The prestigious Athenaeum Club – a favourite drinking hole for cabinet ministers and other members of high society
A short walk away from Westminster, the Athenaeum is used by several vice-chancellors and senior academics when they are on business in London. Many universities hold dinners for alumni at the club
A club that has counted Sir Winston Churchill, Lord Palmerston, Lord Curzon and Jimmy Savile as members
It was Cardinal Basil Hume, at the time the Archbishop of Westminster, who put Jimmy Savile up for membership….
Cardinal Hume was presented with the Order of Merit by the Queen
Savile had to wait only two months before being admitted to the club in 1984.
“It’s a considerable thrill for someone like me to be able to rub shoulders with the fascinating people who use the Athenaeum,” the disc jockey said.
“I hope to go there once a week and have lunch or dinner with the object of speaking to people like ex-prime ministers.”
The cardinal had introduced Savile to Pope John Paul II when he visited Britain in 1982. Of Savile’s election to the Athenaeum, the cardinal’s spokesman noted: “He is a great admirer of what Jimmyhas done for young people – and Stoke Mandeville – and is delighted to help in this matter.”
The Dark Truth About Jimmy Savile‘: 1983Sun interview.
Sir Jimmy Savile – the Athenaeum
The late Cardinal Basil Hume is being held responsible for the election of Sir Jimmy Savile as a member of the Athenaeum, the historical Pall Mall establishment.
10 Oct 2012
Jimmy Savile became a member in 1984
Paedophile Patrick Gilbert, friend of royalty, top church official
Patrick Gilbert – Athenaeum Club – chairman executive committee 1985-1989
Dame Alun Roberts@ciabaudo
1#
The Athenaeum Club in Pall Mall was where Cardinal Hume introduced Savile … and where Terry Woods, Proctor’s lover, was a member.
Top prosecutor ‘lied about knowing of sex abuse claims against MP Cyril Smith despite police having said the allegations ‘stood up”
Sex abuse allegations against the MP, who died in 2010, dated back to the 1960s
MI5 passed claims on to police, with one inspector saying claims ‘stood up’
Despite this, the Director of Public Prosecutions decided not to prosecute
Inquiry hears allegations would have been examined before Smith was knighted
Sir Norman Skelhorn’s decision in 1970 came despite a senior detective warning the ‘sordid’ accusations against Smith ‘stood up’, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse heard.
Lead counsel Brian Altman QC said that the security services were informed that the Rochdale Alternative Press (RAP), which published an investigation into Smith in 1979, had been misled by Sir Norman’s office.
Roy Jenkins Chancellor of the Exchequer and Home Secretary OM PC. oversaw legalisation of abortion and decriminalization of homosexuality as home secretary. Adviser to Tony Blair in the 90’s
The decision to reinstate Cambridge professor Nicholas Hammond was taken by the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Alison Richard
Queen Elizabeth and vice chancellor of Cambridge, Alison Richard
Cambridge University is allowing an academic, Nicholas Hammond, to keep his job despite a conviction for possessing sickening pornographic images of children.
Alison Richard is co-trustee of the Liz Claiborne and Art Ortenberg Foundation, a board member at Prince Philip’s WWF-International (Prince Charles, is the current UK head of the WWF) and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (along with James A. Baker, III, former secretary of state under George H.W. Bush and secretary of the treasury under Ronald Reagan) and chairs the Advisory Boards of the Cambridge Conservation Initiative, Luc Hoffman Institute and Perrett Laver.
J. M. BarrieOM, Author of Peter Pan, alleged to have been a pederast, two boys who he became guardian of committed suicide.
Winston Churchill – prime minister, KG OM CH TD PC DL FRS RA, Freemason
Harry St John Philbyarchaeologist and Arabist intelligence officer, alleged connection to the round table group,muslim convert, chief head of the Secret Service for the British Mandate of Palestine had extensive meetings with all involved in the Palestine question. They were Winston Churchill, King George, the Prince of Wales, Baron Rothschild, Wickham Steed, and Chaim Weizmann, the head of the Zionist movement.
Anthony Blunt– MI5 agent, soviet spy, alleged pederast, rumoured to have organised depraved blackmail parties. close to the Rothschilds
This church sex pervert abuses lad and doesn’t go to prison 1993
(15.06.93)
Patrick Gilbert, friend of royalty, top church official
Athenaeum Club (chairman executive committee 1985-1989)
A top church official who sexually abused a boy of 14 walked free yesterday because it was claimed the shame of jail could jail kill him.
Pervert Patrick Gilbert, a friend of Royalty, molested his victim for four years after paying for him to have ballet lessons. He had sex with him at his luxury home and on foreign trips in his role as boss of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, a Church of England charity.
A leading clergyman who saw them together suspected what was going on, but did nothing. Wealthy bachelor Gilbert 59, who has a previous conviction for molesting two 13-year-old boys, began by fondling the younster in the bath. …Gilbert – head of the SPCK for 21 years was given only a nine-month suspended sentence after his counsel revealed he was sick and suicidal. Judge Michael McMullen said he was not jailing him immediately because the strain could give him a fatal heart attack.
The victim joined a dance class run by a trust of which Gilbert was a governor.
13 July 1988
1988 Conservative Advisory Committee on the Arts and Heritage – Sir Roy Strong, Sir John Tooley, Sir Jack Boles, Lord Rippon Sir Hector Monro – the team believe Patrick Gilbert from SPCK is the best man to advise
Sir Roy Strong, pictured with Prince Charles, has been at the heart of the Establishment for nearly 50 years
^ “Religion” run on a money making business basis — cash for dining – sponsors/lobbyists == biz model – not anything to do with belief.
Canon Christopher Hill worked with Patrick Gilbert and met the boy.
He “realised they had an intimate sexual relationship.”…Gilbert’s previous offence against the two 13-year-olds happened in 1962 when he was a school governor. He was given three years’ probation.
Gilbert quit the SPCK in December 1991 –a month after his arrest. He was given a £ 16,000- a year pension.
Dr Donald Coggan Archbishop of Canterbury and Cardinal Hume Archbishop of Westminster
.
Testimonials to Gilbert included one from former Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Donald Coggan
Dr Donald Coggan and convicted paedophile Peter Ball
Pal of Royalty Patrick Gilbert
Gilbert worked for the charity – Society Promoting Christian Knowledge
Patrick Gilbert often met the Queen, who is patron of the SPCK, at Palace garden parties.
Gilbert also discusses the charity’s affairs with Princess Alexandra’s husband Sir Angus Ogilvy, one of its governors.
A CHURCH of England charity worker who molested a teenage boy was given a suspended sentence yesterday after a judge was told that he suffered serious health problems.
Patrick Gilbert, 59, who had a character reference from a former Archbishop of Canterbury, admitted three specimen charges of indecently assaulting a 14-year-old boy over a two-year period.
And the churchman, who served 10 years as a member of the Archbishop’s Committee on Roman Catholicism, also confessed to a previous conviction for indecent assault on two 13-year-old boys in 1962 while a school teacher.
Rev Hill
Gilbert, the former president of the Society For Promoting Christian Knowledge smiled as he left Wood Green Crown Court in north London accompanied by the resident Canon of St Paul’s Cathedral, the Rev Christopher Hill. Gilbert refused to comment on the offence or the sentence of three terms of nine months suspended for two years each.
Sentencing him, Judge Michael McMullan, said Gilbert was a ‘wealthy and influential’ man who had breached the trust of the boy and his parents. He added: ‘With an offence of this kind only a custodial sentence could be justified. Considering the seriousness of the offence, I entirely take into account your breach of the boy’s trust.
‘You have also breached the trust of his parents, who put their son in your care because they believed you were the kind of man you appeared to be.’
But the judge decided not to jail the bachelor because of his health and ‘very severe punishment’ he had already undergone through losing his reputation. Gilbert, of Hampstead, north London, had been admitted to hospital last week with heart trouble, the court was told, and psychiatrists assessed him as a suicide risk.
The judge said: ‘You were a man, wealthy and in an influential position, able to assist this young man in his chosen career.
‘Whatever your motives originally were, it ended in wholly illegal sexual gratification with a 14-year-old boy.
‘Any quality of consensuality has to be looked at against the background of the fact that you, a wealthy and influential man, were assisting and enabling him in his career.’
Patrick Gilbert SPCK Holy Trinity Church Marylebone
The Holy Trinity Church in Marylebone, Westminster, built specifically to celebrate the defeat of Napoleon, hasn’t been used as a place of worship since the 30’s, but that didn’t stop artist Paul Fryer from making a religious statement by hanging this terrifying statue of Satan inside.
The piece, titled “Lucifer (Morningstar)” is a wax sculpture depicting the devil snared in a set of power lines.
In 1937 Penguin moved out to Harmondsworth, and the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK), an Anglican missionary organization, moved in. It was their headquarters until 2006, when they relocated to Tufton Street, Westminster (they have since moved again to Pimlico); the church is currently used as an Events space operated by One Events and known as One Marylebone.
Patrick Nigel Geoffrey Gilbert, religious organization administrator. Decorated Lord of Manor of Cantley Netherall, Norfolk, Order of St. Vladimir; recipient awards for civic and professional service
born: May 12, 1934
Educated, Cranleigh School, Merton College, Oxford. Doctor of Letters (honorary), Columbia Pacific University, 1982.
Lecturer further education South Berks College, 1959-1962. Personal assistant to Sir Edward Hulton, 1962-1964. With Oxford University Press, 1964-1969, managing director in Westinghouse group, 1970.
General secretary Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, London, 1971-1992. Consultant Three Georges Development Company, 1994-1997, Saga Travel, 1994-1998.
Membership
Board directors Surrey Building Society, 1988-1993. Chairman Camden Arts Council, 1970-1974, vice president, 1974-1990. Steward Artists’ General Benevolent Institution, 1971-1993.
Trustee Overseas Bishoprics Fund, 1971-1992, Richards Trust, 1971-1992, Buxton Trust, 1973-1992, chairman, 1983-1992. Trustee World Association Christian Communications, 1975-1987. Governor, vice-chairman St. Martins in Fields School, 1971-1972.
Fellow Corporation of Saints Mary and Nicholas-Woodard Schools), 1972-1992, trustee, corporation executive, 1981-1992. Chairman board trustees, honorary treasurer Art Workers Guild, 1976-1986. Chairman, founder National Association Local Arts Council, 1976-1980, vice president, 1980-1993.
Governor body SPCK Australia, 1977-1992, New Zealand, 1988-1992, India, 1971-1992. Governor Ellesmere College, Shropshire, 1978-1987, St. Michael’s School, Petworth, 1978-1988, Roehampton Institute Higher Education, 1978-1992, Pusey House, Oxford, Contemporary Dance Trust, 1981-1990. Active All Saints Educational Trustee, chairman finance and investment committee, 1978-1992.
Active Partnership for World Mission, 1979-1992, Church Public Committee, 1980-1984, Executive Anglican Consultative Council Research Project, 1982-1984, Court of City University, 1987-1993. Board directors SPCK, United States, 1983-1992. Chairman academy disciplinary appeals tribunal Roehampton Institute, 1983-1989, chairman audit committee, 1989-1992.
Chairman Concord Multicultural Arts Trust, 1980-1989. Trustee Dancers Resettlement Fund, chairman finance committee, 1982-1990, Dancers Resettlement Trust, 1987-1990. Member Greater London Arts Association (honorary life, chairman 1980-1984), Master Worshipful Company of Woolmen, Publications Association (council member 1990-1992), Athenaeum Club (chairman executive committee 1985-1989), Nikaean Club (chairman 1984-1992)
Patrick Nigel Geoffrey Gilbert was a director at Guild Of Freemen Of The City Of London. This company, registration number 00109150, at the time was located at 4 Dowgate Hill,, London, NW3 6SU. The records indicate there are 7 filings that mention Patrick Nigel Geoffrey Gilbert. This 83-year-old British national had been a director from May 22, 1992. Patrick Nigel Geoffrey Gilbert’s work history includes 2 positions. Among the professionals Gilbert worked with we can name: Dr John Thomas Breen (from 1992-05-22 to 2013-07-12), a director at Guild Of Freemen Of The City Of London, and Lady Moorea Black (from 1992-05-22 to 2009-07-08), an established director at Guild Of Freemen Of The City Of London. Patrick Nigel Geoffrey Gilbert resigned from being a director on June 30, 1993.
Pattinson was first touched by scandal in 1987 in connection with the Preface to Crockford’s Clerical Directory, written anonymously by his friend the Revd Canon Gareth Bennett, Dean of Divinity of New College, Oxford, who committed suicide as a result of the controversy it caused. Pattinson was responsible for commissioning the Preface and was thought to have failed to predict the outcome of publishing it
Questions over churchman’s charity trip: Andrew Brown reports on a leading Anglican’s visit to South Africa with a homosexual friend
4 December 1992
THE MOST powerful layman in the Church of England took his homosexual companion around South Africa on a trip for an Anglican charity, the Independent has learnt. He later repaid to the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge the extra costs involved.
The bills, showing the two men shared a room on the trip in 1990, were approved by Patrick Gilbert, the society’s then managing director, who resigned suddenly last year and is now facing charges of indecent assault.
The Rev Sir Derek Pattinson, as he now is, was secretary-general of the Church of England’s General Synod for 18 years, until 1990, when he was knighted on retirement and embarked on training for ordination.
He was also chairman of the executive committee at the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge, a 300-year-old missionary society and publishing house, currently being investigated by the Charity Commissioners after revelations about the extravagance of Mr Gilbert, its last managing director.
Sir Derek set off on a prolonged fact-finding trip around southern Africa at SPCK’s expense in the autumn of 1990, while he was still secretary-general of the Synod.
In Johannesburg he was joined, by pre-arrangement, by Barnaby Miln, a homosexual activist who had been the one of the youngest Justices of the Peace in England.
For most of the years when Sir Derek, 62, was training for the priesthood, he lived with Mr Miln in a flat in Westminster owned by the Diocese of London.
Dr Graham Leonard, the traditionalist who has now announced he plans to leave the Church of England in protest against women priests, was then Bishop of London. He agreed to Sir Derek’s ordination without the customary investigation of his suitability by the Church’s Advisory Council on Ministry.
‘It’s perfectly true that (Sir Derek) never went to a selection conference, because technically he was the employer of the staff who were arranging it,’ Dr Leonard said.
Mr Miln claims that Dr Leonard knew the set-up. ‘The Daily Mail chap, Tony Doran, had got through the outer door on the morning of the deaconing and accused (Sir Derek) to his face of being a homosexual. And Derek sent him away,’ he said.
‘The telephone then started ringing, and Graham Leonard decided to go ahead . . . The organist was told to play full blast, should there be a protest; and at the private do afterwards. Graham Leonard came up to me and said: ‘I did you a favour, Barnaby.’ ‘
Dr Leonard attended a packed General Synod debate in 1987 when Sir Derek was on the platform and Mr Miln, then a lay member, announced that he was a homosexual.
The Synod went on to pass by an overwhelming majority, a motion condemning ‘homosexual genital activity’.
Before Sir Derek could become a priest, Dr Leonard retired, and was replaced by the Rt Rev David Hope, the former bishop of Wakefield. He compelled Sir Derek to return to the theological college at Mirfield, Yorkshire, for an extra term, which he had hoped to skip. But he did ordain him.
Dr Hope said: ‘I knew that they were sharing rooms or a flat. But it was put to me that Barnaby Miln was looking after Derek, caring for or about him. I would presume that their domestic arrangements were satisfactory and wholesome because I was not told otherwise.’
Sir Derek serves as a curate in St Gabriel’s, Warwick Square, central London, whose rector is David Skeogh. Mr Skeogh, a ‘high’ Anglo-Catholic, is a former schoolteacher who served as Dr Leonard’s domestic chaplain both in Truro and London.
While Sir Derek was away at Mirfield last spring Mr Miln began a relationship with David O’Reilly, a young Irishman. He had previously been attracted to a handsome Australian teacher, whose athletic interests led him to take up an exercise programme, which resulted in a knee injury.
Mr Miln said he was due for a cartilage operation at the end of March and ‘needed somebody to get me around. And Derek was due back from Mirfield for the ordination and so forth. So we needed somebody to drive us around.’
David O’Reilly was Mr Miln’s chauffeur and lover from April until he died in mysterious circumstances behind King’s Cross railway station, north London, on 6 August this year.
On 20 May, for reasons which are still unclear, two police cars pulled over Mr Miln’s car as Mr O’Reilly was driving him along the Westway in London. The two men were taken separately to police stations, and interrogated for six hours. The car was searched, but nothing unusual was found except some leaflets promoting the Anglican Centre in Rome.
Mr O’Reilly introduced Mr Miln to hard drugs very soon after their relationship began. Mr Miln said that in very little time he was spending hundreds of pounds a week on heroin and cocaine.
On 6 August, Mr Miln’s 45th birthday, Mr O’Reilly drove him to King’s Cross. He parked there, left Mr Miln in the car, and went to buy some cocaine. What happened next is unclear. Mr Miln believes it was murder: the Crown Prosecution Service found no case to answer, when police passed on papers of the case. In any case, Mr O’Reilly fell, or was pushed, under the wheels of a lorry and died.
Sir Derek collected Mr Miln from the police station where he had been questioned for hours by officers wanting to know why he was in the car and what Mr O’Reilly had been doing. He denied everything, but admitted on two separate occasions afterwards that Mr O’Reilly had in fact been buying cocaine for him.
The relationship between Sir Derek and Mr Miln deteriorated, though the two men continued to live together.
Since Mr Gilbert’s forced retirement last year from the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge, the new managing director, Paul Chandler, has completely revised its financial controls. He said yesterday that none of the society’s travel budget came from contributions made by the public.
Sir Derek, when challenged over the allegations, replied that he had paid by cheque for Mr Miln’s share of the hotel bills in South Africa immediately after his return. But he could not produce a record of this.
He has disappeared and cannot be contacted. Dr Hope has ordered him to take medical leave for six weeks, and will review his position at the end of that time.
Milne – partner of Sir Pattinson’s -Pattinson’s closest friend – Patrick Gilbert
Claims that a former Justice of the Peace and member of General Synod, Barnaby Miln, ran a gay prostitute ring from a flat he shared with the general secretary of the Church of England, Sir Derek Pattinson, are also advanced. In 2003 the tabloid newspaper The People ran an expose of Miln with the headline
“GAY SEX DEN IN CHURCH BOSS’S £1m FLAT; Kinky friend of royals runs orgies yards from Westminster Abbey.”
“That Was The Church That Was: How the Church of England Lost the English People” by Andrew Brown of the Guardian and Prof. Linda Woodhead of Lancaster University, the publisher’s advertisement for the book, set for release on 11 Feb 2016, states:
The Church of England still seemed an essential part of Englishness, and even of the British state, when Mrs Thatcher was elected in 1979. The decades which followed saw a seismic shift in the foundations of the C of E, leading to the loss of more than half its members and much of its influence. In England today ‘religion’ has become a toxic brand, and Anglicanism something done by other people. How did this happen? Is there any way back?
This ‘relentlessly honest’ and surprisingly entertaining book tells the dramatic and contentious story of the disappearance of the Church of England from the centre of public life. The authors – religious correspondent Andrew Brown and academic Linda Woodhead – watched this closely, one from the inside and one from the outside. That Was the Church, That Was shows what happened and explains why.
