also sent out a huge thanks to Charles Howeson.
Retired as Priest in Charge of St Peter Plymouth April 2013
Appointed Chaplain to Bishop of Plymouth May 2013-
Retired as Prebendary of Exeter Cathedral April 2013; appointed Prebendary Emeritus
National Council & Executive of Forward in Faith
Regional Dean of Tamar (Diocese of Exeter & Truro)
Member of General Synod 2010-2015
Member of Exeter Diocesan Board of Education
Governor All Saints Church of England Academy Plymouth
Chair of Governors of St Peter’s Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Plymouth
Governor of St George Church of england Primary Academy
Trustee of the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacarment
Trustee of Drake Foundation & Chair of Grants Committee Plymouth
Chair of Millfields Economic Development Trust Plymouth
Member of Plymouth Fairness Commission April 2013-
Member of Plymouth City Council Child Poverty Cross Party Group 2013-
Stephen Freedman, who worked at Merchant Taylors’ in Crosby for more than 20 years, admitting 18 counts concerning thousands of sick images of children being abused, along with hundreds of videos, and images of people having sex with animals.
Biology teacher Freedman, 54, took early retirement from the school in 2008, but continued to be employed as a sailing teacher and was involved with the Royal Navy section of the school’s Combined Cadet Force up until his arrest in 2010.
Regarded as a pillar of the community he was honoured with the Queen’s Jubilee Medal in 2000, the Cadet Force Medal in 2002, and a clasp for that medal in 2009.
” From left: Lt Cdr (SCC) Stephen Freedman RNR, Cdr Cedric Loughran RNR, Lt (SCC) Sidney Taylor and POC Christopher Pagett with their certificates
Dedication is rewarded
THERE was a strong Naval element at the annual Lord Lieutenant’s Reserve Forces and Cadets presentations for Merseyside. Not only was RN HQ Merseyside chosen as the venue, but Reserve Forces and Cadets Association Vice Chairman Cdr Cedric Loughran also deputised at the last moment to make the presentations. Three of the main recipients were shining examples of the best of Sea Cadet spirit. As well as teaching biology at the Merchant Taylors’ School in Crosby, Stephen Freedman (48) also dons the dark blue uniform of a lieutenant commander to lead the school’s Combined Cadet Force Naval Section. His citation for a Lord Lieutenant’s Certificate highlighted the fact that Stephen has filled this demanding role with great distinction, and is also second in command of the school’s cadet force.
For many years he has run the CCF RN Camp at HMS Bristol at Whale Island, founded the annual Cadet Forces Regatta, staffed a yacht crewed by cadets sailing from Scotland to Norway, and runs the Bridge Trainer for the RN Cadet Camp at Dartmouth each summer.
Mr Freedman, who has been decorated for his naval work in schools, also occasionally took activities at Liverpool College in Mossley Hill.
From 1991 to 2008, he ran the Royal Naval Section of the Combined Cadet Force at Merchant Taylors’.
His expertise includes dinghy and power boat instruction.
And, in 2006, he was awarded the Lord Lieutenant’s Certificate given sparingly for military service beyond the call of duty. At the time, he said: “It has been the most rewarding part of my career and I like to think that my involvement has not only opened up opportunities for our cadets, but for myself as well.”
“Mr Freedman was an able and experienced member of the biology department who retired from teaching in July, 2008.
“The school has no further comment to make at this time, as the investigation is ongoing.”
The criminal investigation comes three months after a jury found 25-year-old Hannah McIntyre not guilty of having sex with a 16-year-old pupil while employed as a classics teacher at the school.
Dating back to 1620, the independent school is consistently among the country’s best performing.
Captain Nigel Palmer OBE, MNM (Chairman)
Mr Tony Allen
Dr Louise Bennett
Ms Liz Cassidy
Mr Andrew Davenall
Mr Simon Figgis
Dr Sheila Fitzpatrick MBE
Mr Alan Marsh FICS
Mr Alex Marsh
Mr Nick Mason
Vice Admiral Sir Alan Massey KCB, CBE
Mr John May
Captain Ian McNaught MNM
Vice Admiral Sir David Steel KBE, DL
Ms Kathryn Stone OBE, CDir, FloD
Commodore Bill Walworth CBE, RFA, MNM
Mr John Taylor
Mr Robert Woods CBE (Vice Chair)
Sexual abuse of cadets ‘was covered up by officials who urged victims not to tell police’
Tony was 14 when he joined Cheshunt Sea Cadets, in Hertfordshire, in 1979. Tony’s attacker was not suspended, he was promoted and moved to another division
He said he woke to find his commanding officer Alan Waters at his bedside while he was on a weekend trip away.
Terrified of returning, he told his parents – whose complaints were met with a home visit from two Sea Cadet officers, in full uniform.
Tony’s parents were dissuaded from approaching the police by the officers and in return for not taking matters further, they were promised that Waters would be moved from looking after children.
John Wesley and Alan Waters present decanters to Vice-Admiral Paul Boissier and Ewan Steele
Alan Waters held a title in a naval veterans’ organisation until March this year
But Panorama has discovered that he was not dismissed or even suspended – he was, in fact, promoted and moved to a division in North London where he was in charge of 10 Sea Cadet units.
What’s more, concerns by other members of the corps after this appointment were dismissed by the very top – the Captain of the Sea Cadets – who said the allegations were “thoroughly investigated” and “not proved”.
Waters was later convicted for separate child abuse offences in India in 2006 and placed on the Sex Offenders Register.
Panorama has found out that despite this, until March 2017 he held a title in a naval veterans’ organisation – as honorary secretary of HMS President Retired Officers Association.
John Grant entered Dartmouth in 1922 and left as a midshipman in 1925 to join the battleship Queen Elizabeth. His time in her had a profound influence on his career. Mountbatten was the fleet assistant wireless officer and taught him wireless telegraphy and communications;
Among his postwar appointments was command of the destroyer HMS Fame which carried Princess Elizabeth on her first official visit alone to Northern Ireland in 1946.
After retirement Grant had ten years in the electronics industry, first in the Rank Organisation where he had responsibility for colour television, and secondly, as director and secretary of the Conference of the Electronics Industry.
He married in 1935 Ruth Slade. They had two daughters and two sons.
1995-98 Duncan Grant opens three Anchorage Shelters for Bombay street kids.
1999 February: A German schoolteacher is convicted of sexually abusing a boy who had stayed at the Anchorage Shelters. The boy tells the court that he lived at a shelter run by “Dunkel from London” for 18 months and had had sex with several foreign men during that period.
2000 Rumours about sexual and physical abuse at the Anchorage Shelters start to circulate among Bombay’s social-worker community.
2001 January: Childline India receives first telephone complaints by boys from the Anchorage Shelters.
August: Spot inspection of Anchorage Shelters by the Maharashtra State Monitoring Committee for Juvenile Justice reveals boys being regularly beaten and “allegations” of sexual abuse.
November: Five boys make a formal complaint to police against Grant and Alan Waters, alleging sexual and physical abused. Charges are filed. Grant and Waters, already in the UK, refuse to return to India on legal advice.
2002 April: Indian Police issue international warrants and Interpol “red corner” notices for the arrest of Grant and Waters.
May: Grant goes to Kenya to investigate setting up new Anchorage Shelters in Nairobi
June: Grant moves on to Tanzania where he opens new Anchorage Shelters in Dar Es Salaam.
November: Waters makes the first of three trips to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania where Duncan Grant has set up a new set of Anchorage Shelters for homeless children. He also travels to Malta and Canada over the next six months.
2003 July: Waters is arrested at New York’s JFK International Airport en route to Bermuda.
2004 August: Telegraph publishes articles and photographs revealing that Grant, Waters’s co-accused, is working with children in Tanzania.
September: Waters deported to India from USA. Grant arrested in Tanzania. India seeks Grant’s extradition.
2005 May: Extradition request fails for lack of India-Tanzania extradition treaty.
June: But … Grant is deported to Britain from Tanzania. British police fail to make arrest after Grant misses flight connection and arrives seven hours late. One week later, Grant is tracked down again by The Daily Telegraph, this time to his sister’s house in London.
July: Grant returns voluntarily to India and is arrested on arrival in Bombay.
Anchorage Shelter Foundation was known to CHILDLINE India Foundation since its inception. CHILDLINE team interacted with Duncan Grant, Director and Founder of Anchorage Shelter Foundation at a number of including CHILDLINE birthday parties.Mr. Duncan expressed interest in collaborating with the CHILDLINE service.
CHILDLINE team visited the shelter home at Colaba where Duncan Grant resided with the boys. CHILDLINE team members puzzled at close physical interaction that was observed between the boys and Duncan. Large amounts of money was given to the children to spent lavishly by Duncan
January 2000
Rumours about sexual and physical abuse at Anchorage circulates among city’s social workers community in Mumbai
Gravesend Sea Cadet Corps became affiliated members of Gravesend Sailing Club in April 2008.
Signing the Agreement Although an informal arrangement had been in place for the past year, the arrangement was finally made official. In the photo, the cadets watch Commodore Penny Davies and Sea Cadet Chairman Ian Dunkley sign the agreement.
For 26 years he was also an Executive Officer in the Royal Naval Reserve where he specialised in mine countermeasures and latterly amphibious warfare. His last appointment from 1999 — 2001 was as Commanding Officer of HMS PRESIDENT, the Royal Navy Reserve Unit in London.
Prince Charles and Admiral of the Fleet Earl Mountbatten on board HMS President the Royal Naval Reserve ship lying off the Victoria Embankment for the annual reunion at the weekend with survivors of the destroyer Kelly.
The Chiefs and Petty Officers Mess invited, Admiral of the Fleet, Earl Mountbatten of Burma, as the guest of Honour, for the Mess Dinner celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the Royal Naval Reserves.
Al Simpson with Lord Louis Mountbatten,
Al has been awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his exchange duty and service time with the London Division RNR HMS President, he was the first candidate and laid the foundations for many more to follow to Royal Naval Reserve Units Worldwide.
HMS President holds regular open evenings for potential new recruits to meet serving Reserves and to find out more about joining the Reserve Unit. Entry is open to men and women aged 16-40.
HMS President also serves as the functional head office for the younger Sea Cadets.
Newly refurbished HMS President unveiled by HRH the Duke of York
08/04/2014
His Royal Highness Prince Andrew, The Duke of York, was recently at the heart of HMS President’s re-dedication ceremony.
The London Royal Naval Reserve unit, home to more than 230 reservists
Retired officers association banned from Navy training centre after failing to bar paedophiles
A Royal Navy training centre has banned an association of retired officers’ from using its base after they failed to expel two convicted predatory paedophiles from their club.
For decades, hundreds of members of the President Retired Officers Association attended formal lunches, dinners, lectures and drinks receptions at HMS President on the River Thames in London.
But, senior officers in charge of the “stone frigate” – a naval base on land – launched an investigation after finding that two high-profile sex offenders had been among those attending functions at the reservist training centre, also used by young Sea Cadets.
Allan Waters and Duncan Grant were allowed to renew their membership of the retired officers association despite both being jailed in India for six years in 2006 for preying on vulnerable boys at an orphanage in Mumbai.
After completing their jail terms and arriving back in the UK five years ago, Waters, a former lieutenant commander, was made honorary secretary of the association, while Duncan Grant, previously a reservist officer, renewed his membership.
When Waters, now 68, and Grant, 73, completed their sentences and returned to Britain they were made to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register.
Waters’ conviction led to fears he may have targeted children while serving as a senior officer training youngsters in the Sea Cadets. In 2017, a former Sea Cadet alleged to a BBC Panorama programme that Waters abused him when he was 14, and attending a Cheshunt Sea Cadets centre in Hertfordshire in 1979
Last year, Commander John Herriman, the officer running HMS President, discovered the two men had been spotted attending the independent association’s functions at the Royal Navy’s centre that serves London reservists and cadets.
He then banned both Waters and Grant and the entire association from using the centre over concerns the club lacked a “rigorous” membership criteria, and consequently posed a threat to the centre’s ability to “maintain a safe training environment”.
A source close to HMS President’s senior officers praised Mr Herriman, who retired last year, for his decisive actions, explaining that he was determined to ensure an “old boys’ club” could not tarnish the reputation of a Navy training centre.
“The main concerns was that individuals who could have been or were on the Sex Offenders Register could be allowed to join such an esteemed association,” the source said. “It wasn’t considered good governance from the perspective of the President Retired Officers Association that these men could saunter back in as if nothing had happened.
“HMS President is essentially a training establishment with young people studying there. There may have been occasions where these two men would have access to the unit for lunches or events.
“The challenge running a military training establishment is to make sure you are creating a totally safe environment and there are no opportunities for risks to occur. The best way to do that was to bar the association that was thought not to have robust membership procedures in place.”
It is understood Grant played on his family’s respected military past to allow him to join the association. Grant is the grandson of Major General Sir Philip Grant, who rallied the defence against the German offensive of March 1918 in the First World War.
Waters was appointed superintendent of the Sea Cadet training centre in Portsmouth in 1996. He later became a member of the Sea Cadet Council, the highest body of the corps.
A Royal Navy Spokesperson said: “The Royal Navy has no official link with the President Retired Officers Association, but can confirm we take a very robust stance where there is any risk to our personnel, in particular vulnerable groups such as minors.”
Although no one from the association was prepared to speak on the record, a source said that Waters and Grant were allowed to renew their membership because they had served their sentence and were only attending functions where no young cadets or reservists would be present.
He added that many of the members of the association felt the blanket ban on holding functions at HMS President unfairly penalised retired officers who played no part in allowing the two paedophiles to renew their membership and may have been unaware of their criminal past.
London man convicted in Indian paedophilia case
Five boys came forward with sex assault allegations against Waters and Grant
Duncan Grant – his father
1983:
John Grant retired as a rear–admiral, having gained a D.S.O. during an action at sea with a Russian convoy. He was appointed a C.B. for his service with the Reserve Fleet. … They were followed by two sons, Duncan Alexander, born in 1943, and Andrew James, born in 1948. Duncan Alexander Grant is a lieutenant- commander, Royal Naval Reserve, Reserve Decoration, and in addition to seeing much …
Andrew James Grant after short service in the Royal Green Jackets married an American girl from Pennsylvania, and … He and his wife, Taveta, now have a son aged three, who is the youngest member of our branch of the Grants of …and having spent a period in the banking world of the U.S.A., as well as …
India’s Supreme Court has convicted two Britons of sexually abusing boys at a children’s shelter in Mumbai.
Duncan Grant, of Hampstead, north London, and Allan Waters, of Hampshire, had been acquitted by the High Court in Mumbai in 2008 for lack of evidence.
But the Supreme Court overturned that decision and upheld guilty verdicts from the trial court in 2006 which sentenced the men to six years.
Charity Childline India Foundation said the case was a “real watershed moment”.
Campaign group Fair Trials Abroad, which represented the accused Britons in court, is yet to comment on the case.
‘Culture of silence’
Grant, a charity worker, had set up Anchorage shelter in Colaba, Mumbai, in 1995. Waters, of Porchester, was a visitor to the home, Indian police said.
The pair were charged in 2001 with sexual assault after five boys complained to the police about repeated sexual and physical abuse by the men.
William D’souza, an Indian citizen who managed the shelter, was convicted of aiding and abetting the men and sentenced to three years. He had also earlier been cleared by the High Court, in 2006.
Childline India Foundation had appealed against the High Court’s decision to acquit the men.
Kajal Mennon, executive director of the charity, said: “This was a real watershed moment in child sexual abuse convictions (in India)… as laws are extremely opaque, plus there is a culture of silence.”
She added the case would go towards ensuring that people do not take advantage of India’s “laxity of laws” and the convictions highlighted the need of special legislation for child sexual offences in the country.
HMS Cumberland and paedophile-run Anchorage Shelter
Paedophiles Grant Duncan and Alan Waters host parties for children aboard ships – Cumberland, Newcastle, and Sunderland
Navy News Apr 1, 2001
Duncan Grant comes back to the UK during the spring and autumn from four to six weeks to give illustrated talks on the shelters to schools, churches, clubs and other organisations. The point of contact in the UK is LT Cdr Alan Waters who visits Mumbai three times a year to relieve Duncan.
We have had some people from very high up in the authorities who st and eat with the street children. A party from the HMS visited.
When former Naval Reserve officer Duncan Grant decided to put down roots he chose a penthouse property close to the tourist centre of Mumbai.
After a working life which ranged from selling domestic electrical components to helping develop marinas in Turkey and the caribbean, he worked for charities on the sub-continent.
When in 1995 he decided he wanted to help street children in Mumbai, there was a ready-made umbrella group in Rescue a Child set up by Catherine Douglas, and although there were no funds, his Anchorage Shelter Foundation became an outreach project of the main charity.
Children tour HMS Cumberland with Weapons Engineering Officer Lt Cdr Peter Coulson
Volunteers from HMS Cumberland had plenty of willing assistants when they decorated the Anchorage shelter
“We have had a tremendous response from Cumberland. The Zoo Mess (OMs) on board donated their stereo equipment. Lt Cdr Alan Waters did a round-robin of the Feet and Cumberland picked it up and said we are coming.”
They sent £300 before they got here and have brought £700 now and there’s the stereo and thry held a party on board.
Newcastle and Sunderland were here last year. Newcastle did a paint job at Anchorage 2 and hosted a ship’s visit on board.”
PO Neil Carleton, one of the ship’s party said: “There were 30 volunteers, but we couldn’t get them all in. We always get quite a lot of volunteers for this sort of thing.
The shelter patron is Felicty Kendal. Duncan has spoken at the school attended by Kendal’s son which prompted a fund-raising drive. She has nothing but praise for Duncan’s efforts. “He is doing an extraordinary job.-he is a wonderful man.”
“when I was approached by Duncan, I went to see the shelter. I did some research and spoke to people of note who said what a wonderful place it was.
“I agreed to become patron and I did a lot, everything I could, towards it. He [Grant] went to speak at my son’s school in Westminster, and they thought he was brilliant.
She had written to the Prime Minister to support an application for Grant to be made an OBE in recognition of his missionary work.
“His credentials are superb. He’s a wing commander.
Back home in England, Duncan Grant has rich and well-connected benefactors.
He gave an illustrated talk to the Holy Cross Catholic Church in London.
The son of a rear admiral, he was educated by the Jesuit fathers at Beaumont College, near Windsor.
Grant is the grandson of Maj Gen Sir Philip Grant, who as the chief engineer of the Fifth Army in the First World War rallied the defence against the German offensive of March 1918.
His great-great-grandfather served in the 78th Highlanders and the King’s American Regiment in the American War of Independence.
The Bombay shelters received money through British schools and churches where Grant gave illustrated talks and from the British charity Rescue-a-Child.
They were never formally registered with the state authorities but by 1999 they had a full complement of some 50 to 60 boys aged from eight to 18. An official Indian report found the homes to be “ramshackle and filthy and the children were being beaten indiscriminately”.
Waters, who is said to know Grant through the Royal Naval Reserve and was a regular visitor to the Bombay shelters.
The British Jesuits said they immediately withdrew their gap year students when they learned of allegations about mistreatment of children.
Vicky Robertson, the chairman of Safe Havens-Tanzania, said she had not been involved with Grant in Bombay but started raising money when he went to Dar es Salaam.
“Duncan Grant was represented to me with impeccable references,” she said.
“When I started fund-raising for his work in Tanzania I did not know about the allegations in India. I was told and, because of the references and confidence I had in Duncan’s work, we decided these 240 children should not be deserted.”
Mrs Robertson, a retired lawyer from Norfolk, is about to visit the Dar es Salaam homes.
She said: “I have every confidence that there are absolutely no grounds for these abuse allegations. Street boys can be bought for five pence halfpenny and you are talking about evidence in a third world country where corruption is rife. Do you think I would support a charity where there is any suggestion of abuse? I have children myself.”
Aruna Buxton, a trustee of Rescue-a-Child, which gave grants to the Indian shelters, said no money had been sent to Tanzania.
The engagement was announced 6 May, 2004 between Thomas F. Lacey, son of the late Mr Norman Lacey & Myra Fagon Bosley, & Sophie M.A. Bolton, elder daughter of Sir Frederic Bernard Bolton, Kt, MC (b. 1921), of Pudlicote, Oxfordshire, by his second wife, Lady Bolton (nee Vanessa Mary Anne Robarts b. 1939), daughter of Anthony Vere Cyprian Robarts b. 1910, of that landed family, by his wife Grizel Mary, daughter of Major Sir Philip Gordon Grant, KCB, CMG (1869-1943), by his wife, Annette, fourth daughter of John Coventry, of Burgate Manor, Fordingbridge, Hampshire, scion of the Earls of Coventry.
(Hilda Mary) Clare Talbot (b. 23 Feb 1913; d. 28 Nov 1995), mar. 1972 Lt Col Peter Coventry Grant (d. 1973), 2nd son of Maj Gen Sir Philip Gordon-Grant KCB CMG, by his wife Annette Emily Mary Coventry, 4th dau. of John Coventry JP
The shelters also received frequent foreign visitors – including Grant’s co-accused, Alan Waters, a very senior sea cadet officer and a long-time friend of Grant’s from their days as naval reservists.
One of the alleged victims told The Daily Telegraph that Anchorage boys frequently went to Goa “on holiday” with Grant’s friendswhere they were expected to perform sexual favours for money.
In August 1998 a 14-year-old street boy from an Anchorage shelter was discovered in a hotel in Goa having sex with a German schoolteacher who was later convicted and jailed for six years.
As the Indian authorities searched unsuccessfully for him, he was living in the Tanzanian capital, Dar es Salaam, and had set up three shelters identical to his operation in India. The shelters have attracted gap year students from some of Britain’s leading schools.
British newspaper The Daily Telegraph traced Grant to Tanzania last week, as it emerged that the British Jesuits, who had sent volunteers from some of their schools, had suspended dealings with him.
Allan Waters and Duncan Grant had become quite a fixture in Colaba in Mumbai. The brooding Waters and loud talking Grant were regulars at the Mangalorean hole in the wall, New Martin, cockily giving their take to the press after the 2008 terror attacks on Mumbai.
In 2006, Grant, a former British navyman, and Lieutenant Commander Waters, a former superintendent of the British Royal Navy’s National Sea Cadets Centre in Portsmouth in the UK, were ordered to serve the remainder of their six-year prison sentence, after being convicted by a sessions court in Mumbai. Grant was the sole operating trustee of the orphanage, set up by a British charity organisation.
MAJOR-GENERAL SIR PHILIP G. GRANT, K.C.B., C.M.G. Philip Gordon Grant, the younger son of Colonel J. M. Grant, late R.E., was born on the 10th December, 1869, and educated privately and at the R.M.A. He was gazetted int6 the Corps …
20th June 2012
Paedophile who abused orphans in India is flown back to UK
Allan Waters
A HAMPSHIRE paedophile who abused homeless boys in a Mumbai orphanage is back in the UK.
Allan Waters, 63, a retired Naval officer from Portchester, was deported after serving a six-year jail term in India.
He was met a Heathrow by police from Scotland Yard and made to sign the sex offenders register.
Waters, a highly respected Lieutenant Commander formerly of Cador Drive, was found guilty in 2006 of carrying out child abuse at the Anchorage shelter in Mumbai.
He was freed in 2008 by judges at the Indian High Court, who cited “lack of evidence provided by the prosecution’’.
But that decision was quashed by the country’s Supreme Court, which ordered Waters to serve the rest of his six-year jail term and pay damages and fines imposed.
Waters was arrested at New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport in 2003 on the basis of an Interpol arrest warrant and was extradited to face charges in India following a complaint from a 15-year-old boy about repeated sexual and physical abuse.
A PAEDO who abused “Slumdog” street kids in India sneaked back into Britain yesterday — amid fears he could carry out more attacks.
Allan Waters, 63, was deported after serving a six-year term for molesting five boys at a Mumbai orphanage. The ex-Navy Commander was quizzed by Scotland Yard cops at Heathrow and made to sign the Sex Offenders Register.
But Waters was then released into the community despite serious concerns he will re-offend. A Whitehall source said: “Our hands are tied. Waters hasn’t committed an offence here and has served his time in India.
“He will be monitored round the clock to make sure he doesn’t abuse any kids. But it would be fair to say nobody wants him living next door.”
December 2011
Slumdog paedo is back in Britain
A CREEP who sexually abused street urchins at his Mumbai orphanage was freed early to Britain yesterday.
Duncan Grant, 68, (pictured above) was met by Met officers at Heathrow.
After being quizzed and signing the sex offenders register, the ex-Navy officer was let out into the community
Grant was freed from an Indian jail after serving four years for an “appalling violation of trust”. He and a fellow Brit — retired Lieutenant Commander Allan Waters — from Porchester sparked global disgust when it emerged they abused five homeless boys at the “children’s shelter” Grant set up using a Brit charity in Mumbai.
His three Anchorage Shelter Homes gave beds to boys from slums that featured in film Slumdog Millionaire. Good Life actress Felicity Kendal, 65, was persuaded to be a patron. She has cut all ties to the pervert.
As well as abusing the boys, Grant and Waters would hand them over to foreign sex tourists.
Grant, from Hampstead, North West London, and Waters, 63, from Hampshire, were convicted in 2006. In 2008, they were acquitted due to “lack of evidence”.
Abuse … Duncan Grant’s ‘shelter’ for orphans in Mumbai
That was quashed this March. India’s Supreme Court ruled: “The street children having no roof over their heads became the prey of paedophiles.”
Waters remains in jail but is expected to be released shortly.
Scotland Yard said: “We work closely to monitor offenders to reduce the risk of offending
March 2011
London man convicted in Indian paedophilia case
India’s Supreme Court has convicted two Britons of sexually abusing boys at a children’s shelter in Mumbai.