Those familiar with the contents of the book report it recounts episodes in the life of the Church of England from the controversy over the preface to the 1988 edition of Crockford’s Clerical Directory, which excoriated Archbishop Robert Runcie and the leadership of the Church of England as “wicked” and intolerant — the fury of the church establishment in response is believed to have led to the suicide of the preface’s author, the Rev. Gareth Bennett, to salacious claims about the sexual peccadilloes of leading churchmen.
The late John Stott is claimed to have been gay and to have penned an anonymous book in 1970 supporting homosexuality. Claims that a former Justice of the Peace and member of General Synod, Barnaby Miln, ran a gay prostitute ring from a flat he shared with the general secretary of the Church of England, Sir Derek Pattinson, are also advanced. In 2003 the tabloid newspaper The People ran an expose of Miln with the headline “GAY SEX DEN IN CHURCH BOSS’S £1m FLAT; Kinky friend of royals runs orgies yards from Westminster Abbey.”
Writing in the Independent in 1995 about General Synod’s debates on homosexuality Brown wrote:”Only one man, a JP from Hereford named Barnaby Miln, admitted to being a homosexual. Later, he was to live with the Secretary-General of the General Synod, the Rev Sir Derek Pattinson, after the couple had been on a tour of southern Africa partially paid for by SPCK, the oldest missionary society in the Church of England. Mr Miln was last heard of in Hereford jail, serving six months for defrauding the inmates of an old people’s home.”
References to Miln’s imprisonment have been removed over the past few months from his entry on Wikipedia. Anglican Ink has not been able to verify the veracity of the Independent’s claim that Miln had been imprisoned — and it has not seen the letter detailing the grounds for the threatened libel action.
Asked to comment on the reasons for the recall and for the grounds upon which a libel action was laid, Bloomsbury’s publicity agent responded: “ I only know that there’s been a legal complaint.”
Pattinson was vice-president of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.
In his most recent Who’s Who entry Derek Pattinson cited Barnaby Miln (three years ago the subject of a tabloid story detailing his taste for rent boys, cocaine and spanking sessions) as his “partner”.
” A TOP churchman’s boyfriend has turned their pounds 1million home into a depraved gay spanking brothel, The People can reveal.
Barnaby Miln, pal of royals and bishops, provides rent boys and perverted sex services including bondage and corporal punishment.
MPs, civil servants, showbiz personalities and respected church dignitaries are among the clients invited to his monthly gay orgies.
Former magistrate Miln uses the internet to advertise the vice den in the plush flat yards from Westminster Abbey that he has shared with his gay lover the Rev Sir Derek Pattinson for 15 years.
Sir Derek was the Church of England’s most senior layman – secretary general of the church’s “parliament” the General Synod – for 18 years before becoming a minister.
The couple’s pals among the rich and famous will be shocked to learn of Miln’s sordid activities, exposed by a special People investigation.
The man who brags he was close to the Queen Mum and Princess Margaret and was an adviser to a former Archbishop of Canterbury acts as a gay prostitute offering caning and other kinky services.
And he has handsome young men on his books who charge pounds 200 for sex. Miln told our undercover reporter he could have sex with him for pounds 60, saying: “My fantasy is to take a pretty boy like you in broad daylight and right in front of the Abbey.”
The 56-year-old pervert, who advertises his spanking parlour as the Headmaster’s Study:
-KEEPS canes, handcuffs and other restraint gear in the swish apartment where the walls are covered by framed photographs of famous churchmen and one of Miln with Princess Anne.
-REVELS in dangerous sex, shrugging off the perils of Aids.
-OFFERED our investigator ecstasy, apologising for being out of the cocaine he likes to share with gay partners.
-BOASTED of having sex with thousands of men including a new 19-year-old lover.
Miln, whose clients call him Judge Judy after the American TV series, told our man: “I love sex, I can’t help myself. I love meeting gay boys or straight men over the internet.
“It gives me a reason to live. But the older you get the more isolated you become.
That is why I went on the game, to treat young boys like you to the discipline you deserve.”
The People investigated after spotting an advert for the Headmaster’s Study in a seedy gay contact magazine. We also traced a website advertising spanking sessions.
Miln was pictured posing in his study alongside photos of clients stretched over a bookshelf being caned. Our investigator was invited to the apartment in Strutton Court, Great Peter Street, after swapping text messages with Miln to fix an appointment.
Sir Derek, 73, was not there. He has a broken leg and spends most days in a London nursing home.
Miln talked about the private parties he arranged and said: “I get all sorts here – civil servants from Whitehall, MPs, the odd showbiz personality and even people from Buckingham Palace. I know one or two people there and naturally I get some top names in the church as well.”
Our man saw the handcuffs and restraints that Miln keeps in the bedroom. A brolly stand in the drawing room was crammed with canes.
Miln lost no time in offering our reporter sex without a condom and told him: “There is nothing better than dangerous sex.
“I could have HIV but at my age I don’t care. If I then give it to someone it will be because of their stupidity.”
He added: “I had a test a month or so ago so I don’t think there would be any danger to you.” But it seemed a strange attitude for a man who was special adviser on Aids and sexuality to Dr Robert Runcie when he was Archbishop of Canterbury.
There were several volumes on Aids on the bookshelves in the flat. Miln even devised the red ribbon as a symbol of Aids awareness. With Sir Derek, he also helped raise large sums for the Anglican Church with events including a VIP reception at Lambeth Palace. In 1997 he escorted Princess Anne round a Christian Aid exhibition in Scotland.
It was a very different world to the one he revealed to The People’s investigator. He said he charged pounds 60 an hour as a gay escort offering caning and other kinky corporal punishment.
He also said he had half a dozen younger guys ready to provide gay sex.
In a casual sweater and trendy Armani jeans and sporting a gold Rolex, Miln emerged from the kitchen with two glasses of Jack Daniels and Coke. He also offered the investigator a cigar and an ecstasy tablet “to help unwind”.
He admitted: “I like to share cocaine but haven’t got any with me at the moment.”
Miln said Sir Derek was “out of town at the moment and too old to take an active part.” But Sir Derek’s involvement with Miln landed him in a huge row with church elders in 1990.
He had taken his lover on a six-week fact-finding tour of South Africa paid for out of church missionary funds.
Two years later Miln was quizzed by police probing the mysterious death of his chauffeur, a young Irishman he had an affair with. The man’s body was found at the back of King’s Cross railway station.
Police discovered he had introduced Miln to hard drugs and the two had spent a fortune on heroin and cocaine.
Miln was a JP in Hereford and London from 1978 to 1994 and lived with his elderly mother in Edinburgh for some years. He was once a member of the Synod but turned his back on the Church after a ruling that practising homosexuality was considered a sin.
Three years ago he set up a gay escorts agency in Edinburgh employing about 20 rent boys as young as 18. He found them through fliers dropped in pubs, clubs and other gays gay haunts.
Miln tried to recruit the investigator as a rent boy and invited him to return to the flat the following day.
When our man arrived Miln claimed he had just finished “punishing” a university lecturer who regularly turned up for a thrashing with a whip.
Miln urged the reporter to relax. He handed him an ecstasy tablet from about 30 he had in a drawer by his bed, saying, “Here, take on of these.”
The investigator said he would take it later. Laboratory tests confirmed it was ecstasy.
We later confronted Miln and asked him whether Sir Derek knew of the sordid activities at the flat.
Miln said: “He’s too ill for that. He’s muddled and forgets things in five minutes but we have spoken about it.
“Derek is still my partner but he is not at all well and in a nursing home. He has been there for several months.”
Asked about the ecstasy, he said: “I’d rather not comment about that.”
A spokesman for the Diocese of London , former owners of the flat, said: “Sir Derek is a non-stipendiary minister but is very old now.
” The property is no longer anything to do with us.”
Whilst on the General Synod Barnaby Miln was a trustee and later chairman of the Langley House Trust for ex-offenders and treasurer of the (British) Churches Council on Alcohol and Drugs. He brought to the latter his experience as a licensing justice in Hereford.
Days after Ward’s arrest, there was a meeting at the Athenaeum Club of men who had been asked by his solicitors to testify to his good character; they decided that if Astor had declined then so would they.
Stephen Ward at the centre of the Profumo affair was killed on orders from MI5, according to an unnamed MI6 operative. The MI6 contact told them Ward was a threat. He is quoted as saying there were sex photographs, which could damage the Macmillan government and the royal family. …on the night he died, Ward wrote to the Home Secretary, Henry Brooke, but the letter was suppressed.
Other British Society visitors attending the service and board meeting included Patrick Gilbert, general secretary, and Lionel Scott, vice-chairman of the governing body.
DISCLAIMER: THE POSTING OF STORIES, COMMENTARIES, REPORTS, DOCUMENTS AND LINKS (EMBEDDED OR OTHERWISE) ON THIS SITE DOES NOT IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM, IMPLIED OR OTHERWISE, NECESSARILY EXPRESS OR SUGGEST ENDORSEMENT OR SUPPORT OF ANY OF SUCH POSTED MATERIAL OR PARTS THEREIN.
It’s all a matter of public record…You cannot be silenced for discussing something already in the public domain. … research and form your own conclusions.
Former Christ’s Hospital master Peter Webb abused schoolboy
Sept 9, 2020
A PAEDOPHILE teacher who abused boys at an exclusive boarding school has been jailed for a third time, days before he was due to be released from prison.
Former Christ’s Hospital master Peter Webb would have been freed on Friday after finishing a five-and-a-half year sentence for abusing boys at the school.
He was jailed for another 12 months after a judge told him he still sounded like a true paedophile.
Her Honour Judge Christine Laing QC told Webb he would be going back to prison rather than being released after a two day trial at Hove.
His victims started to come forward after Operation Yew Tree exposed celebrity sex crimes.
He was asked to leave Christ’s Hospital after a boy complained of abuse in 1984.
Hove Trial Centre heard he was jailed for 18 months in 2015 after admitting three offences against the same 11-year-old boy.
He was jailed again for four years in 2017 after the same court heard he abused four more boys.
This sentence was increased to five years and six months after it was referred to the High Court as an unduly lenient sentence.
Webb was one of five former male members of staff charged with abusing children at the school.
Chaplain Gary Dobbie was jailed for 12 years for abusing nine pupils across three decades.
Sports coach Ajaz Karim, was jailed for 10 years after assaulting six girls between 1985 and 1993.
James Andrew Husband was jailed for 17 years for raping and indecently assaulting a girl as young as 14 between 1990 and 1994.
Peter Burr admitted indecently assaulting pupils at the school between the 1960s and 1980s and was also jailed.
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.
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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.
‘Extravagant’ chaplain, 67, at £35,000-a-year private boarding school ‘plied pupil with oysters, Turkish cigarettes and fine wines then molested him as pair watched Morse on TV
Gary Dobbie is accused of molesting one of his pupils between 1986 and 1991
The pupil was being bullied and had turned to the chaplain for support
But at parties and on one-on-one visits he would touch him, court was told
23 Apr 2019
The chaplain at a £35,000-a-year private boarding school is accused of plying a pupil with smoked oysters, Turkish cigarettes and fine wines and molesting him.
Gary Dobbie, 67, assaulted the young boy over a five-year period between 1986 and 1991 when he worked as a chaplain and teacher at the prestigious Christ’s Hospital School in Horsham, West Sussex, his trial heard.
He would invite the alleged victim to lavish dinner parties at his on-site lodgings but also had him over when it was just the two of them, when they would sit in the dark and watch Inspector Morse, Hove Crown Court was told.
It was during these visits the chaplain allegedly molested the boy.
His trial was told Dobbie was an ‘extravagant’ chaplain who liked to dress up in full ecclesiastical robes in church and burn incense in the school chapel.
Opening the case Abigail Husbands, prosecuting, said: ‘He was treated to food and alcohol while at Mr Dobbie’s and offered smoked oysters, Turkish cigarettes and good wine.’
During these visits the court heard Dobbie would molest the pupil, pushing his hands down the front of his shirt and rubbing his chest and back. He would also swing him onto his lap and grope him, she told the court.
Christ’s Hospital is one of the oldest boarding schools in the country, dating back to the 16th century when it was founded in London by King Edward VI, who signed a Royal Charter for it just 11 days before his death in 1553.
Famous alumni include poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Sir Barnes Wallis – the inventor of the bouncing bomb.
Miss Husbands said the pupil in question had suffered a difficult time at the school and had been repeatedly bullied by his peers.
She said he turned to Dobbie for refuge and had become close to him.
But the jury was told the visits were ‘not all innocent’ and on ‘many, many times’ Dobbie had molested the boy at his home.
On one occasion the pupil went on a reading trip with him where Dobbie allegedly got drunk before violently manhandling him and pushing his hand down his shirt.
He was also assaulted on another school trip, the court was told.
The victim left Christ’s Hospital School after completing his A levels and went on to university.
The court heard he put the matter behind him and continued with his life but was contacted by police last year and was later interviewed by them in relation to the chaplain’s behaviour.
Dobbie was later arrested and charged with three counts of indecent assault relating to multiple offences between 1986 and 1991.
The case, which is expected to last more than a week, continues.
A FORMER teacher at a prestigious boarding school who was jailed for the abuse of a vulnerable pupil deserved every day of his term, top judges ruled yesterday.
Manipulative James Andrew Husband, 68, used his position at Christ’s Hospital School, Horsham, to groom the teenager for sex.
She was already vulnerable when he came to know her, a court heard, but acted in “gross breach of trust” to abuse her.
The crimes came to light many years later and in July this year, Husband was jailed for 17 years for rape and five indecent assaults. The married father, most recently of Wigginton Road, York, had denied the offences, claiming sex with the girl was consensual.
Yesterday he appealed against his sentence, but was told by three senior judges that 17 years was fully deserved.
Lord Justice Lindblom told the court the girl had taken Husband’s attention as “kindness”, but ultimately came to hate what he was doing. The abuse left her with lifelong “severe psychological harm”, as she has struggled to cope with her ordeal. She did not get the university place she wanted and has been unable to form meaningful relationships with men.
In her statement to Hove Crown Court in July, the victim, now an adult, described Husband’s conduct as “devious and manipulative”.
Dismissing his appeal against the sentence, Lord Justice Lindblom said the offending had involved a “significant degree of planning”.
“This was offending against a vulnerable child, involving a serious breach of trust,” he told London’s Court of Appeal.
“He had apparently shown no insight into his offending and expressed no remorse.We accept that it was a severe sentence to pass on a man of his age and of previous good character. But we are not persuaded that it was arguably manifestly excessive.”
The appeal was dismissed.
During his trial at Hove the court heard Husband told the girl: “It’s OK, I’ve had a vasectomy,” before raping her.
Husband was the fifth Christ’s Hospital School teacher to be convicted of sexually abusing students.
Over the five cases, the sexual abuse at the school spanned more than 30 years and involved 22 victims.
Judge Christine Henson, who placed Husband on the sex offenders register for life, said the victim had given “harrowing” evidence during the trial.
The judge told him: “You put yourself in the position of her mentor in order to make her feel special and dependent on you so you could do what you wanted sexually with her. She viewed you as a father figure, thus rendering the abuse of trust particularly acute.”
In her victim impact statement read to the court, the woman said: “The grooming process was devious and malignant. By making me feel special for the first time in my life I became dependent on him for my own feeling of self worth.”
She said Husband moulded her into his “plaything” and “puppet” so “he could do what he wanted to me”.
Christ’s Hospital School has now had to deal with some 24 pupils (two pending sentencing), 32 years, over 70 counts (charges) by six masters. This is a total disgrace.
…a clear case of ‘gross negligence’ by the school authorities, as well as gross abuse against ‘children entrusted to the care of Christ’s Hospital School who came from vulnerable backgrounds’.
Roger Martin, a former teacher at the School, appeared today at Lewes Crown Court. Mr Martin entered a not guilty plea and was released on unconditional bail until his trial date on 11th March 2019 when he will appear at Lewes Crown Court.
Former teacher, Ian Rowley, at prestigious private school ‘inappropriately touched’ pupil
A FORMER teacher is now on the Sex Offenders Register after he admitted ‘inappropriately touching’ one of his private school pupils.
Ian Rowley was sentenced at Oxford Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to one count of engaging in sexual activity with a boy.
Thames Valley Police said that in 2014, Oxford resident Rowley, 55, had ‘inappropriately touched’ a schoolboy, who cannot be named for legal reasons.
His victim was one of his pupils at St Edward’s School in North Oxford; a prestigious boarding school also known as Teddies, where he taught for more than 20 years.
Rowley started working at the school in 1994 but left in July last year, vacating his most recent role as a French teacher.
Rowley, of Cherwell Street in St Clement’s, was handed a 16 week prison sentence, suspended for 24 months, and ordered to pay costs of £85 and a £115 victim surcharge.
Investigating officer detective constable Holly Wood, of Thames Valley Police’s child abuse unit, said: “I am pleased that the defendant pleaded guilty to this offence, thereby sparing the victim from giving evidence.
“I would also like to praise the bravery of the victim in coming forward and throughout this process, which I know has been extremely distressing for him and his family.”
Magistrates also agreed Rowley, who was charged on February 28, must participate in a sex offenders’ treatment programme for 63 days.
He will be listed on the Sex Offenders Register for seven years.
Detective constable Wood added: “I would encourage anyone who has been a victim of this type of offence to report it to police by calling 101.
“You will be listened to, we will fully support you, and we will look to secure convictions wherever possible.”
St Edward’s School is based in Woodstock Road, Summertown and offers boarding and day school for boys and girls aged 13-18 years-old.
The school’s warden Stephen Jones said: “The wellbeing of the pupils in our care is our highest priority.
“We notified the appropriate external authorities as soon as we became aware of the allegation against Ian Rowley, and we have co-operated fully throughout the investigation that led to this sentence.
“We take our safeguarding responsibilities extremely seriously. This matter was brought to light via the school’s well-established speak-up culture, which is well understood by all pupils and staff.
“The Independent Schools Inspectorate recently reviewed our safeguarding procedures and judged them to be robust, and these policies are subject to regular review to ensure the highest standards are upheld.”
A man convicted of possessing indecent images of young boys masturbating was cleared in 2001 by then Education Secretary Estelle Morris to work in all-girl schools.
In proceedings summarised on the internet, the tribunal heard medical evidence that science teacher Keith Hudson’s interest in young boys was “homosexual, paedophilic and inappropriate”, but that Ms Morris’s decision was justified because he had “no interest in girls”.
The tribunal, which was told that Ms Morris had imposed “the least onerous restrictions available to her”, backed her decision.
The Paedophile Who Touts Himself as a Private Tutor
January 16, 2006
A CONVICTED paedophile banned from teaching male pupils is tutoring boys as young as nine in his home.
Keith Hudson’s decision to set up his own business as a private tutor prompted a headmistress to warn parents their children could be in danger.
But four years later he is still tutoring several youngsters, often unsupervised, every week.
Hudson, 52, from Crowborough, East Sussex, was arrested in 1996 over the importation of indecent and obscene magazines showing boys aged seven to 18.
He was convicted of five charges of possessing such material in 1998.
In 2001, Estelle Morris, then Education Secretary, placed him on List 99 of those barred or restricted from teaching.
He was allowed to continue teaching girls after medical evidence indicated that while his feelings towards boys were ‘homosexual, paedophilic and inappropriate’, he had ‘no interest in girls’.
But instead the self-confessed naturist, who lives alone, set up as a private teacher, renting a room in a business centre in wr, for lessons or inviting pupils to his detached [pounds sterling]300,000 home in a quiet cul-de-sac.
Last night, neighbours said most of Hudson’s pupils were boys, and ‘that only very few had been girls over the last few years’.
A neighbour said: ‘A few years ago I heard he was hanging around local schools trying to get business and a letter went out warning parents about him.’ Yesterday, Hudson, who was on the Sex Offenders Register until February 2003, claimed he was not a danger to children.
But in 2002, teachers in East Sussex used him as an example when warning parents about the risks of using private tutors.
Jenni Miller, headmistress of Roselands Infant School in Eastbourne, wrote to parents saying: ‘Our attention has been drawn to the fact parents have been approached by private tutors offering specialist tuition who are not of an acceptable professional standard and whose motivation for wanting to be a tutor might be dangerous to young people.
‘One such organisation about which we have concerns is The Sussex Learning Centre, which has Keith Hudson as principal tutor.
‘I have taken the exceptional step of writing to you because I believe the situation is sufficiently serious.’ At the time, Sussex police said they were ‘trying to close’ the legal loophole which allowed Hudson to set up as a tutor.
Neighbours said the children visiting his home were ‘nine or ten’, although some were old enough to drive.
One said: ‘He has lived here for around 20 years on his own and hardly has any visitors other than the children.
‘But when he was still teaching in schools he used to have boys there for the weekend.
‘He has also had boys round to help with gardening. I’m not happy about it at all as most parents just come and drop their children off and are none the wiser about his past.
Hopefully it will now be out in the open and they will think twice.’
Hudson qualified as a teacher in 1973 and taught science and information technology in various schools until his arrest in 1996.
Yesterday he confirmed he was teaching as a private tutor. ‘Over the years I have enjoyed the support of many parents and I am grateful for that support,’ he said.
‘When I was assessed by a specialist medical advisor for the Secretary Of State For Education, her firm recommendation was that I should be allowed to continue with my tutoring business. I know that I am not any kind of danger to children.’
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the individuals and organisations consulted in helping her reach a decision in the case of the Keith Hudson List 99 determination. [43406]
7 Mar 2006 : Column 1442W Ruth Kelly: Representatives from the following organisations were consulted in reaching a decision:
More House school
Surrey Social Services Department
National Identification Service, New Scotland Yard
Croydon Law Courts
HM Customs and Excise
Lewes Crown court
East Sussex county council
The Care Standards Tribunal
Sussex police
A consultant Forensic Psychiatrist
The Department does not release the names of individuals who supply information or evidence.
Hudson, who you asked about, the “naturist” paed who killed himself in Holland to avoid extradition, was my 2nd form physics teacher and assistant housemaster. It was pretty clear even to the youngest naïf that there was something off about him
…most years it was JDS, Torkington, Goodall (at least for a couple of years), 3 or 4 Old Blues who had been in Scouts and would have been Undergraduate Age, and I think Dobbie went on at least one (he also went on the Lake District Trip with the Scouts in December 85, my UF,
Everyone heard the rumours about the Norfolk Broads trips…
I went on a number of Broads trips, including one with a boat run by Dobbie – nothing ever happened…
… Webb and Burr did turn up on summer camp staying on Burr’s boatnext to the campsite, but I was never on the Broads with them.
Were there any mentions in the Blue in Summer 1996 of Dobbie leaving? Or did he quietly disappear?
I don’t think he left in 1996, I thought he became housemaster in 1993, was demoted in 1996 and went to Shrewsbury in 2003. He was still in close contact with several teachers after his departure
Gary Dobbie, pictured when he was Shrewsbury School’s chaplain, sexually abused students at Christ’s Hospital School
I’ve dug out my old stack of The Blue. Dobbie writes about stepping down as senior chaplain to focus on duties as a housemaster a few terms before it happens.
Going back further to 1994 this sentence in the Mid A house notes made me feel sick in light of the revelations during his trial: “GWD cooked for the house monitors and invited guests, much fun had by all”.
…my ire for Poulton, Cairncross and Sillett who in the face of awful actions were awfully inactive.
Why was he demoted in 1993 to Assistant Chaplain, being replaced by A. Mitra?
…a copy of the letter sent to the Parents of those in Webb’s house when he left, including mine, which talks of his exemplary 18 years of service, and his need to leave the school on medical advice from stress brought on by the school reorganisation in preparation for the merger, including the moving of his boarding house. No mention of anything untoward.
The letter Craig refers to is a remarkable document. The school told parents a complete pack of lies. There is no other way to put it.
This isn’t going to get better for the school.
This thread confirms that there has been a long-standing policy of management cover-up of well-documented child abuse and this provides data including many strange practices for the “Four Eyes” proposal for a Truth & Reconciliation Inquiry “Way Ahead”
I simply cannot comprehend how the school could decide to bury Webb’s previous conviction rather than realise there would inevitably be other victims. There was a clear choice: protect the school, or be part of the solution. This was 2015 for goodness sake, three years ago, not the Middle Ages. I was a Donation Governor at the time; and I was never told a single word. Furious doesn’t even begin to describe it.
Had the school circulated details of Webb’s conviction and the police investigation more widely, I believe that more people would have come forward.
The first I knew about any of it was when the first four of the filthy five were charged.
One of the real disgraces is that the school was not honest with parents and so many pupils, both at CH and other schools, were left at risk.
I was a pupil at the school when Burr was moved on. Not a word was said to parents about him interfering with the pupils. The same happened with Webb. Not only was he moved on, but parents were told anything but the truth.
It is very suspicious that he was at CH for a short time, left under mysterious circumstances and then this happened in Wales later on.There are at least three (and possibly a lot more) separate newspaper reports that suggest a pattern in which offenders were quietly moved on with positive references, which is very disturbing. The pattern seems to suggest that CH administration consistently went out of their way to ensure that these people remained employed as teachers. It almost seems as if this was the official (but unwritten) policy. Why?
Dobbie was found guilty of 15 counts involving offences against six boys and two girls
It looks like CH was reckless about the plight of future victims and it is likely the subsequent employers of Karim and Dobbie would have relied on references from CH. It was said in court that Karim was given references by CH. Unless those two face charges for activities after they left CH we may never know any further detail.
It seems to be a criminal offence not to inform the police of a possible terrorist act yet it is not an offence to endanger minors by concealing knowledge of actual crimes such as these, let alone suspicions. I cannot understand why.
On one occasion, probably in 1978 or 1979, the entire dining hall united in a chant of ‘Pedo!, Pedo!, Pedo!, Pedo!, …’ while Peter Webb attempted to officiate at tea. This was extremely loud with a lot of shouting, banging of cutlery on tables, etc. with many hundreds of boys carrying out the chant. Peter Webb fled from the dining hall after a few minutes, and Mr. Fry arrived a few minutes later to restore order (which took Fry just a few gavel bangs). Too many boys were involved for punishments to be handed out. Peter Webb did not officiate in the dining hall any further following that event – although Webb continued at the school. So, as his duties were changed post-event, someone in authority must have known why this change in responsibility occurred and there might well be written documentation of this. For example, the Blue Book lists responsibilities for each master and Webb’s responsibilities were changed following this event.
Yet he remained at the school for another 4 or 5 years. Then he enjoyed a further 30 years at liberty before a feeble judge gave him a lenient sentence partly because he might otherwise die in prison.
And yet within 2 years (according to the transcript of the Sentencing Appeal hearing) in 1980 Webb was promoted to Housemaster.
Staggering!
……
What with all this talk of ‘the school knew, but did nothing’, my thoughts have turned to a bearded house-tutor who in the second half of the 1970s doubled as the c/o of the then-new Navy limb of the CCF. Whatever awful thing it was he did, he was expelled from the school staff post-haste, leaving a bad smell behind him. His name escapes me, but I believe he was only at CH for a couple of years. Surely I can’t be the only person who remembers him?
…of course the inconsistency which saw him removed in such short order while Webb and Burr were allowed to carry on, and on, and on
According to the 1976-1977 Blue Book, the CCF Naval Section was the responsibility of Lt. R.C. Durrant.
If you google R.C. Durrant you find that a teacher by that name, who taught at Christ’s Hospital, was found not-guilty in Wales in 2008, see:
However, I distinctly remember you called a house meeting I am guesssing like in 1993, and you explained to us that our Maths teacher Mr *****, was being marched off the because he had tried to lure a boy up into his flat. I was in the unnamed teachers set for maths (set 6 or 5 I believe) so I remember it well.
McCall got booted for luring boys up to his flat in 93? He’d been doing that for at least a decade prior and nobody seemed to bat an eyelid. I wonder what changed….
Paedophile teacher has his sentence increased by top judges
Peter Burr abused boys at a prestigious school – and will spend an extra two years in jail
29 MAR 2018
A paedophile teacher who abused four young boys over four decades ago has had his “unduly lenient” jail term increased by top judges.
Peter Phillip De Wharton Burr, 73, of The Square, Kingswear, was a house tutor and physics teacher at a top boarding school.
He was jailed for four years in January after four former pupils came forward to say he had groped them in the 1960s and 1970s.
Burr pleaded guilty to nine counts of indecent assault and said he was “deeply, deeply sorry” for what he had done at Christ’s Hospital in Horsham, Sussex.
His punishment, however, was viewed as far too soft by the Solicitor General, Robert Buckland QC, who referred the case for top judges to look at again.
At London’s Appeal Court, Lord Justice Davis agreed he had got off too lightly – and upped his jail term to six years seven months.
The court heard Burr was well known at the school for his creepy sexualised behaviour towards the boys in his charge.
He would stalk the changing rooms and showers leering at boys in the nude or getting changed.
One of the victims was groped as he changed for PE and others were subjected to more serious sex attacks in his private study.
Three of the victims described having long-term psychological damage due to what happened to them.
One said he had been left with “a hole in his heart” and another said his childhood had been “ruined.”
All the victims had been chosen because they were “particularly vulnerable” boys.
Lawyers for Burr admitted the sentence of four years was “merciful” but pleaded with the judges not to increase it.
He had committed his crimes when aged in his 20s and had l left the school in the mid 1970s.
Burr had “acknowledged that what he did was appalling” and felt deep “shame” the court was told.
However, Lord Justice Davis, sitting with two other judges, ruled that the four-year term had to be increased, despite his “powerful personal mitigation.”
“It is always open to a judge to show mercy, but still our conclusion has to be that this sentence was unduly lenient,” he concluded.
Burr was caught after a victim revealed his ordeal to Vanessa Feltz’s radio show after claiming he was initially ignored by police.
One of the victims tried to report the crimes to officers at Horsham Police Station in 2000 but felt he was being “batted back” and no further action was taken, prosecutor Ahmed Hossain said.
It was not until December 3, 2016 that the victim was prompted to email the producer of Feltz’s BBC Radio London programme when she discussed the football abuse scandal.
The producer put him in touch with detectives and an investigation was launched after he made contact with police in February last year.
Burr was the West Sussex school’s second former teacher to be jailed in as many months in separate prosecutions.
Judge Christine Henson said he had demonstrated a “gross abuse of trust” and preyed on vulnerable boys who were reluctant to speak out after they had been given a place at the school because a parent had died or their family had a low income.
Burr invited pupils to visit his study for tea and cake and to watch television before fondling them.
One victim described how Burr enticed them with chocolate biscuits
The house tutor and physics teacher, who was responsible for patrolling bathrooms and dormitories, also became sexually aroused when he played with boys in the swimming pool, Mr Hossain said.
Christ’s Hospital head teacher Simon Reid said: “The victim testimony could have left no-one in any doubt as to the devastating and lasting impact of (Burr’s) actions.
“While these offences date back to the period 1969-73, and the school now provides the safest possible environment for its students, we will not shy away from continuing to challenge ourselves on every aspect of child protection.
“The thoughts of everyone at Christ’s Hospital school are very much with the victims in this case.”
Founded in the 16th century, the school charges boarders up to £31,500 a year and counts Sir Barnes Wallis, inventor of the bouncing bomb, and poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge as alumni.
Pupils still wear a Tudor-style uniform consisting of a long blue coat and high yellow socks.
One of the victims described the school at the time of Burr’s offences as having a “culture of corporal punishment” where pupils were told they were privileged to be attending, Mr Hossain said.
In a victim impact statement, one of the men, who was sent to Christ’s Hospital for free after his father died, said: “No matter how miserable the school made me, I believed it was my duty to go there and support my mother.
“Six times a day the pupils were told they ought to be thankful.
“There was no-one to turn to and no privacy.
“I learned that I had no rights and no status.
“There was no Harry Potter magic at Christ’s Hospital.”
He said he has struggled to maintain relationships and appears withdrawn, distant and arrogant as he tries to hide his past.
He added: “(Burr) could have been a good man and a decent teacher but instead he sat there like a stain and stole my childhood.”
Another victim said he felt confined to a life of celibacy as a result of Burr’s actions.
A third victim said he was not traumatised by the moment he had to forcefully push away Burr’s advances.
He said they had remained friends as he grew older and he was surprised to be considered a victim.
Burr, who arrived late to the hearing, was initially sentenced to three and a half years, but Judge Henson increased the term, saying she had said 42 months by mistake instead of 48 months.
He was also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order.
Four other charges of indecent assault which he denied were left to lie on file.
Detective Inspector Wendy Burton said: “The victim did mention this to us when we met him last February and we made detailed enquiries, but we found no record of his making contact or reporting any allegations in 2000. However we fully investigated his report in 2017, and Burr has now been given a prison sentence. I can reassure victims that allegations and reports such as this are taken seriously and will be dealt with appropriately.”
She said the case was investigated fully in 2017 and she moved to reassured victims that such allegations are taken seriously.
Burr’s prosecution is part of a wider investigation into allegations of abuse by former teachers at the school.
Former house master Peter Webb, 74, was jailed for four years in December.
Three more men are due in court later this year. Police have said the prosecutions are not linked.
Ajaz Karim, 63, who lives in London, denies nine charges of indecent assault and one attempted indecent assault against six female pupils. He is due to stand trial in April.
James Husband, 67, of York, is accused of four counts of rape and five counts of indecently assaulting a woman.
Gary Dobbie, 66, of Albi, France, is charged with seven counts of indecent assault and one attempted indecent assault against two men, as well as three counts of indecently assaulting two women.
Sussex Police began investigating teachers at the school in 2016 after allegations were made about Husband.
The cases, involving different victims and time periods, were treated as separate inquiries – apart from Dobbie and Husband, who were tried as co-defendants.
Publicity around the prosecutions prompted several more former pupils to come forward with complaints.
In October, barristers representing Burr, Karim, Dobbie and Husband tried to ban press coverage of court proceedings until all the cases had concluded – effectively attempting to delay publicity for the best part of a year – by claiming that it would be prejudicial to the defendants.
But Judge Christine Henson rejected the plea after it was challenged by Press Association in the public interest.
Peter Burr who was convicted of abuse at Christ’s Hospital School – his full name is
Peter Phillip De Wharton Burr, 73, of The Square, Kingswear, was a house tutor and physics teacher at a top boarding school.
He was jailed for four years in January after four former pupils came forward to say he had groped them in the 1960s and 1970s.
Burr pleaded guilty to nine counts of indecent assault and said he was “deeply, deeply sorry” for what he had done at Christ’s Hospital in Horsham, Sussex.
His punishment, however, was viewed as far too soft by the Solicitor General, Robert Buckland QC, who referred the case for top judges to look at again.
At London’s Appeal Court, Lord Justice Davis agreed he had got off too lightly – and upped his jail term to six years seven months.
“PETER PHILIP, DE WHARTON BURR”
Max and Petronella de Wharton Burr with son
Peter de Wharton Burr (from 1949 group)
Max de Wharton Burr was his father
His mother Petronilla James
Belmont headmaster Max Burr with his wife Nilla visitng Cambridge
Burr was as mad as any head-master. Complementing his pathological hatred of rabbits and a carefully nurtured charm to counterbalance his undoubted sadism was his belief that he was handy with a shotgun.
I was able to identify the spot where Taft was shot by Max Burr trying out his new air pistol, and Dunsbier mi found where he had put an arrow through some unfortunate’s leg – although he couldn’t remember the victim’s name. The bloodstains had been grown over. There was a lot of shooting at Belmont in the 1950s.
If any OBs are in the Hassocks area, both my parents are buried in Clayton churchyard (my Mother’s ashes in my Father’s grave), and J’s ashes are in the same grave.
After my Mother’s death in 1998 I planted a yew tree in her memory, with a plaque, which is in the churchyard of St Mary’s Streatley on Thames (in front of the church, not behind). Perhaps there are those who might like to pay their respects. [item posted 1 Nov 2010]
Mr Max de Wharton Burr (Brighton College and Jesus College, Cambridge) became Headmaster of Belmont School in 1934
In 1933 Gilbert Evans took on as Assistant Headmaster Max de Wharton Burr
When Max Burr died in 1954, Max Burr’s wife appointed headmaster Christopher Barlow.
However, there was a darker side to Christopher Barlow. He was a paedophile, whose excessive use of the cane made life a misery for many boys at the school. His behaviour would not have been tolerated in a more enlightened age.
Christopher Barlow died in 1990 and Nilla Burr in 1998.
…the last headmaster of the school, who would clearly be imprisoned today as a dangerous paedophile.
By 1971 numbers had dropped again to 67 and, with massive maintenance bills appearing, the school was running at a serious loss. No buyers could be found with a realistic prospect of continuing to run the school and in 1972 Mrs Burr closed the school and sold the site.
Christopher Barlow and Nilla Burr retired to adjacent apartments in Winchester.
Mr Christopher Barlow (Stowe and King’s College, Cambridge ), a former Organ Scholar, took over as Headmaster, Mrs Burr remaining as business partner. There were 58 boys in the school in summer term 1958; 75 in 1965; 67 in 1971. There was a change in the most favoured destination schools with Stowe and Sherborne becoming the most prominent.
Science teacher Hudson was allowed to teach despite being a convicted sex offender in the UK when it emerged his details were on a banned list.
Hudson was found guilty at Croydon Crown Court on five counts of moving and concealing indecent material after an operation by Dover customs officers in 1998.
He was placed on List 99, which gives details of people barred or restricted from the teaching profession due to misconduct or on medical grounds.
And he was also put on the Sex Offenders’ Register for four years with his details being added to East Sussex County Council’s internal restricted list.
But three years later he was allowed to teach girls by Estelle Morris, the Government’s then Education Secretary.
The Care Standards Tribunal backed Ms Morris’s decision and it heard medical evidence that while his feelings towards young boys were “inappropriate”, he had “no interest in girls”.
A paedophile teacher due to be extradited to the Netherlands for importing child abuse images has committed suicide.
Keith Hudson, 54, was due to fly to serve five months in a Dutch prison but did not turn up to Heathrow Airport.
Hudson, who ran private tuition company Sussex Learning Centre, had been granted bail on stringent conditions including the payment of a £10,000 security to City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court in central London.
A hearing to order the forfeiture of the money was arranged for today.
But Amelia Nice, for the Dutch authorities, told the court: “He failed to report to Heathrow. It has since been brought to our attention that apparently he has died.
“Apparently he committed suicide.”
Hudson, of Willowmead, Crowborough, has previous convictions in the UK for similar offences, had signed on as a sex offender for four years and been banned from working with boys.
He was found guilty of five counts of moving and concealing indecent material at Croydon Crown Court, following an operation by Dover customs officers in 1998.