Duncan Grant, of Hampstead, north London, and Allan Waters, of Hampshire, had been acquitted by the High Court in Mumbai in 2008 for lack of evidence.
But the Supreme Court overturned that decision and upheld guilty verdicts from the trial court in 2006 which sentenced the men to six years.
Charity Childline India Foundation said the case was a “real watershed moment”.
Campaign group Fair Trials Abroad, which represented the Britons in court, is yet to comment on the case.
Anchorage shelter at Colaba.Grant, a charity worker, had set up Anchorage shelter in Colaba, Mumbai, in 1995. Waters, of Porchester, was a visitor to the home, Indian police said.
The pair were charged in 2001 with sexual assault after five boys complained to the police about repeated sexual and physical abuse by the men.
William D’souza, an Indian citizen who managed the shelter, was convicted of aiding and abetting the men and sentenced to three years. He had also earlier been cleared by the High Court, in 2006.
Abuse … Duncan Grant’s ‘shelter’ for orphans in Mumbai
That was quashed this March. India’s Supreme Court ruled: “The street children having no roof over their heads became the prey of paedophiles.”
Waters remains in jail but is expected to be released shortly.
Scotland Yard said: “We work closely to monitor offenders to reduce the risk of offending
March 2011
London man convicted in Indian paedophilia case
India’s Supreme Court has convicted two Britons of sexually abusing boys at a children’s shelter in Mumbai.
Duncan Grant, of Hampstead, north London, and Allan Waters, of Hampshire, had been acquitted by the High Court in Mumbai in 2008 for lack of evidence.
But the Supreme Court overturned that decision and upheld guilty verdicts from the trial court in 2006 which sentenced the men to six years.
Charity Childline India Foundation said the case was a “real watershed moment”.
Campaign group Fair Trials Abroad, which represented the Britons in court, is yet to comment on the case.
Grant, a charity worker, had set up Anchorage shelter in Colaba, Mumbai, in 1995. Waters, of Porchester, was a visitor to the home, Indian police said.
The pair were charged in 2001 with sexual assault after five boys complained to the police about repeated sexual and physical abuse by the men.
William D’souza, an Indian citizen who managed the shelter, was convicted of aiding and abetting the men and sentenced to three years. He had also earlier been cleared by the High Court, in 2006.
Childline India Foundation had appealed against the High Court’s decision to acquit the men.
Kajal Mennon, executive director of the charity, said: “This was a real watershed moment in child sexual abuse convictions (in India)… as laws are extremely opaque, plus there is a culture of silence.”
She added the case would go towards ensuring that people do not take advantage of India’s “laxity of laws” and the convictions highlighted the need of special legislation for child sexual o
Call for Sea Cadet inquiry after sex abuse case
20 Mar 2006
Child rights lawyers are demanding an immediate inquiry by the British Sea Cadets after one of its most senior officers was convicted of sexually abusing street children in Bombay.
Lt Cdr Allan Waters, 57, who has worked with the Sea Cadet Corps in Britain for more than 30 years, was jailed for six years and ordered to pay £20,000 compensation for having “unnatural sex” with street children.
A fellow former naval officer, Duncan Grant, 61, was also jailed for six years at the Bombay sessions court.
Grant, a Royal Naval Reserve officer from a distinguished military family, had set up the Anchorage shelters in Bombay, where the abuse took place. He was also ordered to pay £20,000 compensation to his victims.
The judge, P S Paranjape, said the sentence was intended to “wipe the name of India from the map of sexual tourism”.
The court heard that the street boys, aged from eight to 18, were used as objects of “sexual lust” by Grant, Waters and several other foreigners who frequently took boys with them “on holiday” to coastal resorts in Goa.
Boys were also subjected to a brutal regime of corporal punishment in which they were stripped naked and regularly caned by Jesuit-educated Grant and the local manager of his shelter.
Both Grant and Waters were convicted of “unnatural sex acts” and conspiring to “obtain minors for immoral purposes”.
Grant, the grandson of Maj-Gen Sir Philip Grant, who rallied the defence against the German offensive of March 1918 in the First World War, used a wealth of establishment contacts to raise funds for his Anchorage shelters.
His supporters, including the actress Felicity Kendal, two Tory MPs, high-ranking naval officers and the British Jesuits, were convinced that Grant had given up a comfortable life in the West to devote himself to India’s impoverished street children.
However, the court heard that while Grant painted a heart-warming picture of life at his shelters for his British donors an inspection in August 2001 revealed that the children suffered “repeated beatings” and were poorly looked after.
Both Grant and Waters, who intend to appeal against the judgment, claimed they were victims of a conspiracy by another paedophile who convinced the boys to make malicious complaints to social workers in Bombay.
The conviction of Waters raises serious questions about his conduct in Britain, where, The Daily Telegraph has learned, he was formerly accused by a fellow officer of sexually abusing a sea cadet.
Yug Chaudhry, a lawyer who represented the Indian Childline charity in the case, said the Sea Cadets had a “fundamental duty of care to their young members” to investigate whether Waters had abused cadets in Britain.
Information received by The Daily Telegraph said that Waters was caught in a compromising act with a young cadet while he was commanding the Clapton unit of the Sea Cadets in London in the early 1980s.Waters, the sources alleged, dismissed the allegations as “an initiation ceremony” and after a brief suspension was reassigned to another unit, where he continued to rise up the ranks of the organisation.
Waters, who also worked as an education social worker with the Inner London Education Authority in the 1980s, was appointed superintendent of the Sea Cadet training centre in Portsmouth in 1996.
Until his arrest at JFK international airport, in New York, in July 2003, Waters was a member of the Sea Cadet Council, the highest body of the corps.
Last night the Sea Cadets confirmed that it was aware “that a report was made by a Sea Cadet officer who had concerns about Waters” in the early 1980s but said that allegations had “not been substantiated”.
Colin Bonner, the Sea Cadets’ director of administration, said the organisation remained “unconvinced” that Waters was capable of sexual abuse.
“Since The Daily Telegraph reported to us certain allegations about alleged misconduct by Waters many years ago, when he was working for us at Clapton, we have made a great many inquiries into his past,” he said.
“We did find that a report was made by a Sea Cadet officer who had concerns about Waters. But he has been dead for many years and there was nothing to substantiate those allegations at the time and nothing since.
“I am not going to say that it is impossible that Alan could have done the things he has been accused off. Anything is possible. But, from the man I know, I do not think it is likely. I do not believe he would abuse children and we have no evidence that he did.”
However, Mr Chaudhry, who studied law at Cambridge, said it was “inconceivable and inexplicable” that the Sea Cadets would not investigate Waters further.
“They have a duty to vulnerable members to make an immediate and thorough investigation of Waters,” he said.
A Sea Cadet lieutenant commander, who has worked with street children’s charities in India, has been detained for nearly two years on false charges of sexual abuse, according to his colleagues, friends and family.
Lt Cmdr Alan Waters, from Porchester in Hampshire, in his late 50s, awaits trial in Mumbai on charges which campaigners say are clearly bogus.
His case, and cases of others facing serious charges abroad, was highlighted yesterday by the organisation Fair Trials Abroad. Baroness Sarah Ludford, the Liberal Democrat MEP who attended the press conference, called for action to be taken in the growing number of similar cases when people are held in foreign jails on flimsy or nonexistent evidence.
Lt Cmdr Waters is a superintendent with the Sea Cadets centre. He and his wife, Gwen, have spent many holidays helping a friend, Duncan Grant, in his work with street children at the Anchorage Shelters in Mumbai. The shelters depended on volunteer workers, many from the UK.
Duncan Grant had set up the Anchorage Shelter Home at Colaba, Mumbai in 1995 which was frequently visited by Waters.
In 2001, Mr Grant asked two male volunteers, one British and one Indian, to discontinue hostel visits because he felt they were developing inappropriate relationships with boys there.
Shortly after the confrontation, Lt Cmdr Waters and Mr Grant were both back in England when they heard of allegations being made against them, including sexual abuse, to the Mumbai police by five boys from the shelters who had been befriended by one of the men asked to cease his visits. An investigation was carried out by police and charges were made against Lt Cmdr Waters, Mr Grant and the shelters’ Indian manager, William d’Souza.
In July 2003, Lt Cmdr Waters was travelling via New York to Bermuda in an official capacity with a group of naval cadets. He was detained at JFK airport by US immigration and eventually extradited to India in September last year.
In August 2003, defence lawyers obtained sworn statements from the boys retracting their allegations. They claimed they were offered money by the man barred from the shelters, and had signed statements at the police station written in English, which they would have been unable to understand. Lt Cmdr Waters is still in jail awaiting trial and Mr d’Souza is on bail. Mr Grant has not returned to India on legal advice. “I have been in custody since 2 July 2003,” Lt Cmdr Waters wrote in a recent letter. “How much longer before I get a fair and just trial?”
Ludford was created a Life Peer as Baroness Ludford, of Clerkenwell in the London Borough of Islington on 30 September 1997,[2] after serving as a Councillor for the London Borough of Islington 1991-99.
Duncan Alexander Grant, a British national, in and around 1995 opened three shelters called the Anchorage Shelters for the welfare of street children in Mumbai and Colaba, Cuffe Parade and Murud.
Allan John Waters was a friend of Duncan Alexander Grant and used to visit the Shelters regularly. Another accused William D’Souza was the manager of the Anchorage Shelters.
Grant had been allowed to slip back in to the country despite being subject to an international arrest warrant.
Last night Benjamin Strickland, whose wife Tessa Strickland – a Conservative councillor for Wandsworth Council – is Grant’s sister, said he had not seen or spoken to his brother-in-law in recent weeks or days.
Despite being wanted on international arrest warrants, Grant and his colleague, Alan Waters, passed through British immigration on 10 occasions. Interpol “red corner” notices – which should be triggered whenever a suspect passes through immigration – were issued in February 2002 but were never enforced by Britain.
Between April 2002 and July 2003 Allan Waters made five foreign trips, but was never stopped. He also made three visits to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, where his friend Duncan Grant – wanted for sexually abusing Indian street boys – was running homeless hostels for street children.
However, when Waters landed in New York’s JFK airport en route to Bermuda for a holiday on July 3, 2003 he was immediately arrested and later extradited to India.
Councillor Tessa Strickland:
Tessa Strickland has lived within sight of Battersea Power Station since childhood. She became a Councillor in 1998 for neighbouring Fairfield, but enthusiastically accepted the opportunity to join her home ward of St Mary’s Park in 2006.She is also a trustee of two local charities, organises an RNLI appeal team, fund-raises for the Red Cross and is a member of a Sheltered Housing Trust.The education and welfare of the borough’s children has been an uninterrupted commitment, chairing the Children and Young Person’s Services committee for six years and now serving as deputy. She is also chair of governors at a local primary school (
A British charity worker accused of paedophile offences against street children in Bombay has been found by The Daily Telegraph after police allowed him to walk freely back into this country last month.
Duncan Grant, who is wanted on an international arrest warrant and an Interpol red notice, arrived in Britain on June 1 after being deported from Tanzania.
Despite being notified of his imminent arrival by the Foreign Office, police failed to arrest Mr Grant after his flight was delayed, causing him to miss his anticipated connection in Dubai.
Yesterday, however, 19 days after Mr Grant re-entered Britain, The Daily Telegraph found Mr Grant who, it is understood, has still not been contacted by the police.
Since returning, he has been living with his sister, who is a Conservative councillor in London.
She refused to answer the door at her neat Victorian terraced house in south London yesterday, but through the intercom, she claimed she had neither seen nor spoken to her brother since his return to this country.
“I haven’t seen him and he hasn’t been staying here,” she said. Asked if he planned to turn himself in to the police, she said: “I don’t know because I haven’t spoken to him.”
A large number of foreign paedophiles were regularly visiting the Shelters and taking the children to Goa where the children were also being sexually abused.
Julian Hankinson – seated fifth from left – while at Kelvinside Academy in Glasgow. He was Headmaster of Queen Victoria School at its chief time of crisis.
Reportedly, a powerful child abuse ring has operated at Queen Victoria School (QVS), in Dunblane in Scotland.
“Big fancy cars (sometimes chauffeur driven and displaying pennants, and badges of office) would arrive with well known faces of politicians, judges and other celebrities …
“These people were ‘Friends of QVS’ who were taking certain boys out for a treat.”
Thomas Hamilton ran clubs and camps for boys and had access to the Queen Victoria School, in Dunblane, a boarding school run by the Ministry of Defence.
The unofficial story is that Thomas Hamilton was supplying pornography, and young boys, to top people including policemen and politicians; and Thomas Hamilton may have been murdered, to shut him up.
It has been suggested that Thomas Hamilton was a patsy and that the real shooters were working for the security services.
In the Dunblane shootings, “none of the survivors would have been able to obtain a good viewing of the gunman.”
Lord Cullen led inquiries into the Dunblane shootings, and in March 2002 led the five-judge tribunal which heard the failed appeal of the alleged Lockerbie bomber.
Lord Cullen … physically walked Thomas Hamilton to the massacre.”
If those names get out even now after 12 years, there will be a riot and the press will have a field day! Lives and careers will be ruined! Is this why Hamilton‘s file went missing only hours after the killings? Is this why Lord Cullen, who I believe was a QVS Commissioner, was appointed to preside over the Hamilton investigations? This is how Masons operate. They control everything and their allegiance is to each other. No wonder they want a 100-year embargo on the Hamilton case!
Hamilton was a friend of Ben Philip, the senior housemaster at Queen Victoria School.
Ben Philip died in December 1993, aged 46, ‘when he fell from a ladder while hanging decorations’.
Malcolm Rifkind‘s close friend Robert Bell sold guns and ammunition to Thomas Hamilton only a few weeks before the Dunblane massacre, according to the Edinburgh Evening News on 23 March 1996.
Neither the man who sold TH his guns & ammo nor his chum (head HMC at QVS Rifkind) were called to give evidence at the PI. Nor were CC of CSP, or the CEO of CSC who gave TH use of schools for his clubs or his Masonic dad. As Ian Bell said there were questions for another day
Malcolm Rifkind is the cousin of Sir Leon Brittan.
Headmaster Hankinson.
Secretary of State for Scotland, Michael Forsyth was on the Board of Directors of QVS, and was also responsible for the appointment of Cullen to conduct the school shooting Inquiry.
Prince Philip, a Freemason, is the patron of the Board of Directors of QVS.
Lord Donald Ross, the then Lord Justice-Clerk and Cullen’s superior in the judiciary, was also on the Board of Directors.
Harrison referred to the ‘Friends of QVS’, which included top people who would often take boys away for the weekend, with the pupils returning “distressed but flush with cash”.
Harrison said: “They had to take their kilts and clean underwear and I was not given a contact address. What may have gone on at these parties was secret but some boys were very disturbed.
“I became disturbed, too, by screams in the dorm at night, empty beds, rituals in dark places and used, warm, filled condoms hurriedly abandoned. There was fear throughout every age group and the teachers knew about it.”
Harrison and his wife refused to sit next to Prince Andrew at a school dinner “in protest at the many unheard voices and suffering of young boys”.
The police responded to Harrison’s whistleblowing.
They broke down the door to his flat and removed many of his personal papers.
He was escorted from the school premises and interviewed by detectives.
Harrison moved to Shetland.
The UK parliament’s Hansard recorded a written response from QVS headmaster Julian Hankinson to say that police had “concluded there was no cause for further action on their part”.In November 1996, Harrison wrote to The Shetland Times to say: “I believe that, had my allegations in 1991 been properly investigated, there is a strong possibility that Hamilton would have been discovered.”
QVS
QVS is open to children of those who have served or are serving in the Army, Navy or RAF.
Among the top Scottish private schools hit by child abuse allegations are Fettes, Merchiston Castle School, Fort Augustus Abbey School and Gordonstoun.
Detective Chief Inspector Elaine Galbraith, of the Police Scotland Public Protection Unit, said there were no current investigations into any persons connected with Queen Victoria School.
Lt Cdr Allan Waters, 57, worked with the Sea Cadet Corps in Britain for more than 30 years
In 2006, in India, Waters was jailed for child sex abuse.
Boys had been stripped naked and regularly caned.
“Information received by The Daily Telegraph ( Call for Sea Cadet inquiry after sex abuse case – Telegraph) said that Waters was caught in a compromising act with a young cadet while he was commanding the Clapton unit of the Sea Cadets in London in the early 1980s.
Reportedly, Waters was reassigned to another unit, and continued to rise up the ranks of the organisation.
Waters was appointed superintendent of the Sea Cadet training centre in Portsmouth in 1996.
Waters was a member of the Sea Cadet Council, the highest body of the corps.
The Sea Cadets confirmed that it was aware “that a report was made by a Sea Cadet officer who had concerns about Waters” in the early 1980s but said that allegations had “not been substantiated”.
In 2006, Jersey Police, in the UK, were investigating child abuse by ‘carers’.
The commanding officer of the Jersey Sea Cadets was arrested for downloading pornographic images including some involving sea cadets.
The attitude of the Sea Cadet authorities of that time ’caused great concern’. (Cached)
There were several convictions for sexual offences involving officers of Jersey Sea Cadets.
Police began noticing links between the victims in those cases and other institutions on the island, including Haut de la Garenne.
The third scandalous Jersey case had happened Victoria College to whom the Haut de la Garenne was supplying young recruits.
The maths teacher, Andrew Jervis-Dykes, was jailed in 1999 for indecently assaulting six pupils who he plied with alcohol then abused in their beds during Naval Combined Cadet Force yachting.
He had pleaded guilt and was condemned to four years prison, as an isolated predator, as are all the members of the Zandvoort network, which includes Marc Dutroux.
A trapdoor leading down to a windowless room holding a single chair, and shackles were discovered during the refurbishment of the care home at the centre of the Jersey child abuse scandal, it has been claimed.
The sinister findings were allegedly uncovered four years ago when the property Haut de la Garenne in the east of the island was converted into a youth hostel after lying empty for 18 years.
The building, where a human skull was unearthed on Saturday, is the subject of an intense police search operation amid fears that the bodies of up to seven children could be buried there.
Two builders working on the site spoke of the alleged finds but the shackle claim was strenuously denied by a Jersey government source.
Robert Boutillier, one of the builders working at the home said: “We found some things that would send a chill down your spine.
“We found some shackles lying around the grounds.
“I picked them up. They were heavy shackles mounted on a wooden block. It was gruesome.
“We also found a pile of about five large canes. They had been removed from inside the building.”
Another builder from Houze Construction, who did not want to be named, said: “It was spooky, I felt like the place was haunted.
“There were shackles lying around. God knows what else was in there, I shudder to think.
“In one room there was a trapdoor leading down to this room which was pitch black. Inside was just this chair. I felt sick.”
But a government source insisted: “Nothing of that nature at all was found at the site.”
Police teams have focused on the home’s bricked-up cellar but were forced to suspend work over fears the structure may collapse. But forensic specialists will return to the scene on Wednesday.
News of the alleged findings came as child abuse offences – and claims that they were covered up – were linked to the island’s top public school and another Jersey care home.
Maths teacher Andrew Jervis-Dykes was jailed in April 1999 for indecently assaulting six pupils at Victoria College who he plied with alcohol then abused in their beds during Naval Combined Cadet Force yachting trips between 1984 and 1993.
According to an independent report into the case, allegations about Jervis-Dykes surfaced in 1992 then again in 1994. Both times, the school’s headmaster Jack Hydes failed to notify the police or investigate further, the report said.
Former chief education officer of Buckinghamshire, Stephen Sharp, who conducted the inquiry, said Mr Hydes instructed his staff not to discuss the allegations.
He accused Mr Hydes and his deputy Piers Bakers – who was in charge of pupils alongside Jervis-Dykes on one yachting trip – of putting the interests of the college and supporting a colleague above protecting its pupils. The pair subsequently resigned from the school.
“If the correct procedure had been followed, it is most likely that Jervis-Dykes would have been suspended and perhaps arrested in 1992,” Mr Sharp said.
Senator Stuart Syvret, who is highly critical of the Jersey government’s record on child protection, accused officials of sweeping the issue under the carpet and demanded to know why the report had been kept secret.
“The reaction of the political establishment was to sweep this under the carpet and keep the veneer of respectability.
“This is just another example of concealment and cover up. They did the bare minimum, prosecuted one perpetrator.”
The Education Minister Senator Mike Verbert said the headteacher and deputy had been punished by dismissal. He defended keeping the report private: “The decision not to publish the report was taken to protect those children.”
Mr Syvret said he would write to Justice Minister Jack Straw later this week to ask for independent judges to oversee any possible prosecution in relation to Haut de la Garenne.
“I am going to ask him – in relation to the current child protection controversy – to appoint independent judges and prosecution,” he said.
Mr Syvret claimed there was evidence of abuse at schools and care homes across the island.
STATES police officers tried to cover up abuse allegations against an ex-Victoria College teacher, a former detective has claimed.
Speaking at the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry, Anton Cornelissen said he began investigating claims into abuse by former teacher Andrew Jervis-Dykes in 1996 but that he was hampered as several members of the force attempted to hide the abuse allegations.
Mr Cornelissen claimed that crucial evidence went missing and was subsequently found in a colleague’s locker.
He also alleged that a former deputy head of the school, John Le Breton, who had left the college and become a Jurat, intervened by complaining to the Law Officers’ Department when an arrest warrant was issued.
The panel heard that Jurat Le Breton allegedly questioned the facts of the case and asked the Law Officers not to issue a warrant.
It was claimed that former Victoria College deputy head John Le Breton, later a Jurat, asked the Law Officers not to issue an arrest warrant against teacher Andrew Jervis-Dykes
Mr Cornelissen said: ‘He had sight of it [the warrant] and he disputed the facts. I think he complained to the Attorney General or the Bailiff over the facts of the case to try to get the warrant stopped.’
Mr Cornelissen also claimed that when Mr Le Breton was still deputy head, he had been told about alleged abuse by a pupil but had not done anything and had ‘in effect bullied at least one pupil to not make a complaint against Andrew Jervis-Dykes’.
The inquiry yesterday entered a new phase in which it will examine the handling of the 2008 police investigation into historical sexual abuse, named Operation Rectangle.
Mr Cornelissen, who is originally from the UK, moved to Jersey in 1993 and was seconded to the Child Protection Team in 1996.
He began investigating claims that Jervis-Dykes had abused several pupils, but said that the only person who supported the investigation was Barry Faudemer, the then head of the Child Protection Team.
He added that many of his colleagues in the force were ex-Victoria College pupils who did not want their school ‘dragged through the mud’ and therefore did not offer any support to the investigation.
Mr Cornelissen said that a short-time later, his secondment was ended when he refused to pass on confidential information about the Victoria College investigation to another colleague – Derek Upton – who was not part of the inquiry.
The case was dropped shortly after Detective Sergeant Roger Pryke took over the Child Protection Team.
However, Mr Cornelissen, who has since retired, and Mr Faudemer began reinvestigating the case about a year later, but claimed that many of the problems remained.
He said: ‘It harped back to the old thing that “we don’t want Victoria College investigated”.’
He added that he was ‘mortified’ to think that potential victims had not been contacted in a year after he was taken off the initial investigation.
During the second stage of the Victoria College inquiry, Mr Cornelissen claimed that evidence went missing from his desk, including pictures, slides and an index box containing vital witness information. He said that the index box was later found in Roger Pryke’s locker.
Mr Cornelissen said: ‘The index box was very important because up to that point there was nowhere else that had the victim witness details, and I had made a summary.
‘It was a crucial bit of evidence and of course it went missing.
‘I don’t know how it ended up in Roger Pryke’s locker – it was in a large brown evidence sack.’
Sexual abuse of cadets ‘was covered up by officials who urged victims not to tell police’
The Ministry of Defence has reportedly paid out more than £2m to victims of abuse in the cadets
4 July 2017
Almost 100 cadet force instructors have been dismissed in the past five years after allegations of sex abuse and leaders repeatedly tried to cover up past allegations, an investigation has found.
Parents of cadets who had been abused were encouraged not to go to the police as cadet organisations tried to hush up the accusations, it is alleged.
A total of 363 sexual abuse allegations, both current and historic, have been made across the Army, Air and Sea cadet forces since 2012, according to a seven-month BBC Panorama investigation.
Lawyers representing victims of the abuse claimed the scale was likely to rival scandals in the Catholic Church and the Jimmy Savile case.
The Army, Air and Sea Cadets are between them one of Britain’s largest youth groups and are responsible for nearly 130,000 children in more than 3,000 clubs across the country.
Former cadets who said they had been abused in the 1980s told the programme that when their parents or loved ones raised concerns, they were urged not to tell the police.
To date the Ministry of Defence has paid out over £2 million to victims of the abuse.
David McClenaghan, head of law firm Bolt Burdon Kemp’s abuse department representing victims said: “I have absolutely no doubts that the abuse in the cadets will mirror the other scandals like the Jimmy Savile case, like the abuse in the Scouts, like abuse in the Catholic Church.”
One victim identified only as Martin said he was 12 when he was “systematically abused and raped repeatedly over many years” by his commanding officer Brian Leonard, at Tennal Grange cadet base in Birmingham.
He told the programme: “You are trained to follow orders and you are trained to respect the officers and do as they tell you.
“That includes having to lie on the floor on a dirty blanket and just lie there and… take it like a man.”
The programme spoke to 10 men who were abused by Leonard in the 1980s.
Martin said: “The thing was it was so blatantly obvious, it was almost as if it was hidden in full sight.”
A girlfriend of one of the victims threatened to report Leonard to the police in 1987, but cadet officers pressured her to keep quiet.
The sergeant said he would take a statement from her, but warned her not to approach the police. No investigation into Leonard was ever carried out. He died in 1996, having never faced justice.