A Care Standards Tribunal had heard he was not a risk to girls and limited the court’s earlier ban on teaching all children.
Education bosses at East Sussex County Council issued a warning to all schools in the area after the discovery that he was touting for business.
Then in 2002 he was found guilty of importing and stocking indecent images of boys in the Netherlands between April and December 1999.
However he was not in court for his sentence and a bid for his extradition from this country was later launched.
The disgraced tutor was arrested by Sussex and Met detectives at his home last month.
He lost his fight against his return and a Westminster judge ordered his extradition on December 27 last year.
Hudson was trusted to turn up to Heathrow on January 11 on stringent bail conditions including residence at his home address, daily reporting to police, and to have no contact with any person under 18.
On hearing the report of his death District Judge Quentin Purdy said he required confirmation from a police officer and adjourned the hearing to February 6.
The judge said if he has died the £10,000 would be returned.
September 2002
Porn teacher’s lessons alarm
A convicted sex offender is offering private tuition to young children.
Keith Hudson, found guilty of child abuse images offences in 1998, is advertising classes through his Crowborough-based company Sussex Learning Centre.
Teachers in East Sussex have warned parents to contact them before signing up with external schools and tutors.
Police said Hudson, 49, of Willowmead, Crowborough, is not breaking any law in setting up a private school despite being on the council’s internal restricted list.
They are attempting to close the loophole which allows men like Hudson, who was put on the Sex Offenders’Register for four years following his conviction, to offer their services to children.
Jenni Miller, headteacher of Roselands Infant School in Woodgate Road, Eastbourne, has sent a letter home to parents warning them of the possible threat.
She wrote: “Our attention has been drawn to the fact parents in the Uckfield area have been approached by private tutors offering specialist tuition who are not of an acceptable professional standard and whose motivation for wanting to be a tutor might be dangerous to young people.
“One such organisation about which we have concerns is the Sussex Learning Centre, which has Keith Hudson as principal tutor.
“I have taken the exceptional step of writing to you because I believe the situation is sufficiently serious.”
Hudson was found guilty at Croydon Crown Court on five counts of moving and concealing indecent material following an operation by Dover Customs officers.
Magazines containing indecent photographs of children were discovered in packages sent via the port.
Hudson was also placed on List 99, which gives details of people barred or restricted from the teaching profession due to misconduct or on medical grounds.
Education bosses at East Sussex County Council issued a warning to all schools in the area following the discovery he was touting for business.
A Sussex Police spokesman said: “There is a legal loophole which we are trying to close.
“There is nothing stopping Mr Hudson setting up a private teaching school.
“We’ll refer this to the Association of Chief Police Officers.”
Hudson last night said he saw nothing inappropriate in offering private tuition to young children.
Hudson, 49, who runs the Sussex Learning Centre, said he ran a ‘totally professional’ service which was approved by the police and the Government.
And he denied touting for business by circulating leaflets.
He added: “People’s fears are completely groundless. I don’t know what these fears are about.
“My service, in all respects, is extremely professional. It is checked by the police and they have no objection to it continuing.
“It is also checked by specialist agencies, including an advisor to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills.
“I’m sure if people were aware of the facts they would not be worried.”
However, education bosses at East Sussex County Council issued a warning to all schools in the area after discovering he was touting for business.
Hudson insisted he had not circulated leaflets offering one-to-one tuition to children as young as four.
He said: “This information is several years out of date. Most of my clients come through personal recommendations from one parent to another.”
Hudson said the teaching staff at the learning centre consisted of “mostly myself”.
He said he some tutor sessions were held at the learning centre, some at his home.
“They are held wherever parents want them to be held. “
Asked if he informed parents about being on the Sex Offenders Register, he said: “I have been told there is no need to tell parents.”
Mr Hudson was convicted and fined in 1998 after being found in possession of magazines featuring indecent images of young boys.
But since then he has been distributing leaflets around a number of Eastbourne primary schools advertising his tutorial service.
Mr Hudson, who said at the time of his conviction that his interest in the magazines was limited to naturism, was removed from the county supply teacher list. He then set up a private tutoring centre called The Sussex Learning Centre.
This side-stepped the need for a criminal records check – a loophole the county council is still urging is closed by the government – four years after it sent letters of warning about Mr Hudson to parents in Eastbourne via local schools.
Hudson confirmed to national media this week that his business was still running. A council spokesman said, ‘This case involves a particular loophole we have previously highlighted, which allows a private tutor to teach children without any Criminal Records Bureau declaration or regulation.
‘We want to see private tuition services regulated, and urge the Minister to review the situation as a matter of utmost importance.’
The spokesman said Hudson had never been employed directly as a teacher by East Sussex County Council, but had police clearance for supply work prior to his conviction.
The spokesman said, ‘He was removed from the ESCC supply teacher list in 1998, as soon as we were aware of his conviction for possession of indecent images.
‘We immediately wrote to our schools telling them of our concerns about his unsuitability to work with children and provided a standard letter schools could use to inform parents.
‘Since his conviction, it has been our view that Mr Hudson was not suitable to work with any children.
‘Parents will find it bizarre that someone convicted of possessing indecent photographs of boys can teach children again.
‘We should all be especially concerned that a loophole like this means that someone with a conviction can set up as a private tutor and parents will often know nothing about their background.’
Her father, Charles, was a former MP and an aide to Harold Wilson. Her uncle, Lord (Alf) Morris of Manchester, was a Labour minister, for the disabled.
His conviction dates from 1996 for possessing indecent images of boys. A science teacher from Sussex, Hudson, 52, was added to List 99. But in 2001 Estelle Morris, the education secretary at the time, cleared him to teach in an all-girls school after hearing medical evidence that said that while Hudson’s feelings towards boys were “homosexual, paedophilic and inappropriate”, he had “no interest in girls”.
In an interview with ITV News this weekend, Hudson said he posed no threat to youngsters: “I do not consider I have committed any sex offence – indeed no offence. I think, therefore, I should not be on the list.”
Judge Christine Henson said Karim displayed a “complete disregard” and “continued arrogance” towards his victims, adding: “I’m in no doubt that you used your popularity as a teacher to groom your victims.
“They should have been safe and secure, sadly they were not.
“You have betrayed everything a teacher should stand for.”
He left the school after complaints from four pupils surfaced between 1990 and 1993.
Senior staff came under fire from victims over the way they handled the allegations.
Teachers never reported him to the police and he was initially allowed to carry on working, even with the girls in question.
‘Hugely traumatic’
Reading a victim’s statement, Oliver Dunkin, prosecuting, said the victim was “deeply disappointed” with the school’s handling of the incidents, which made it “hugely traumatic”.
“For 32 years I have lived with the deeply buried memory of events that took place with Mr Karim,” the statement read.
“Until recently I believed the impact had been minimal and I got on and lived my life.”
An NSPCC spokeswoman said Karim displayed a “shocking breach of trust”.
She added: “We hope today’s sentencing provides some sort of closure for those cruelly targeted by Karim.”
Karim was also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order.
Retired teacher Roger Martin leaves Crawley Magistrates’ Court after denying sexually abusing a 10-year boy
Roger Martin today pleaded not guilty at Crawley Magistrates’ Court to assaulting a boy at Christ’s Hospital School, Horsham, West Sussex
18 July 2018
A retired teacher has denied sexually abusing a 10-year-old pupil at a leading private school.
Roger Martin will stand trial after pleading not guilty at Crawley Magistrates’ Court earlier.
The 82-year-old is charged with indecently assaulting a boy at Christ’s Hospital School, Horsham, West Sussex, between September and December 1976.
The court heard the allegations involved a “vulnerable and homesick young boy”.
Mr Martin, of Palgrave Road, Great Dunham, near King’s Lynn, Norfolk, was investigated by the Sussex Police complex abuse unit after it was contacted with information for the first time in November 2017.
He was granted unconditional bail and is next due to appear at Lewes Crown Court on 15 August.
Retired teacher, 82, denies sexually abusing ‘vulnerable and homesick’ boy, 10, at leading private school Christ’s Hospital
Roger Martin faces trial after pleading not guilty at Crawley Magistrates’ Court
Charged with indecently assaulting boy at Christ’s Hospital School in Horsham
The alleged attack at West Sussex school are said to have taken place in 1970s
18 July 2018
A retired teacher today denied sexually abusing a 10-year-old pupil at a leading private school.
Roger Martin, 82, will stand trial after pleading not guilty at Crawley Magistrates’ Court.
He is charged with indecently assaulting a boy at Christ’s Hospital School, Horsham, West Sussex, in the 1970s. The court heard the allegation involved a ‘vulnerable and homesick young boy’.
Dressed in a grey suit and brown shoes, Martin spoke loudly and clearly when he gave his credentials and entered the plea, answering ‘yes indeed’ to confirm he understood the next stage of proceedings.
Mr Martin, of Great Dunham, near King’s Lynn, Norfolk, was investigated by the Sussex Police complex abuse unit after it was contacted with information for the first time in November 2017.
He was granted unconditional bail and is due to appear at Lewes Crown Court on August 15 at 10am for a plea and trial preparation hearing.
There are various references to Roger Martin throughout this forum. He was a pupil at CH (1947-55) when I was there and subsequently served on the staff for two discrete spells.
Roger has come to my mind again recently on three counts:
1. I have written about him while reviewing Francis Warner’s Book By the Cam and the Isis in the Old Blue and in the forthcoming edition of the Blue
2. I just happened to be watching the old ITV Remembrance Day service from the 1970s in which he declaimed FWW poetry with great gusto and
Roger must be unique in coming to live at the school on three separate occasions; he will have a sharp insight into the changes that he observed over that period. Coming afresh on each occasion undoubtedly must have reinforced his impressions of CH which will have been different on each and every occasion.
Roger Martin at Christ’s Hospital School: Ba B 47-55, Staff 63-68 and 72-96
…..
I was taught by Roger Martin certainly as a third former and possibly second form or LE too (Latin and Divinity if memory serves me right)
When I was there Roger was a junior housemaster in Barnes A with Bob Sillett under “Pongo” Littlefield. He left round about the time I was in the LE or GE to teach at a school in Kenya, Starahe (?spelling).
Tom Lawson, son of Lord Lawson and half-brother of Nigella, was educated at Eton before going to Oxford, and is now deputy head of Christ’s Hospital school in Horsham, West Sussex.
Lord Lawson say Police should stop funding investigations into historical abuse.
22/11/2015
Lord Lawson’s daughter-in-law, Rosa Monckton, was good friends with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. She has numerous numbers in Jeffrey Epstein’s back book. Tom Lawson’s half-brother, Dominic Lawson, married Rosa Monckton
Rosa Monckton married to Nigel Lawson’s son, speaking about close friend and paedophile, Jeffrey Epstein:
“He’s very enigmatic,” Rosa Monckton told Vanity Fair in 2003. Monckton was the former British CEO of Tiffany & Co. and confidante to the late Princess Diana. She was also a close friend of Epstein’s since the 1980s. “He never reveals his hand . . . He’s a classic iceberg. What you see is not what you get.”
Both profiles intimated that Epstein had a predilection for young women but never went further.
Rosa Monckton recalls Epstein telling her that her daughter, Domenica, who suffers from Down syndrome, needed the sun, and that Rosa should feel free to bring her to his house in Palm Beach anytime.
The current headmaster (since 2016) at Eastbourne College is Tom Lawson, half-brother of Nigela and son of the Tory grandee Nigel who argued that no funds should be ploughed into historical child sex allegations.
Tom Lawson came to Eastbourne College from Christ’s Hospital where no fewer than 5 teachers have been convicted for CSA and where a common punishment used to be to send pupils down to Peter Ball’s house!
Some students were sent from Christ Hospital School to paedophile Bishop Peter Ball for punishment.
Another director of Eastbourne College was Alison ‘Butterfingers’ Saunders (2008 – 2014). Despite the collapse of an unprecedented number of abuse cases during her watch as DPP, she still insists she has done a good job:
10 Dec 1991 – Letter from Peter Ball to Enoch Powell
alun:
The address on that note from Bishop Ball to Enoch Powell is significant: It is the postal address for Eastbourne College, where Peter Ball was on the BOD between 1991 and 1992, a school ravaged by cases of child sexual abuse.
Two retired teachers who sexually assaulted a boy while they taught at his college are jailed for a total of 17 years
12 April 2017
Ex-history teacher Andrew Boxer, 67, was sentenced to 15 years in jail
Ex-music teacher Graham Jones, 63, was jailed for two years
Both taught at Eastbourne College, East Sussex, at the time of the abuse, while the victim was a pupil there
Andrew Boxer and Graham Jones were both convicted of several counts of indecently assaulting the same boy between 1988 and 1993, following a week-long trial.
Former history teacher Boxer, 67, was sentenced to 15 years behind bars for seven counts of indecent assault – six at the same address in Eastbourne, East Sussex and another in Cambridge.
Yet another director of Eastbourne College (1991 – 2004) was the Duke Of Devonshire Andrew Robert Buxton Cavendish, another close friend of Savile, BigEars and Bishop Ball, seen here giving Savile a silly handshake:
Dame Alun Roberts @ciabaudo
A punishment at Christ’s Hospital School was to be sent down for a few nights at Peter Ball’s house. I wonder whether those sending them down knew what their fate might be? And who were his ‘special friends’?
It would appear Tom Lawson was what is referred to as a ‘safe pair of hands’, stumbling from one paedo school to the next. He also worked at Winchester College for 15 years, where John Smyth QC abused boys:
The former Chancellor’s son was part of a Bullingdon set that caused ‘mayhem’ at a party in Kingston Blount that required 30 police officers to clear up.
EXCLUSIVE: Bullingdon Club 1996- Tom Lawson, the arms dealer’s son and the ‘mayhem’ that took 30 cops to shut down
Mr Hughes has now indicated that new complainants came forward following the media coverage of Peter Ball’s sentencing. It was considered that it was not in the public interest to pursue these cases, as Peter Ball has recently been incarcerated.
Peter Ball would pray naked with them at the altar and encourage them to submit to beatings. At least five more victims were schoolchildren.
Christ’s Hospital School supports Prince Charles’ Prince’s Trust
…the Prince’s Trust said: “We would like to thank the Christ’s Hospital community for all that you have done over the past year for fundraising so much for The Prince’s Trust as part of your Chapel Charities commitment.
Former Christ’s Hospital teacher charged with historic sex offence
16 July 2018
A former teacher at Christ’s Hospital School has been charged with an historic sexual offence against a pupil. Police said Roger Martin, retired, of Palgrave Rd, Great Dunham, Kings Lynn, has been charged with sexually assaulting a 10-year-old boy at the school. The 82-year-old has been served with a summons to appear at Crawley Magistrates Court on July 18.
A spokesman for Sussex Police said: “This is a separate case to those of five other former teachers from the same School, who have already been subject of separate criminal proceedings – three have been convicted and sentenced and two have been convicted and await sentencing. “The prosecution follows an investigation by officers from the Sussex Police Complex Abuse Unit after information was received for the first time in November 2017.
Roger Martin, a former Starehe head and author of the book Anthem of Bugles
The first and most significant history of the school was written by a former volunteer teacher: Roger Martin, Anthem of Bugles: The Story of Starehe Boys’ Centre and School (Nairobi, 1978)
A particularly productive connection was made with Christ’s Hospital in Britain, a school similarly run on public school lines but with an intake of children based on a range of — arguably dubious — charitable criteria. Volunteers such as Peter Attenborough introduced many of Christ’s customs while others such as Roger Martin developed long-lasting connections which would see him publish Starehe’s first history, Anthem of Bugles, in 1978.
Christ’s Hospital School teacher jailed for pupil rape
13 July 2018
A former teacher at a top independent school in West Sussex has been sentenced to 17 years in jail for a string of sex offences including rape.
James Husband, 68, from York, was convicted of raping a 15-year-old pupil at Christ’s Hospital School in Horsham.
He was also found guilty at an earlier hearing at Hove Crown Court of five indecent assault charges on the girl.
During the trial, the court heard Husband told the girl: “It’s OK, I’ve had a vasectomy,” before raping her.
Husband, of Wigginton, is the fifth Christ’s Hospital School teacher to be convicted of sexually abusing students.
His crimes spanned a period of more than 30 years and involved 22 victims.
His co-defendant and a former head of house at the school Gary Dobbie, 66, of Albi, France, was convicted of 15 counts involving multiple offences against six boys and two girls as young as 12.
Dobbie, formerly of Hereford, was teaching at independent Shrewsbury School, in Shropshire, at the time of his arrest in 2016.
He has yet to be sentenced.
Jurors heard the abuse took place between 1990 and 2001 and that both men were friends and used to laugh together about their abuse.
Christ’s Hospital teacher faces further sexual abuse allegations
5 July 2018
Prosecutor Eloise Marshall then told the court there were “outstanding matters” against Dobbie as “two other complainants had come forward during the course of the trial”.
Gary Dobbie was found guilty was found guilty of 15 counts involving multiple offences against six boys and two girls as young as 12 between 1998 and 2001
Investigations are ongoing and no charges have so far been brought. Police have confirmed they are both former school pupils
Husband will be sentenced on July 13. A date is yet to be set for Dobbie
Two former teachers at Christ’s Hospital school guilty of abusing pupils
Gary Dobbie and James Husband face jail as number of ex-staff convicted reaches five
5 July 2018
Two more teachers who worked at a top private school are facing jail after being found guilty of sexually abusing pupils.
Five teachers from Christ’s Hospital school have now been convicted after police investigated complaints made by 22 former students.
A jury of seven women and five men at Hove crown court deliberated for 25 hours and 43 minutes before returning their verdicts on the 21 counts against James Husband and Gary Dobbie on Thursday.
The two men, who were friends, would laugh together about their crimes, which took place over the course of 13 years while they lived and worked at the school in Horsham, West Sussex, the court was told.
Dobbie and Husband looked straight ahead from the dock and did not react as the verdicts were read out. The NSPCC described them as “predatory and calculated”
Peter Webb and Peter Burr were both jailed in the last year after admitting committing offences at the school between the 1960s and 1980s. Ajaz Karim was found guilty in April of assaulting six girls between 1985 and 1993 and is due to be sentenced in August.
Husband, 68, of Wigginton in York, was convicted of one count of rape and five of indecently assaulting a girl as young as 14 between 1990 and 1994. He had claimed they had “consensual sex” once when she was 16.
He told a 15-year-old pupil: “It’s OK, I’ve had a vasectomy,” before raping her, the court heard.
Afterwards, he confided in Dobbie about the encounter, who later joked with the girl that she had “beard rash”, indicating that he knew what had happened, the court heard. He also indecently assaulted the same pupil later on.
Husband’s victim described being “disgusted with herself” and said she felt suicidal. She reported him to the school’s chaplain but no action was taken. She said her mother did not believe her story.
Husband left the school after it emerged he was having a consensual affair with a 17-year-old pupil who was not underage and not a complainant in the case.
The married father, whose children were attending the school at the time, “deceived” senior staff by embarking on the affair, jurors heard. The former tutor and head of department talked about the “spur-of-the-moment” encounter which involved several instances leading from holding hands and kissing to sex.
Giving evidence in his defence, he spoke of his desire to kiss her during a period when he felt disgruntled with how the school was being run.
In a diary entry read to the court, the girl said: “Told too many people at school then decided to go for it. The fling. So got off with him on Saturday night. The most amazing thing. Happy.”
Dobbie, 66, of Albi in France and formerly of Hereford, was found guilty of 15 counts involving multiple offences against six boys and two girls as young as 12 between 1998 and 2001.
He was teaching at independent Shrewsbury school in Shropshire at the time of his arrest in 2016.
Dobbie groomed pupils by hosting dinner parties with favourite students at his house in the school grounds, the court heard. He would ply them with whisky and wine while encouraging them to talk about their sexual encounters.
At one of the gatherings, a victim recalls a man who also attended as a guest rating the boys in order of their attractiveness, to Dobbie’s “delight”.
On another occasion, after giving a girl alcohol, she came out of the bathroom to find Dobbie had undone his trousers and was “grinning at her”. Fearing that he wanted to have sex, she left the property.
After she left the school, she told her mother, who phoned housemaster Neil Flemming but no action was taken.
He took a boy as young as 12 to a bedroom, telling him to take off his breeches and underwear while Dobbie performed a sex act on himself, the court heard. Another boy recalls falling asleep on his sofa and waking up to find him kneeling beside him with his hand in his shirt.
Dobbie also helped to raise money for another pupil, who was abused over a period of six years, to take a gap year after leaving school and assaulted him when he returned for a visit.
Sussex police began investigating teachers at the school in 2016 after allegations were made about Husband.
Publicity around the prosecutions prompted several more former pupils to come forward with complaints.
In October, barristers representing Burr, Karim, Dobbie and Husband tried to ban press coverage of court proceedings until all the cases had concluded – effectively attempting to delay publicity for the best part of a year – by claiming that it would be prejudicial to the defendants.
But Judge Christine Henson rejected the plea after it was challenged by Press Association in the public interest.
Husband and Dobbie will be sentenced at a later date.
Christ’s Hospital School: Rape accused tells of affair with 17-year-old
!5 June 2018
A former private school teacher accused of raping a 15-year-old girl has told of an affair with another student.
James Husband, 68, recalled the consensual liaison with a 17-year-old girl at Christ’s Hospital School while giving evidence in his trial.
Hove Crown Court heard he was married and his children attended the school during the “spur of the moment” affair.
He and co-defendant Gary Dobbie, ex-head of house at the Horsham school, both deny sexually abusing pupils.
Mr Husband, of Wigginton in York, denies four counts of rape and five of indecently assaulting a different pupil when she was as young as 14 between 1990 and 1994 while he taught at the prestigious school.
Mr Dobbie, 68, of Albi in France and formerly of Hereford, faces a string of allegations against six boys and two girls as young as 12 between 1998 and 2001.
He denies 12 counts of indecently assaulting four boys and two girls, attempting to indecently assault a boy and two counts of indecency with a child.
He was teaching at independent Shrewsbury School, Shropshire, at the time of his arrest in 2016.
Mr Husband left his job as a history teacher when it emerged he was having a consensual affair with the 17-year-old pupil who was not underage and is not a complainant in the case, jurors were told.
Giving evidence, he told the court there were several instances with the girl – from holding hands and kissing to sex – but said he did not consider it a relationship.
During cross-examination, the court heard him describe the moment he kissed the student on the lips after a disco at night in the school grounds.
He said: “I can see her in my mind’s eye looking up at me. I can remember the kiss.
“The look on her face suggested that she wanted me to.
“I wanted to kiss her.”
In a diary entry read to the court, the girl said: “Told too many people at school then decided to go for it. The fling.
“So got off with him on Saturday night. The most amazing thing. Happy.”
Mr Husband later conceded to the court that he had had sex with two 17-year-olds.
Addressing the charges involving the other girl which he denies, claiming they had consensual sex once when she was 16, he said: “I don’t know why [the alleged victim] has brought these allegations against me.”
Jurors previously heard he had told the girl when she was 15: “It’s OK, I’ve had a vasectomy,” before raping her.
MSM seems to have stopped reporting on the Christ’s Hopsital School’s paedophile trial re: Gary Dobbie. Last news report was on 1 June 2018, but case is ongoing (Dobbie being tried with James Husband)
Court hears of ex-Shrewsbury School teacher’s 13 years of alleged child sex abuse
A former Shrewsbury School teacher accused of child sexual offences joked with a girl who had been raped by one of his colleagues, a court heard.
Gary Dobbie was working at Shrewsbury School when he was arrested on child sex abuse charges in 2016
Gary Dobbie told the 15-year-old girl that she had “beard rash”, indicating he knew what had happened, jurors were told on Thursday.
Dobbie, head of house at Christ’s Hospital School in the 1990s, was allegedly told about the encounter by history teacher James Husband,
Husband told the pupil “It’s OK, I’ve had a vasectomy” before raping her, the court heard.
The victim reported Husband to the Horsham school’s chaplain but no action was taken. Even her mother did not believe her story, Hove Crown Court heard.
Years of alleged abuse
The pair, who both worked at the prestigious West Sussex school and lived in the grounds, are standing trial after denying sexually abusing eight pupils over the course of 13 years.
Dobbie, aged 66, was teaching at Shrewsbury School at the time of his arrest in 2016.
Eloise Marshall, prosecuting, told the court victims believed the teachers would “laugh” together about their exploits.
Husband, 68, of Wigginton in York, denies four counts of rape and five of indecently assaulting a girl as young as 14 between 1990 and 1994. He claims they had “consensual sex” once when she was 16.
He left the school after it emerged he was having a consensual affair with a different pupil who was not underage and not a complainant in the case, Ms Marshall said.
The girl’s diary entries suggested they had sex in Husband’s study – which is where he is accused of abusing his alleged victim, the court heard.
Eight victims
Dobbie, of Albi in France and formerly of Hereford, faces a string of allegations against six boys and two girls as young as 12 between 1998 and 2001.
He denies 12 counts of indecently assaulting four boys and two girls, attempting to indecently assault a boy and two counts of indecency with a child.
Ms Marshall said: “Both the men knew each other and there is some evidence to suggest that they discussed what they were doing.”
Husband’s alleged victim “lay there like a rag doll” while he raped her and waited for it to be over, the court heard.
It became so frequent she began to “hate” what was happening, was “disgusted with herself” and was suicidal, Ms Marshall said.
‘Grooming’
Dobbie “groomed” pupils, by hosting dinner parties at his house in the school grounds with “favourite” students, jurors were told. He would allegedly ply them with whisky and wine while talk about their sexual encounters was “encouraged”.
At one of the gatherings an alleged victim recalls a man who also attended as a guest rating the boys in order of their attractiveness, to Dobbie’s “delight”, Ms Marshall said.
On another occasion after giving a girl alcohol, she came out of the bathroom to find Dobbie had undone his trousers and was “grinning at her”, the court heard. Fearing he wanted to have sex, she left the property.
She told her mother after she moved on from the school who phoned housemaster Neil Flemming but no action was taken, Ms Marshall said.
When questioned by police, Dobbie branded the claims “totally untrue”.
The trial heard how he took a boy as young as 12 to a bedroom and told him to take off his breeches and underwear while Dobbie performed a sex act on himself.
Another recalls falling asleep on Dobbie’s sofa and waking up to find him kneeling beside him with his hand in his shirt, Ms Marshall said.
The teacher even helped raise money for another pupil – allegedly abused over a period of six years – to take a gap year after leaving school but assaulted him when he returned for a visit, the court heard.
Founded in the 16th century, Christ’s Hospital charges boarders up to £31,500 a year and counts Sir Barnes Wallis, inventor of the bouncing bomb, and poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge as alumni.
Pupils still wear a Tudor-style uniform consisting of a long blue coat and high yellow socks.
‘Smarmy’ sports coach is convicted of sexually abusing six girls from 14 to 18 at top private school
Ajaz Karim, 63, is convicted of seven counts of indecent and attempted assault
The former sports coach labelled his victims at Christ’s Hospital School ‘liars’
Former Eton College coach is the third Christ’s teacher convicted of sex assault
19 April 2018
A sports coach who was employed at some of the UK’s top private schools and clubs has been convicted of indecently assaulting students.
Ajaz Karim, 63, has been found guilty of assaulting young girls at the prestigious Christ’s Hospital School in Horsham, West Sussex.
The once Ugandan refugee, a former pupil at the school whose education was funded by Sir Barnes Wallis, also coached at Eton College and The Queen’s Club.
A jury convicted the ex-coach of seven charges of indecent assault and one attempted indecent assault, at Brighton Crown Court on Thursday. The jury is deliberating on a further two indecent assault charges.
Karim’s victims were all aged between 14 and 18 when he taught them between 1985 and 1993.
The jury heard how Karim, of Hammersmith, west London, massaged a student’s ‘virtually naked body’ while she lay face down on the floor of his locked study.
Another girl was pushed up against a wall and kissed by her predatory teacher.
He claimed he was using alternative therapy the Bowen Technique and was teaching them breathing exercises to help when playing sports.
During cross-examination, he admitted he had no qualifications for the practice.
Senior staff at the school came under fire from the victims over the way they handled the allegations at the time.
Karim was not reported to the police and was initially allowed to carry on working – and teaching the girls in question.
Karim left the school after complaints from four pupils surfaced between 1990 and 1993.
He is the school’s third former teacher to be convicted of sexual abuse.
Divorced Karim, was seen as a school ‘success story’ because he was a refugee, gained a scholarship and returned to teach there, while also working at Champneys health club in London, and later at Eton College, Queen’s Club, and The Hurlingham Club.
His fees were even paid for by alumnus Sir Barnes Wallis, inventor of the bouncing bomb.
But the coach, described as ‘smarmy’ by his victims, went on to have ‘wholly unnecessary’ physical contact with students.
One of his victims told how he was laughing as she ran away after he tried to ‘snog her’ and she was shocked by his audacity.
Another said Karim spread rumours about her after she complained, which turned other pupils against her.
She said the experience had forced her to write off a large ‘chunk’ of her life.
Karim dismissed the allegations, saying he was friendly with students and there was nothing sexual in their relationships.
Former Christ’s Hospital School headmaster Richard Poulton leaving Brighton Crown Court with his wife, after Ajaz Karim, 63, denies nine charges of indecent assault
Instead of admitting his crimes, Karim branded his victims liars, even accusing one of being a ‘manipulative’ attention seeker.
He said he was a ‘really good looking man at the time’ and was ‘offended’ anyone suggested he was attracted to her.
His 26-year-old son and ex-wife sat in the back of the court when Judge Christine Henson QC said he will face a lengthy prison sentence and remanded him in custody. He did not react.
Simon Reid, the school’s current headteacher, said: ‘We are deeply sorry that the offences committed by Ajaz Karim almost 30 years ago occurred here at Christ’s Hospital.
‘Child sexual abuse is an appalling violation of trust which can continue to have an impact on its victims long after it takes place.
‘We would like to thank those former pupils whose courage and strength meant that this individual will now finally face justice.’
He said the school’s safeguarding policy has been improved since the time of the offences and that ‘any allegations arising now would be dealt with in a very different way’.
Karim is the third Christ’s Hospital teacher to be convicted after ex-housemaster Peter Webb, 74, was jailed for four years after pleading guilty to 11 counts of indecently assaulting four boys, the youngest of whom was 11, over a decade during the 1970s and 1980s.
Retired teacher Peter Burr, 73, was also jailed for four years in January after admitting nine counts of indecently assaulting four boys aged 11 to 14 at the school between 1969 and 1973.
Karim did not react as the guilty verdicts were announced. His son and ex-wife sat in the back of the court.
Divorced Karim, who has a 26-year-old son, described himself as an “arrogant young coach” whose job was to “bring out the potential in students”.
He was seen as a school “success story” because he was a refugee, gained a scholarship and returned to teach there while also working at Champneys health club in London, and later at Eton College, Queen’s Club, and The Hurlingham Club.
His fees were even paid for by alumnus Sir Barnes Wallis, inventor of the bouncing bomb.
Christ’s Hospital abuse accused ‘used alternative therapy’
13 Apr 2018
A sports coach accused of indecently assaulting pupils at a private school told a court there was nothing sexual in his actions as he was using a specialist sports injury technique.
Brighton Crown Court heard Ajaz Karim, 63, of Hammersmith, denies the 10 charges against him.
He said he practised an alternative therapy on pupils at Christ’s Hospital School called the Bowen technique.
“There was absolutely not anything sexual,” he said.
Mr Karim, of Baron’s Court Road, denies nine indecent assaults and one attempted indecent assault against six girls aged 14 to 18 between 1985 and 1993.
He told the jury: “My relationship with the girls and boys was one of friendship. I wanted to treat them like young adults. I was approachable.
“Teachers at Christ’s Hospital were like gods. You really could not approach them.
“There was a saying, if Mr Karim teases you that means he likes you.”
Former headmaster Richard Poulton has told the court Mr Karim was a Christ’s Hospital “success story” because he arrived as a refugee, went on to be educated at the Horsham school on a scholarship and later returned as staff.
Mr Karim described how President Idi Amin expelled Asians from Uganda in 1972 and his family arrived in the UK, adding: “We had lost everything.”
The court has heard claims he had unnecessary contact with students including giving one a massage while she was virtually naked and pushing another against a wall and kissing her.
Giving evidence, Mr Karim said he carried out some one-to-one sessions to teach students breathing exercises and on occasion would touch their shoulders with his thumbs or pressed on their lower backs.
He said he never touched them while they were naked or gave them massages.
Mr Karim also denied locking students in his study and claimed never to have known one of the complainants.
He said he did not recall some of the alleged incidents as it was a long time ago.
The court heard he was warned by the headmaster in 1990 not to talk to the girls when they were on their own and he “unfortunately” disobeyed this when he spoke to an alleged victim because he felt she needed help.
He said the situation then became difficult because he felt he was “treated like a criminal”, adding: “It broke my relationship with a wonderful headmaster. I really don’t know why I did that.”
Allegations against Christ’s Hospital School teacher ‘dealt with in-house as he was success story’
12 Apr 2019
A top public school headmaster took a “soft” approach to allegations a sports coach was inappropriate with female pupils because he was a “success story”, a court heard.
Richard Poulton, headmaster of Christ’s Hospital School in Horsham between 1987 and 1996, told Brighton Crown Court on Thursday complaints against Ajaz Karim were dealt with “in-house” because he was a popular teacher who had been a Ugandan refugee and former pupil.
The 63-year-old, of Hammersmith, West London, denies nine charges of indecent assault and one attempted indecent assault against six girls aged 14 to 18 at the school between 1985 and 1993.
Allegations include him massaging a student’s “virtually naked body” while she lay face down on the floor of his locked study and pushing another up against a wall and kissing her on the lips.
Mr Poulton told jurors he knew of complaints from four pupils over three years before asking for Karim’s resignation. He said he made it “absolutely clear” to Karim his behaviour was unacceptable after the first two were made in 1990.
Then the father of another student wrote to Mr Poulton in 1992, claiming Karim was making unwanted visits to his daughter’s room.
Karim left the school in 1993 after what Mr Poulton branded the “last straw” – when another student said she complained of inappropriate massages and kissing.
Dressed in a blue pin-stripe suit, white shirt, blue tie, and using a walking stick, Mr Poulton apologised on several occasions for the “vagueness” of his memory.
When asked why he did not sack Karim, the 75-year-old said: “[Asking for his resignation] was perhaps a soft way of bringing our contract to an end.In many ways he was very popular. He was a success story in Christ’s Hospital terms having come to us as a refugee and being given an education [before returning to teach].”
The school continued to pay his salary for another month after he left.
Mr Poulton said he had no knowledge of any of the allegations being “sexual”, describing the complaints as those of “over familiarity”, “undue physicality” and a “threat of massage”.
He said police and social services were not involved and claimed deputy head Elizabeth Cairncross – now the principal of Wells Cathedral School in Somerset – mainly handled the complaints and would deal with anything of a “female” or “intimate” nature from students.
He added: “It was totally dealt with by school masters and school mistresses and denied by Mr Karim.”
When asked if he knew one of the claims involved Karim giving a student a “full frontal body massage”, he said: “Outrageous, I never heard that alleged. I would have reported that to the police even though that was not protocol at that time.”
But in a letter to solicitors acting on behalf of Karim in October 1993 – a month after he left – Mr Poulton, referring to complaints by students, said: “Despite possible interpretations of its very explicit contents, I did not charge Mr Karim with sexual harassment.”
When asked in defence cross-examination if he was “covering his back” with the letter, Mr Poulton said: “I didn’t see and don’t see it was covering my back. I hope I did what was right in the circumstances.
Mr Poulton said the school had no written rule against teachers touching female pupils because it was “so obvious” and “common sense”, adding: “It was absolutely clear that it was forbidden.”
Christ’s Hospital School ‘warned girl of her name going in press over coach kissing allegations’
A top private school warned a “vulnerable” teenage pupil her name could appear in the press if they dealt publicly with allegations a sports coach kissed her, a court heard.
An alleged victim claims she was given two options by Christ’s Hospital School when her complaint about Ajaz Karim was brought to their attention – for the matter to be handled “very publicly” with her running the risk of being identified, or for him to be asked to leave the school.
Footage of the woman’s police interview was played to Brighton Crown Court on Tuesday as she discussed a series of alleged incidents in around 1992 or 1993 at the Horsham public school.
Karim, 63, of Hammersmith, West London, denies nine charges of indecent assault and one attempted indecent assault against six girls aged 14 to 18 at the school between 1985 and 1993.
He has since worked at Eton College, Queen’s Club, The Hurlingham Club, as well as the London branches of Champneys and Credit Suisse.
During the interview in May 2016, the woman told officers she started having “special (coaching) sessions” with Karim and he kept “name-dropping celebrities” when talking about his work at Champneys health club.
She said he started giving her massages while she was partially naked, telling police: “When you trust somebody, you go with it. He was a teacher, he was helping me.”
On another occasion he pushed her up against a wall in a boarding house, the court heard.
She said: “He kissed me on my face and then on my mouth. And I couldn’t move my arms because he was holding them.”
The following academic year she said she agreed to let a friend tell the senior management team – headmaster Richard Poulton, deputy head Elizabeth Cairncross and housemaster Bob Sillett – on the condition her name was not given and no action was taken.
She said she felt “ashamed and uncomfortable” and only wanted the matter on record should anyone else come forward in the future. But her friend said the teachers knew it was her and that other complaints had already been made.
Jurors heard how she was asked to speak to Mr Sillett in the evening and write a statement.
She said: “(He told me) I have a choice. We can either go very public. His (Karim’s) name would be dragged through the press. I was told he was married and has a young family.”
But she said there was an implication her name could be published, adding: “It was just completely not what a 17 or 18-year-old who was trying to do the right thing wanted to hear.
“Or (I was told) we can make it known to him that you have come forward and make him resign.”
She said she chose the latter, adding: “I completely put my trust in them (the school) that they had my best interests at heart.”
Afterwards she said she felt “very isolated” when Karim continued to teach her, claiming others were “frustrated” with her when he then left because they had “listened to a load of waffle he had told them”.
She added: “The whole thing was really poorly handled.
“It has taken me a really long time to get my head around it. I have written off a chunk of my life because of my experience.”
Mrs Cairncross – who worked at the school between 1986 and 2000 – described the alleged victim as “vulnerable” and said she was the third girl she was aware of who had complained about Karim.
Giving evidence, the current principal of Wells Cathedral School in Somerset told the court she was Christ Hospital’s designated child protection officer at the time of the allegations but headmaster Mr Poulton was in charge of safeguarding.