Another victim, identified only as Tony’ was 14 when he joined Cheshunt Sea Cadets, in Hertfordshire, in 1979. He alleged he was abused by his commanding officer Alan Waters on a weekend trip away.
Terrified of returning, he told his parents, whose complaints led to a home visit from two Sea Cadet officers, in full uniform.
Tony’s parents were dissuaded from approaching the police by the officers, as this could lead to the closure of the groups. In return for not taking matters further, they were promised that Waters would be moved from looking after children.
But Waters was just moved to another division of sea cadets in North London, where another instructor raised concern. The Royal Navy captain in charge of all the sea cadet corps responded that the allegations against Waters were “thoroughly investigated – and not proved.”
In 2006 Waters was found guilty in Mumbai of raping and abusing boys at an orphanage run by his naval friend, Duncan Grant. Two years later they won an appeal, which was later quashed.
Waters returned to the UK in 2012 and made to sign the sex offenders register. Despite this until March 2017 he still held a position in a naval veteran’s organisation – Honorary Secretary of HMS President Retired Officers Association.
Figures released under the Freedom of Information Act revealed police have investigated 282 allegations of abuse in the past five years and 99 instructors have been dismissed.
An MOD spokesman said: “Child sexual abuse is an abhorrent crime, and we have robust procedures in place to protect cadets. This includes all adults who work with children undergoing mandatory security and background checks, rigorous disclosure procedures and regular safeguarding training. We encourage anyone who has been a victim, or knows someone who has, to report it to the police.”
Prince Andrew, Duke of York commanded HMS Cottesmore from April 1993 until November 1994.
April 2nd 1994 Daily Express
HMS Cottesmere
“Final Fix: Prince Andrew helps Sir Jimmy (Savile) fulfill a dream in the last series of the programme”
Prince Andrew, Duke of York commanded HMS Cottesmore from April 1993 until November 1994.
Savile did not confine himself to one royal. Prince Andrew was called on to help in an episode of Jim’ll Fix It when an eight-year-old girl asked to visit a warship.
The Naval officer Prince was her host on his minehunter, HMS Cottesmore.
§Motion made, and Question proposed, That this House do now adjourn.—[Mr. Archie Hamilton.]
While I am extolling the virtues of the ATC, I should say that it is just one of the many cadet forces which exist; in all, the ATC, the Army Cadet Force, the Sea Cadet Corps and the Combined Cadet Force offer places for over 140,000 young people. I believe both my hon. Friend and I were members of CCF at school. My comments about the ATC apply to all these bodies.
The ATC has a long list of people who have passed through its squadrons and go on to make a distinguished career for themselves in adult life. Many are senior RAF officers, including the present Chief of Air Staff. Others have come to prominence in all walks of civilian life, among them John Conteh, Richard Burton, Jimmy Savile and my hon. Friend the Member for Bury St. Edmunds (Mr. Griffiths).None of this work or achievement would be possible without the many thousands of hours which the volunteer instructors devote to the corps. Although there is a small staff at HQ air cadets and the Ministry of Defence directs policy, the success of the whole scheme rests on the largely unpaid work of people such as Warrant Officer Moss. The instruction and week-by-week work with the cadets is borne by 6,500 commissioned and warrant officers and civilian instructors who are, for the most part, unpaid.
The squadron, based at Towerhurst, on Oakwood Lane, were one of hundreds of Air Training Corps set up on February 5, 1941, with King George VI as Air Commodore-in-Chief. Among the early recruits was Leeds’s own Sir Jimmy Savile.
BBC Panorama has uncovered evidence of repeated cover-ups of historical sex abuse in Britain’s cadet forces.
Victims have spoken for the first time of senior cadet leaders covering up complaints, and pressurising families against going to the police.
Overseen by the Ministry of Defence, the cadets is one of the UK’s largest youth bodies with 130,000 members.
The MoD has paid more than £2m to cadet abuse victims, and says it has “robust procedures in place to protect cadets”.
According to Freedom of Information requests, in the last five years 363 sexual abuse allegations – both historical and current – have been made across the UK for the Army, Air and Sea Cadets.
Some 282 cases have been referred to the police and 99 volunteers have been dismissed.
Panorama’s seven-month investigation focused chiefly on uncovering a pattern of historical abuse – conducted by a number of different cadet leaders – in Glasgow, Birmingham and Hertfordshire.
Martin was 12 when he was “systematically abused and raped repeatedly over many years” by his commanding officer Brian Leonard, at Tennal Grange cadet base in Birmingham.
He told Panorama: “You are trained to follow orders and you are trained to respect the officers and do as they tell you.
“That includes having to lie on the floor on a dirty blanket and just lie there and… take it like a man.”
Panorama has spoken to 10 men who were abused by Leonard in the 1980s.
Martin’s Commanding Officer Brian Leonard (right) died in 1996, having never faced justice.
Martin says: “The thing was it was so blatantly obvious, it was almost as if it was hidden in full sight.”
A girlfriend of one of the victims (who has chosen to remain anonymous) threatened to report Leonard to the police in 1987, but cadet officers pressured her to keep quiet.
The sergeant said he would take a statement from her, but warned her not to approach the police. No investigation into Leonard was ever carried out.
Leonard died in 1996, having never faced justice.
Parents pressured
Tony’s attacker was not suspended, he was promoted and moved to another division
Tony was 14 when he joined Cheshunt Sea Cadets, in Hertfordshire, in 1979.
He said he woke to find his commanding officer Alan Waters at his bedside while he was on a weekend trip away.
Tony told Panorama: “I looked down and I was exposed… There was no doubt in my mind that he was touching me, no doubt in my mind whatsoever.”
Terrified of returning, he told his parents – whose complaints were met with a home visit from two Sea Cadet officers, in full uniform.
Tony’s parents were dissuaded from approaching the police by the officers and in return for not taking matters further, they were promised that Waters would be moved from looking after children.
Alan Waters held a title in a naval veterans’ organisation until March this year
But Panorama has discovered that he was not dismissed or even suspended – he was, in fact, promoted and moved to a division in North London where he was in charge of 10 Sea Cadet units.
What’s more, concerns by other members of the corps after this appointment were dismissed by the very top – the Captain of the Sea Cadets – who said the allegations were “thoroughly investigated” and “not proved”.
Waters was later convicted for separate child abuse offences in India in 2006 and placed on the Sex Offenders Register.
Panorama has found out that despite this, until March 2017 he held a title in a naval veterans’ organisation – as honorary secretary of HMS President Retired Officers Association.
‘Stuck in my mind’
Joe was plied with alcohol and assaulted at his commanding officer’s flat
Joe joined the Glasgow Highlanders Army Cadets in 1988 when he was 11. His Commanding Officer, John Fitzpatrick, would invite cadets to his flat, ply them with alcohol and sit them in front of pornographic films before bedtime.
Joe told Panorama: “I mean real hardcore stuff that I’ve never seen since I was in that guy’s company…
“Images that have stuck in my mind to this day… if anybody had put images like that near my kids, I’d want to kill them.”
On four occasions, Joe woke up to find Fitzpatrick sexually assaulting him.
Fitzpatrick (left in the 1980s, right in 2016) was sentenced to two years in prison last year
Panorama has discovered that before Joe was abused, another cadet instructor – Gordon – had received complaints that Fitzpatrick had sexually assaulted another boy.
There were two young witnesses. Gordon went straight to the police, but instead of being congratulated his boss was furious.
Gordon told Panorama the boy’s parents defied pressure from senior cadet figures and told the police.
The case went to trial – but Fitzpatrick was found “not proven”. He was welcomed back into the cadets – taking up the position of CO again.
However, last year, Fitzpatrick was charged with lewd and libidinous behaviour against Joe and three other boys. This time the case was proven and he was sentenced to two years in prison.
The Birmingham case was one of the first cadet cases taken on by David McClenaghan, a child abuse solicitor from law firm BBK.
He told Panorama: “I have absolutely no doubt that the abuse in the cadets will mirror the other scandals like the Jimmy Savile case, like the abuse in the scouts, like abuse in the Catholic church.”
The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac) says no sphere of society is immune.
But Napac’s chief executive Gabrielle Shaw said the figures obtained by Panorama indicated that people were now more confident about coming forward to report abuse.
She added: “The onus is now on institutions such as the armed forces to deal fully and promptly with reported allegations.”
The MoD told Panorama that today all adults who work with children undergo mandatory security and background checks, rigorous disclosure procedures and regular safeguard training.
A spokesman said: “We encourage anyone who has been a victim or knows someone who has to report it to the police.”
The Marine Society and Sea Cadets (MSSC) apologised unreservedly for any hurt in regard to the case of Alan Waters and said what had happened was “not reflective of our organisation today”.
The Marine Society and Sea Cadets (MSSC) Patron: HM The Queen
In 2004 the Marine Society merged with the Sea Cadet Association to form the Marine Society & Sea Cadets. In 2010 the Marine Cadet Detachments, of which there are about 100 in Sea Cadet Units across the UK, were officially renamed Royal Marines Cadets, while remaining part of the Sea Cadet family.
A charity registered in England and Wales 313013 and in Scotland SC037808.
In 1981, 11 members of the crew of the Queen’s yacht ‘Britannia’ were charged.
Paul Burrell (pictured fifth from right) was part of a orgy on the Royal Yacht Britannia, his agent claims. None of the people in the above photo of the Britannia are thought to have been involved in the reported orgy
Reports from 1981 show that a trial against naval members were held in secret, which prompted rumours of a cover-up, which officials denied.
The men involved were accused of ‘disgraceful conduct of a cruel, indecent or unnatural kind’, and sailors were arrested after X-rated photos were found during a drugs raid.
The Queen was kept up to date on disciplinary proceedings during the case, and Prince Phillip was shown a special report on the case, the Sun reported.
Buckingham Palace would not comment on claims that the Queen knew Mr Burrell was involved in the orgy.
The Queen reinstated me and said: ‘Paul, I am so glad to have you back. Let’s put this unsavoury business behind us.’
Mr Burrell has never talked about his sexuality even though it was well known within royal circles that he was gay.
In 1983 he wed Maria Cosgrove, a maid to the Duke of Edinburgh
Paul and Maria Burrell met while they were both working at Buckingham Palace, with Maria serving as the Duke of Edinburgh’s maid, and married in 1984.
An established tradition suggested one of them should give up their job with the Royal Family, but the Queen made an exception for them, allowing both to remain in Royal service.
Burrell, who entered Royal Service at age 18, as a Palace footman, became the Queen’s personal footman a year later.
Burrell was the only non-family member to be present at Diana’s private burial at the Spencer estate Althorp.
In 1993 she wrote a letter to him that claimed the Prince of Wales was plotting to kill
Is this Burrell? Press & palace spin story that he was sacked?
The commander of the Royal Britannia yacht, Sir Paul Greening, was promoted after the scandal.
The Queen Mother In A Gondola Venice Italy With Her Is Sir Paul Greening
1981 COMMANDER OF THE ROYAL BRITANNIA:
Rear-Admiral Sir Paul Greening, commanded the Royal Yacht Britannia in her heyday, and afterwards succeeded to the 500-year-old office of Master of the Royal Household.
As Flag Officer Royal Yachts from February 1981 to August 1985, he was responsible for the vessel’s safety and efficiency, and for hosting receptions on behalf of the Queen at events held on board in support of British industry.
Greening’s first days in Britannia were spoilt by the dismissal (under the then law) of several homosexuals: the tabloid press had a field day, but he showed his imperturbability in dealing with it. A natural courtier, he had a boyish charm; the puckish impression given by his permanently raised eyebrows disguised an understanding of people, a mastery of detail and an absolute loyalty to the Crown.
As Master of the Household from 1986 to 1992 Greening was a successful head of staff of all the Queen’s palaces, responsible for 250 chefs, sommeliers, event planners, craftsmen, pages and footmen, housekeepers and postmen.
The rumours have been washing through Fleet Street. Queen Elizabeth intervened in Paul Burrell’s trial, they alleged, to avoid his going into the witness box at the Old Bailey and revealing tales of homosexual rape, male orgies and a gay mafia in control of the royal household.
That there is at least some truth in them has only fanned the gossips’ flames. Prince Charles acknowledges running up a legal bill of at least £100,000 (?160,000) on behalf of a trusted member of staff accused of raping another man. The allegation was widely known in the household, as the Spectator magazine, a staunch defender of the monarchy, reported.
1997
Burrell received the Royal Victorian Medal
09/11/2002
Twenty years ago, Buckingham Palace investigated an alleged homosexual orgy on the royal yacht Britannia, when Burrell was a footman. One member of staff was required to resign.
Some whisper that Burrell was implicated in those events; others mention a telephone call to Scotland Yard after Burrell’s arrest. The Australian caller described “alleged aspects of Burrell’s private conduct that might not entirely tally with his public image”, according to the Spectator.
“a suspicion is taking root that the homosexual mafia that infiltrates the court has had a criminal case stopped to protect the prince from sordid revelations concerning one of its own.
Buckingham Palace butler ‘ran paedophile sex ring while working for the Royal Family’
1 October 2008
A former Buckingham Palace butler has been unmasked as a sexual predator who ran a paedophile ring while serving the Royal Family.
Bachelor Paul Kidd, 55, groomed at least one of his teenage victims for sex by taking him for tea with the Queen Mother at Clarence House, it has emerged.
In 1976 he was appointed as butler to the Queen at Buckingham Palace and served there for six years until being transferred to Clarence House where he served the Queen Mother.
During his years in Royal service, he was said to have met and looked after three American Presidents including Jimmy Carter and Ronald Regan plus many other Heads of State from around the world.
He also appeared on stage with Hollywood actor Robin Williams at the Nemacolin Spa & Resort Centre in the USA.
On the last day of his trial the Queen suddenly remembered that Diana did give him some gifts strange that…
Rape tape that set royal alarm bells ringing
As Princess Diana sat by his hospital bedside, the royal manservant had no idea a tape was secretly running inside her handbag.
During their 30-minute conversation, Diana listened sympathetically as he made the astonishing allegation that he had been raped by another male member of the palace staff.
Paul Burrell knew both the ‘victim’ – who is a close friend of the former butler – and the man accused of the violent homosexual assault.
The alleged rapist works closely with Charles.
Last night the Prince was said to be terrified that the man could be identified.
That fear of exposure was increasingly being seen as a possible explanation for the dramatic last-minute royal intervention that led to the collapse of the Old Bailey trial last week.
The Royal Family were terrified that, once Burrell took the witness stand, he would divulge sensational and hugely-damaging secrets – in particular, the existence of the ‘rape-tape’ recording.
It was the explosive tape police were desperately seeking when they raided Burrell’s Cheshire home searching for the so-called ‘Crown Jewels’.
A Scotland Yard inquiry into the alleged rape took place at the same time as the Burrell theft investigation and both were led by the same police officer, Maxine de Brunner.
During the police investigation, former members of the Royal Household were interviewed in intimate detail about the alleged incident and asked ‘prurient questions’ about Charles himself.
The man allegedly assaulted, who has a wife and children from whom he is separated, has since left the royal household with a £50,000 payoff and, as with all palace staff, was required to sign a confidentiality agreement.
At the time several senior royal aides carried out an internal palace inquiry and reported back to Prince Charles and his solicitor Fiona Shackleton.
Charles – said to regard his aide as a ‘loyal and necessary person’ – took the unprecedented step of employing one of the country’s top law firms, Kingsley Napley, to defend him against the rape allegations.
Such was his concern for the servant that Charles is understood to have phoned the Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens when the inquiry was launched.
REVEALED: How Prince Charles dramatically tried to stop court case of Diana’s butler Paul Burrell that threatened to humiliate the Royals
Police found a hoard of items belonging to Princess Diana at her butler’s home
Paul Burrell was later accused of stealing 310 items together worth £4.5 million
11 days into the trial, the Queen ‘had a recollection’ proving Burrell’s innocence
18 March 2018
The doorbell rang at 6.50 in the morning of January 18, 2001. Paul Burrell, who was asleep, was woken by his wife.
Standing at the door was Detective Chief Inspector Maxine de Brunner and three other police officers.
‘Do you have any items from Kensington Palace in this house?’ Princess Diana’s former butler was asked.
‘No,’ he lied. He was then placed under arrest and the pre-dawn raid on his home near Runcorn in Cheshire began.
What the detectives found was far beyond their expectations.
The rooms were filled with paintings, drawings, china and photographs that clearly belonged to Diana, who’d died three-and-a-half years before, and her children William and Harry.
‘Oh my God,’ exclaimed de Brunner.
In Burrell’s study, she’d just spotted an expensive inlaid mahogany desk inscribed ‘Her Royal Highness’. ‘How did you get all this?’ she asked the butler.
‘The princess gave it to me,’ he said, collapsing into a chair and beginning to sob.
As the search continued, the police discovered 2,000 negatives. A cursory look revealed Charles in the bath with his children, and many others showing the young princes naked.
Other finds included 30 signed photographs of Diana, many empty silver frames, a box containing the princess’s daily personal notes to William at school, and another box of Diana’s more intimate letters to William.
As Burrell’s sobs intensified, an officer shouted from the attic: ‘It’s full of boxes, wall to wall!’
The boxes were wrenched open: inside were bags, blouses, dresses, nightgowns, underwear, shoes, jumpers, suits and hats that had belonged to Diana, including a blue-ribboned hat she’d worn during her visit with Prince Charles to South Korea in 1992.
Her perfume, de Brunner noticed, lingered on the fabric.
Late that afternoon, officers filled a lorry sent from London with 2,000 items that de Brunner judged had been illegally removed.
The princess, she believed, would never have given away such personal material, and certainly not in such quantities.
Nevertheless, a large number of Diana’s possessions remained in the house. But without orders from Scotland Yard either to seize everything that had belonged to the family or to seal the house as a crime scene, there was no more to be done.
‘I want white lilies on my coffin,’ wailed Burrell as he was escorted to the waiting police car.
There can be few people in Britain unaware of the 2002 trial of Paul Burrell, which was dramatically halted after the Queen had a ‘recollection’.
Nearly 16 years on, however, it appears that a great deal went on behind the scenes that was never revealed to the public.
I have talked to many of the police, courtiers and lawyers who were intimately involved in the Burrell case — before, during and after the trial.
Among the most serious disclosures are those relating to Prince Charles — and the attempts made on his behalf to try to stop the prosecution going ahead.
Burrell had originally worked for both Charles and Diana at Highgrove, then moved with the princess to Kensington Palace, where he was a witness to her extreme moods and secret affairs.
Although married himself, he’d had so many gay affairs with guardsmen that Diana’s chef called him ‘Barrack-Room Bertha’.
The public knew none of this, however, when Burrell became a minor celebrity after Diana’s death, appearing on TV shows and even posing for photographers at the Oscars.
News of his former employee’s arrest reached Charles about a week after the police raid.
Unaware of the scale of the alleged theft, and knowing that low-paid staff occasionally pilfered small items, he told his assistant private secretary Mark Bolland that Burrell probably did steal some things ‘because they all do’.
Within hours, however, Charles had become more alarmed. After all, police probes into murky palace habits could produce unexpected difficulties.
Soon afterwards, his senior private secretary Stephen Lamport, looking beaten and downhearted, confessed to a colleague: ‘We’ve got a terrible problem with this man Burrell… the Prince of Wales is distraught.
‘The prince will say he gave the things to [the butler] and that Burrell’s actions were all right.’ Lamport’s confidant was unimpressed. Even Charles had to allow justice to take its course, he said.
Indeed, the investigation was now well under way. During his second police interview Burrell was asked: ‘Did you tell anyone that you had the property?’
Burrell faced a trial at the Old Bailey and Prince Charles was distraught at what might be disclosed
‘No,’ he admitted, insisting that the items — including all Diana’s school reports — were gifts.
Burrell’s solicitor Andrew Shaw, for his part, appeared to think the case would never come to trial.
‘You’re making a terrible mistake,’ he told Maxine de Brunner. ‘They won’t let Burrell’s secrets be splashed in the public domain. They’ll never let this come to trial.’
In light of what happened subsequently, his comments were not quite as far-fetched as they seemed.
April 3, 2001
Along with a Crown prosecution lawyer, Maxine de Brunner arrived at St James’s Palace for a meeting. There was no alternative but to prosecute, they told the Royal Family’s senior officials.
Also present was Charles’s divorce lawyer, Fiona Shackleton, to whom he’d now turned for legal advice.
She revealed that Paul Burrell had sent the prince a handwritten letter in which he offered to return some of the items, provided Charles agreed not to support any prosecution. The letter had been returned on her advice.
The CPS lawyer explained that the case could be closed only if Prince William and Diana’s sister Lady Sarah McCorquodale, who together inherited Diana’s property, signed statements to drop their complaints.
Shackleton’s view was that Charles could not be party to undermining the legal system.
Agreeing to accept the return of some property in exchange for dropping the investigation, she said, would make it look as if Buckingham Palace were participating in a cover-up.
‘It needs to be all or nothing,’ she said.
Sir Robin Janvrin, the Queen’s private secretary, agreed to tell the monarch what had been discussed, and almost certainly did so.
This, of course, would have been the ideal moment for the Queen to recall that she’d allowed the butler to take some of Diana’s possessions for safekeeping. But apparently she didn’t say a word.
As for Charles, he was upset when his own private secretary told him the police intended to prosecute.
Who knew what Burrell might say in the witness box? In effect, he was a time-bomb, having witnessed the prince’s secret meetings and phone calls with Camilla while he was married, and Diana’s many rendezvous with her boyfriends.
He told his spin-doctor Mark Bolland to try to navigate a way out of a prosecution.
May 2
The case against Burrell strengthened.
The police had now had time to watch six videos found in Burrell’s home, featuring Diana talking about the most intimate details of her relationship with the Royal Family, her sex life with Charles, and her affair with police protection officer Barry Mannakee.
The tapes had been recorded by Peter Settelen, the princess’s voice coach, who, soon after her death, had asked her private secretary for the return of not six but 16 tapes.
He’d been told: ‘I am advised by Mr Burrell that he has been unable to trace them.’
What had happened, the police wondered, to the missing ten tapes? [Material from Settelen’s six recovered tapes was used in a Channel 4 documentary last year.]
And there was another tape that worried Charles. Kept in a box of Diana’s and now, he believed, in Burrell’s possession, it described the alleged rape of one member of his staff by another of his staff.
July 19
Burrell’s lawyers now issued a warning to Shackleton. If Burrell were prosecuted, they said, he would have to describe from the witness box not only details of Diana’s sex life, he might also read out quotes from letters in which Prince Philip had allegedly threatened her.
(In fact, the letters were perfectly reasonable, it emerged later.)
Burrell’s lawyers later explained that this was not a threat — the defence was seeking only to protect the Royal Family.
At this point, the CPS and the police asked for a ‘victims’ consultation meeting’ in order to obtain the direct approval of Princes Charles and William to prosecute Burrell.
In anticipation of a police visit to Highgrove, Charles appealed to Bolland: ‘Mark, this is crazy. You must do something.’ The prince was now willing to do anything to avert a trial, especially with William a potential witness.
Burrell simply knew too much. Would he, for instance, dare to describe Diana’s reported use of cocaine to the court? The best way to avoid a prosecution, Bolland agreed, was for Burrell to return all the property he’d taken.
July 24
A top-secret meeting was arranged between Bolland and Burrell. Over coffee, the butler said: ‘I’m sorry.’
He wanted to let Charles know that he’d return all the property, but insisted on telling him so in person.
Throughout the 25-minute meeting, the spin-doctor had been appalled by Burrell’s ‘creepy manner’. The royals’ staff, he thought, were ‘a slimy, weird group with odd relationships’.
Later, he reported back to Charles that the butler wanted ‘a big hug and an offer of a job at Balmoral. He doesn’t want to be cast out’.
The prince repeated thoughtfully: ‘He doesn’t want to be cast out.’ A truth occurred to Bolland then about the royals: ‘No one cares whether Burrell is guilty or not.’
August 3
That very afternoon, the police were expected at Highgrove.
What they didn’t know, Bolland hoped, was that secret arrangements had been made for Prince Charles to meet Burrell a few hours later.
But before the police arrived, the spin-doctor became suspicious that the plan had been leaked to the police, probably by one of Charles’s own protection officers.
The meeting with Burrell must be cancelled, he advised. Charles agreed.
Next, the prince discussed the approach he planned to take with the police.
He intended to ask, ‘Does this really matter? Yes, some items may have been pilfered, but just how serious is it? Not very.’
In the event, however, Charles didn’t get round to saying any of this. Instead, he was palpably shocked when the police told him 2,000 items had been seized at Burrell’s home.
It was the first time he’d heard the actual number.
‘He’s taken the lot!’ Charles exclaimed.
After listening to more evidence against the butler, the prince was asked if he supported a prosecution. ‘We’ve got no alternative,’ he sighed. Before leaving, the police asked Charles not to have any contact with Burrell.
The prince was now in a fix. Officially, he had to support the CPS’s charge that Burrell had stolen the items but privately, he still wanted the prosecution halted.
Another big sticking-point was that Diana’s sister and co-executor, Lady Sarah McCorquodale, was adamant that the butler should be brought to trial.
If she refused to change her mind, there was little Charles could do. Meanwhile, the police confronted Bolland to ask if he’d talked to Burrell. Yes, replied the spin-doctor. His admission confirmed police suspicions.
Bolland was then asked to sign a formal statement as a potential prosecution witness. Legally, this prevented him having any further contact with the suspect. He was relieved — though he worried about whom Charles would rely on now.
Fiona Shackleton? Not if Bolland could help it. While he and Charles wanted the prosecution stopped, she had seemed to waver. They could no longer rely on her, he told Charles.
As for the prince’s private secretary, Stephen Lamport, he was ‘weak and tired’. It was all becoming ‘a mess’, Bolland concluded.
August 18
In an attempt to avert prosecution, Burrell’s lawyer handed the police a 39-page statement signed by his client.
Among other things, it described the butler’s close relationship with Diana — how he would smuggle her boyfriends into Kensington Palace, cancel public engagements so she could be with her lovers, and provide meals for the princess and her man of the moment.
In addition, Burrell hinted that he’d tell what he knew about Diana’s nocturnal visits around Paddington, where she tried to persuade prostitutes to give up their trade by plying them with gifts.
Even the police could see that if Burrell gave detailed testimony about Diana’s sex life in court, the monarchy would be seriously harmed.
Still, there was nothing in the butler’s statement that undermined the charge of theft. So Burrell was once again interviewed.
This time, he claimed that the items found in his house should be seen either as gifts, taken by mistake or handed over to him to be destroyed. He didn’t offer to return anything.
There was no mention of any conversation with Diana’s executors, her sons or the Queen about taking items for ‘safekeeping’. At 2.40pm, Burrell was charged with theft.
A month later, Burrell’s lawyer wrote to Charles, asking for an audience so he could explain ‘the extreme delicacy of the situation’ if his client had to testify.
Charles, who’d taken legal advice, did not reply.
The lawyer then sent further warnings about Burrell’s intention to speak about events of ‘extreme delicacy’ and ‘matters of a very private nature’, and how his enjoyment of Diana’s ‘intimate’ trust would require ‘close examination’ at trial.
Again Charles did not reply. This provoked Burrell’s lawyer to threaten to summon the prince as a witness.
February 13, 2002
Yet another statement from Burrell was delivered to the police — this time about a meeting with the Queen.
They’d talked for three hours, he’d said, sitting on her sofa together shortly after Princess Diana’s death.
The Queen had told him, he said, that his relationship with Diana was unprecedented.
She had spoken about how much she herself had tried to help the princess, and also warned him to be careful — so many people were against Princess Diana, and he had sided with her.
However, the CPS lawyers decided that since Burrell’s statement made no mention of Diana’s property, it wasn’t relevant to the case.
Burrell is pictured behind the Queen. Burrell stood in the dock of Court One at the Old Bailey, accused of stealing 310 items together worth £4.5 million
August 27
Burrell’s lawyer again approached the police, insisting that a message be passed on to Charles.
His client, he said, was offering to return all the royal items in his possession if the prosecution was dropped.
The message was never delivered, though somehow the prince became aware of the butler’s offer — and hoped it would stop the trial going ahead.
Legally, however, that was impossible: the CPS now had sole responsibility for the prosecution.
Nevertheless, Charles ordered his new private secretary, Sir Michael Peat, to express his concern about continuing with the prosecution if it was a lost cause.
August 30
On the prince’s orders, Peat summoned Maxine de Brunner and another police officer to St James’s Palace.
At the outset he directed de Brunner to a low chair so he could look down on her — a higher chair was noticeably moved away — and thereafter spoke only to the junior police officer, Roger Milburn. ‘How can you be sure that these items were not gifts?’ he asked Milburn.
Milburn redirected the question to de Brunner. Not persuaded by her answer, Peat was emphatic that the prosecution should be stopped. ‘You have not got enough evidence,’ he said. ‘We want the property back without a fuss.’
Both officers were disturbed by Peat’s performance. In his concern to protect Charles, he seemed to forget that Burrell had actually been charged with stealing property belonging to Diana’s executors, not the prince.
Or that any decisions about the prosecution now had to be taken by the Director of Public Prosecutions, who was sure he could prove Burrell’s guilt.
September 11
This time, Peat summoned two of Diana’s executors to the palace — her sister Lady Sarah and the princess’s former private secretary, Michael Gibbins.
Both knew that the initiative for the meeting had come from Charles.
‘The police,’ Peat told them, ‘don’t have enough evidence to mount a successful prosecution and the case must be stopped. There is a risk of acquittal.’
His disdain for Commander John Yates — who was in overall charge of the investigation — and de Brunner and Milburn was obvious, and Gibbins shared some of his doubts.
He also spoke frankly about Charles’s fears that, among other things, Burrell would testify in detail about both Diana’s love life and her anger at the way she’d been treated by the Royal Family.
But it was no good. After two hours of discussion, he’d failed to persuade Charles’s sister-in-law to change her mind.
‘Sarah McCorquodale wanted Burrell to get his come-uppance,’ said Gibbins, who was less certain himself about pushing for the case to go ahead.
‘She was convinced that he had made away with the property. She wasn’t interested in deals.’
After the meeting, McCorquodale called Maxine de Brunner, with whom she’d built up a working rapport.
The trial, she warned the senior policewoman, would be thwarted in some way.
October 14
Paul Burrell, aged 44, stood in the dock of Court One at the Old Bailey, accused of stealing 310 items together worth £4.5 million.
Other items taken from his house were not listed because they allegedly belonged to either Charles or William, and neither wished to appear in court as witnesses.
The day’s proceedings made blazing headlines in all the media, raising increasing concern at St James’s Palace.
October 28
Just after 8.30 that Monday morning, 11 days into the trial, Crown Prosecutor William Boyce was reading his papers in a small room adjacent to the court. He was unexpectedly joined by Commander Yates.
‘I’ve just had a conversation with Michael Peat,’ said Yates, then repeated the private secretary’s exact words: ‘Her Majesty has had a recollection.’
On the previous Friday, Peat had explained, the Queen had recalled a meeting five years earlier, soon after Diana’s death. Burrell had come to the palace to tell her about preserving some of the princess’s papers.
‘The Queen agreed that he should care for them,’ said Peat.
Boyce visibly paled. Taking off his wig, he seemed to shrink.
Only by questioning the Queen in court could Burrell’s version of the conversation be rebutted, and that was constitutionally impossible.
No reigning monarch could appear in ‘Her Majesty’s’ court.
‘That’s the end of the trial,’ was Boyce’s view. Later in the day, Peat told CPS lawyers more about the Queen’s recollection.
On the previous Friday, she, Charles and Philip had driven together to St Paul’s for a memorial service for the victims of the Bali bombing.
Driving past the Old Bailey, she asked why a crowd was standing outside. Charles answered that Paul Burrell was on trial. The Queen was apparently unaware that he was being prosecuted.
Then she mentioned that, some years before, Burrell had sought an audience with her to explain that he was caring for some of Diana’s papers, and she’d agreed that he should do so.
What Peat didn’t go into was what had happened afterwards.
After the Royal Family returned from St Paul’s, there had been unusual activity in St James’s Palace.
Lawyers — among them Robert Seabrook, QC, who’d been advising Charles on the Burrell case — were summoned for a conference to discuss the Queen’s recollection.
Peat was told that Crown Prosecutor Boyce should be informed immediately.
Next, Sir Robin Janvrin was called. Told about the new evidence, the Queen’s private secretary expressed his astonishment. ‘Oh my God,’ an eyewitness heard him exclaim.
Thereafter Janvrin did nothing, allowing Peat to continue managing the crisis on Charles’s behalf. The reason for that at least was clear to observers inside the palaces: Janvrin wanted no part in the undertaking.
Then something very strange occurred. Contrary to QC Robert Seabrook’s advice, neither Boyce nor the CPS was told on that Friday afternoon about the ‘recollection’, and the lack of communication continued through Saturday and Sunday.
According to palace rumours, however, Peat did tell Peter Goldsmith, the attorney general, that the recollection was a ‘golden opportunity to get rid of this embarrassment’.
Early on Monday morning, Peat had finally called Commander Yates to report the Queen’s remarks.
To some in the prosecution and to police at the Old Bailey, the circumstances of the recollection described by Peat lacked credibility.
First, Janvrin, an assiduous official, had been regularly briefed about the Burrell investigation, not least because William and Harry were involved. He would certainly have reported the main details of the case to the Queen during their daily meetings.
Second, the Queen was known to read the newspapers regularly, and for over a year Burrell’s plight had been widely reported. The trial itself had dominated the front pages for the nine days before her drive to St Paul’s.
Third, it was unusual for the monarch and her heir — who seldom spoke to each other — to travel in the same car, for security reasons. The coincidence that mother and son should have been so publicly united on that particular day while driving past the Old Bailey was one that raised questions.
Fourth, the version offered by Peat contradicted that of others in the palaces.
Edmund Lawson, QC, would later explain, in a report commissioned by Michael Peat, that the Queen had in fact been aware of the ongoing trial and had been prompted by the publicity relating to it to mention her conversation with Burrell to the Duke of Edinburgh.
According to the report, she had not previously considered the conversation of any relevance, since the correspondence belonging to the Princess of Wales was but a small part of the property alleged to have been stolen by Mr Burrell.
Lawson’s report would also say that it was the Duke of Edinburgh who had mentioned the Queen’s recollection to the Prince of Wales before the memorial service at St Paul’s.
Peat failed to explain why the prosecution was not told about the Queen’s recollection for two-and-a-half days; he failed to report his own consultation with a lawyer to understand the significance of the recollection; and he omitted to explain why he, rather than the Queen’s own private secretary, Sir Robin Janvrin, asked the Queen about her recollection.
Inevitably, some of those involved in the case questioned whether the Queen had ever met Burrell in the ‘three-hour’ audience he had described in his statement of February 13, 2002.
But three witnesses would have been available had the police sought that information, among them a palace page who claimed to have accompanied Burrell to the Queen’s sitting room, where he remained for between 45 and 90 minutes.
Few believed the butler’s version of spending three hours with the Queen, and in any event his description of their conversation — about documents, and not hundreds of Diana’s personal possessions — was irrelevant to the charges he faced.
Similarly, none of the prosecutors or police expressed at subsequent meetings their outright belief of the Buckingham Palace spokesman’s explanation that ‘the Queen did not realise that her evidence was important, and no one told her’.
Nevertheless, that explanation could well have been true. There was no reason for the Queen, by nature a reactive person who absorbed enormous amounts of information, to have taken any initiative after meeting Burrell.
The surprise was the timing of her revelation, coinciding as it did with Charles’s increasing despair — and the palace’s highly convenient interpretation of that meeting.
‘An act of genius,’ was the judgment of one Whitehall observer. ‘Only a golden bullet could have stopped the trial.’
October 30
Only two people could order the trial to end: the Director of Public Prosecutions, David Calvert-Smith; and the Attorney General, Lord (Peter) Goldsmith.
Calvert-Smith prevaricated, so Goldsmith took the lead. He went to see the Queen to explain the consequences of what he termed the ‘fiasco’, then consulted Tony Blair. Robin Janvrin had also called Downing Street.
At that moment, Blair was immersed in deciding the size of Britain’s military commitment for the invasion of Iraq.
Now he was being asked to consider how to save the monarchy. His decision was that the trial should be brought to an end.
November 1
Crown Prosecutor Boyce announced in the courtroom that the trial was over. Charles and Peat breathed sighs of relief.
So did Burrell: ‘The Queen came through for me,’ he exclaimed. In the ensuing excitement, his brother, Graham, told a journalist: ‘He will have his revenge, but he will do it with dignity.’
Within days, Burrell had offered a string of tawdry revelations about Charles and Diana to the Daily Mirror. He would later follow this up with an explosive book that betrayed Diana’s secrets and portrayed the prince as a heartless schemer.
November 2
With the trial in ruins, everyone was blamed except Charles.
The police were widely accused of incompetence, and Maxine de Brunner — who’d kicked everything off by raiding Burrell’s home — was singled out for particular censure.
At 2.30 that afternoon, de Brunner’s mobile rang. To her surprise, Diana’s sister was on the line.
‘I’m so sorry,’ said Lady Sarah McCorquodale. ‘They shouldn’t have done that to you. It’s disgraceful. We’re totally behind you.
‘A deal was struck by Paul Burrell and the Prince of Wales,’ she claimed.
‘They agreed that the trial would be stopped if three things happened. First, Burrell would not mention certain things in his book; second, William’s property will be given back to William; and a third thing which I don’t know.’
Diana’s sister concluded: ‘They couldn’t afford for Paul Burrell to go into the witness box. Burrell had told the Prince of Wales that he would tell all unless the trial was halted.
‘The Palace have maintained that they didn’t know about the Queen’s and Burrell’s conversation.’
De Brunner wrote down every word of this extraordinary tirade.
But Edmund Lawson, the QC commissioned by Michael Peat to investigate the allegation that Charles’s household had influenced the halting of the trial, said in his report that such an allegation did not stand up to scrutiny: there was simply no evidence to suggest there was any interference by Prince Charles ‘to procure the termination’ of the trial.
Nor was there any evidence to suggest that the Queen’s recollection had been made in order to derail the trial.
December 12-19
At the police’s request, both McCorquodale and Diana’s former private secretary Michael Gibbins agreed to sign a note describing their September 11 meeting with Charles’s private secretary.
Peat, they agreed, had sought to stop the trial going ahead.
‘Let’s nick Peat for seeking to pervert the course of justice,’ Detective Sergeant Roger Milburn said to Commander John Yates after showing him the signed note.
Yates apparently agreed, telling Milburn: ‘You’ve set off an Exocet.’
The scandal, had the prince’s private secretary been formally cautioned and interviewed, would have been immense. But nothing happe
March 13, 2003
Keen to lay the whole matter to rest, Michael Peat published the report that he had personally commissioned from Edmund Lawson, QC, on the Burrell fiasco.
At no stage, Lawson wrote, did the prince or anyone on his behalf try to stop the prosecution.
That was plainly untrue. Bolland, Shackleton, McCorquodale and Gibbins had all described various such attempts, as had the prince’s former private secretary Stephen Lamport, the CPS lawyer and various police officers.
That left the most important mystery — the Queen’s recollection.
And now the circumstances differed from the account Peat gave to the CPS lawyers.
In Lawson’s version, she no longer inquired about the crowds outside the Old Bailey that Friday as she was being driven towards St Paul’s.
Instead, before the memorial service Philip had told Charles that the Queen’s recollection had been triggered by publicity about the trial.
According to Lawson, Charles had told Peat about the recollection only on Saturday — the day after the St Paul’s service.
But this was inaccurate.
Charles’s lawyer Robert Sea- brook had been told about the recollection the previous day, and had immediately gone to Clarence House to advise Peat to inform the prosecution as a matter of urgency.
According to Lawson, Charles suggested to Peat that he might speak directly to the Queen, and he did so on Sunday when she confirmed her recollection to him.
As we know, the police weren’t informed until Monday morning. So who told them? Lawson said it was Charles’s lawyer Fiona Shackleton who’d given the news to Commander Yates.
Yet Yates had actually told Lawson that he was ‘100 per cent certain’ that it was Peat who’d phoned him.
The effect of Lawson’s apparent distortion was to impugn Shackleton.
Lawson’s fee for compiling Peat’s report was never disclosed. He died six years later, without receiving an honour, which he might justifiably have expected.
As for DCI Maxine de Brunner, the chief of Scotland Yard showed his robust support by promoting her to deputy assistant commissioner.
Burrell made about £4 million from his book, while hinting that ‘there are many, many more secrets I have not written about. Very personal, very damaging… not very pleasant’.
Michael Peat, when he left the prince’s service, was rewarded with generous severance terms, including the right to stay on in his five-bedroom flat at Kensington Palace for nearly another year.
And Charles? In the polls, his popularity fell back to the dismal level last seen in the days after Diana’s death.
Just over two weeks after Jimmy Savile emerged from his heart operation, Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris. He was invited to the funeral service at Westminster Abbey but was too weak to attend.
In our final interview, I asked Savile again about his relationships with the royals. ‘What you’ve got to realise is how many books have been written about them by people who don’t really know them,’ he said. ‘Paul Burrell and people like that.’
I put it to him that having worked as Diana’s butler for ten years, Burrell must have surely known her better than most. ‘Yes, he did,’ said Savile, suddenly changing his tune.
‘I helped him get out of his court case.’
In 2002, Burrell was charged with the theft of items belonging to the Princess of Wales but the trial collapsed when it emerged the Queen had spoken to him and a public interest immunity certificate was presented to the court.
‘That was something else,’ smiled Savile, leaning back in his chair, eyes tightly closed as if mentally picturing the next brick being laid on the wall.
‘Nobody could get him off the hook. The entire world had him on the hook. He fell out with [Diana’s] trustees … Paul was very upset about this and because he was so upset, he was a danger, you see.
So they invented this thing that he’d half-inched some of her gear, which he hadn’t.’
Jimmy Savile and Prince Philip 1998
(Janet Cope showed me a 1998 letter from Paul Burrell in which Diana’s former butler said how much he was looking forward to ‘spending some quality time with Jimmy.
I need some sound and wise advice from him as he always knows the right answer.’)
Savile pointed to my tape recorder and told me to turn it off…
pg 410-413
In Plain Sight: the Life and Lies of Jimmy Savile by Dan Davies
David Blair Wilson allegedly has compromising pictures of top law officers & prosecutors from the Crown Office caught up in sex orgies with young men & juveniles.
Colin Tucker, steward to Fiona Woolf, Fettesgate and the Scottish ‘Magic Circle’ Affair, and Wider Networks – Part 1
October 28, 2014
In the letter from the Lord Mayor of London, Fiona Woolf, to the Home Secretary, Theresa May, dated October 11th 2014 and published on the website of the Independent Panel Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse on October 20th,
as well as the details of connections to Lord and Lady Brittan, the CityUK organisation, Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman, former Legal Officer NCCL, and Harman’s successor Marie Staunton (who openly defended the organisation’s affiliation to the Paedophile Information Exchange (‘The Left’s web of shame: It’s not just Harman, Dromey and Hewitt.)
As we reveal, many other members of Britain’s ruling liberal elite held senior posts at the NCCL when it was closely linked to paedophiles’
the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (the trial of a former teacher at which will take place in early 2015), and the City of London School for Girls (whose former trumpet teacher Helen Goddard was jailed in 2009 for abusing an underage girl, as detailed within this long post), there was a hitherto little commented-upon passage concerning an employee at Mansion House:
I believe it is appropriate to bring to your attention the report of an inquiry conducted in Scotland in 1993 relating to an allegation to pervert the course of justice. A current staff member at Mansion House, an employee of the Corporation, was referred to in that inquiry; the individual concerned was not in the employment of the Corporation during the time period mentioned in the report. Full details of the inquiry and its conclusions (at pages 106-107) are contained in the attached link to the full report (https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/228813/0377.pdf ). I can confirm that I have never discussed this issue with the individual and was unaware of the individual’s prior history until the matter was recently brought to my attention.
The individual in question is Anthony Colin Tucker,a former solicitor who has been steward to the Lord Mayor since the early 1990s. The report in question is W.A. Nimmo Smith QC and J.D. Friel, In this audio interview, Tucker speaks about his work for the Lord Mayor in what is essentially a butler-like role, suggesting something rather closer than Woolf’s term ‘current staff member at Mansion House’ would imply.
The report refers to the now mostly forgotten almost 25-year old saga involving an alleged ‘Magic Circle’ within the Scottish legal establishment, in which gay judges were alleged to have given more lenient sentences to gay criminals because of fear of blackmail. Tucker’s own trial on charges of embezzlement, for which he was acquitted, was central to this affair; the trial came about after Tucker’s senior partner, Ian Walker, killed himself. One journalist, Graham Grant, Home Affairs Editor for the Scottish Daily Mail, reported on this connection this Saturday (October 25th, 2014), in this article below.
As mentioned by Grant, of central importance is the role of Tucker’s defence counsel, the late Robert Henderson QC. Henderson has been in the news again since his daughter Susie has claimed that she was abused by both him and the late former Scottish Solicitor General Sir Nicholas Fairbairn (Emma Cowing and Graham Grant, ‘I was raped aged 4 by top aide to Thatcher: Woman claims she was abused by senior Conservative MP who visited notorious guest house with paedophile Cyril Smith’,Daily Mail, August 14th, 2014), who has also been alleged to have been a visitor to the notorious Elm Guest House in Barnes, a key location for VIP guests to abuse young boys, said to have been delivered from care homes (‘Sir Nicholas Fairbairn in child abuse scandal link’, The Scotsman, July 13th, 2014). This has led to a renewed interest in the ‘magic circle’ allegations (see for example Jonathan Brocklebank, ‘A magic circle of judges, a sex abuse probe and the sinister truth about the Fettesgate scandal’, Daily Mail, August 14th, 2014), though until Grant no-one had made the connection with someone close to the Lord Mayor of London.
Tucker is also listed as a partner in a company entitled ‘LD Inns’, address 24 Howe Street, Edinburgh EH3 6TG, from March 9th 1988 to July 17th, 1989, together with a Burnett Walker and David Ben Aryeah. It turns out this was the notorious Laughing Duck gay bar (see Rory Knight Bruce, ‘Below the Law: It is a short walk from Edinburgh’s Court of Session to the Laughing Duck’, Spectator, January 27th, 1990), mentioned at various points in the 1993 report, and listed with a three star rating in the 1982 edition of Spartacus International Gay Guide for Gay Men; membership of Spartacus, which was run by Roman Catholic priest John Stamford, who was later convicted of sending pornographic material through the post, also notoriously gave discounts for stays at Elm Guest House, and championed PIE; Stamford also published PAN: A Magazine about Boy-Love
Tucker was also for seven years an elder at St Cuthbert’s, next to Edinburgh Castle (Bruce McKain, ‘Solicitor tells fraud trial his partner had hold over him’, Glasgow Herald, December 16th, 1989). Burnett Walker was also a director of a delicatessen, Victors of Edinburgh; Edinburgh-born David Ben-Aryeah worked for the Israeli military, as a travel agent, and was one of the first journalists to report on the Lockerbie disaster
Amongst other matters, this affair demonstrates the importance that the inquiry incorporates Scotland as well (and Northern Ireland, where the Kincora Boys’ Home scandal is said to have involved intelligence operatives from the mainland). Not only is Fairbairn alleged to have been linked to abusers in both England and Scotland, but also the Paedophile Information Exchange was itself founded in Scotland, in Glasgow in 1974 by Ian Campbell Dunn and Michael Hanson as an outgrowth of the Scottish Minorities Group, of which Fairbairn was himself honorary vice-president in the early 1970s (Guy Adams and Andrew Malone, ‘Revealed: The Full horrifying truth about Sir Nicholas Fairbairn – the other paedophile at Margaret Thatcher’s side’, Daily Mail
In the meantime, it is reported today that Fiona Woolf may have to face a second appearance before the Home Affairs Select Committee … it is important that Keith Vaz MP and other members of the committee also question her over this affair and whether it represents a significant conflict of interests.
Below I reproduce a wide range of articles from Tucker’s trial, through the course of the ‘Magic Circle’ and ‘Fettesgate’ affairs, up until the release of the report
Part 2 will include subsequent articles on the affair, the allegations of sexual abuse made in 2000 against Robert Henderson, then some obituaries of Henderson, followed by recent press articles which have revisited these affairs, relating to Henderson and Fairbairn. The Fettesgate affair related to the theft of a report by Detective Inspector Robert Orr on ‘Homosexuality and the Criminal Law’, relating to the possibility of a homosexual network in the legal profession, which can be read here. This is a complex and detailed affair which requires extensive reading.
What’s Arthur ‘Colin’ Tucker been up to now? Still butler to The Lord Mayor of London? Dresser to the m̶a̶r̶e̶ mayor last I heard!
ORGY on the Royal Yacht Britannia
8 March 2017
The orgy aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia reportedly took place in 1981
The orgy supposedly involved members of the navy, who were later dismissed
Mr Burrell wasn’t arrested for the orgy, nor did he face criminal charges because he ‘was the Queen’s right hand man at that point’, Burrell’s agent said
‘Paul was there. But he wasn’t arrested or subjected to any sort of criminal chargesbecause he was the Queen’s right hand manat that point.’
11 sailors from the crew of Elizabeth II’s official yacht Britannia were charged with “disgraceful conduct of a cruel, indecent or unnatural kind”…
It was Britain’s second official sex scandal in less than 24 hours.
Earlier Wednesday, a former British ambassador to Canada, Sir Peter Hayman, was named as the senior civil servant previously reported involved with a child pornography group.
The Britannia cases were heard behind closed doors.
Alun tweeted: Isn’t it just amazing that Theresa May knew nothing of this when she appointed Haver’s sister to head the CSA inquiry?
Shortly before Charles and Diana married on July 29, 1981, the Queen apparently suspended Burrell from his job as footman after he was implicated in a gay pornography ring on the Royal Yacht Britannia – and only gave him his job back on the understanding that he would marry his now wife Maria (who worked for the Duke of Edinburgh).
‘Because Paul was the Queen’s footman he was treated like royalty by the other staff and had his own maid.
LUDGATE COMMUNICATIONS LIMITED was established in 1991 by TIM TROTTER.
Registered address: Acre House 11-15 William Road London NW1 3ER.
(Leon Brittan’s company‘Life Sciences International Limited‘, as well as Gerald Ronson’s company ‘Heron Group International’, have been registered at the same address).
Ludgate Communications Limited was at the heart of Scallywag’s investigations into the VIP/Westminster Paedophile Network, specifically the tentacle that received boys and child pornography at Dolphin Square, Grafton Close/Elm Guest House, and other addresses, supplied from John Allen’s empire.
Another Ludgate Communications director was LOUISE BEAN – see below.
LUDGATE LAUD LIMITEDwas the lobbying arm of Ludgate Communications established the following year, 1992.
Registered address: 21-23 Mead Street London W1F 0EY.