She said she “could not recall” when the first two girls – who spoke to her together – made the complaints but during a meeting staff held with Karim he “strongly denied” the allegations and was “defensive”.
She said after the third complaint was made, Karim was on what would now be described as a “final warning”, adding: “He was told to leave the school. He was dismissed.”
‘It has been a great honour for me to have been awarded an MBE in the New Year’s Honours. The citation is for services to the community and helping others.
‘All my many friends in Freemasonry both Provincially, Nationally and Internationally have been very supportive of one aspect of my work since retirement in 2001. It was very clear to me at the time that there was a void in my life that needed filling. Raising money for Down Syndrome Education International has been one area and I thank all those Freemasons who have helped me raise a lot of money through my presentations in several degrees.
‘Serving the needs of others was constantly in my mind during my professional career at Christ’s Hospital.
Bob Sillett Bob has been nominated to carry the Olympic Flame with Lloyds TSB in the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay. Bob Sillett retired from teaching in 2001 …
Bob Sillett Bob has been nominated to carry the Olympic Flame with Lloyds TSB in the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay. Bob Sillett retired from teaching in 2001 after 38 years of service ending his career as deputy head at Christ’s Hospital School, a school for disadvantaged children. Since then he has lectured all over the world and raised over £50,000 for the Downs Educational Research Trust which works to support children with Downs Syndrome with their learning. He is now a Director of Downs Education International.He is also a governor at Christ’s Hospital School, a Chairman of the Trustees at Dauxwood Pre-school in Billingshurst West Sussex and a mentor to hundreds of former pupils of his school.
Former Deputy Head of Christ’s Hospital, Dr Robert Sillett (pictured) has become an MBE for services to the local community and to charity.Dr Sillett was appoin…
The Chairman was Bob Sillett, the Responder was Harriet Griffiths (nee Richmond) and the Chief Steward was Ian Rodgers. Bob Sillett in front of the CH Dining Ha…
Bob Sillett, from Billingshurst, was awarded an MBE earlier this week for his charity work.
On my compulsory retirement in 2001, at the relatively young age of 61 I found adjustment to life outside the school difficult. A conscious decision was taken to become involved again in as many areas as possible. Part time teaching, academic coaching, serving on many committees and being a trustee of many organisations. The range was considerable from being a director and trustee of Downs Education
International, the Benevolent Society of Blues, involvement in the church initially at Billingshurst and now at Wisborough Green and being a holding trustee at the remarkably efficient Dauxwood Pre-school in Billingshurst,
I was appointed to the academic staff of Christ’s Hospital in September 1963. I was on the staff for 38 years and covered a whole range of roles within the school – rugby coach, cricket coach, science teacher, careers master, housemaster and finally deputy head. It was in my capacity as a housemaster for 14 years I was made very aware of my responsibility of caring for the boys in my boarding housemany of whom were from single parent backgrounds.
Top private school allowed teacher to continue working after sex assault allegations
Ajaz Karim
Apr 9 2018
Christ’s Hospital School ‘failed to report sexual abuse claim’
A private school did not report to police allegations that a sports teacher sexually assaulted a pupil, a court has heard.
Ajaz Karim, from west London, denies a string of indecent assaults on teenage pupils at Christ’s Hospital School, West Sussex, from 1985 to 1993.
Senior staff at the school were aware of the claims against Mr Karim, a former pupil told Brighton Crown Court.
The 63-year-old is accused of carrying out “wholly unnecessary” massages.
Prosecutor Eloise Marshall said that, between 1985 and 1987, Mr Karim massaged a 14-year-old girl’s “virtually naked body” and touched her inappropriately after telling her to lie face down on the floor of his locked study.
His alleged victim said she first confided in a school friend a year or two later and then spoke to teachers about four years after she said the encounter happened.
Elizabeth Cairncross
The court heard the school’s headmaster from 1987 to 1996, Richard Poulton, had been given a “detailed statement” of the girl’s complaint, and Elizabeth Cairncross – the deputy head between 1985 and 2000, who is now the principal of Wells Cathedral School in Somerset – was also aware.
Speaking from behind a screen, the alleged victim said: “Mr Karim touched my body in ways that made me feel deeply uncomfortable. Of that I am certain.
“As far as I am aware no report was made to the police by the school.”
Mr Karim is accused of nine indecent assaults and one attempted indecent assault against six girls aged 14 to 18.
Another alleged victim told the jury there was “no misunderstanding” that he tried to kiss her when they were alone.
She said Mr Karim had told her he wanted to “give her a treat” for doing well in a sports session.
“There is no doubt in my mind he tried to kiss me. As I ran away I could hear him laughing,” she added.
2016 Dr Andy Kemp & Elizabeth Cairncross & Camilla
Wells Cathedral Sshool
The current principal is Elizabeth Cairncross with Dr Andy Kemp as head of the school and vice-principal, Julie Barrow as head of the junior school. Cairncross has been headmistress since 2000 and was previously Senior Mistress at Christs Hospital where she was for 15 years, the Royal Family holds links with the school, many of the buildings being opened by Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother on 6 July 1979. Queen Elizabeth II visited the school during her Silver Jubilee tour in 1977, the Countess of Wessex visited Wells on 18 October 2007 and has done so several times subsequently.
When allegations of child sexual abuse against Sir Edward Heath emerged in 2015,[2] ten years after his death, Lord Armstrong said he had “never felt a whiff of sexuality about Ted Heath, whether it was in relation to women, men or children”.
Armstrong was aware of Sir Peter Hayman’s paedophilia, and since leaving office, has commented “Clearly, I was aware of it at the time but I was not concerned with the personal aspect of it.”[5]
A top private school allowed a “smarmy” teacher to continue working after allegations of sexual assault had been made by a teenage pupil, a court heard.
Ajaz Karim denies nine charges of indecent assault and one attempted indecent assault against six girls aged 14 to 18 at Christ’s Hospital School in Horsham, West Sussex, between 1985 and 1993.
Complaints made against him in the early 1990s led him to leave the school, Brighton Crown Court heard on Friday.
The 63-year-old, of Hammersmith in West London, has since worked at Eton College, Queen’s Club, The Hurlingham Club, and has links to London branches of Champneys and Credit Suisse.
Karim is accused of carrying out “wholly unnecessary” massages, kissing a pupil on the lips and trying to “snog” another when he worked at the prestigious Horsham school.
Eloise Marshall, prosecuting, told the court between 1985 and 1987 he massaged a 14-year-old girl’s “virtually naked body” after telling her to lie face down on the floor of his locked study.
Jurors heard how he told her to keep her eyes closed while he put music on and touched her inappropriately.
The alleged victim said she told the school while she was still a pupil but only reported the incident to police decades later – prompted by other complainants who had the “courage” to come forward.
In a recorded police interview played to the jury, she described Karim as “smarmy”.
She added: “I remember feeling very uncomfortable and knowing something was wrong and not quite knowing how to deal with the situation or how to get out of it and feeling very powerless.”
She said initially she did not tell anyone because she was “freaked out” but later confided in schoolfriends and teachers.
She said after telling the school she was “slightly horrified to discover that he continued to teach”, adding: “I hoped the school would act on our information but I don’t believe anything like that happened.”
She said she and a schoolfriend were questioned about the incident in separate rooms and she provided a “detailed four-page statement” to Richard Poulton, the headmaster at the time.
She told the police officer she did not report the allegations earlier because she had told the school and previously felt that was “as far as she could take it”.
Dressed in a dark suit, Karim watched the footage from the dock taking notes and shook his head when the woman burst into tears while recalling the details of the alleged encounter.
Ms Marshall told the court: “Mr Karim used his position as a member of staff and his role in the sports department at the school to use massage of these girls as a subterfuge for touching them sexually.
“They didn’t all appreciate at the time that the touching was sexual but all say they felt uncomfortable.
“The crown say (his behaviour) was inappropriate and unnecessary.”
Another woman claimed that aged 14 he found her alone and was “pretty certain he was going to snog” her.
“He found it funny and she was shocked by his audacity,” Ms Marshall said.
Karim denied the allegations when he was arrested and interviewed in 2016, claiming he was teaching the girls breathing and relaxation techniques and when he did massage them it was to help them bend their legs.
Another girl who complained to the school claiming he kissed her on the lips but he said it was a peck on the cheek.
Founded in the 16th century, Christ’s Hospital charges boarders up to £31,500 a year.
Over the course of two weeks evidence will be heard from the alleged victims, witnesses and senior staff at the school at the time.
(Left to Right) ISR Headmaster Simon Leslie, Sally Poulton (wife of Richard) and special guest for the day Mr Richard Poulton, founding Headmaster of ISR.
Ex-public school teacher, Ajaz Karim, on trial over sex abuse
THE trial of a former sports teacher accused of sexually abusing students at a top public school has been delayed after his barrister was taken to hospital.
Ajaz Karim, 63, denies nine charges of indecent assault and one attempted indecent assault against six girls at Christ’s Hospital School in Horsham, between 1985 and 1993.
As well as working as head coach at the school for ten years from 1985, the sports consultant held the same position at Eton College for eight years from 2008, and also at The Hurlingham Club for 12 years, from 2003, as well as being head of squash at Queen’s Club for 32 years until last year, according to his Linkedin profile.
He was due to stand trial on Tuesday at Brighton Crown Court but the proceedings were delayed after his defence barrister Jonathan Davies sustained a head injury.
Calling Karim, of Hammersmith in West London, into court to explain the delay, Judge Christine Henson said: “Your barrister Mr Davies had an accident this morning and is currently in hospital. He is seeing a doctor at the moment but realistically, given the time and given he has hit his head and isn’t feeling very well, it seems we are not going to be able to make any progress today.”
She released Karim on bail to return to court today when the trial is now expected to begin.
The prosecution is part of a wider police investigation into separate allegations of abuse by other former teachers at the school.
In a separate trial former Christ’s Hospital School teacher Garry Dobbie was originally accused of ten counts of indecent assault, one attempted indecent assault and two counts of indecency against men and women.
The 66-year-old pleaded not guilty to an additional charge of indecent assault of a man between November and December 2001 at a hearing also at Brighton Crown Court yesterday. Dobbie, of Albi in France and formerly of Hereford, is due to stand trial next month alongside another ex-teacher, James Husband.
The 68-year-old, of Wigginton in York, denies four counts of rape and five counts of indecently assaulting a woman.
A former Christ’s Hospital School teacher who was jailed for sexually abusing four boys has had his sentence increased following an appeal by the Solicitor General. Peter Burr, 73, of The Square, Kingsware, Devon, was originally sentenced to four years’ imprisonment at Hove Crown Court, in January 2018. However, Solicitor General Robert Buckland QC MP appealed the sentence on the grounds it was too low. The appeal was successful and today (March 28) Burr’s sentence was increased to six years and seven months, according to the Attorney General’s Office. Speaking after the hearing, the Solicitor General said: “I am pleased the Court of Appeal has increased the sentence. I trust this sends a clear message that justice will be served no matter how long ago the offences took place. I hope this helps the victims to get some closure.” Burr – a former house tutor and physics teacher at the independent school – previously pleaded guilty to nine counts of indecent assault against four young boys. He became the second former teacher of Christ’s Hospital School to be jailed for historic indecent assault after Peter Webb – a former woodwork teacher and housemaster at the school – was sentenced after pleading guilty to eleven counts of indecent assault. Webb was originally sentenced to four years in prison, in December 2017, but – following an appeal by the Attorney General – had his sentence increased to five years and six months in February 2018.
Peter Webb.
Former Christ Hospital teacher’s sentence increased after appeal
Feb 28 2018
A former Christ’s Hospital School teacher who was jailed for indecently assaulting four boys has had his sentence increased, according to the Attorney General’s Office. Peter Webb, 75, of Kennedy Road, Dane End, Ware, Hertfordshire, was originally sentenced to four years in prison, at Lewes Crown Court, in December 2017. However, Attorney General Jeremy Wright QC MP appealed the sentence on the grounds it was too low and, following a Court of Appeal decision, Webb’s sentence was increased to five years and six months, the Attorney General said. Webb – a former woodwork teacher and housemaster at Christ’s Hospital School – pleaded guilty to eleven offences of indecent assault against four boys when he appeared at Lewes Crown Court in October 2017. He pleaded not guilty to another alleged incident against a fifth boy which the court ordered to remain on court file. Speaking after the appeal hearing, the Attorney General said: “His victims lost their innocence and for that his crimes deserved a tougher sentence. I hope the increased sentence can bring some comfort to all those affected.”
Former Christ’s Hospital teacher jailed for sexually abusing pupils
Peter Burr given four years after admitting nine counts of indecent assault on boys aged 11 to 14 between 1969 and 1973
Ex-private school teacher caught after victim confessed to Feltz radio show
08 January 2018
A retired teacher from a leading private school was caught for sexually abusing pupils after a victim revealed his ordeal to Vanessa Feltz’s radio show after claiming he was initially ignored by police.
One of the victims tried to report the crimes to officers at Horsham Police Station in 2000 but felt he was being “batted back” and no further action was taken, prosecutor Ahmed Hossain said.
It was not until December 3 2016 that the victim was prompted to email the producer of Feltz’s BBC Radio London programme when she discussed the football abuse scandal. The producer put him in touch with detectives and an investigation was launched after he made contact with police in February last year. Burr, 73, is the West Sussex school’s second former teacher to be jailed in as many months in separate prosecutions. Judge Christine Henson said he had demonstrated a “gross abuse of trust” and preyed on vulnerable boys who were reluctant to speak out after they had been given a place at the school because a parent had died or their family had a low income.
Three more men are due in court later this year. Police have said the prosecutions are not linked. Ajaz Karim, 63, who lives in London, denies nine charges of indecent assault and one attempted indecent assault against six female pupils. He is due to stand trial in April. James Husband, 67, of York, is accused of four counts of rape and five counts of indecently assaulting a woman. Gary Dobbie, 66, of Albi, France, is charged with seven counts of indecent assault and one attempted indecent assault against two men, as well as three counts of indecently assaulting two women. Husband and Dobbie deny the charges and are due to stand trial in May.
Peter Burr, 73, of The Square, Kingswear, admitted nine counts of indecent assault between 1969 and 1973 on young boys at Christ’s Hospital School, a boarding school in Horsham, West Sussex.
Burr was well-known in the area. He could often be found at the Ship Inn in Kingswear or the Windjammer in Dartmouth.
Jan Henshall, chairman of Kingswear Parish Council, said: “I believe he was a member of Royal Dart Yacht Club. In the past, he attended the senior citizens lunch at Christmas in the village. He had a social life here and was well-known.
Burr attended St John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church in Dartmouth.
Richard Rendle said: “I am disappointed because I thought he was a gentleman. I know he helped at the Regatta with classic craft and was a member of the Probus Club in Dartmouth.”
“He always kept himself to himself. If he was going away, he would not give any details. He would just say I’m going to see some friends, whereas as other people might say where they are going or have been.”
‘This year the regatta sponsored a children’s entertainer for the diamond jubilee street party and on Friday presented Peter Burr of Kingswear Combined Charities with £600 towards the firework display.
If you would like any further information on how you might support the charity or if you would like the trustees to consider a grant application please contact in the first instance the Secretary, Peter Burr
Kingswear Combined Charities
Kingswear Combined Charities is a local charity committed to supporting the welfare of children in Kingswear through the funding of recreational/extra curricular activities or community events.
Its roots purportedly go back to pre-1940 when a local spinster ran a youth club in the village – Kingswear Children’s Social Club. In the intervening years the charity has morphed according to legal necessities and changes in the village and its inhabitants but it is still committed to the support of activities for local children.
One of its main concerns is the organisation and funding of Kingswear’s Annual Firework Display at Waterhead Creek –
The Charity is managed by 5 local trustees who meet twice a year and grants are given in the region from £50 – £500. Support in the past has been given to the local Tae Kwondo club, Kingswear Village School, and a number of individuals who have needed financial assistance in their sporting/life-enriching endeavours.
Peter Burr is the second former teacher from the private school near Horsham to be jailed in as many months. Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA
A former top private school teacher has been jailed for sexually abusing four of his pupils.
Peter Burr, the house tutor and physics teacher, was jailed at Hove crown court on Friday after admitting nine counts of indecently assaulting the boys aged between 11 and 14 at Christ’s Hospital between 1969 and 1973.
The judge, Christine Henson QC, initially sentenced him to 42 months in prison and concluded the hearing.
Moments later, the parties were called back to court.
Henson returned to say she had read out the wrong figure and sentenced him to 48 months instead. She added that her views on sentencing had not changed.
Burr is the second former teacher from the boarding school near Horsham, West Sussex, to be jailed in as many months.
Henson said he displayed a pattern of preying on his victims in a “gross abuse of trust”.
She continued: “You had unlimited access to vulnerable young boys separated from their families. They obtained a place at the school because of the death of a parent or a low income. This strengthened their reluctance to speak out about you.”
Burr, 73, of Kingswear, near Dartmouth in Devon, was handed concurrent sentences for each victim and made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order.
Burr would invite pupils to visit his study for tea and cake before fondling them, the court heard.
One survivor described how Burr would entice them with chocolate biscuits, which were seen as a treat.
Ahmed Hossain, for the prosecution, said who was a house tutor as well as a physics teacher, would also become sexually aroused when he played with them in the swimming pool.
One of the survivors tried to report the crimes to officers at Horsham police station in 2000 but felt he was being “batted back” and no further action was taken, Hossain said.
It was not until 3 December 2016 that the former pupil was prompted to email the producer of Vanessa Feltz’s BBC Radio London programme when she discussed the football abuse scandal.
The producer put him in touch with detectives and an investigation was launched after he made contact with police in February last year.
Burr’s prosecution is part of a wider investigation into allegations of abuse by former teachers at the school.
A former house master, Peter Webb, 74, was jailed for four years in December.
Three more men are due in court later this year. Police have said the prosecutions are not linked.
Ajaz Karim, 63, who lives in London, denies nine charges of indecent assault and one attempted indecent assault against six female pupils. He is to stand trial in April.
James Husband, 67, of York, is accused of four counts of rape and five counts of indecently assault against a woman.
Gary Dobbie, 66, of Albi in France, is charged with seven counts of indecent assault and one attempted indecent assault against two boys, as well as three counts of indecently assaulting two women.
Husband and Dobbie deny the charges and are to stand trial in May.
Four other charges of indecent assault which he denied were left to lie on file.
Detective Inspector Wendy Burton said the victim who was on Feltz’s show did not tell officers about his previous contact with police and they could find ‘no record of his making contact or reporting any allegations in 2000’.
She said the case was investigated fully in 2017 and she moved to reassured victims that such allegations are taken seriously.
Peter Burr has been sentenced to a total of 48 months for a series of sex offences against pupils atChrist’s Hospital School.
Peter Burr, 72, retired, of The Square, Kingswear, Dartmouth, was sentenced at Hove Crown Court on Friday after admitting nine offences of indecent assault on four boy pupils aged between 11 and 14, between 1969 and 1973, while he was a physics teacher and assistant housemaster at Christ’s Hospital School in Horsham.
Burr will also be a registered sex offender for life and was given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) to last indefinitely, severely restricting his access to young people.
Burr lived in one of the rooms off the house dormitory in his charge, and supervised boys living there during prep and lights out, and in other daily activities around the school.
Detective Constable Rebecca Wilde of the Sussex Police Complex Abuse Unit said: “He clearly focused his sexual attentions on boys between and 11 and 13 in his house, leaving older boys alone.
“Some of the offences took place in his study during informal Wednesday and Sunday afternoon gatherings to watch TV, with tea, biscuits and cake on offer. To be invited was regarded as a great privilege and he took advantage of this, and his status, to systematically touch and molest three of the victims.
“The fourth victim was assaulted in the dormitory area and at the school swimming pool.
“The four boys kept these traumatic experiences largely to themselves for up to 48 years and moved on with their lives.
“We were first told about Burr in February 2017, when one of the victims came forward, triggered by hearing a local radio debate in London on the recently publicised football sex abuse scandal, and believing that insufficient attention was given to cases in which offenders were not public celebrities.
One of the others later came forward after the School advised ex-pupils of the ongoing investigation.
Ex-Teacher Sentenced for Sex Offences at Christ’s Hospital School
January 9, 2018
An ex-teacher has been sentenced to a total of four years imprisonment for a series of sex offences against pupils at a West Sussex public school.
Peter Burr, 72, retired, of The Square, Kingswear, Dartmouth, was sentenced at Hove Crown Court on Friday (5 January) after admitting nine offences of indecent assault on four boy pupils aged between 11 and 14, between 1969 and 1973, while he was a physics teacher and assistant housemaster at Christ’s Hospital School, Horsham.
He had pleaded not guilty to four other indecent assaults and these were directed to lay on the court file, not proceeded with.
Burr will also be a registered sex offender for life and was given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) to last indefinitely, severely restricting his access to young people.
Burr lived in one of the rooms off the house dormitory in his charge, and supervised boys living there during prep and lights out, and in other daily activities around the school.
Detective Constable Rebecca Wilde of the Sussex Police Complex Abuse Unit said; “He clearly focused his sexual attentions on boys between and 11 and 13 in his house, leaving older boys alone.
“Some of the offences took place in his study during informal Wednesday and Sunday afternoon gatherings to watch TV, with tea, biscuits and cake on offer. To be invited was regarded as a great privilege and he took advantage of this, and his status, to systematically touch and molest three of the victims.
“The fourth victim was assaulted in the dormitory area and at the school swimming pool.
“The four boys kept these traumatic experiences largely to themselves for up to 48 years and moved on with their lives.
“We were first told about Burr in February last year, when one of the victims came forward, triggered by hearing a local radio debate in London on the recently publicised football sex abuse scandal, and believing that insufficient attention was given to cases in which offenders were not public celebrities.
“One of the others later came forward after the School advised ex-pupils of the ongoing investigation.
“This is an important reminder that such reports will always be taken seriously, however long ago they are said to have happened.”
In 1979 at university I met a fellow undergrad who had been at the school Burr taught at after he left CH. His unprompted concerns at Burr’s behaviour there echoed the rumours that circulated CH during Burr’s time at Horsham. This has worried me greatly for nearly 40 years now – was Burr warned off from CH but allowed to find another school to employ him without full disclosure of why he left? The school he moved to is alas lost to my memory, but perhaps someone here will know.
CH does need to provide answers about what was known about these men at the time. Burr for example was allowed to come back to join the Scouts on holidays until well into the 1990s. What on earth was going on there?
I started at the school in September 1971 and so I knew both of these men as teachers at the school.
I knew nothing of the reasons for Burr leaving but did hear that Webb left suddenly.
Looking back, it is unbelievable that these men were allowed to take pupils on unchaperoned boating holidays on the Norfolk Broads.
I think that Webb’s preferences were both obvious and well known.
At some stage in the late 1970s Burr turned up at the Oratory School near Reading.
As I remember, Peter Burr (PPdeWB) was master i/c at first
I have heard my husband say this set of initials so many times, when remembering pranks at the Ffestiniog Railway in the 60s. The name was Peter Burr it must be the same person.
PPdeWB was definately Peter “Potty” Burr who taught me Physics in 1970
He affected a sort of wild eccentricity and however funny he was you were not supposed to laugh
One punishment he gave me was a 200 lone essay on “Puncyuality and Punctiliousness” for being late
He had a narrowboat called The Empress of blandings and would murder anyone who referred to it as a barge!
I recall on my first camp in Welford in 1993, Burr was there with his barge
1970s…The Duke of Edinburgh’s scheme was started at the Oratory school
!979, Peter Burr and Paul Keddie had arrived on staff to assist with the RN section and the arduous training. The flow of boys into the services continued.
Oratorian 2013 pg 17
Jonathan O’Brien appeal: Former The Oratory School teacher loses bid to cut sentence
Jonathan Philip O’Brien, 57, sexually abused boys aged 10 to 16 while working at The Oratory School in Woodcote and schools in Worcestershire in the 1980s.
16 JAN 2015
The Oratory School in Woodcote
A teacher who sexually abused private school pupils more than 30 years ago must accept his “very substantial” jail term, top judges have ruled.
Jonathan Philip O’Brien, 57, subjected boys aged 10 to 16 to his vile advances while working at The Oratory School in Woodcote and schools in Worcestershire in the 1980s.
O’Brien, of Fairfield Road, Bosham, near Chichester, was jailed for 13 years at Chichester Crown Court last May, after being convicted of 15 counts of indecent assault.
On Thursday, January 15 three senior judges at London’s Appeal Court rejected a sentence challenge by the disgraced sir, saying his jail term was not manifestly excessive.
Mrs Justice Swift said O’Brien would “exploit” the loneliness of some pupils, plying others with alcohol and cigarettes and showing them pornographic films.
He would also make those who were religious “swear on the Bible” not to tell.
She added he would lure pupils to a photographic darkroom and sexually abuse them at Winterfold House School, near Kidderminster and he later continued his “shameful” exploitation for several years at The Oratory. In all, he abused nine boys.
O’Brien was forced to leave The Oratory in the late 1980s after one of his victims complained to the school.
However, his crimes never fully came to light until February 2013, when one of the victims told police.
The paedophile, who set up his own business and married in the intervening years, denied any wrongdoing but was convicted.
Jurors also convicted him of five counts of gross indecency with a child, however, those convictions were later quashed by the Court of Appeal.
O’Brien continues to deny any wrongdoing, shows no remorse and claims he is the “innocent victim of a conspiracy”.
On appeal, O’Brien’s barrister, David Whittaker, argued the 13-year jail term was “manifestly excessive”.
He said the judge failed to give proper weight to O’Brien’s mitigation, including his lack of offending since the abuse.
But Mrs Justice Swift, sitting with Lord Justice Pitchford and Judge Paul Batty QC, said: “We consider the judge was right to say that ‘a graver abuse of trust is difficult to imagine’.
“The total sentence is indeed very substantial, but rightly so, we consider, given the particular circumstances of this case.
“We are satisfied the total sentence of 13 years reflects the seriousness of these offences and cannot be regarded as manifestly excessive.”
The appeal judge also rejected a bid by O’Brien to challenge to the terms of a sexual offences prevention order (SOPO) which bar him from having contact with children after his release.
O’Brien claimed the SOPO was “disproportionate”. But Mrs Justice Swift said the order was necessary to protect children from O’Brien in the future.
David Hutchings, former deputy headteacher, admitted five offences against two boys carried out when he was at Winterfold House School, in Chaddesley Corbett, Kidderminster, in the 1980s when it took boarders.
Former housemaster at top private school jailed for abusing pupils
Peter Webb, 74, sentenced to four years in prison for abusing boys at Christ’s Hospital school in Horsham in 1970s and 80s
Peter Webb arrives at Hove crown court for sentencing.
A former teacher at Christ’s Hospital School near Horsham has been sentenced for historic sex offences against young boys. Peter Webb, 75, of Kennedy Road, Dane End, Ware, Hertfordshire, was sentenced to a total of four years imprisonment when he appeared at Hove Crown Court on Friday (December 15) for a series of sexual offences against four boys. Webb – a former woodwork teacher and housemaster at Christ’s Hospital School – previously pleaded guilty to eleven offences of indecent assault when he appeared at Lewes Crown Court, sitting in Brighton, on September 6, 2017.
The court heard how one boy was assaulted three times, another on two occasions, the third on five occasions and the fourth on one occasion. Webb pleaded not guilty to another alleged incident against a fifth boy which the court ordered to remain on court file. Webb had previously been sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, in April 2015, after pleading guilty to three offences of historic indecent assault against another boy. On Friday, the court heard statements from three of the four victims who outlined the affect Webb’s abuse has had on their lives.
One of the victims said he had kept quiet until another victim contacted Sussex Police, in November 2016, inspiring him to come forward ‘to ensure nobody else experiences the same level of abuse’.
Defending, Simon Ray argued Webb’s decision to remove himself from being in contact with children or young boys as soon as he left Christ’s Hospital School should have accounted for a lesser sentence. He said: “Webb resigned from the school in 1984 and decided to abandon his career in teaching and, instead, chose to withdraw all contact completely to pursue a career in joinery. “He took all the practical steps he could after leaving the school to prevent being a risk to children and young boys in particular. “There have been no previous convictions recorded against him since leaving the school in 1984.”
Judge Christine Henson QC refused to accept this and argued that Webb missed an opportunity to plead guilty to all offences when he was convicted for separate incidents in 2015. In passing her sentence, she said: “You had the opportunity to wipe the slate clean in 2015 but you didn’t and now you are the author of your present situation. “I have read the impact your abusing has had on the lives of these four people. Their lives will be affected forever because of your offending.”
Webb was sentenced to two years and sixth months’ imprisonment for the first five offences to run consecutively with the 18 month sentence for the remaining six offences. In all, Webb was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment and is now a registered sex offender for life. He will serve half his sentence in custody and half on licence. He was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) to last until further court order, severely restricting his access to young people. Sussex Police had full co-operation from management at the school during both investigations, according to a police spokesman.
A former teacher at Christ’s Hospital School, near Horsham, who admitted charges of historic indecent assault against five boys has had his sentencing adjourned. Peter Webb, 74, of Authon-Edeon, France, pleaded guilty to eleven counts of indecent assault when he appeared at Lewes Crown Court on September 6. He was due to be sentenced this morning but it has been postponed until November 2, Sussex Police said.
Former Christ’s Hospital teacher pleads guilty to historic sex offences
Peter Webb pleaded guilty to eleven counts of indecent assault against five boys. (Picture: Eddie Mitchell)
06 September 2017
A former teacher of Christ’s Hospital School, near Horsham, has this morning (September 6) been convicted of historic cases of indecent assault against five boys.
Peter Webb, 74, of Authon-Edeon, France, pleaded guilty to eleven charges of indecent assault when he appeared at Lewes Crown Court, sitting in Brighton, this morning. He was granted bail and is now expected to be sentenced on October 12 at Lewes Crown Court.
Gary Dobbie, a former teacher at Christ’s Hospital School, is charged with non-recent sex offences. Picture: Eddie Mitchell
Three more former teachers of the school also appeared at Lewes Crown Court charged with historic sex offences. Gary Dobbie, 66, of Albi, France, is charged with seven counts of indecent assault and one count of attempted indecent assault against two males, as well as three counts of indecent assault against two females. He spoke only to plead not guilty to all charges.
James Andrew Husband, a former teacher at Christ’s Hospital School, is charged with non-recent sex offences. Picture: Eddie Mitchell
Appearing alongside Dobbie inside the dock on Wednesday morning was former colleague James Andrew Husband, 67, of Wigginton Road, York. Husband is charged with four counts of rape and five counts of indecent assault against a female. He spoke only to plead not guilty to all charges. Both Dobbie and Husband have been bailed until May 29 for trial at Lewes Crown Court.
Ajaz Karim, 62, of Baron’s Court, London, is charged with nine counts of indecent assault and one count of attempted indecent assault against six females. Ajaz Karim, a former teacher from Christ’s Hospital School, charged with sex offences. Pic: Eddie Mitchell
Ajaz Karim spoke only to plead not guilty to all charges. He has been bailed to appear before Lewes Crown Court for trial on April 3.
New headmaster at Christ’s Hospital – Simon Reid has been appointed headmaster
(safe pair of hands – Gordonstoun, Stowe etc. Simon Reid worked at Christ’s Hospital School (Mr Reid, who held various posts there between 1993 and 2004, teaching English and serving as boarding house master.) when the alleged abuse occurred.
“Men who taught at Christ’s Hospital boarding school face total of 36 counts over alleged offences between 1980 and 1996“
Simon Reid appointed headteacher at Christ’s Hospital in Horsham
Simon Reid, currently principal at Gordonstoun School, will take over from John Franklin, who retires in September. Christ’s Hospital should be familiar territory for Mr Reid, who held various posts there between 1993 and 2004, teaching English and serving as boarding house master. He said: “The bond with Christ’s Hospital and its values, which I formed during my first period at the school has drawn me back once again, this time with the honour to serve as headmaster.
“In my immediate predecessor, John Franklin, I have a tough act to follow. John’s tenure saw the school make considerable advances, with major improvements on the campus, an enhanced strategic and financial footing and greater connectedness to the wider community, nationally and worldwide. “Most of all, he kept the school true to its original mission to create opportunity for those in need. “I am looking forward to meeting the challenges ahead with commitment and dedication.”
Mr Reid has a BA in English and Politics and a Higher Diploma in Education. His wife Michèle teaches French -her native language – and they have two adult children. His interests include architectural and landscape photography, writing poetry, reading and skiing. Andrew Gordon, chairman of the board of school governors, said: “In Simon, we believe that we have found the perfect blend of experience, empathy with our unique ethos and charitable mission and the focused leadership qualities necessary to lead the school successfully in the next phase of its development.” As well as Gordonstoun, Mr Reid has taught at Brentwood, Stowe and Worksop College.
He spent seven years as deputy head at Worksop College before taking up his present position at Gordonstoun in 2011.
Gordonstoun – where several members of the Royal family have studied – is one of several independent schools in Scotland named by judge Lady Smith, who is conducting a national inquiry into historical abuse.
Police files on child sex abuse at Gordonstoun school have vanished
A teacher named Derek Jones seriously sexually assaulted a number of children attending the junior school around 1990. He was twice questioned by police in the following years after the children told their parents what had happened. Files were forwarded to the Procurator Fiscal, Scotland’s prosecution service, but it was decided not to prosecute. The files would normally be retained, but Scotland’s Crown Office says they now cannot be found.
Teacher at prince’s public school Gordonstoun accused of sex abuse
Andrew Keir, 65, a retired physics teacher now living in Cheshire, appeared in court last week charged with acting in a lewd and indecent manner to two 13-year-old pupils over five months in 1988 and 1989.
Disgraced housemaster found guilty of grooming pupils at top Scots school used by royals and rich
Andrew Keir was convicted of offences involving 13-year-olds.
9 MAR 2018
A former assistant housemaster at a Scots boarding school used by royals and the rich and famous has been found guilty of grooming pupils.
Disgraced Andrew Keir, 67, was convicted of a string of lewd and indecent offences involving 13-year-old boys in his care almost three decades ago.
A sheriff took just 20 minutes to find the retired physics teacher at Gordonstoun, Morayshire, guilty of the charges after a three-day trial at Elgin Sheriff Court.
Immediately after the verdict the school – where Prince Philip and his sons princes Charles, Andrew and Edward were taught, and David Bowie’s son Zowie – apologised.
A spokeswoman said: “During the trial it became clear that the school’s response at the time of the offences was not as robust and rigorous as it would be now, and we are very sorry for this.
“Today, Gordonstoun has a rigorous approach to child protection.
“Our policies and procedures are robust and have been developed and approved by leading child protection experts.”
Keir, now living in Cheshire, had denied swimming and showering in the nude while in a state of arousal with three pupils, and encouraging them to do the same.
He refuted allegations of “skinny dipping” with pupils claiming he could have taken boys into the pool alone – but only if he had an “evil mind”.
Prince Charles in his final year at Gordonstoun School
His three victims, now all in their 40s, told how he took them for secret swimming sessions in the dark and chased them naked in the water.
Keir, a black belt in judo, was also convicted of putting his hand on one victim’s crotch and bottom while they “grappled” in a classroom.
He then put his hands down the same pupil’s trousers while he played computer games and performed a sex act on him.
The witnesses said they told the school’s chaplain what had happened but nothing was done.
Giving evidence Keir claimed his diagnosis with Asperger’s syndrome made it impossible for him to come up with a reason why the trio would accuse him.
Gordonstoun School (Image: PA)
Keir insisted he was often too busy as a housemaster, teacher, judo and sailing coach and driver of the school fire engine to be alone with pupils. He said: “It would have been exceptionally unusual for me to have a half hour spare. I would certainly never be alone with a pupil.”
Keir added: “If I had had an evil mind I might have managed it, but I didn’t. It would have been possible, but I didn’t.”
Prosecutor Alison Young described Keir’s pattern of alleged behaviour of getting victims alone outside of class as “basically grooming”.
Keir was convicted of lewd, indecent or libidinous practices between November 1988 and March 1989 by removing his swimming trunks in the presence of children.
Prince Philip during his schooldays at Gordonstoun (Image: HRH The Duke of Edinburgh)
He was also found guilty of indecent assault by placing his hands down the trousers of a child and disorderly conduct by removing his swimming trunks in the presence of a child.
In their statement Gordonstoun also praised the whistleblowers and said they now had rigorous measures in place to protect children.
The school said: “We are profoundly saddened by this case.
“The offences, from 1988 and 1991, for which Andrew Keir has been convicted, are distressing for all involved and we admire the courage of those who came forward to seek justice.
Former teacher jailed for lewd acts at Gordonstoun School
1 May 2018
Andrew Keir
A former teacher at a leading Scottish boarding school has been jailed for a year for lewd acts involving pupils at swimming sessions.
Andrew Keir was convicted of charges involving three boys at Gordonstoun, near Elgin, between 1988 and 1991.
He was found guilty at Elgin Sheriff Court of removing his trunks and exposing himself.
Keir, 67, now of Tarporley, Cheshire, was also convicted of indecent assault and breach of the peace.
In a statement, the school said it was “profoundly saddened” by the case.
“The offences, from 1988 and 1991, for which Andrew Keir has been convicted, are distressing for all involved and we admire the courage of those who came forward to seek justice,” it said.
“During the trial it became clear that the school’s response at the time of the offences was not as robust and rigorous as it would be now, and we are very sorry for this.
“Today, Gordonstoun has a rigorous approach to child protection.”
The school has been attended by members of the Royal Family, including Prince Charles and his father, the Duke of Edinburgh.
During evidence, two of the boys said they had taken concerns about Keir’s behaviour to the school chaplain shortly after the swimming pool incident. However, no further action was ever taken.
Author reveals shocking new claims of serious sexual assault at Prince Charles’s former boarding school
Miranda Doyle made public the allegations in her memoir about abuse in the 1980s.
3 JUN 2018
Shocking new claims of serious sexual assaults at Prince Charles’s former boarding school have been made to the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry.
The allegations about staff at Gordonstoun in the 1980s were made public by author Miranda Doyle in a memoir published last year.
In it, she reveals she was attacked by a staff member at the school, in Elgin, when she was just 14.
She also tells how she witnessed other female pupils being ordered to strip naked before being thrown into cold baths by a male teacher.
Miranda, 49, decided to speak out after learning she wasn’t the only pupil targeted by her abuser.
She has waived her right to anonymity and given a statement about the abuse she suffered and other incidents she witnessed.