On Ludgate Laud’s Board of Directors sat
TIM TROTTER (see above);
MICHAEL COLVIN MP (friend of Prince Charles who campaigned for Peter Lilley, and later perished in a fire, the very same fate that befell several of John Allen’s sex trafficking victims);
DEREK LAUD (Monday Club member);
and JOHN REMFREY PINNIGER (Monday Club member who had worked for Harvey Proctor and alongside John Bercow as a Lambeth Councillor).
Mysterious 7 Pilgrim Street, London EC4V 6LB has been the registered address for:
1.Fagre Benson Hobson AudleyLimited (Solicitors)
2.Audley Investments Limited (presumably a related division of the above)
Lawyer and company co-founder GERALD AUBREY HOBSON has been a director of the above law firm AS WELL AS a director of a company called CMGRP UK Limited, where he sat on the board alongside Company Secretary LOUISE BEAN… who was also Company Secretary for Ludgate Laud Limited and Ludgate Communications Limited.
3.Tavistock Investments Plc (*Previously known as SocialGO Plc.) Past Directors of Tavistock Investments Plc include: LORD WILLIAM ASTOR, whom Derek Laud is quoted discussing in ‘Call Me Dave: The Unauthorised Biography of David Cameron’. And IAN LIVINGSTONE CBE, the author of games with occult themes. Lord Astor also sits on the Board of Directors of Silvergate Media with Lord Waheed Alli – ‘Silvergate’ is a term from the poem Ambergris penned by the occultist Aleister Crowley.
5.Ludgate Secretarial Limited and Ludgate Nominees Limited. These related companies are listed as directors of Black Dragon Management Limited alongside Paul Burrell. Burrell was the confidante of Princess Diana, the royal whose targeted murder benefited Derek Laud’s friend Camilla Parker Bowles, and Jimmy Savile’s friend Prince Charles, and quite possibly Jimmy Savile himself.
6.Ludgate Investments Limited*at this address until 2001, several addresses since then. Linked to Ludgate Nominees and Ludgate Secretarial, Ludgate Investments Limited was co-founded by Nick Pople. On its Board of Directors sit CHARLES SEBAG-MONTEFIORE and JAMES STOURTON (a former chairman of Sotheby’s).
7.Dozens of murky companies called ‘Ludgate [***] Limited’. Examples include Ludgate 213 Limited, Ludgate 253 Limited, Ludgate 294 Limited, Ludgate 309 Limited, Ludgate 310 Limited, Ludgate 311 Limited, Ludgate 314 Limited, Ludgate 315 Limited, Ludgate 329 Limited, Ludgate 332 Limited, Ludgate 342 Limited, Ludgate 343 Limited, Ludgate 361 Limited, Ludgate 373 Limited. What these companies exist to do is anybody’s guess.
Quote:
QUESTION:
Why do so many companies operating out of 7 Pilgrim Street either employ the term ‘Ludgate’, or have a connection to the person of Derek Laud, or have a connection to other individual(s) in Derek Laud’s circle who have links to the VIP/Westminster Paedophile Network?
The Hampstead Judgement Contains Proven Falsehoods and Cannot Therefore be Valid.
As seasoned cover up merchants have long known, the best way to conduct a cover up is to get on the front foot, seize the initiative and present an essentially inverted narrative, where the perpetrators are the victims and the victims are perpetrators. As the Americans might put it, the best form of defense is offense. And so it was that Justice Pauffley announced grandly and unequivocally on the first page of her Judgement that:
“I am able to state with complete conviction that none of the allegations are true. I am entirely certain that everything Ms Draper, her partner Abraham Christie and the children said about those matters was fabricated. The claims are baseless. Those who have sought to perpetuate them are evil and / or foolish “ Justice Pauffley, Hampstead Judgement Page One.
These sentences quite simply cannot possibly be true.
A Profound and Simple Problem:
The Judgement is Not Factually Correct and Should Be Considered Invalid on this Basis.
The Judgement is not factually accurate. It makes claims that are provably false and must therefore surely be perceived to be entirely invalid because the foundational assumptions that underlie Justice Pauffley’s interpretation of events are not factual in basis and this can be simply and quickly proven.
The Factual Error that Proves the Judgement is Without Validity.
On page 21 of the Judgement, in reference to the police interviews Justice Pauffley writes that
” Fact No. “142. “As emerges from the interviews themselves, both P and Q did indeed withdraw their claims, all of them.”
The Justice states this without equivocation, yet when the recording of the police interviews are re-examined it emerges that Witness G in fact never did retract his claim to have been sexually abused in the disabled toilet of a local swimming pool. Please note that the Judgement is very specific and definitive, “withdraw their claims, all of them.”
The record of the police interview actually indicates that contrary to the Judgement’s claims, witness G never did retract his claim relating to the sexual abuse at the swimming pool. It did not happen, so the claim that the judgement makes and one of it’s underlying foundations is factually incorrect.
Anna Pauffley QC was a judge in the Hampstead Heath SRA case. Here is her verdict on Ricky Dearman, ex-husband of Ella Draper, the mother at the centre of the Hampstead ‘hoax’ whose boyfriend was Abraham Christie. https://hamhigh.co.uk/news/crime-cou
Now Ella Draper and Ricky Dearman just happen to be the sole directors of Lighthouse Media. That wouldn’t by any chance be related to the London Lighthouse those artists like Hockney, Freud, Charles Maud (brother of Francis) and Bacon associated with?https://independent.co.uk/news/people/ob
Anna Pauffley QC represented people allegedly involved with Bryn Estyn abuse. It was her job to make sure children were not believed. Here is Dr. Sally Baker on Pauffrey:
Anna Pauffley was also involved with the Hollie Greig case.
According to my records, Anna Pauffley is a resident of the pretty village of Tangley near Andover in Hampshire, population 557. Andover is the epicentre of satanic ritual abuse, with umpteen mentions in the RAINS list compiled by the late Dr. Coleman ...
Tim Trotter is a successful entrepreneur with thirty years’ experience in both media, business and financial services. He currently has a wide variety of international interests which include both public and private companies.
Tim is Chairman of Glenfern, the management consultancy, Non-Executive Chairman of Alpha FMC, bfinance, Catalyst, PEI Media and The SR Group. He is also a Non-Executive Director at SimplyBiz and an Operating Partner at Baird Capital Partners Europe.
He was a founding shareholder of Citywire, the publisher, and a co-founder of Luther Pendragon. Bluefin, Marks Sattin, OTPmedia and Smithfield were other successful business interests.
Prior to this, Tim was founder, Chairman and Chief Executive of Ludgate Group, the international public and investor relations consultancy. He established operations in London, Brussels, Frankfurt, Hong Kong and New York and developed a joint venture in India. He was also responsible for the successful introduction of two leading private equity companies to the business: Cinven and Granville.
Tim later initiated and implemented the sale of Ludgate to Interpublic and was subsequently appointed Deputy Chairman of Interpublic’s global public relations business, Weber Shandwick.
Plymouth ex-detective said Cyril Smith child abuse probe mirrors Goad inquiry
A FORMER Plymouth detective who helped bring paedophile William Goad to justice said she is not surprised Met officers may have been told to halt their inquiry into child abuse by Cyril Smith and other public figures.
Recent news reports claim investigators were ordered to hand over evidence and quit their inquiry into the Liberal MP after his arrest.
Smith was held during a 1980s probe into alleged sex parties with teenage boys in south London, a former Met officer told the BBC’s Newsnight programme.
In 2013, former detective Shirley Thompson told The Herald of her long-standing concerns about the Goad inquiry. Goad was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2004 after he admitted sexually abusing more than a dozen boys.
She noted what she believed was a number of failures by Devon and Cornwall Police, including failing to act on statements by his victims of other paedophiles operating in and around Plymouth.
She said senior officers told her to “put a lid on it” and concentrate her investigation solely into Goad.
She said: “Reading the newspapers today was like a repeat of what I saw with Goad – officers being told to stop investigating, told to ignore evidence, and young men being left to be abused by others. This is what Goad’s victims said for years. It’s what I was told during the inquiry – “put a lid on it and concentrate on Goad”.
“So much of that investigation was not finished. There was an immense possibility and probability there was communication between him and other paedophile offenders in Britain after he fled to Thailand, but no one bothered to look into it.
“There was evidence he snatched boys in other cities and shared his victims with other paedophiles in London and Manchester, but no-one looked into it.”
Shirley said her attempts to get other cases fully investigated in 2004, after Goad was jailed, met with silence. It took another year – and a damning BBC Panorama programme criticising Devon and Cornwall Police – to see an investigation into other men previously mentioned. Even then, only one – Peter Norsworthy – was brought to justice. But by then she said she had been sidelined and left the force soon after suffering breast cancer.
She said: “In relation to the child abuse inquiry in London, I wonder how many whistle blowers have lost their jobs or been ignored and sidelined over the years?
“Now they’re talking about the Met investigating the Met over whether they protected suspected paedophile MPs.
“I suppose it could be worse – they could ask Devon and Cornwall Police to do it, or South Yorkshire Police, after the child abuse scandal in Rotherham.
“They need specialist independent investigators, who cannot be influenced or pressured. That way no-one could threaten them with disciplinary action, threaten them with the Official Secrets Act. They would be able to go where the evidence guides them – not senior officers and not politicians.”
Shirley said that despite being told not to go on fishing trips for information, she would often gather damning statements from victims before alerting her superiors.
She said: “We would interview victims who led us to other victims and we’d interview them and so on. After we’d gathered the evidence senior officers would write the action up after the fact, when it should’ve been the other way around. When other suspect names were mentioned we were told ‘don’t go there’.
“Goad would’ve pleaded not guilty if we had stuck to what we were told to do.”
New probe into William Goad paedophile ring allegations
William Goad William Goad’s abuse of victims dated back to 1965
A new investigation linked to “voracious and predatory” paedophile William Goad could uncover “hundreds” more victims, an ex-detective claims.
Goad, who is believed to have abused up to 3,500 boys, was jailed in 2004 at Plymouth Crown Court. He died in prison of natural causes last year aged 68.
Ex-detective Shirley Thompson said she believed a paedophile ring linked to Goad could still be active.
Devon and Cornwall Police said Det Insp Mike Cooper would lead the new inquiry.
Goad, who lived in Plymouth, abused boys over a 35-year period dating back to the 1960s.
During his trial, prosecutor Martin Meeke QC described Goad as a “voracious, calculating, predatory and violent homosexual paedophile”.
He pleaded guilty to 14 specimen counts of serious sexual assault and two counts of indecent assault and was sentenced to life in prison.
The new investigation follows a complaint from one of Goad’s victims.
Paul Wyatt, 44, who has waived his right to anonymity, told BBC News that Goad, who abused him for four years from the age of 12, was part of a “bigger network of paedophiles” which included people in positions of “power and trust“.
“There are people who have sold their soul to the devil, without a doubt,” he said.
Mr Wyatt’s complaint – that some allegations of abuse by Goad and others were ignored by police during the original inquiry – was investigated internally by Devon and Cornwall Police’s professional standards department.
Its findings were voluntarily referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), which advised further investigations should be carried out.
The IPCC said an investigation into the conduct of officers was not necessary.
However, it advised the force “there were still areas of concern around allegations made”.
Mr Wyatt said he hoped a new investigation would allow victims to be able to “close the book”.
He said: “Goad left a legacy in this city and people are still suffering the effects of it.
“We need to be able to break that legacy and build a platform where victims can feel relaxed about coming forward knowing they’re going to be listened to.”
Shirley Thompson Former detective Shirley Thompson said some victims identified several abusers other than Goad
Goad, who owned discount shops and market stalls, groomed his victims by offering them jobs and then inviting them home.
During Goad’s trial, the jury was told he had boasted of a “record” of sexually abusing 142 boys in one year – a claim later denied.
After he was jailed, Goad wrote to BBC One’s Panorama programme, claiming he himself been “physically, sexually and mentally abused for years” at Forde Park approved school in Newton Abbot where he was sent by magistrates aged 10.
The letter said: “What happened to me as a boy messed my whole life up… the authorities who put me into that approved school turned their back on me and I had to cope on my own.”
‘Put a lid on it’
A Panorama in 2005 about Goad followed information from a detective who was involved in the original investigation.
Former Det Con Shirley Thompson said she always believed there were more victims and more abusers.
She said she was pleased a new investigation would be carried out as there could be “hundreds” more victims who had been – or still were being – abused by paedophiles connected to Goad.
Ms Thompson said when she was called into the inquiry in 2003 after Goad was arrested, a number of victims identified several abusers other than him.
However, it became “apparent”, she said, some senior officers wanted to restrict the inquiry and focus the attention on Goad.
“I heard a conversation that said: ‘Stick with what you’ve got – we need to put a lid on it’,” she said.
Devon and Cornwall Police said the new investigation was “not directly connected” to the historic William Goad investigation.
“A victim of William Goad has made a number of allegations which are currently being investigated.
“This investigation is likely to take some time and is being progressed by experienced detectives in Plymouth.
“Throughout the historic William Goad investigation, specialist support was given to numerous victims for an extended period of time.
“Should any further information come to light then this will be appropriately investigated.”
Inside the mind of Plymouth’s most notorious paedophile
April 08, 2017
William Goad was a millionaire whose career began on a market stall
One of Britain’s most prolific paedophiles – Plymouth businessman William Goad – stopped attempting suicide in prison after he believed he would be freed six years into his life sentence.
Goad, of Ford Park Road, was jailed for life at Plymouth Crown Court in October 2004 after he pleaded guilty to sexually abusing young boys.
During his sentencing hearing, prosecutor Martin Meeke QC, told the court: “It is believed there has been no single defendant with more victims than this man.”
Millionaire Goad was branded a ‘voracious, calculating, predatory and violent homosexual paedophile’ who had once boasted of beating his own ‘record’ of abusing 142 boys in a year
In that time he set up and ran the Mount Gould Camping Club, opened the Cornish Market World in St Austell with a business partner, and later opened a children’s play zone Ben’s Playworld in the same area.
The ‘strictly private and confidential’ minutes revealed how a man revealed during counselling how as a child he was abused by a paedophile gang, naming Goad as the ringleader. The psychiatrist revealed to the group the man had gone to police “in the summer of 1994” and listed other children also abused and names of “some of the paedophiles concerned”.
The minutes revealed how Goad’s house was “kitted out like a boys club” and that “in payment of the abuse the children suffered they were all given BMX bikes”
Some of the abused boys’ parents “had debts paid or overlooked and some were taken away for weekends by Bill Goad and associates”.
The minutes noted: “The weekends away were spent in other large cities such as London and Manchester where the boys were shared with other men in these cities.
“The boys were threatened to keep quiet and were paid off.”
Most ominously, the minutes noted: “It appears that some prominent men in society have or did have associations with this ring.”
William Goad (1944 – 20 October 2012) was a British millionaire businessman from Plymouth, Devon who was imprisoned for life for child rape. He was called in various newspapers “Britain’s most prolific paedophile”,[1][2][3] with his assaults causing two of his victims to commit suicide.[2]Goad was sent to prison for life in October 2004.[1] He pleaded guilty to two charges of indecent assault and 14 counts of rape.[a][4]He was described in court as a “voracious, calculating, predatory and violent homosexual paedophile” who sexually abused young boys over a 30-year period.[4]
Goad’s fortune was once estimated to be around £25 million.[6] Goad opened Cornish Market World in 1991, which became at one point Britain’s biggest indoor market with more than 300 stalls.[7]
In the mid-1990s Goad launched Ben’s Playworld, a children’s play zone hosting a range of activities aimed at 2 to 12-year-olds, including mega-slides, giant tubes and a massive ball-pond.[7]
Goad died of natural causes at HMP Isle of Wight, Albany on 20 October 2012.[4][9]
Peter and is brother David were both at Grafton close children’s home and were so called “rent boys” at Elm house
Neil Keir was at the Elm house raid and put Carole Kasirs son in care although he was long gone from Grafton close at the time… DCI Sage and DCI Bornshin were in charge of the raid…
Andrew ‘Neil” Keir who was the OIC of Grafton close children’s home in 81-82
he worked in Hull at the De La Pole mental hospital after he ran from Grafton close..I was told he was there until he retired…that would have been in 2008…I was told that from a member of operation Fernbridge
De La pole is linked to jimmy Savile although it has been hushed up as it links prominent people to Elm house and the Westminster child sex scandal…
May 2015 Chris Bornshin died
John Stingemore,Leon Brittan and Lord Janner all died in 2015
Yes, it seemed to be de rigeur to snuff it in 2015 if you were somehow connected to Westmonster.
Andover rapist, Ronald Bennett, jail term cut by judges
Lord Justice Simon, Mr Justice Soole and Mr Justice Blake.
5 Mar 2017
THE founder of an Andover children’s charity – caged for a string of horrific child sex crimes – has had his sentence slashed by top judges in London.
As previously reported by the Advertiser, Ronald Nicholson Bennett, 73, of Launcelot Close, was jailed for 16 years in October for five crimes against two girls.
The offences took place more than three decades ago and caused “life-changing devastation” to the victims.
But after an appeal on Tuesday, three senior judges in London cut the “excessive ” term to 14 years.
Bennett founded the now-disbanded Brave Hearts children’s charity and had refused to go into the witness box to defend himself during his trial.
In 2007 he was fundraiser of the year at the Pride of Andover awards where he was congratulated by Esther Rantzen.
Andover rapist, Ronald Bennett, jail term cut by judges
He had gone on to serve the community for over two decades with charity work, he told
Lord Justice Simon,
Mr Justice Soole and
Mr Justice Blake.
Justice Blake.
Judges hand-picked for special cases where establishment links need to be covered-up…
5 Mar 2017
Lord Justice Simon, Mr Justice Soole and Mr Justice Blake cut paedophile’s jail term.
THE founder of an Andover children’s charity – caged for a string of horrific child sex crimes – has had his sentence slashed by top judges in London.
As previously reported by the Advertiser, Ronald Nicholson Bennett, 73, of Launcelot Close, was jailed for 16 years in October for five crimes against two girls.
The offences took place more than three decades ago and caused “life-changing devastation” to the victims.
But after an appeal on Tuesday, three senior judges in London cut the “excessive ” term to 14 years.
Bennett founded the now-disbanded Brave Hearts children’s charity and had refused to go into the witness box to defend himself during his trial.
In 2007 he was fundraiser of the year at the Pride of Andover awards where he was congratulated by Esther Rantzen.
The idea that we keep the political and judicial systems apart in this country is sound. No one would want a crooked government being able to lean on the courts to make sure decisions always went the “right” way. But when you study this week’s decision to cut 10 years from the sentence handed down to Roy Whiting, the killer of Sarah Payne, you might come round to see the justice in my idea for a radical overhaul of our legal system.
To highlight the legal lunacy of the decision made in the High Court by Mr Justice Sir Peregrine (Simon)
Simon, unfortunately it is necessary to remind you of the continued depravity exhibited by the predatory paedophile whose case he has seen fit to support….
…what was going on in Mr Justice Simon’s head when he made that shocking decision to uphold the rights of a child murderer.
The judge “has form” in puzzling verdicts though; five years ago he took two years off the sentences of three Real IRA terrorists jailed for a bomb plot and refused a bid to increase the minimum tariff for William Goad.
Now aged 60, he was dubbed Britain’s vilest paedophile having abused hundreds of boys. As a consequence, he
Paedophile Army sergeant who raped a young girl has jail term cut by top judges
February 22, 2017
A paedophile army sergeant who raped one young girl and committed sex attacks on another has had his jail term cut by top judges.
Alan McCurry, 67, who served in the 4th Battalion Mercian Regiment, based in Farnborough, abused the victims during the 1970’s and 1980’s.
McCurry lived in South Cerney, Gloucestershire, after leaving the Mercians in 1982. And he later served as a chef in a Territorial Army division of the Merseyside-based King’s Regiment.
He was arrested after one of the victims plucked up the courage to go to the police in 2010.
The sick ex-soldier was jailed for 15 years in July 2015 at Colchester Military Courts Centre.
He was convicted of two counts of rape, four of indecent assault and one of indecency with a child.
Lord Justice Simon, at London’s Criminal Appeal Court, cut his sentence by a year.
Justice Michael Soole
Justice Holroyde / Sir Timothy Victor Holroyde
The judge, sitting with Mr Justice Holroyde and Mr Justice Soole, also heard McCurry’s bid to get his convictions overturned.
Lord Justice Simon commented:
“These were very serious offences with a devastating impact on the lives of the victims,” he added.
But aspects of the 15-year sentence were “unlawful” and the overall term had to be cut by a year.
Adam Rickwood was the youngest person in modern times to take his own life whilst in custody, at the age of just 14 in Hassockfield Secure Training Centre.
The notorious Medomsley run by the Home Office where much child sexual abuse had occurred had been knocked down. [HT @RandolphTrent]
It was replaced by the Hassockfield Secure Training Centre
It was a custodial centre run by SERCO Home Affairs Ltd, and the monitoring and enforcement of the contract and placement of children was performed by the Youth Justice Board.
Before: The Hon. Mr Justice Blake
Between R(On the Application of Carol Pounder)
v.
HM Coroner for the North and South Districts of Durham and Darlington
British court refuses to extradite suspected American paedophile
UK judges say Roger Giese, a fugitive from FBI since 2007, can only be sent to US after assurances his human rights will not be breached
The two judges at the high court in London made it clear that if no assurance was given, they would refuse to hand over Roger Giese, 40, to stand trial in California, where he is charged with sexually abusing a boy under the age of 14 from 1998 until 2002.
The former choirmaster has been living in a village in Hampshire under a different name and working for a PR company.
Giese is wanted in Orange County, California, for allegedly committing “lewd acts” with a child. He is alleged to have befriended the boy in 1998, when he was working as a voice coach for the All-American Boys Chorus. He fled the US eight years ago just as he was about to stand trial.
An extradition request from the US was certified by the Home Office in May 2014, and Giese was arrested on 4 June last year. But magistrates court district judge Margot Coleman refused the request last April.
Lord Justice Aikens and Mr Justice Holroyde stated in a joint written judgment that Coleman was right to conclude that extradition would be “inconsistent” with Giese’s ECHR rights. The judges said that if no assurance was given “in due time”, the US government appeal for the right to extradite must be dismissed.
According to a Daily Mirror investigation, Giese set up home with a new partner in the Hampshire countryside. There was no suggestion she knew about his past. Together, the pair built a PR company with clients including the travel firm (Savile-linked)Thomas Cook.
US alleged paedophile Roger Giese set for extradition
14 August 2017
From the section Hampshire & Isle of Wight
An alleged paedophile who was on the FBI’s most wanted list can be extradited to the USA, a judge has ruled.
US national Roger Giese, 42, is wanted for trial in California, charged with sexually abusing a boy under the age of 14 between 1998 and 2002.
His counsel had argued conditions in US prisons and an extended custody threat meant he should not be sent back.
The Secretary of State will now make a final decision on the case.
District judge Margot Coleman said she had thought a “great deal” about the case before ruling against Mr Giese at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
Mr Giese emptied his bank account and fled to the UK on the eve of his trial in 2007, leaving his family behind.
He is wanted in Orange County after allegedly befriending the child when working as a voice coach for the All-American Boys Chorus in 1998.
As well as child sex offences, US Federal authorities also issued a warrant for Mr Giese’s arrest on a charge of “unlawful flight to avoid prosecution”.
The married former choirmaster was eventually traced to a Hampshire village where he was living under a different name, working for a PR company, and cohabiting with a woman who knew nothing of his true identity.
Since 2014, a series of extradition battles have been fought after the Home Office certified a request from the US.
Mr Giese’s removal was previously blocked by High Court judges on human rights grounds.
He now has 14 days to appeal against the decision.
Official report concluded that investigators could have done more
Now police launch a fresh search for other paedophiles in the case
13 September 2013
William Goad
Police have launched a new investigation into Britain’s worst ever paedophile after an internal report revealed that officers failed to hunt down his sick accomplices.
Goad died last year in prison aged 68, but some of his survivors have long suspected there were others involved in his child abuse ring who escaped the net.
Their claims have now been backed by a police probe which said detectives focused so narrowly on Goad that they sidelined claims he had help.
The report by Devon and Cornwall Police’s Professional Standards Department (PSD) said hundreds of possible new victims have come forward after his conviction but none had even been interviewed properly.
Survivors have always claimed he had links with other paedophiles and sometimes abused boys with them.
A police document from 1996 warned that Goad’s abuse ring contained ‘prominent members of society’ – but none were ever identified.
Devon and Cornwall Police launched their internal probe after a complaint was lodged last November by Paul Wyatt, who was abused by Goad in his teens and has campaigned for years to see the case reopened.
The PSD referred the case to the Independent Police Complaints Commission but insisted the force had correctly followed its policy at the time and did not recommend specific disciplinary action.
However, investigators agreed there was a possibility other survivors ‘might have also been abused by other offenders and thus the lack of any police action has potentially meant these offenders have retained their liberty and continued their offending behaviour’.
Mr Wyatt, who said survivors who came forward were simply given a crime number and referred to support services, welcomed the new inquiry.
He said: ‘Of the 17 witnesses who originally were part of the trial which led to Goad’s eventual conviction, some had named other paedophiles connected to Goad who had also abused them. This information eventually led to the convictions of other paedophiles in the last few years.
‘What if these other hundreds of victims, that came forward but were never allowed to make statements, were abused by others as well?
‘They were just given crime reference numbers and a telephone helpline to ring. It means their offenders have been active in Plymouth for all this time without ever being brought to book.’
Mr Wyatt was backed by former detective constable Shirley Thompson, who helped secure Goad’s life sentence in 2004.
And by the 90s Goad was a rich
man. He was a joint owner of a huge indoor market in Cornwall. The business is worth several million.
He knew his share would be at risk if he was arrested and ordered to compensate his victims. In 1998 he
fled abroad. With a false passport Goad set about hiding not just himself but his assets too. He was now
wanted for questioning.Secret filmingBut when police approached Ken Gorvin, associate and business partner of over 30 years, he couldn’t help.
Did he ever offer you any help to tell you where Mr Goad was?SLEVIN: Certainly no information came to us to indicate where he was.POWYS: So there was no information from Mr Govin that “Yes, I know where he is and this is where he
is”?SLEVIN: No.POWYS: What police didn’t know was that the two men were in contact. In October 1999, while he was
on the run, Goad travelled to Spain to meet Gorvin. There they struck a deal. What exactly they agreed
isn’t known, but what is clear from the company documents is that Bill Goad resigned from the business and
transferred his shares. Ken Gorvin became the sole director of a new company in which he and his family
hold all the shares. In 2003 Goad ventured back to the UK and stayed at this hotel on the outskirts of
Plymouth, he was caught and arrested on his way back from a meeting with Gorvin and lawyers to discuss
the Cornish market’s trading hours. It was then police found out Goad was booked into the hotel under his
false identity.He was booked in under the alias.SLEVIN: Yes.POWYS: What name was given?SLEVIN: The name of Gorvin was used to confirm the booking.POWYS: So the name of Ken Gorvin was used.SLEVIN: And to confirm the credit card booking, yes.POWYS: Was it paid by credit card, cash? How was it paid for?SLEVIN: It was by credit card in the name of Gorvin.Secret filmingPOWYS: Mr Gorvin declined to answer our questions saying we were acting maliciously. We wanted to
ask if he knew of Goad’s false identity and how the business assets had been dispersed. At Goad’s
sentencing the court heard that his money from the deal must have been secreted or hidden, and that as a
result, there was nothing left to compensate the victims. Most of those victims can’t sue Goad either. The
law says victims of abuse have to sue within six years of turning 18. For Ian Gibbons it’s too late, he’s too
old, and he’s been warned his record may put off the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority. They
make awards to victims of violent crime, but not always if they themselves have gone on to offend.
As I mentioned, Goad was extremely close to Gorvin and they were in partnership in the majority of Goad’s companies. Lots of chopping and changing within the companies, no doubt hiding the assets. One of the companies Cubic Vision was originally called Charlie’s Adventureworld and it is this company that eventually appears to have been sold by the now sole owner Ken Gorvin before he set off for a life in Australia.
Unfortunately those that were abused appear to have received no financial compensation, as the majority of Goad’s millions simply disappeared.
Edit: Yes that is definitely the Gorvins as Mel Gorvin’s Facebook page has a ‘friend’ in the name of Donna Hood who was the company secretary for almost all William Goad’s companies. Perhaps she knows where the money has gone?
One of the longest associates of William Goad was Kenneth (Ken) Gorvin, who was director of many of Goad’s companies and had an association with him for over 30 years.
He is named and interviewed in the BBC documentary Crime Wave transmitted 6th Jan 2005.
Did corrupt Plymouth policeman tip off Britain’s worst paedophile William Goad?
February 28, 2014
A “CORRUPT” police detective is feared to have helped derail investigations into one of Britain’s most notorious paedophiles.
William Goad was jailed for life in 2004 after he admitted sexually abusing more than a dozen boys.
However, his survivors have long claimed that Goad appeared to act with impunity for many years.
Goad himself used to boast to his victims that he was untouchable.
Police officers were seen going to Goad’s address while he was under observations by a officers from special “Task Force”.
One officer, who has since died, is repeatedly mentioned in the report and his action have been described as “suspicious” and the decision to have him be part of a later investigation into Goad’s abuse as “concerning”.
The report by PSD notes that in the early 1980s the Task Force conducted observations on Goad’s house “as a result of intelligence received believed to be regarding underage sex at the address”.
One of the two officers who carried out the observations told PSD investigators he recalled how a Detective Constable [Mike} Foulden was seen going to the address.
An Inspector who led the operation, but who has since retired, also confirmed Det Con Foulden’s unexpected presence at Goad’s home.
When police finally raided the property, believing they would find incriminating evidence such as video recordings, they instead found nothing, except “Masonic material”, he report says.
The officer carrying out the observations told PSD investigators that “it appeared that Mr Goad was expecting the police”.
The retired Inspector also told PSD investigators he believed the operation might have been compromised by Det Con Foulden.
The matter was referred upwards to another senior officer.
Another officer – who retired as a distinguished senior officer – was interviewed by PSD investigators and recalled how when they were a constable, they remembered Det Con Foulden coming into the Task Force office and asking questions about the operation.
This incident was also referred to the Task Force supervisors as it was thought “suspicious”.
The PSD report notes that the visit of Det Con Foulden to Goad’s home, together with the suspicion at the time that the observations might have been compromised by him, “does highlight the question of what, if any action, was taken in regards to this.”
Paul has bitterly complained that in 1986, when he was collected for interview by two officers about the abuse he suffered at the hands of Goad.
One of them was Det Con Foulden.
During the trip to the police station, he said the officer said to him: “We’ve heard that Billy Goad popped your cherry”.
As a result of this comment, and others during police interview, Paul felt he could only reveal a small part of the abuse he suffered.
He did not make a fuller statement until 1994, which saw the launch of a new investigation.
This investigation was binned after the Crown Prosecution Service said further charges would be an “abuse of process”.
Two years later more victims came forwards but as police launched another investigation, Goad fled to Thailand until he return in 2003.
At his sentencing the successful Plymouth market trader was described by Judge William Taylor as “a voracious, calculating and predatory paedophile over the past 40 years who has corrupted generations of boys aged between eight and 16”.
The PSD report, which was launched to investigate whether a number of officers were seen going to Goad’s home, has found Paul Wyatt’s complaint cannot be upheld.
However, Paul feels it has uncovered a likely explanation as to why Goad escaped justice for so many years.
Paul told The Herald: “When Foulden said in the police car he’d heard Goad had “popped my cherry” I had not told anyone else at that stage.
“He had come to me because another victim had said I was also victim of Goad’s – but he never said what Goad had done.
“I believe the only way he would’ve known that detail was from Goad himself.
“Because of what he said, and how he behaved during the interview, I never made a full disclosure to him.
“Because of Foulden’s impact on me, Goad was allowed to carry on abusing boys for another 15 years.”
Some quarters have suggested that there could be an innocent explanation, in that Det Con Foulden was a golfer, who played for a police golf team and often encouraged local businesses to sponsor prizes and that his visit to Goad’s address may have been to garner sponsorship.
His arrival at the Task Force office may have been genuine interest in the inquiry and his comments to Mr Wyatt may have come about due to the officers’ “brash, larger than life character”, rather than any dishonesty.
This is dismissed by Paul, who notes that other officers had flagged Det Con Foulden up to senior officers in the early 1980s for his possible links to Goad, yet he was later given a significant role in investigating allegations against the market trader.
He said: “I believe he was aiding and abetting Goad.
“I believe he was feeding Goad statements.
“Just after I made my first statement to police I had the first attempt on my life.
“Other victims of Goad had been sent to get me, one with a big bowie knife.”
He said Det Con Foulden also intimidated him during the 1986 interview, using a specific piece of information which Paul never revealed to police until years later.
He said: “Foulden threatened me with a charge on an incident which involved me and someone else.
“The only way he could’ve found out about it was from direct contact with Eddie Pratt, a man closely linked to Goad, who was later exposed by BBC Panorama as a paedophile.
“I did not reveal this information until I was interviewed in 2005 by Det Con Shirley Thompson.
“There was no way he could’ve know it, unless he was in contact with Eddie Pratt or from Goad himself.
“That information was not in the public domain, or even known to police.
“I think he threatened me in an attempt to keep me quiet regarding Goad.”
Police finally launched Operation Faber into Pratt and others in April 2005.
Eighteen days after Paul gave a video interview, disclosing his abuse at the hands of seven men, including Pratt, Pratt committed suicide by hanging in France.
The operation in the jailing of Peter Norsworthy for 15 years for nine counts of rape.
In 1987 Goad was sentenced to six months, suspended for two years, for the three counts of indecent assaults on Paul.
He was found not guilty on sexual assault charges on six other boys.
Goad died of natural causes in HMP Albany on the Isle of Wight in October 2012.
Paul fears these other boys were also interviewed – and put off giving a fuller account – by Det Con Foulden.
He said: “Foulden interviewed several boys.
“He was one of the main investigators.
“Goad got not guilty’s on all but my charges.”
Paul said the finding by the PSD report, that there was “no case to answer” was “bitter-sweet”.
He said: “It touches on the concept that police knew there was something suspicious about Foulden. A number of officers raised concerns about Foulden at the time, including the observation team and a senior investigating officer. Since then some of Goad’s victims have mentioned Foulden.”
Following a separate complaint by Paul, police last year launched a new investigation made “during and since previous inquiries” into Goad.
Paul said: “It all shows the difference between policing back then and how brilliant it is now.
“Now victims feel safer than ever. They know they will be listened to and it will be properly investigated. That’s what this has always been about for me.”
A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police: “The allegations subject of the complaint have been fully investigated by our Professional Standards Department which has involved interviewing both serving and some retired officers.
“However no evidence has been gained to support the allegations and the complaint is not upheld.”
FORMER DETECTIVE: ‘COMPLACENCY, CORRUPTION AND NEGLECT LED TO A DECADE OF FURTHER ABUSE’
THE detective who helped jail Goad said she has long believed there was a “corrupt officer” who “compromised” earlier investigations.
Former Det Con Shirley Thompson said the PSD investigation still leaves questions unanswered.
She said: “I still would like to know the justification for not going to Thailand to seize Goad’s computer after he returned to the UK under a false name.
“It could have given us a lot of information.
“We know he was sending e-mails and had access to a computer, because we had access to information he was sending them to his business partner in England.
“If he was a major drug dealer they would’ve had an officer on the next aeroplane.
“But the rape of young boys? They were not even going to suggest it. It was a case of “put a lid on it” because they were frightened allegations of corruption were going to come out.
“Why was there no investigation of Goad’s Blackpool trip where he procured boys? No investigation into allegations about Goad’s journeys to other cities with kids being kidnapped and abused?
“Why was Goad allowed to live under an pseudonym in Ivybridge before he fled to Thailand?
“If Goad did not know police were after him, why did he use a pseudonym?”
In September last year, The Herald exclusively reported how the former detective had repeatedly urged her bosses in 2004 to go further with the investigation into other alleged abusers linked to Goad, but to no avail.
She said she had first heard Det Con Foulden mentioned in the 1990s in relation to another case.
She said: “I was a probationary officer, dealing with a nuisance phone call case. The woman mentioned a man who was linked to boys’ homes. She said Det Con Foulden would go ‘dining’ with this man on a weekly basis.
“Years later the man committed suicide after a boy made allegations of abuse.
“I heard there had been surveillance years before so I contacted the detective who made the surveillance.
“The detective said I wouldn’t find any of it, saying ‘some people are untouchable’.
“I went to a CID officer asking what should I do with the information I was being given by this woman about this abuser. The detective said leave it with me, but came back later and said if I valued my job, I should burn the lot.”
“I do believe there was a corrupt officer who compromised the initial inquiries.
“There is still so much that needs answering.
“As Paul has said before, there should be a public inquiry.
“I believe that because of complacency, neglect and corruption, it led to a decade more of boys being raped by Goad.”
Well known children’s home in Devon has been temporarily shut down.
Dame Hannah Rogers children’s home in Ivybridge shut down amid police probe
August 08, 2014
A HOME for children with disabilities has been temporarily closed and alternative living arrangements made pending a police probe.
Details emerged yesterday that children’s residential services at Dame Hannah Rogers Trust children’s unit in Ivybridge have been suspended until at least mid September.
Devon County Council had to plan alternative care arrangements after the action was taken on Tuesday night.
It is understood that the suspension came after the Trust referred itself to the authorities over safeguarding issues.
One of the UK’s oldest charities, Hannahs has sites in Ivybridge and Seale-Hayne, Newton Abbot. It provides learning, care and support to children and adults with a range of disabilities.
A Devon County Council spokesman said: “Due to on-going safeguarding concerns and police investigation the regulatory body Ofsted have made the decision to serve notice of temporary suspension on the Dame Hannah Rogers Trust home in Ivybridge.”All the social care and health authorities who fund placements at the home have been informed and are working together to plan alternative care arrangements.”Councillor James McInnes, Devon County Council’s Cabinet Member with responsibility for children, schools and skills, said: “We are very concerned about the difficulties this disruption in service places on children with very high needs and their families. We are working with regulators and all other authorities to find solutions to this situation as quickly as possible. We want to ensure the highest quality care for our most vulnerable children and adults and we place their safety at the upmost importance.”
Read more at http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/dame-hannah-rogers-children-s-home-ivybridge-shut/story-22123087-detail/story.html#Jx2MxgvHtBOs8xW6.99
We’ve been aware of rumours about the place for some time.
But notice what Gary Streeter, MP, says: ” I do think that Dame Hannah Rogers will come out of this with their reputation intact and their heads held high.”
MISC
CUB CLASS TRAVEL: Alison Seabeck, left, and Charles Howeson, right, present tickets
A SCOUT group travelled in style to London to collect their environmental awards.
Members of the 47th Plymouth (Langley) Scout Group won a special Green Apple award for their work in supporting villagers in Nepal.
The Scouts were given three first class rail tickets by First Great Western chairman Charles Howeson for their trip to the House of Commons this week.
The Scouts have been involved in fundraising for the charity Clinic Nepal, which was set up to provide a health clinic for the 20,000-strong community of Meghauli, which is 20 miles from the nearest hospital.
In October last year the Plymouth group, along with Scouts from Bristol, held a ‘Jungle Jamboree’ with local Scouts in Nepal.
Fran Cramoysan, whose son Jez went to London this week, said they had laid the foundation stone for the new Scout hut last October, and hoped to have an opening ceremony when they take another group to Nepal in October 2009.
Mr Howeson said: “First Great Western is proud to be able to support Langley Scout Group.
“The work they have undertaken in Nepal is an example to us all. I also wish them good luck in representing their country in the European Awards for the Environment.
TV survival expert, Bear Grylls -in business with Derek Laud.
The son of the late Conservative MP, Sir Michael Grylls, who was himself embroiled in the Cash-for-Questions scandal.
” For some years Michael Grylls had acted as a consultant to the lobbying company run by Greer at the heart of the Cash-for-questions inquiry. The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, Sir Gordon Downey, stated that Grylls had “seriously misled” the select committee on members’ interests in 1990 (replaced in 1995 by the Standards and Privileges Committee) by understating the number of payments he had received for introducing clients to ministers[4] and Grylls’ conduct, said Sir Gordon, had fallen “below the standards the House is entitled to expect of its members”.[5][6][7]
“Derek Laud… ran a Pimlico PR agency called Ludgate Communications for a number of years…
“(He was) in cahoots with Ian Greer Associates which has since been scandalised because of the Neil Hamilton Affair and payment for questions on behalf of Al Fayed…
” Baron Montagu is a BritishConservativepoliticianwell known in Britain for founding the National Motor Museum, as well as for
”…On two occasions Lord Montagu was charged and committed for trial at Winchester Assizes, firstly in 1953 for allegedly taking sexual advantage of a 14-year-old Boy Scout at his beach hut on the Solent.
When prosecutors failed to achieve a conviction, in what Lord Montagu has characterised as a “witch hunt” to secure a high-profile conviction, he was arrested again in 1954 and charged with performing “gross offences”.
Strategy Network International – Derek Laud
In June 1990, Hamilton was recruited by the right-wing Monday Club activist Derek Laud to work for Strategy Network International , a firm specifically created to lobby against anti-apartheid movements and economic sanctions and for apartheid South Africa‘s ‘transitional government’ of Namibia set up in defiance of UN Resolution 435 on Namibian independence. Derek Laud was an ex-Monday Club activist and protégé of Hamilton’s friend Michael Brown, who offered Hamilton a fee of £8,000 per year. Hamilton failed to register the paid-for consultancy. Hamilton took free trips to South Africa in the company of Brown.[19][20]
David Cameron’s freebie trip to South Africa
The trip was organised and funded by Strategy Network International (SNI), created in 1985 specifically to lobby against the imposition of sanctions on South Africa.
Yet when asked by the authors if Mr Cameron wrote a memo or had to report back to the office about his trip, Alistair Cooke – in 1989his boss at Central Office – said it was “simply a jolly”, adding: “It was all terribly relaxed, just a little treat, a perk of the job.
Southwest Pathology Services (SPS) is a joint venture between Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and private sector partners Integrated Pathology Partnerships (iPP).
SPS has invested in a new, state-of-the-art hub laboratory and equipment to deliver streamlined, high quality, cost effective pathology services across the south west.
The official open day was attended by dignitaries including SPS Chairman Charles Howeson, Lord Carter of Coles and Taunton MP Jeremy Browne.
Charles Howeson, former Chair of South West SHA, was also former Chair of NHS Property Services and a signatory to @Jeremy_Hunt ‘s response to Mid Staff Public Inquiry report
All aboard the train home! Immaculate six-bedroom house complete with outdoor model railway is yours for £800,000
Train firm executive Charles Howeson is selling his ‘perfect’ family home
It features a 400ft working model railway, perfect for rail enthusiasts
Also includes separate flat, landscaped garden, lake and an outdoor hot tub
After much deliberation, train firm executive Charles Howeson has decided to put his ‘perfect’ family home called Smallack Barn, on the market.
Coutts Bank – Charles Howeson, 67, was a senior employee at Coutts
Clients
Until the 20th century Coutts was a clearing bank to the nobility and landed gentry, but today it is a wealth manager to a wider range of clients, including entrepreneurs, entertainers, sportsmen, professionals and executives. The British Royal Family is a noted client.[8][9] There are however stringent requirements to being accepted as a client, not just based on average and total financial assets. Prospective clients need at least £1,000,000 in investable assets, not including real estate.[10]
Coutts is seen as a bank for the rich and famous of British society. Like all banks, it is secretive about its client list. The bank has a regular presence at the annual Cannes Film Festival.[11]
Design
Coutts often collaborates with British fashion designers, including previous designs for its distinctive credit and debit cards. In 2004, British fashion designer and Savile Row tailor Ozwald Boateng designed the super-premium Coutts World Charge Card[12] whilst in 2006 Stella McCartney was commissioned to design the Coutts Visa debit card.[13
Williams resign? Welby didn’t notice abuse at a camp. In another case revd James Francis arrested for procurement. He is Mr A in Gibb report
11 Aug 2017
FRANCIS. The Revd James Francis, Royal Navy Chaplain, now Royal Naval Chaplain of the Armed Forces Chaplaincy Centre, Amport House (Royal Naval Chaplaincy Service).
In October 2012, the church held ceremonies marking the 30th anniversary of the Falklands War, attended by Princess Anne. [5] As of 2015 the current chaplain is Revd. James Francis, RN.
HMS Kent returned to her namesake county and home port of Dover to mark the 101st anniversary of the Battle of the Falklands.
Royal Navy Chaplain Reverend James Francis commenced the Ship’s four day visit with a Church service on the Flight Deck to commemorate the 8 personnel from HMS Kent who gave their lives at the Battle of the Falkands on 8 December 1914.
In a bracing wind, and with Dover Castle as the backdrop, the Ship’s Company remembered the battle and honoured those who took part with a minutes silence.
The Lord Warden, Admiral of the Fleet and Constable The Lord Boyce GCB, OBE, DL, a former First Sea Lord and Chief of Defence staff, attended lunch on board in his capacity as Lord Warden of the Cinque ports, hosted by Commanding Officer Commander Dan Thomas Royal Navy and was greeted by a Ceremonial Guard and Rule Britannia over the main broadcast.
He was accompanied by other dignitaries, such as the Mayor of Dover, Mayor of Hythe and Speaker of the Cinque Ports, Head of the Dover Harbour Board, the Registrar of Cinque Ports, the Receiver General of Canterbury Cathedral and the Master of the Mercers Livery Company, an important and longstanding affiliate of HMS Kent.
A CBBC team, accompanied by two children who would like to be chefs in the future, filmed in the Ship’s Galley all day during preparations for two VIP events; one is keen to join the Royal Navy when she is old enough.
Kent’s Chefs thoroughly enjoyed having the children help out in the Galley and the children benefited from talking to the Ship’s two 18 year old chefs who recently left HMS Raleigh. HMS Kent is looking forward to seeing the episode of ‘All About the Workplace’ air later this year!
...the strange status of Westminster Abbey that governs its most famous function, as a national shrine to house great state events. The abbey rejoices in the title “royal peculiar,” which means it is neither a parish church nor a cathedral, and answerable only to the sovereign. Its clergy are appointed by the crown (through 10 Downing Street) and have uncommon access to the power brokers in British society.
White Ensign Association and Royal Navy Submarine Association
Baroness Thatcher was one of the guests of honour at a reception held yesterday at the Royal Navy Submarine Museum to launch the book Commander-in-Chief, a celebration of the life of Admiral of the Fleet, Lord Fieldhouse of Gosport, by Captain Basil Watson. Vice Admiral Sir Roy Newman, Chairman of the Museum, was also present. Admiral Sir Jock Slater, Chairman of the White Ensign Association, Lady Fieldhouse and Admiral Sir Jonathan Band, Commander-in-Chief Fleet spoke. Among the guests were: Admiral of the Fleet Sir Henry Leach, Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire Captain Sir Donald Gosling, Field Marshal Lord Bramall, Air Marshal Sir John Curtiss, Admiral Lord Boyce, Vice Admiral Sir James Burnell-Nugent, the Mayor of Gosport, Mr Peter Viggers MP and Mrs Mary Fagan.
William Alexander Goad
Born Sept 1944 Died 20th Oct 2012
Put into an approved school as a child – Forde Park School, Newton Abbot
Last home address Ford Park Road, Plymouth
Director of three companies- Barbican Discounts of Plymouth Ltd, Markets South West (Plymouth) Ltd, and Barbican Property Associates Ltd.
Business partner and fellow director Kenneth James Gorvin.
Joint owner with Gorvin of a huge indoor market in Cornwall – Cornish Market World.
Two branches of Barbican Discounts” stores.
Set up and ran The Mount Gould Camping Club
1964 first recorded offence
Goad taken to court three times for indecent assault.
1972 put on probation and sent on a sex offenders course
1980 he received a suspended sentence (A man called “Bob” (Robert) was facing the same charges alongside him
1987 he received a suspended sentence.
1998 fled to Thailand (Pattaya) on false passport (under the name of George Healey) and was living openly there with two Irish 15 and 16 year old gypsy boys.
1999 Travelled to Spain to meet with his business partner Ken Gorvin, resigning from the company and transferring all of his shares over to Gorvin.
2003 (July) ventured to the UK for a meeting with Gorvin and arrested .
2004 jailed for life (16 sample offences)
(Operation Emotion)
First count of abuse was from 1965.
He boasted of abusing 142 boys a year and wanted to break that record.
Shy Keenan said his offending spread to northern England, America and Thailand.
Goad travelled extensively, buying stock and took boys with him, using boys to lure other children off the street.
2005 Court of Appeal refused to increase minimum jail term.
In the 2005 Panorama documentary it was revealed that social services knew about Goad, and did nothing. A pattern of failure to bring Goad to the attention of the police existed.
Boys were handed around other paedophile associates of Goads.
One such man who was also accused and identified was the “Bob” mentioned earlier above. Police refused to pursue any case against Bob- he wasn’t even questioned, because police said they hadn’t the resources to pursue “Bob” or any others. It seemed they were content to nail Goad, and Goad alone.
Another of Goad’s associates,and also accused, was Eddie Pratt who moved to France, and was found running a bar in Brittany. Pratt later committed suicide in 2005 following th Panorama documentary.
2006 yet another of Goad’s associates – Peter Norsworthy, also of Plymouth, was jailed for 15 years (Operation Emotion again) for raping, indecently assaulting and intimidating a number of teenage boys between 1992 and 2001
One of the longest associates of William Goad was Kenneth (Ken) Gorvin, who was director of many of Goad’s companies and had an association with him for over 30 years.
He is named and interviewed in the BBC documentary Crime Wave transmitted6th Jan 2005.
by the 90s Goad was a rich man. He was a joint owner of a huge indoor market in Cornwall. The business is worth several million.
He knew his share would be at risk if he was arrested and ordered to compensate his victims. In 1998 he fled abroad. With a false passport Goad set about hiding not just himself but his assets too. He was now
wanted for questioning.
Secret filming
But when police approached Ken Gorvin, associate and business partner of over 30 years, he couldn’t help.
Did he ever offer you any help to tell you where Mr Goad was?
SLEVIN: Certainly no information came to us to indicate where he was.
POWYS: So there was no information from Mr Govin that “Yes, I know where he is and this is where he is”?
SLEVIN: No.
POWYS: What police didn’t know was that the two men were in contact. In October 1999, while he was on the run, Goad travelled to Spain to meet Gorvin. There they struck a deal. What exactly they agreed
isn’t known, but what is clear from the company documents is that Bill Goad resigned from the business and
transferred his shares. Ken Gorvin became the sole director of a new company in which he and his family hold all the shares. In 2003 Goad ventured back to the UK and stayed at this hotel on the outskirts of
Plymouth, he was caught and arrested on his way back from a meeting with Gorvin and lawyers to discuss the Cornish market’s trading hours. It was then police found out Goad was booked into the hotel under his false identity.
He was booked in under the alias.
SLEVIN: Yes.
POWYS: What name was given?
SLEVIN: The name of Gorvin was used to confirm the booking.
POWYS: So the name of Ken Gorvin was used.
SLEVIN: And to confirm the credit card booking, yes.
POWYS: Was it paid by credit card, cash? How was it paid for?
SLEVIN: It was by credit card in the name of Gorvin.
Secret filming
POWYS: Mr Gorvin declined to answer our questions saying we were acting maliciously. We wanted to
ask if he knew of Goad’s false identity and how the business assets had been dispersed. At Goad’s
sentencing the court heard that his money from the deal must have been secreted or hidden, and that as a
result, there was nothing left to compensate the victims. Most of those victims can’t sue Goad either. The
law says victims of abuse have to sue within six years of turning 18. For Ian Gibbons it’s too late, he’s too
old, and he’s been warned his record may put off the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority. They
make awards to victims of violent crime, but not always if they themselves have gone on to offend.
As I mentioned, Goad was extremely close to Gorvin and they were in partnership in the majority of Goad’s companies. Lots of chopping and changing within the companies, no doubt hiding the assets. One of the companies Cubic Vision was originally called Charlie’s Adventure world and it is this company that eventually appears to have been sold by the now sole owner Ken Gorvin before he set off for a life in Australia.
Unfortunately those that were abused appear to have received no financial compensation, as the majority of Goad’s millions simply disappeared.
Edit: Yes that is definitely the Gorvins as Mel Gorvin’s Facebook page has a ‘friend’ in the name of Donna Hood who was the company secretary for almost all William Goad’s companies. Perhaps she knows where the money has gone?
MARKETS SOUTH WEST (HOLDINGS) LIMITED – Appointment: Active since 21/10/1999
Current Officer Name – Mr Kenneth James Gorvin
Appointed – 21-10-1999
Current Secretary Name – Mr David William Wickett
Appointed – 24-11-2006
Previous Secretary Name – Mrs Donna Christine Hood
Appointed – 21-10-1999 Resigned – 24-11-2006
…
INTERPARK (UK) LTD – Appointment: Active since 13/03/2008
…
WINNINGTON LIMITED – Appointment: Resigned since 16/01/1996
Current Officer Name – Mr Kenneth James Gorvin
Appointed – 22-09-1995
Current Secretary Name – Ms Donna Christine Hood
Appointed – 16-01-1996
Previous directors and secretaries
Previous Director Name – COMPANY DIRECTORS LIMITED
Appointed – 20-09-1995 Resigned – 22-09-1995
Previous Director Name – Mr William Alexander Goad
Appointed – 22-09-1995 Resigned – 16-11-2000
Previous Secretary Name – Mr Kenneth James Gorvin
Appointed – 22-09-1995 Resigned – 16-01-1996
Previous Secretary Name – TEMPLE SECRETARIES LIMITED
Appointed – 20-09-1995 Resigned – 22-09-1995
…
CORNISH MARKET WORLD LIMITED – Appointment: Resigned since 14/07/1999
Current directors and secretaries
Current Officer Name – Mr Kenneth James Gorvin
Appointed – 10-12-1996
Current Secretary Name – Mr David William Wickett
Appointed – 24-11-2006
Previous directors and secretaries
Previous Director Name – COMPANY DIRECTORS LIMITED
Appointed – 10-12-1996 – Resigned – 10-12-1996
Previous Director Name – Mr William Alexander Goad
Appointed – 10-12-1996 Resigned – 28-10-1999
Previous Secretary Name – Mr Kenneth James Gorvin
Appointed – 10-12-1996 Resigned – 14-07-1999
Previous Secretary Name – Mrs Donna Christine Hood
Appointed – 14-07-1999 Resigned – 24-11-2006
Previous Secretary Name – TEMPLE SECRETARIES LIMITED
Appointed – 10-12-1996 Resigned – 10-12-1996
…
DIRECT VENTURES LIMITED – Appointment: Resigned since 14/07/1999
Current directors and secretaries
Current Officer Name – Mr Kenneth James Gorvin
Appointed – 11-07-1991
Current Secretary Name – Mrs Donna Christine Hood
Appointed – 14-07-1999
Previous directors and secretaries
Previous Director Name – ELK (NOMINEES) LIMITED
Appointed – 11-04-1991 Resigned – 03-07-1991
Previous Director Name – Mr Keith Laurence Webb
Appointed – 03-07-1991 Resigned – 28-02-1994
Previous Director Name – Mr William Alexander Goad
Appointed – 11-07-1991 Resigned – 28-10-1999
Previous Secretary Name – ELK COMPANY SECRETARIES LIMITED
Appointed – 11-04-1991 Resigned – 03-07-1991
Previous Secretary Name – Mr Kenneth James Gorvin
Appointed – 03-07-1991 Resigned – 14-07-1999
…
TORMOUTH LIMITED – Appointment: Resigned since 31/08/1996
Previous directors and secretaries
Previous Director Name – Mr Keith Laurence Webb
Appointed – 13-08-1992 Resigned – 28-02-1994
Previous Director Name – Mr Kenneth James Gorvin
Appointed – 13-08-1992 Resigned – 31-08-1996
Previous Director Name – Mr William Alexander Goad
Appointed – 13-08-1992 Resigned – 31-08-1996
Previous Secretary Name – Mr Kenneth James Gorvin
Appointed – 13-08-1992 Resigned – 31-08-1996
…
CUBIC VISION LTD. – Appointment: Resigned since 30/04/1996
Current Officer Name – Mr Kenneth James Gorvin
Appointed – 28-06-1995
Current Secretary Name – Mr David William Wickett
Appointed – 24-11-2006
Previous Director Name – COMPANY DIRECTORS LIMITED
Appointed – 28-06-1995 Resigned – 28-06-1995
Previous Director Name – Mr William Alexander Goad
Appointed – 28-06-1995 Resigned – 30-04-1996
Previous Secretary Name – Mr Kenneth James Gorvin
Appointed – 28-06-1995 Resigned – 30-04-1996
Previous Secretary Name – Mrs Donna Christine Hood
Appointed – 30-04-1996 Resigned – 24-11-2006
Previous Secretary Name – TEMPLE SECRETARIES LIMITED
Appointed – 28-06-1995 Resigned – 28-06-1995
…
MARKETS SOUTH WEST (PLYMOUTH) LIMITED – Appointment: Dissolved
Current Officer Name – Mr Kenneth James Gorvin
Appointed – 17-03-1994
Current Officer Name – Mr William Alexander Goad
Appointed – 17-03-1994
Previous Director Name – COMBINED NOMINEES LIMITED
Appointed – 17-03-1994 Resigned – 17-03-1994
Previous Director Name – COMBINED SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED
Appointed – 17-03-1994 Resigned – 17-03-1994
…
BARBICAN DISCOUNTS OF PLYMOUTH LIMITED – Appointment: Dissolved
Current Officer Name – Mr Kenneth James Gorvin
Appointed – 30-09-1991
Current Officer Name – Mr William Alexander Goad
Appointed – 30-09-1991
Current Secretary Name – Mr Kenneth James Gorvin
Appointed – 30-09-1991
Current Secretary Name – Ms Donna Christine Hood
Appointed – 16-01-1996
…
MARKETS SOUTH WEST LIMITED – Appointment: Dissolved
Current Officer Name – Mr Keith Laurence Webb
Appointed – 30-06-1991
Current Officer Name – Mr Kenneth James Gorvin
Appointed – 30-06-1991
Current Officer Name – Mr William Alexander Goad
Appointed – 30-06-1991
…
BARBICAN PROPERTY ASSOCIATES LIMITED – Appointment: Dissolved
Current Officer Name – Mr Kenneth James Gorvin
Appointed – 30-06-1991
Current Officer Name – Mr William Alexander Goad
Appointed – 30-06-1991
…
ESTATE AND LEISURE ASSOCIATES LLP – Appointment: Dissolved
Current Officer Name – Mr Kenneth James Gorvin
Appointed – 23-01-2006
Current Officer Name – Ms Melanie Jane Gorvin
Appointed – 23-01-2006
…
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete…ce-minute.html
Comments:
I remeber many years ago flying from Johannesburg to Cape Town at dusk and experienced an extemely long sunset as the plane climbed. The experience was magical.
– Keith Webb , Winchester UK
This BBC Panorama “Crime Wave” transcript is valuable. It is about William Goad, a serial child rapist and the effects his sexual abuse had on the victims, many in Plymouth where he abused hundreds of children. It is available here [53] or below.
Other links are BBC Comments on the programme [2] and BBC articles A one-man crime wave? [3] BBC Panorama Crime Wave [5] and A letter from William Goad [4]
There’s a road in Plymouth named after sexual predator Charles Howeson
Charles Howeson was convicted of indecently assaulting eight young men
3 Jan 2018
A Plymouth street named after Charles Howeson will not automatically be renamed following his convictions for sexually assaulting young men.
Plymouth City Council says Howeson Lane, named after the former Royal Navy commander, would only be reviewed if an official request was made by residents or businesses.
The street in Derriford was named Howeson Lane after the prominent businessman gifted the land to the council in 2004.
Howeson, who was last month convicted of indecently assaulting eight young men, chaired the Plymouth Area Business Council for 15 years and was previously chairman and president of Plymouth Chamber of Commerce.
Businesses located on Howeson Lane include a Travelodge, a Mercedes Benz garage and the Jack Rabbit restaurant.
The council said renaming streets is normally only considered if a request is submitted
A Plymouth City Council spokesperson said: “Howeson Lane was officially named in 2004 after Charles Howeson, who owned the land it is on.
“The City Council follows a statutory process for renaming streets and this would normally only be considered at the request of residents or businesses.”
Bill Maloney was born on March 31, 1956 in Lambeth, South London, England as William Maloney. He is an actor and director, known for Trauma (2004), Lunatic (2007) and Billy & Lilly Go to New York (2009).
Founder of Pie ‘N’ Mash Films Ltd., an independent company making both dramas and hard-hitting documentary exposes. [2008]
…journey into the world of two South London brothers and their associates.
Bill and Perry, the brothers, are small time entrepreneurs. Howard, Dave and Laurie are their partners. The chaps get the bulk of their money from collecting rents on ex-council properties that they acquire through a scam.
The main character of the story ‘Bill’ takes the viewer through two days of events that he persistently blames upon an impending full moon.
With tender-sweet moments of love, laughter and south London banter, entrepreneurs, sidekicks, wives, lovers and friends push the film towards its conclusion of revenge with wonderful street humour and colour.
Infidelity, betrayal, suicide and murder crash onto the screen with an authenticity rarely witnessed.
Pie & Mash Films ( actually two almost identical, dissolved companies. Both with zero accounts filed, both being set up on the same 12.02.10, with Director Maria Maloney and Secretary Bill Maloney.
In 1998, Tatchell wrote an obituary in the Independent for a man called Ian Dunn. Tatchell spoke warmly of Dunn, describing him as a “pioneer for lesbian and gay human rights”. Tatchell did not mention that Dunn was a co-founder of PIE.
In 2001, just the year after the reduction in the gay age of consent, Tatchell wrote an article for the Guardian calling for the age of consent to be reduced to 14 and further in some more limited cases for ‘consenting’.
A MASSIVE investigation has been launched into a suspected child sex ring at the heart of Britain’s armed forces.
It follows the conviction last week of RAF Squadron Leader Matthew Taylor who was caught with disgusting pictures of little girls from the Internet.
Military police believe a paedophile gang may be operating in the Ministry of Defence – with tentacles stretching to Army, Navy and RAF bases throughout Britain.
Another RAF squadron leader and a senior MoD scientist have also been charged with downloading obscene kiddie pictures from the Internet – offences similar to those of shamed pop star Gary Glitter.
Top brass were horrified to discover vile images have been stored on MoD computers. Investigators believe the arrests could be the tip of the iceberg.
They are examining e-mails and phone records to see if there is a widespread porn network.
The scandal emerged after Squadron Leader Taylor, 39, admitted seven charges of downloading indecent images of young girls.
Another squadron leader based at Catterick, North Yorks, has been charged with making indecent photos and an indecent video of a child.
The officer, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has been remanded on bail and will be tried at Crown Court.
The third MoD high-flier is a scientist who was on holiday with his wife when military police raided his home and seized computer material.
He has been charged with 34 counts of making indecent photos of a child.
A high-ranking MoD source told the Sunday People: “We fear these are not isolated cases.
“There could be a well-organised, secretive network of paedophiles within the heart of the British military establishment.
“Staff in the Army, Navy and Air Force are all being checked. It is a grave cause for concern.”
Squadron Leader Taylor’s career and marriage are in tatters after he was put on probation for two years and on the sex offenders’ register for five years at Portsmouth, Hants, last week. The dad of three was arrested after a tip-off from a Royal Navy chief petty officer who found a list of child porn Internet websites in a text book Taylor had lent him.
Taylor has been suspended from his pounds 40,000-a-year post as instructor at the RAF Nursing School in Gosport, Hants.
MoD police spokesman Mervyn Dadd told the Sunday People: “Any connection between offenders will be examined in due course.”
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The scheme was overseen by government, and managed by charities and the church. Victims say they went on to be sexually, emotionally and physically abused.
Rex Wade was one of the last children to be sent to Australia as part of the programme in 1970.
At the age of 10, he was shipped from Cornwall with his brother to Tasmania.
He says he was subjected to a punitive regime and was treated “cruelly for any misdemeanour”, to the point that his tormentors would set a dog on him and other children if they misbehaved.
“It was physical, verbal and mental abuse,” he says.
“I lost everything I ever had; the relationships I had with my family. It’s a lot to deal with and you just don’t get over it.”
‘They took my childhood’
John Glynn, who was sent to a Christian Brothers institution in Western Australia when he was eight years old, is one of the 100 former migrants to bring the case forward.
At the institution in Clontarf, he was told he was not loved by his family in Britain. Through his seven years with the Christian Brothers he was beaten brutally with a cane, and also sexually abused.
“As I get older it gets worse,” the 74-year-old says.
“I think about that a lot now. They took my childhood from me. They took my country from me, my heritage.”
For several decades, the UK sent children across the world to new lives in institutions where many were abused and used as forced labour. It’s a scandal that is still having repercussions now.
Imagine the 1950s, in the years before air travel became commonplace or the internet dominated our lives. Imagine being a child of those times, barely aware of life even in the next town. An orphan perhaps, living in a British children’s home.
Now imagine being told that shortly you would board a ship for somewhere called Australia, to begin a new life in a sunlit wonderland. For good. No choice.
Historically, the migration of British children was part of a longstanding policy aimed at easing the strain on UK orphanages and strengthening the British population abroad.
More than 130,000 children were shipped to Commonwealth countries from 1618 until 1970, to countries like Canada, New Zealand, Zimbabwe and Australia.
The Independent Inquiry Into Child Sex Abuse (IICSA) investigated the final 4,000 children sent to Australia and Zimbabwe between 1945-1970.
It found children suffered sexual and emotional abuse, as well as forced labour. Some were also wrongly told they were orphans, depriving them of the opportunity of meeting their birth parents.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We want to reassure those affected we are committed to providing a timely response to the Inquiry’s recommendations.”
But despite the recommendation in March, the government is yet to set up a compensation scheme for the surviving child migrants.
BBC correspondent Sanchia Berg said many “of the migrants feel time is running out” as most are elderly, and some are frail.
Since March, 14 of the survivors have died.
Meanwhile, lawyer Alan Collins, who is representing the victims, said: “The government needs to step up to the plate and bring into force its redress scheme.
“Compensation can never put matters right, that’s impossible and it would be insulting to suggest otherwise.
“But it is action, it is a recognition that meets the words that have been spoken by the politicians.”
In 2010, then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown apologised on behalf of the British government for sending British children abroad.
Prince’s Trust ‘covering its backside’ over child migrant abuse, David Hill says
Former Australian ABC managing director tells UK inquiry the youth charity set up by Prince Charles had child abuse files years before expressing abhorrence
10 July 2017
The former Australian ABC managing director David Hill has accused a youth charity set up by Prince Charles of “covering its backside” by denying it had known of serious abuse suffered by child migrants sent to Australia.
Hill told a UK national inquiry in London on Monday that the Prince’s Trust had recently criticised the Fairbridge Society over the physical and sexual abuse suffered by children who were sent to its farm schools in Australia.
Fairbridge had high-level connections in the UK, including royalty, when it was running the Australian schools in the 1950s and 60s. Fairbridge was absorbed in 2011 by the Prince’s Trust, a youth charity set up by Prince Charles in 1976
Hill told the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse on Monday that he was sent to a Fairbridge farm school at Molong in NSW in 1959.
In May the society heard from many former child migrants about the appalling treatment they received at institutions run by Fairbridge, the Christian Brothers in Western Australia and other church and charity groups.
It heard that children were forced to work barefoot on farms or in quarries, their schooling was inadequate, their food substandard and they were regularly beaten and in many cases sexually abused by their so-called carers.
Hill said Fairbridge had in the past routinely lied and denied any wrongdoing when confronted about the abuse. He said the Fairbridge files had been with the Prince’s Trust for the past six years and contained many references to abuse.
Hill noted that the inquiry had received a letter from the Prince’s Trust in recent days expressing its abhorrence of the abuse suffered at Fairbridge farm schools. But he said he suspected the trust of cynicism as it had not previously acknowledged such abuse despite it being in the records they held.
“I can’t help thinking that the Prince’s Trust is simply covering its backside,” he said.
Hill was one of nearly 7,000 British children in state or charity care who were sent to Australia up until the 1970s, supposedly to improve their prospects. He said a 1956 inspection of Australian institutions had resulted in a blacklist of places that were deemed “unfit for children”.
But because the Fairbridge Society had royal and aristocratic backing the blacklist was torn up and its farm schools continued to operate.
That meant “hundreds more children, including me and many as young as four”, continued to be sent into conditions “harsher than at adult prisons in Australia”, Hill said.
Child migrants kept being sent to farm schools in Australia despite officials knowing some harboured paedophile rings
British child migrants were sent to Australian farm schools with paedophiles
A U.K. inquiry is examining sexual, physical and emotional abuse of children
Catholic Christian Brothers and royal-back Fairbridge Society worst offenders
21 July 2017
Child migrants kept being trafficked from Britain to Australia despite officials knowing that some institutions they were sent to harboured pedophile rings, a U.K. inquiry was told.
Dr Margaret Humphreys of the Child Migrants Trust told the child sexual abuse inquiry in London that recruiters were sent to the U.K. to select children for church and charity-run farm schools in Australia.
‘We would categorise that now as child trafficking.
Among the worst offenders were the Catholic order the Christian Brothers who ran farm schools in Western Australia and the royals-backed Fairbridge Society which ran farm schools in NSW.
There was knowledge that some of the institutions were quite clearly pedophile rings,’ Humphreys told the inquiry.
She said the sexual abuse of even one child should have prompted an inquiry but that didn’t happen and hundreds of children were abused.
They were left ‘lonely and isolated’ to deal with the abuse on their own, she said.
Humphreys slammed the defence that such abuse was in line with the ‘standards of the day’.
‘When was it ever the standards of the day to rape children, to abuse children in this way?’ she said.
How can I get in contact with David Hill? I want him to know about Sir Harold Haywood’s role helping PIE & PAL to draft Paedophilia Q&A
Another Director of The Prince’s Trust – Sir Harold Haywood
Sir Harold Haywood, who also happened to have been Prince Charles most trusted charity aide, responsible for the Prince’s Trust.
Cassandra Cogno
Harold Haywood alterations on paedophile document
For almost twenty years, from 1955-1974, Haywood occupied one of the top positions at the NAYC National Association of Youth Clubs, first leading as Education and Training Director, and then Director of Youth Work.
via cassandra cogno Under Haywood’s NAYC directorship, Sir Angus Ogilvy, husband of Princess Alexandra was appointed President, with Jimmy Savile as Vice-President; a slew of celebrity attended fundraising events were organized, new headquarters were built on premises at Devonshire Street.
Angus Ogilvy and Jimmy Savile
Sir Harold Haywood’s time as Chairman of Albany Trust
From 1974 to 1977
Haywood is chairman of Albany Trust – during this time he coaxed into existence a booklet entitled Paedophilia: Some Questions and Answers along with fellow Albany Trustees, members of the Paedophile Information Exchange (PIE’s Keith Hose and Tom O’Carroll) and the Paedophile Action League (PAL).
It was abandoned after a trustee saw a draft and branded it monstrous.”
One of the Booklet’s stated aims was to argue for the positive social benefits paedophiles brought to society:
“… about paedophilia, and to argue that those involved represent no special threat to society, but on the contrary are often a force for social good.”
Sir John Major and Gordon Brown will give evidence to child sexual abuse inquiry
Two former prime ministers will be called to give evidence to the public inquiry into child abuse next week as it examines the ill-treatment of children sent abroad under state-approved migration programmes.
Sir John Major and Gordon Brown are the first prominent public figures to be asked to account for the conduct of state institutions before the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.
Sir John is to give evidence about his government’s response as the scandal of how British children were abused in farm schools and church institutions in Australia emerged during the 1990s.
In 1983 he wrote to one MP stating that Britain was not responsible for the way child migrants had been treated in other countries.
The former prime minister is facing criticism for his handling of the issue of the ill-treatment of child migrants who were deported from Britain to Australia.
Sir John Major should have been called before a public inquiry to explain why his government refused to accept any responsibility for the plight of child migrants, a leading campaigner said yesterday.
Margaret Humphreys, director of the Child Migrants Trust, told the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) that as the scale of the scandal emerged in the 1990s her efforts to engage the Conservative government were in vain. Sir John and other ministers repeatedly said that the issue of ill-treatment of the migrants was a matter for governments in Australia and other countries.
Ajaz Karim, 62, of Baron’s Court Road, London, is charged with nine counts of indecent assault and one of attempted indecent assault against six girls.
Jaz Karim – worked at Christ’s Hospital School and the Queen’s Club – – Duke of Gloucester – is pres of Christ’s Hospital School and a member of the Queen’s Club.
“Christ’s Hosp School headmaster Oswald Flecker was an important freemason and that led me to think of further possible relevance to CH, for in the CHOBA’s monthly calendar of events, there are frequent notices of masonic meetings. So apparently masonic connections with CH are still strong. “ http://www.chforum.info/php/viewtopic.php?t=4526
Duke of Gloucester a freemason
The Duke of Gloucester did charity work with Savile – – it looks as though Savile is wearing his eyeball rings in the picture with the Duke and children
Duke of Gloucester with Jimmy Savile – The Child Farm Safety Competition 1977
^ His father, Henry, the Duke of Gloucester was patron of Fairbridge school where abuse was rife and covered up.
Current Duke Of Gloucester – Richard –
for over thirty-two years was President of the Institute of Advanced Motorist
the Institute of Advanced Motorist. Current vice presidents of the IAM include former BBC Crimewatch presenter and safety campaigner Nick Ross and former transport minister Sir Peter Bottomley MP.
Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester, arrival at The Hurlingham Club. Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester, GCVO, is the wife of Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester
Child abuse inquiry may demand access to royal archives
Mar 11, 2017
Britain’s largest public inquiry could seek access to the royal archives after hearing evidence that they hold material relevant to investigations into child abuse cover-ups.
The independent inquiry into child sexual abuse (IICSA) — which has declared that “no one, no matter how apparently powerful, will be allowed to obstruct our inquiries” — believes that the archives contain evidence about Fairbridge, a charity with high-level royal connections which was heavily involved in child migration schemes.
Thousands of children suffered harsh physical punishment and sexual assaults at remote farm schools run by Fairbridge in Western Australia, which were visited by members of the royal family.
Children in the dining hall of Fairbridge Molong in 1948.
The British government betrayed thousands of child migrants sent to Australia, and a key charity supported by British aristocracy and even touching the royal family has refused to apologise for appalling abuse.
Former ABC managing director David Hill, a child migrant at one of the Fairbridge Society’s biggest farms at Molong, western NSW, will make the claim today before the British independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.
Mr Hill will also call for the charity to publicly apologise and the British government to provide child migrants full redress and compensation.
About 7000 underprivileged children were transported to Australia between 1913 and 1966 as part of the Fairbridge scheme, targeted at ‘‘orphans and waifs to prevent the vices of professional pauperism’’.
But the British government not only knew of the dreadful Dickensian conditions suffered by the children, all of them underprivileged and physically and emotionally abused on the farms as child labourers in the Australian bush, they then organised for the society to get more money to transport more children.
The UK Fairbridge Society refuses to acknowledge or apologise for the treatment meted out to the children.
The inquiry has heard that 60 per cent of the children sent to Fairbridge Molong were sexually abused. Fairbridge officials have told the inquiry that responsibility for the children lay with the NSW officials of the scheme, at odds with documentary evidence subsequently unearthed showing that all major decisions and power was at the British end.
Mr Hill will tell the inquiry that none of the improved conditions were carried out — not even the most basic of comforts such as a pillow to sleep on, nor was there any accountability.
Under the new conditions the farms were to provide apprenticeships or training schemes but none was provided. Children left school at 15 to work on the largely self-sufficient farm running the piggery, slaughtering the animals for food and growing crops.
Mr Hill told The Australian he couldn’t understand how the government could continue to send children to the farm when they had been warned of the horrendous conditions the children faced.
“The documents show that the children farms were condemned as unfit for children and they began suspending the migration but Fairbridge officials went ballistic and the Home Office quietly tore out the black list and hundreds more children, including me, were then condemned to such a fate,’’ Mr Hill said.
“A year later the British government then got involved in painful negotiations with the UK Fairbridge Society to modernise conditions, yet none of the reforms were introduced.
‘’I was sent out in 1959 and not one of the changes were implemented …. the changes were supposed to make the conditions more homely and make the farm closer to a family situation. But when I was there from 1959 for just under three years none were introduced, there were no pillows let alone a comforting arm.’’
Mr Hill’s opening statement will mark the beginning of the third stage of the British inquiry, focusing on institutional failures.
Documents of the Fairbridge Society show that there was concern for one principal, accused of sexual assaults through the 1940s but he was not removed from his position until the mid 1950s by the British commissioners.
In 1956 there was such concern about the conditions, a British commission travelled to the 26 Australian child migrant farms and subsequently black-listed 10 of them, including Fairbridge Molong, for their subhuman facilities.
But Fairbridge Society secretary WR Vaughan stormed into Australia House in the Strand and threatened to involve the society president, the Duke of Gloucester, who was the Australian former governor-general and Queen Elizabeth’s uncle.
Not only was the explosive report then sequestered in the Home Office files, the government later agreed with the society to increase its funding on the basis that conditions for the children improved.
Mr Hill’s 2007 book The Forgotten Children detailed stories of the children at the home, which sparked a successful $24 million class action by more than 160 of the Molong children in the NSW Supreme Court.
But Mr Hill’s further evidence of the British government cover-up will provide uncomfortable hearing for Prince Charles’ foundation, The Prince’s Trust, which merged with Fairbridge Foundation in 2010.
Gil Woods, the secretary of the UK Fairbridge Society said “my highest priority is to protect the name and the reputation of Fairbridge”
Three former Fairbridge boys have claimed that the then-Australian Governor General, Lord Slim, sexually molested them during rides in his chauffeur-driven Rolls Royce while visiting the home. It is understood these allegations could be considered by the inquiry.
The inquiry could also definitively answer a crucial historical question. Did the British government know it was sending children to be mistreated in a foreign country?
Margaret Humphreys is adamant: “We want to know what happened, we want to know who did it, and we want to know who covered it up for so long.”
In fact, government files reveal that there was a time when the migration programme could have been stopped. It came in 1956 when three officials went to Australia to inspect 26 institutions which took child migrants.
There was enough warning of this “fact-finding mission” to allow a Fairbridge official to warn the manager of the Molong farm
The resulting report, delivered back to the British government, was fairly critical. It identified a general lack of expertise in child care and worried that children were living in institutions in remote rural areas, whereas the trend in Britain was towards fostering them into urban families.
However the report had a second “secret” section, never published, which went a little further.
This named names – including those of five institutions which were not up to standard. When the UK’s Home Office saw the report, it wanted five more added to create what became an infamous blacklist – places which should not receive more children because of poor standards of care. Fairbridge Molong and Bindoon were both on the list.
St Joseph’s orphanage, Sydney
Dhurringile Rural Training Farm, Victoria
St Joseph’s, Neerkol, nr Rockhampton, Queensland
Salvation Army Training Farm, Riverview, Queensland
Methodist Home, Magill, Adelaide
St Vincent’s Orphanage, Castledare
St Joseph’s Farm School, Bindoon, Western Australia
St John Bosco Boys’ Town, Glenorchy, Hobart
Fairbridge Farm School, Pinjarra, Western Australia
Fairbridge Farm School, Molong, New South Wales
But the report had barely scratched the surface. It made no mention of sexual or physical abuse.
Dring the post-war years, sexual accusations were made against three principals of the Fairbridge Farm School at Molong.
David Hill has revealed they included a claim that Frederick Woods – the man who beat boys with a hockey stick – was “sexually perverted” and had abused a girl resident. An internal investigation exonerated him.
This does not appear to have been disclosed by the Fairbridge Society either to the public or the 1956 inspectors. They had a schedule to keep to, and their visits to institutions spread across a vast country were fleeting.
Something strongly resembling a cover-up began. Files held at the National Archive set out the response of government officials. One wrote in 1957 that the Overseas Migration Board, which advised the government, was “sorry the mission was sent at all”.
Some on the board “urged very strongly that the report should not be published.”
The government archives record that at a meeting with the organisations running the migrant programmes, Lord John Hope, under-secretary of state for Commonwealth relations, discussed what would be disclosed to parliament from the report.
“I think you can rely upon us to do what we can in as much as we shall pick out all the good bits,” he said. “I shall not be in the least critical in Parliament.”
The UK Fairbridge Society piled on its own pressure – its president was the Duke of Gloucester, uncle to the Queen. Officials discussed the “immediate parliamentary repercussions” which could result from holding up the migrant programme.
Sir Colin Anderson, the director of the Orient Line, which benefited from the business of shipping the children, appealed for the report not to be made public because of the controversy it might cause.
In a sympathetic phone call, a senior official from the Overseas Migration Board responded that the Fairbridge Society was an “extremely fine endeavour for which everyone felt the highest praise”.
And what did the government do? Files at the National Archive show officials squirmed in institutional discomfort at the idea of taking any meaningful action.
In June 1957 the Commonwealth Relations Office sent a secret telegram to the UK High Commission in Australia – “we do not want to withhold approval”, it said, for more children to to be sent from the UK.
After more pressure from the Fairbridge Society, 16 children waiting to travel were sent on their way.
The key recommendation of the inspectors, that the British home secretary agree each and every decision to send a child, was quietly shelved.
The Fairbridge Society continued to ship out children, though concentrated on those whose mothers intended to join them later.
“The British government not only continued to approve children to be sent, but they financially subsidised for them to go. To institutions they had put on a blacklist unfit for children, condemned.”
Molong Farm School finally closed in 1973. The Fairbridge Society is now part of the Prince’s Trust and still runs activity holidays for children.
“I am really angry with Fairbridge. …They just wiped their hands and walked away.” The charity, now known as the Fairbridge Foundation, continues to work with underprivileged children in Australia and Britain.
Unlike Barnardo’s, which has acknowledged that its child migrant scheme was “shameful” and “barbaric”, Fairbridge has refused to apologise for past injustices.
It argued in a submission to an inquiry by the Australian Senate in 2001 that nothing seriously wrong took place at its migrant centres.
“We have conceded all along that the treatment of children was not perfect,” said the chairman of Fairbridge in Australia, John Kennedy. “But what good would an apology do?”
He died on 14 December 1970 at St Marylebone, London. He was accorded a full military funeral at St George’s Chapel, Windsor
Slim is further commemorated by a plaque in the crypt of St Paul’s Cathedral and by a statue at Whitehall unveiled by Queen Elizabeth II in 1990.
Truthseeker1@thewakeupcall09
Lord Louis Mountbatten former chauffeur Norman Nield exposed him
Meanwhile, in New Zealand, there have been such newspaper headlines as, “‘Uncle Dickie’ the Sex Pervert” (N.Z. Truth, Sept. 8, 1987), since Mountbatten’s former chauffeur, Norman Nield, started revealing details of the late Lord Mountbatten’s alleged sexual exploitation of boys.
Paedophile Lord Louis Mountbatten
Edward Prince of Wales and his cousin Lord Louis Mountbatten “relax” in a canvas swimming pool on board H. M. S. Renown during their 1920 Empire Tour.
Lord Louis was a great grandson of Queen Victoria and the uncle of Prince Philip (consort of Queen Elizabeth II). Mountbatten was also a promiscuous bisexual who was famously rumored to have had an affair with Edward VIII (who was Prince of Wales at the time) when he accompanied him on his Empire tours (see photo above).
The Queen. Like any human being, she is subject to the influence of those around her. While he lived, Lord Mountbatten was a persuasive counsellor, and he formulated the plan for Prince Charles’s unusually rigorous education.
During official visits to the Fairbridge Farm Schoolnear the village of Molong in 1953 and 1955, the former general Field Marshall William Slim allegedly fondled young boys as they rode in his official car.
School: The majority of pupils at Fairbridge Farm School, of which Viscount Slim was a patron, were British migrants
Mr Stevens claims Viscount Slim would arrive at the school in his Rolls Royce and ‘the next minute we were sitting on his knee and he’s got his hands up our trousers’.
Slim was raised to the peerage, taking the title Viscount Slim of Yarralumla and Bishopston.
Fairbridge had an aristocratic support base
Slim Williams with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip
@mischiefx
The Times, July 9, 1953 The Queen Mother – tribute to the founder of Fairbridge Farm Schools during Rhodesia trip
Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, attends a garden party in the grounds of Government House, Canberra, with Governor-General Field Marshall Sir William Slim – Feb 17, 1954
Mr Hill said that in 1956 the British government sent a fact-finding mission to Australia to investigate child migration and it had recommended the blacklisting of the Molong school. But he said documents in the London-based Fairbridge Society archives showed members used their influence in the upper echelons of the British establishment to get the blacklisting quietly dropped.
In 1956 a fact-finding mission was sent to Australia to evaluate how child migrants were being treated.
Mr Hill said that in 1956 the British government sent a fact-finding mission to Australia to investigate child migration and it had recommended the blacklisting of the Molong school. But he said documents in the London-based Fairbridge Society archives showed members used their influence in the upper echelons of the British establishment to get the blacklisting quietly dropped.
The Times, July 26, 1957 Child Migrants Australia – “British Allegations Not Accepted”
@mischiefx
The Times, December 4, 1958 Duke of Gloucester – local authorities now “rather possessive”, so Fairbridge Soc should now target the parents
Princess Alexandrawith Governor-General Sir William and Lady Slim, 14 August 1959.
Princess Alexandra visited Australia from 14 August to 20 September 1959.
Prior to arriving in Australia, the Princess met Rolf Harris, an Australian song writer and artist, at a London party for the Royal Commonwealth Society. Harris told the Brisbane Telegraph, ‘Mainly she wanted to know about Australia… She is terribly excited about the trip’. Harris added, ‘Later, when we danced, she asked if I would teach her some Australian terms’. He informed her that a Queenslander is a ‘bananalander’ and that a fine fellow is a ‘beaut bloke’. Harris also stated that, ‘She is a wonderful girl, completely natural and able to put you at ease… She is not the slightest bit stuffy. And she dances wonderfully.’1
The accent during her tour was on the youth. Officials attempted to invite as many young people as possible to the public functions attended by the Princess.
are the abusers & organizers in Australia going to be investigated & charged?
@discovery77_
Canada Fairbridge was unusual to (Australia) in that a highly publicised fundraising campaign was led by Price of Wales-full page splash in The Times
No. of issues with Christian Brothers – apparently claiming childrens’ money – unpaid labour. Internal audits fraught.
Can’t see any other media coverage of hearings except La Vile?
@discovery77_
Incidentally (& despite fundingraising), read somewhere PM Baldwin & Ed. Prince of Wales weren’t close, but seems to me they were, always together
Abuse inquiry: Australian orphanage was ‘feast of kids’
1 Mar 2017
A former child migrant, sent from Wales to an Australian orphanage, has told a child abuse inquiry how it was a “feast of kids” for paedophiles working there.
Castledare orphanage near Perth, run by the Christian Brothers order, was like “a legal paedophile ring”, he said.
The witness told the inquiry: “If someone did it in the public eye, he’d go to court, he’d get sentenced and he’d serve time.
“If he’d got a habit on, if you’re a Christian Brother then it seemed to be a free-for-all.
“We knew what would happen if you told somebody, especially in authority, they would say ‘this doesn’t happen here.'”
He went on to claim that Brother Murphy was later “transferred from place to place” to effectively hide him.
He said his time at the orphanage still haunted him and was “probably something I will never forget”.
The inquiry also heard from another former child migrant, Oliver Cosgrove, who is now in his late sixties and who also lived at Castledare.
He said the Christian Brothers, who ran the home, would visit the children’s beds at night.
The first phase of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse is looking at the way organisations have protected children outside the UK.
Between 7,000 and 10,000 children were moved from the UK to Australia after World War Two.
They were recruited by religious institutions from both the Anglican and Catholic churches, or charities, including Barnardo’s and the Fairbridge Society.
Child migrants ‘used for perverted desires’ in orphanage
Mar 3 2017
A former child migrant has described the Australian orphanage he was sent to as “a concentration camp”.
statement by John Francis Hanley was read to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA).
Mr Hanley was migrated to Australia aged six and placed in the Castledare Orphanage near Perth, run by Roman Catholic order the Christian Brothers.
The children were “beaten, abused and used for the Brothers’ perverted desires,” the inquiry heard.
Mr Hanley, who was born in 1947, described being sexually abused by two Christian Brothers, both in his bed and in their rooms.
Another man – who he said “was part of the Christian Brothers paedophile ring” – collected boys from the home and abused them elsewhere, the inquiry heard.
Another former child migrant described to the inquiry the abuse she suffered at Goodwood Orphanage near Adelaide.
The anonymous witness – who was sent to Australia in 1949 – said “she was beaten into submission” by the time she left the home.
She gave evidence that during her time at the orphanage, the institution was visited by the then Archbishop of Adelaide MatthewBeovitch.
A group of the British girls “got together” and decided to tell him about the beatings.
After 2 1/2 years ICSA inquiry hears evidence from its first non-expert witness. Marcelle O’Brien, born Worthing, shipped to Australia.
IICSA child sex abuse inquiry public hearings under way
2/27/17
Former child migrants are to give “very emotional accounts” about the physical and sexual abuse they faced, the first public hearing in the independent inquiry into historical child abuse in England and Wales has been told.
Thousands of British children were sent to Australia and other parts of the British Empire up to 1974.
Many were exposed to “unacceptable depravity”, the inquiry heard.
A lawyer speaking on behalf of the UK government expressed “deep regret”.
Inquiry counsel Henrietta Hill QC said claims of “systematic sexual abuse” in institutions and work environments would be heard.
The children, she said, were sent without consent of parents, wrongly told they were orphans, and denied basic details about their family backgrounds during their future lives.
One of those giving evidence is David Hill who aged 12, was sent overseas with his two brothers to the Fairbridge Farm School in Western Australia.
He told the hearing: “We’ll never be able to undo the great wrong that was done to these children. But what is important to the survivors of sexual abuse is where this inquiry is satisfied with the evidence – name the villains.
“Many of them are beyond the grave and therefore beyond the law but it would bring a great deal of the comfort to the people who as children were victims of these children if they were named and shamed.”
In 2009, the Australian government apologised for the cruelty shown to the child migrants.
Britain also made an apology in 2010. The apology contained no specific mention of sexual abuse.
The first phase of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) inquiry is looking at the way organisations have protected children outside the UK.
Between 7,000 and 10,000 children were moved to Australia after World War Two.
They were recruited by religious institutions from both the Anglican and Catholic churches, or well-meaning charities, including Barnardo’s and the Fairbridge Society, with the aim of giving them a better life.
Many, however, went on to suffer physical and sexual abuse in homes and so-called farm schools run by religious orders and charities.
Allegations children were picked by paedophiles to travel abroad and claims of a cover-up are expected to be made.
Aswini Weereratne QC, representing the Child Migrants Trust (CMT) support organisation, said this “long overdue inquiry” would hear of a “crushing catalogue of sexual abuse, deprivation, violence and abuse”.
She said the UK government “does not seek to defend” what she described as a “shameful period in the UK’s recent history”.
Ms Weereratne said the inquiry will hear from 22 former child migrants – their average age was nine when deported and one was aged only three or four years old.
The inquiry began with opening statements from chairwoman Prof Alexis Jay and lawyers Henrietta Hill QC and Aswini Weereratne QC
The abuse that some of the children sent abroad were said to have suffered included “torture, rape and slavery”, Ms Weereratne said.
Opening the inquiry, chairwoman Prof Alexis Jay said the task of the panel is to examine the extent to which public and private institutions have failed to protect children from sexual abuse in the past.
Speaking on behalf of former child migrant Oliver Cosgrove, who was sent to Australia in 1941, Imran Khan said: “(It was) a scheme to populate the empire with good, white British stock and which led to the physical, emotional and sexual abuse of countless children, many thousands of miles away from their families.
He added: “The fact that the witness statements are so similar in the accounts they give of abuse can mean only one thing: This was a systematic and institutional problem.”
For the government, Samantha Leek QC said: “Child migration is wrong. It should not have been sanctioned or facilitated…
“The lifelong consequences for those involved are a matter of deep and sincere regret.”
A £6m family restoration fund was set up to allow the migrants to travel to the UK and ministers are now considering extending it.
The independent inquiry was set up after the death of Sir Jimmy Savile in 2011 when hundreds of people came forward to say he had abused them as children.
The hearings are taking place at the International Dispute Resolution Centre in central London, with the first phase concerning Australia expected to last 10 days.
Commonwealth Relations Office threatened with intervention by Queen’s Uncle Duke of Gloucester if Fairbridge blacklist not removed
The Duke of Gloucester was patron of the Fairbridge Society and on a visit to Launceston in 1965 all the children at Tresca were presented to the Duke at an afternoon tea reception at Launceston Town Hall. The Duke being a royal we had all been told we had to bow when he shook our hand.
THE FAIRBRIDGE SOCIETY. PRES H.R.H THE DUKE OF GLOUCESTER
Threatened with Duke of Gloucester’s (11th Governor-General of Australia 1945-47 intervention to allow children to continue to be sent abroad
A woman who was sent from England to Australia as a child was molested and left so hungry she ate grain meant for pigs, an inquiry has heard.
Marcelle O’Brien, now in her 70s, was four years old when she was sent to a home in Pinjarra, western Australia, run by the Fairbridge Society.
They were recruited by religious institutions from both the Anglican and Catholic churches, or charities, including Barnardo’s and the Fairbridge Society
She was molested by her school’s deputy principal and caned, the inquiry heard.
Ms O’Brien is the first victim to give evidence to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.
She described the “mental cruelty” and “sadistic” treatment she endured at the home where she was forced to do “slave labour”.
The inquiry heard she had been told “you’ve got no parents – they’re all dead”.
The inquiry heard that Ms O’Brien’s mother was unaware where daughter had gone.
Henrietta Hill QC, counsel to the inquiry, asked: “Is it your understanding that your mother did not know that you had gone to Australia?”
“That’s true, yes,” Ms O’Brien replied, before adding: “She didn’t know where
The Fairbridge Society in whose care Marcelle was trusted, had royal and establishment supporters. The evidence showed it was prepared to discredit the birth parents of its children.
But the names of the Fairbridge deputy principal Marcelle O’Brien says indecently assaulted her, and the “cottage mother” who treated her so badly, were not given, despite calls for the “guilty to be named”.
This is not a court. The inquiry has no powers of prosecution, only the remit to make “findings of fact”.
The foster mother later wrote to the Queen in an effort to get Ms O’Brien back to the UK, the inquiry was told.
Subsequent correspondence between the Queen’s Lady in Waiting and the Fairbridge Society was read out at the hearing.
“The child’s undesirable mother wanted her emigrated,” said a letter from the society to the Lady in Waiting.
Ms O’Brien told the inquiry this was untrue, adding: “She never wanted that. She wouldn’t have wanted that.”
The palace was apparently reassured by the Fairbridge response.
A letter from the Lady in Waiting to the society said “the Queen was pleased to hear” that it was considered to be in Ms O’Brien’s interests to remain at the school.
Ms O’Brien told the inquiry panel: “They didn’t take any notice. The Royal Family just didn’t want to know anything. They stopped you from going back to your own original home.”
Child abuse inquiry faced strong calls yesterday to ‘name the guilty’.
Many of those related to child migrants will now be dead
Aswini Weereratne for the Child Migrants Trust says it is unhappy with the number of perpetrators’ names being withheld from the hearings
Lawyers back call for national child abuse inquiry to name perpetrators
Aswini Weereratne QC says it is an ‘issue of open justice’ that the redacted names of abusers be overturned
1 Mar 2017
Lawyers have called for more transparency from the national child abuse inquiry over the naming of the perpetrators after their identities were withheld from the public hearings.
Aswini Weereratne QC, who represents the Child Migrant Trust, said she was unhappy about the ciphering of the names of abusers at the public hearing particularly as many of them are now dead.
“I want to put it on the record,” she said. “Really it is about the naming of abusers. It is really an issue of open justice that they should be heard.” Weereratne was speaking on the second day of the inquiry’s first public hearings. She indicated she may challenge the whole basis on which the redaction of abusers’ names was being applied.
27.2.17 David Hill, a child migrant, addresses IICSA about his hopes for societal understanding of effects of CSA
Child migrants sent to live in Australia may have been sex abuse victims before they left the UK
...new evidence from a public inquiry in Australia that suggests many had already been suffering at the hands of predators before they left the UK.
Gordon Brown says the Home Office was warned of the risks child migrants faced abroad at least a decade before the policy was finally stopped in 1970.
More than 130,000 UK children, some as young as three, were sent to former colonies such as Australia from the 20s to the 60s with the promise of a better life.
Instead they were often left vulnerable to cruelty and – in many cases –physical, emotional and sexual abuse.
“We now know that scores of children were themselves subject to abuse before they were deported to foreign countries.”
One victim revealed they were just five when the sickening attacks started.
Mr Brown said the new evidence needs to be addressed urgently by Britain’s Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, which was set up in 2014 following the Jimmy Savile case.
That was partly modelled on the Australian inquiry. The UK probe has been beset by difficulties and the resignations of three successive chairmen but is now trying to proceed under the leadership of Rotherham abuse expert Professor Alexis Jay.
Mr Brown reveals the new evidence paints a “picture of violence and rape”.
He also warns that a Family Restoration Fund set up by campaigners at the Child Migrants Trust – to which the Government contributed £6million in 2010 – is due to run out of cash within weeks.
It was supposed to help those sent abroad as kids be reunited with their families but at least 100 of them have not received any aid.
Mr Brown writes: “That funding runs out in March 2017.
“But even now at least 100 migrants are waiting for the Child Migrants Trust to trace their families.
“Some are only now in the early stage of making contact with their UK relatives. Others have yet to come forward for help.
“It would be inhumane to deprive them of their last chance to meet their kith and kin.
UK Government accused of knowingly sending children to ‘crook’ institutions in Australia
Nov 26 2016
The UK Government continued to send child migrants to Australian institutions despite knowing they were being mistreated, according to allegations in a submission lodged to the UK inquiry into institutional child sexual abuse.
Inquiry could prompt more legal action against UK Government
David Hill, who in 1959, aged 12, was sent to Fairbridge Farm School in New South Wales, said “the British government knew that these institutions were crook and unfit for children”.
Mr Hill said legal action against the UK government following the airing of the allegations against them at the UK inquiry was likely.
“My guess is that as a result of this British inquiry you will see former British child migrants take action against the British Government, and good on them,” he said.
Workshy Goddard would never have been able to do the child migrants module – she’d already announced there was no CSA problem in NZ despite UN deploring the backlog in cases as inhumane for complainants – everytime wasted time & £££ of CSA Inquiry is trotted out I think of her
Britain’s Child Migrants
...unanswered questions about the rationale for the child migration policy and who drove it forward within a context of secrecy, deception and lies.
…need to address the relationship between the charities, the churches and the state in the implementation of this policy.
April 21, 2016
Liz Davies
The forced migration of children as a social policy began in the 17th Century and continued for 350 years until coming to an end in 1970.
It is estimated that 130,000 child victims of 200,000 parents were sent to Canada, New Zealand, Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) and Australia. Most child migrants had no idea of their birth families or the reason why they were sent to the colonies and parents were not told what had happened to their children. They were sent to populate the Empire with ‘good, white British stock’. Many of the children lived in large institutions and were used as cheap labour suffering abuse, cruelty and neglect.
The boys were trained as farm labourers and the girls as domestic servants.
But instead of a happy new life in the sun, many children encountered a Dickensian regime of poor food, hard labour and callous treatment.
As early as 1882, Dr Barnardo was sending to Australia, New Zealand and Canada ‘young people of good physique, trained to make use of their hands, of tested moral character, of an age where they were easily adaptable with few home or family ties to bind them to the mother country’ (Williams, 1943 p118).
The Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry in Northern Ireland has already heard evidence from child migrants, as has the Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
We lived in constant fear of being flogged or molested.We had no dignity or self-esteem. I would cry my eyes out at night and wonder what I had ever done to deserve such treatment when I had committed no crime. We were told we were the sons of whores, the lowest form of humanity.
We need to be heard so we never, ever see this happen again.
It is not yet known whether the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) in the UK will grant child migrants core participant status and therefore enable them to be legally represented.
Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons – supporters
Dr Michael Heath, pictured in 2002, was the first expert to examine Stuart’s body. He was later criticised by a government disciplinary panel for his involvement in a separate investigation
‘PERV’ DOSSIER
DAMNING EVIDENCE AGAINST PROCTORI want to look at the elements of Mark’s statement one by one – Elements that the mainstream media have oddly chosen to ignore. Proctor is currently doing the rounds and talking to anyone that will listen, but not one single interviewer has asked about the following evidence:
Jeremy Hunt
Lord Beaumont, UK Liberal Party, Kevin MacNamara, UK Labour Party, and Johns Biggs-Davison, UK Conservative Party, (left to right) leave the Maze Prison, Lisburn, N Ireland, after a fact-finding visit
2 RGJ Air Platoon. In the 60s infantry battalions in Borneo had an aviation platoon, with the helicopters piloted by officers from the battalion. Bramall is stood at the end of the table.
Scott Farrell
Peter Roland Wright – Serial Child Abuser
34-42 Cleveland Street,London,W1T 4JE
HMS Montrose, 1998-2000!
My boss in Gib – had his mini-moke brought out on an RFA 
Crew enjoy a drink in the petty officers’ mess in August 1973. Each of Britannia’s 20 officers and 220 yachstmen, known as ‘Yotties’, were personally selected by the Commanding Officer to serve on the vessel. They wore soft-soled shoes to reduce noise and were given orders by hand signal to avoid disturbing The Queen. Duties included ensuring the slope of the royal gangway was never steeper than 12 degrees.
Sir William (Bill) McAlpine is the Chairman of the Railway Heritage Trust, a post he has held since the Trust was formed in 1985. Sir William is the great-grandson of Sir Robert McAlpine, who founded the contracting company that bears his name to this day. Sir William spent his working career, apart from National Service, in the company, starting as an apprentice fitter, and spending many years as a Director.
goodnessandharmony 
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