She said: “Gordonstoun wasn’t a safe place to be. It is time to speak out about what happened.”
Miranda still breaks down in tears almost 40 years on at the painful memories.
She included the harrowing experiences in The Book of Untruths, in which she set out to debunk lies she had been told throughout her life.
It details how she was just 11 when a male teacher told girls in her class not to bring bathing suits for their swimming lesson.
Three years later, after Miranda complained of stomach pains, a member of medical staff working at the school carried out an intimate examination he said was needed to check her appendix.
She finally found the strength to speak out after other former pupils shared memories of similar ordeals.
Now she hopes to encourage others who went to the school – once attended by Prince Philip and his sons Prince Charles, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward – to come forward.
Miranda said: “Gordonstoun was supposed to be such a wonderful school – even the Royal Family sent their children there. So many of the pupils feel a lot of shame that they didn’t have a better time. But I never felt safe there, and it didn’t feel safe for the other children.
“I’ve always been seen as a bit of a drama queen, so for a long time I didn’t trust my own memories.
“Speaking out makes me feel terrified but I know now I wasn’t the only pupil this happened to.”
Miranda started at the affiliated Aberlour House junior school in 1979 – when her family moved to Saudi Arabia for her father’s work – and spent two years there before moving to Gordonstoun senior school for the next five years.
Both were founded by Dr Kurt Hahn and shared the same school song, flag and motto. When Miranda was a pupil, they had separate staff, boards of governors and were 20 miles apart.
They merged in 2002 and now share the same campus.
She said: “In my first year at Aberlour House, before the Christmas holidays, one of the teachers announced the girls would have a swimming lesson but because we had already packed there would be no necessity for us to wear our costumes. They might get wet.
“Even at 11, the threat of a wet swimming costume seemed too bogus to be true.
“If wet costumes were an inconvenience, wasn’t it obvious that we do something else? The same teacher would also make appearances at what the girls called ‘birthday baths’.
“When it was someone’s birthday we tortured one another by throwing the birthday girl in a bath of cold water.
“On occasional mornings, he came into the girls’ dormitories before the bell. With his help we would strip the birthday girl down and drag her screaming to a waiting bath.
“Two of us took one arm apiece, his huge hands clamped hard to her spread ankles.”
Edinburgh-born Miranda breaks down in tears at memories of being sexually abused after complaining of a sore stomach.
She said: “I was 14 and I hadn’t thought anything was suspicious then. But some time afterwards I had gone to see one of the house tutors.
“She asked about the examination and how many times it had happened.
“When I said twice she wrote it down and said she had been doing an audit of this type of examination.She told me, ‘When I’ve reached enough of a number maybe I’ll report him.’”
Miranda doesn’t know if the abuse was ever reported.
When the author, who now lives in Cambridge, joined a private Facebook group for former Gordonstoun pupils, she discovered a younger girl had had the same ordeal at the hands of the same man six years later.
She said: “It’s sad to know others have gone through the same thing but to finally have corroboration felt like a relief. There was a forest of girls probably that this happened to.”
Miranda, who has not reported her claims to police and believes her abuser is still alive, said members of the Facebook group spoke of numerous incidents of inappropriate behaviour at the school.
She said: “My sense that those school years had been all wrong was confirmed.”
Ex-pupils gave her guidance and support and that helped her to have the confidence to report her experiences at Aberlour House and Gordonstoun to the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry, which is probing the treatment of kids in care – including at residential schools.
She was terrified at first when interviewed. Miranda said: “I howled for the first 10 minutes without even taking my coat off.
“I saw two people from the inquiry team and I felt worried that I was wasting their time and ashamed that I might be disbelieved.
“It was the most amazing experience to be believed. I know I am not the only former pupil from the school to have given a statement to the inquiry.”
Former Christ’s Hospital teachers appear at court charged with sex offences
9 Aug 2017
Four former teachers from Christ’s Hospital School appeared before Crawley Magistrates’ Court.
The men all worked at Christ’s Hospital School near Horsham in West Sussex.
It’s alleged the offences were committed against 15 young people both males and females between 1980 and 1996.
Three men pleaded not guilty to all charges while a fourth man entered no plea. Gary Dobbie, a former teacher at Christ’s Hospital School, is charged with non-recent sex offences.
,
Gary Dobbie
James Andrew Husband
James Andrew Husband and Ajaz Karim appeared on Wednesday morning and spoke only to plead not guilty on all charges. The fourth man Peter Webb entered no plea.
Dobbie, 66, of Park Street, Hereford, is charged with seven counts of indecent assault and one count of attempted indecent assault against three boys, as well as three counts of indecent assault against two women.
At Crawley Magistrates’ Court, he was granted bail on the condition he notifies Sussex Police of the change to his address and has no contact – directly or indirectly – with any former or present members of staff or pupils from Christ’s Hospital School.
James Andrew Husband, a former teacher at Christ’s Hospital School, is charged with non-recent sex offences. He must also have no contact with any children under the age of 18, must not live in a household with a child under the age of 18, or enter and remain in a household where a child under the age of 18 is present. He must not enter any of the school’s premises. Husband, 67, of Wigginton Road, York, is charged with five counts of indecent assault and four counts of rape against a girl. He was granted bail at Crawley Magistrates’ Court on the condition he has no contact – directly or indirectly – with any former or present members of staff or pupils from Christ’s Hospital School.
Ajaz Karim, a former teacher from Christ’s Hospital School, charged with sex offences. He must not live in the same household as a child under the age of 18, have contact with any children under the age of 16, enter or remain in a household where a child under the age of 14 is present or enter any of the school’s premises. 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. He was granted bail on the condition he has no contact – directly or indirectly – with any former or present members of staff or pupils from Christ’s Hospital School and has no supervision of a child under the age of 16.
Peter Webb, 74, of Authon-Edoen, France, is charged with six counts of indecent assault against three boys.
Peter Webb, a former teacher at Christ’s Hospital School, is charged with non-recent sex offences. He was granted bail on the condition he has no contact – directly or indirectly – with any former or present members of staff or pupils from Christ’s Hospital School and has no contact with any children under the age of 18. All four defendants are due to appear before Lewes Crown Court on September 6.
The attacks are alleged to have taken place between 1980 and 1996 are accused of assaults on 15 people, both male and female, across a 16-year period.
Four former teachers at Sussex school charged with sexual offences
Men who taught at Christ’s Hospital boarding school face total of 36 counts over alleged offences between 1980 and 1996
Four former teachers at a West Sussex boarding school have been charged with a range of sexual offences including rape against 15 alleged male and female victims across a 16-year period.
The accused, all men in their 60s who taught at Christ’s Hospital school near Horsham, face a combined total of 36 counts relating to alleged offences between 1980 and 1996. They were arrested last November.
Gary Dobbie, 66, of Albi, France, is charged with seven counts of indecent assault and one count of attempted indecent assault against three boys and three counts of indecent assault against two girls.
James Andrew Husband, 67, of Wigginton Road, York, is charged with five counts of indecent assault against a girl and four counts of rape.
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.
Peter Webb, 74, of Authon-Edeon, France, is charged with six counts of indecent assault of three boys. Police said the charges relate to a total of 15 complainants. They have been released on bail to appear at Crawley Magistrates’ Court on August 9.
The Duke of Gloucester presents the Stella Artois Championship trophy to USA’s Andy Roddick at Queen’s Club, London, 15 June 2003
Britain’s most exclusive tennis club, Queen’s, whose members include Prince Edward, the Duchess of Gloucester and Pippa Middleton, hosts its annual championships next week in the traditional precursor to Wimbledon.
Member of staff from Shrewsbury School being investigated for historical sex offences
Jan 29 2016
The boarding school says the staff member has been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation into alleged assaults on a teenage girl.
The allegations involve a school in Sussex and date back up to 26 years ago.
The £11,000-a-term Shrewsbury School, based in Kingsland, has released a statement confirming one of its staff was being questioned by police about the allegations.
It follows the arrest of a man in Shrewsbury by West Mercia Police officers yesterday. Police spokesman Paul Roberts said the arrest was on suspicion of sexual assaults at an address in West Sussex.
He said: “He remains in police custody at this time. West Mercia Police are assisting Sussex Police with their investigation.”
Sussex Police spokesman Tim Mahony said: “Two men were arrested at addresses in Shropshire and North Yorkshire on suspicion of rape and other sexual assaults on a teenage girl in West Sussex during the late 1980s and early 1990s.
“They are currently in custody at police stations near where they live, for interview and further inquiries.
“The investigation is being carried out by specialist child safeguarding detectives from Sussex Police.”
A statement from the school said: “Shrewsbury School understands that a police investigation into events at a school in Sussex over 10 years ago involves a member of the current staff at the school.
400 boys and girls from Christ’s Hospital in their Tudor style uniform marched through the City on Friday, 22 September to celebrate St Matthew’s Day, one of the high days in the School’s calendar.
The Parade began from Carmelite Street (EC1) and moved to the Church of St Andrew, Holborn. The thanksgiving service was attended by David Brewer, the Lord Mayor of the City of London and Vice President of Christ’s Hospital. The School was delighted to also welcome The Revd Gary Dobbie, former Chaplain of Christ’s Hospital and now Chaplain of Shrewsbury School, who took the Sermon.
Following the Service, the pupils, led by the Band, marched from the Church to Mansion House, despite the inclement weather, where they received largesse, a small sum of money, from the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress before being given lunch in the Egyptian Hall.
Queen’s Club Queen’s Club is the home of real tennis and rackets and there are forty tennis courts of all different surfaces. Jaz Karim, the professional, and two assistants were ready to coach us.
Jaz Karim presented us with a champagne glass from Queen’s Club and was given a tour cap
Queen’s Club and Eton head coach suspended in police probe
Britain’s most exclusive tennis club, Queen’s whose members include Prince Edward, the Duchess of Gloucester and Pippa Middleton – Ajaz Karim has been suspended pending the outcome of a police probe.
Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex and the fourth child of Queen Elizabeth II. He plays tennis regularly, at Queen’s Club in London, off a handicap of 40 (a low B player, in other words) and is the active patron of the Tennis & Rackets Association, which governs the game of tennis in Great Britain
Grant Meyrick, the club’s chairman, has established that members,who include Tim Henman, the British No 1, andthe Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, are willing to stump up about £10,000 each to buy it.
The club has long been a favourite with investment bankers. Scott Mead, the former Goldman Sachs partner, was three times club veteran tennis champion.
The Uganda Children’s Trust Fund was founded in 2001 by Jaz Karim. As a child, Jaz grew up in Mbale, in eastern Uganda. His family were forced to leave for England under the Asian expulsion ordered by Idi Amin Jaz first re-visited Uganda in the late 2000s
Eton Action is an independent charity conceived and founded by Etonians to promote charitable activity and social responsibility among boys. Its activities consist primarily in raising money for charities other than Eton College itself. It is still run primarily by boys: an executive committee of boys governs the charity under the guidance of the chairman, secretary and treasurer, who are Masters. Trustees are drawn from current senior staff.
The income from all these events is pooled and divided between charitable foundations and projects chosen by the committee and voted on by every boy in the school. In addition, external charities set up stalls which enable them to raise money for their own good causes.
In 2016, a variety of activities ranging from a fives marathon to the sponsored shaving of a House Master’s beard raised a total of £40,300 which was divided between the Uganda Children’s Trust Fund, The Passage, Marie Curie Cancer Care, Space for Giants and Great Ormond Street.
Andrew Picard, a former USA Swimmer, has been added to the list of Individuals Suspended or Ineligible – Permanently, the organization announced on Monday.Picard, who registered with USA Swimming with both the names Andrew Laurence and Andrew Boeckman (as recently as December on the latter name) and whose prior legal name was Andrew Laurence Boeckman, last swam at a meet in December of 2015.Picard made global headlines earlier this year when he received only a suspended prison sentence despite being caught by an undercover police officer sharing pictures of young children in an online chat room. Picard, 17 at the time but now 18, was found with 1,185 indecent images and videos on his computer and external hard drives. The material was described as “disturbing” and by the case’s judge as “so appalling, frankly I can’t bring myself to talk about it.” According to police, the videos included abuse of babies and toddlers.Picard pled guilty to one count of possessing indecent pictures of children, one count of making indecent pictures of children, and 8 counts of distributing indecent photos of recordings of a child. He was sentenced to 10-months in prison, suspended for 18 months. What that means is that if Picard doesn’t break the law and fulfills the conditions of his probation over the next 18 months, the sentence will be dismissed.https://swimswam.com/swimmer-andrew-picard-banned-life-usa-swimming/
Andreas Baader@stop1984
Eton student owned toddler-rape videos allowed to use false name to protect wealthy family
Karim’s arrangement at Queen’s allows him to fulfil the same head squash coach role at Eton College, where he has been in the post since 2008, and at the Hurlingham Club in South-West London, and even — according to his personal website — at investment bank Credit Suisse, which has its own squash courts.
His website adds that he ‘represented England at junior level in hockey’, ‘has played and coached cricket at a high level’ and has been ‘coaching, training, studying at the pinnacle of squash for over 30 years’.
‘A lot of the support and fundraising for the Uganda Children’s Fund has come through Jaz’s Queen’s Club connections, one way and another — and probably some of his Etonian connections as well.’
The club, located next to the Credit Suisse offices in Cabot Square was previously only available for use by employees of the financial services company.
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.
HRH Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester -the mother of the present Duke of Gloucester
Dr. Margery Blackie
Princess Alice, the late Duchess of Gloucester, was the patron of the Blackie Foundation Trust established in honor of Dr. Margery Blackie, the former royal homeopathic physician who served from 1969 until 1980.
At present, Princess Alexandra, Lady Ogilvy, is patron to the Blackie Foundation Trust, and Mary, Duchess of Roxburghe, serves as one of the vice-presidents of this organization.
DETECTIVES investigating the shooting of Jill Dando 11 weeks ago will not even interview the Ealing Vicarage rapist, Martin McCall.
McCall took a job as a security guard with a company in Fulham, Southwest London, where the murdered Crimewatch presenter lived and died.
Last January he switched to a company which employs security guards at the BBC.
He worked at Television Centre with access to the Crimewatch office and, in theory, Jill Dando’s home address. Within days of the killing he left his job.
McCall was jailed in 1986 for a vicious assault on vicar’s daughter Jill Saward.
He later bludgeoned another member of his gang to death to stop him talking. …
Father Michael Napier is related (cousin) to convicted paedophile Charles Napier
Paedophile Charles Napier’s uncle: Charles Scott Napier
Michael Napier’s father, Major-General Charles Napier, served in the Royal Engineers, and was a backroom boy in charge of movement control, especially for the D-Day operations.
The son of Major-General Charles Scott Napier, a relation of the Lords Napier and Ettrick, Michael Scott Napier was born in India in February 1929.
Jasper, 41, who has made a fortune from pornography, is to be found in a somewhat more modest accommodation in Fulham, South-West London, where he runs Tongue In Cheek and Relish XXX, companies specialising in porn films.
Jasper, who was at gordonstoun with Prince Edward, had been estranged from his father ever since he was jailed for attempted robbery while high on cocaine In recent times, he liked to boast that he was one of the largest producers of hardcore porn in the country, making films with titles like To The manor Porn, and with a contract to supply NHS hospital fertility clinics with blue movies.
Jasper Duncombe, eldest son of Etonian Lord Feversham,
Ms (Natalie) Rowe, Mr Sinclair and Lord Feversham are just three members of a large and colourful cast of bohemian characters, interlinked by loose association and dubious habits, who caroused in the smarter reaches of West London almost two decades ago.
Also hosts Conservatives balls AND was within view of the last place Vishal Mehrotra was sighted.
The Hurlingham Club
Is an exclusive sports and social club located in Fulham, London, England. It has a Georgian clubhouse set in 42 acres (17 ha) of grounds. It is a member of The Association of London Clubs.
Recognised throughout the world as one of Britain’s greatest private members’ clubs. The waiting list is 12 years.
Lord Fowler is a member of Hurlingham Club
Lord Fowler and paedophile Jimmy Savile
At the time, the Conservatives had made significant cuts to benefits for disabled people. Norman Fowler, the Health Secretary, wrote to the Prime Minister to say that a £500,000 donation to the Stoke Mandeville spinal injuries unit would help show that the government’s support for disabled people “had not ended”.
British politician who was a member of Margaret Thatcher’s ministry, Tory Cabinet minister Lord Fowler,Lord Temple-Morris, Adam Raphael, the Carry On actress Liz Fraser, novelist and peer Jeffrey Archer, the actor Trevor Eve and his wife Sharon Maughan are all members of the Hurlingham Club. Past members include Walter Buckmaster and Air Vice-Marshal Sir William Cushion, Lord Hunt, BBC broadcaster Ed Stourton and even Kate Middleton’s hairdresser Richard Ward –
The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), an early patron, was a keen shot and his presence ensured the club’s status and notability from the beginning. The current patron is HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Oh I say, what a peach of a fund-raising auction the Tories held in Fulham the other night.
The old boy’s spirit certainly hovered over the Hurlingham Club when the Conservative’s pre-election begging bowl did the rounds at a £12,000-per-table donors’ dinner.
Traditionally strong on the fund-raising side, the party had invited the usual rabble of the mega-rich – folk who are either in or on the edge of kitchen supper society – to mingle and break bread with its top seeds. One of those who joined David Cameron, George Osborne, Michael Gove and Jeremy Hunt paid £40,000 for a bottle of champagne signed by Lady Thatcher, while another lashed out double that for a day’s shooting on the Oxfordshire estate of the Syrian-born billionaire Wafic Said.
This touching we’re-all-in-it-together austerity-fest reached its climax with the sale of what was billed as “the ultimate tennis match”.
As of Feb 2016 there had been a total of 18 arrests [1] including
Ryan Bishti founder of “celeb” nightclub Cirque Le Soir on suspicion of bribery
Tom Eulenberg described as Cirque Le Soir clubs ringmaster
2 Police constables
Members of TSS Security and Profile Protection
No one had been charged as of Feb 2016, no announcements are known to have been made that anyone has been charged to date.
The Department of Professional Standards had said it planned to send a file to the Crown Prosecution Service in six months’ time from Feb 2016 [1] It is not known whether they have.
Suspicion is that the guilty are high up in the Westminster Police Licensing Unit, the process will be delayed, evidence lost, witnesses unavailable
Plans to redevelop the club’s Grade II-listed West Wing, adding a second swimming pool, cafe, sports bar and fitness studios over three floors.
Hurlingham’s chairman, Julian Holloway, held a referendum this week to vote on whether to submit the architects’ plans to Hammersmith & Fulham Council for planning approval and listed building consent.
Friends celebrated Cliff Richards‘ 30 years in business at the Hurlingham Club
Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh arriving at the Club House, Hurlingham Club, for the Commonwealth and Empire Coronation Ball given by the Royal Empire Society, Victoria League and Overseas League. 1953
JAMES Matthews and Pippa Middleton enjoy an evening together at the ParaSnowBall at the Hurlingham Club.
The ParaSnowBall is held annually by Disabled Snowsports UK, of which Pippa is a patron.
During the evening, the pair enjoyed a night of winter sports presentations and rubbed shoulders with a series of British Paralympic champions.
Jaz Karim founded JazSports in 1990 and focussed initially on coaching but later developed the business from coaching and supplying sports equipment to athletes to today when JazSports has become the ultimate ‘hub’ for athletes to go to in order to holistically develop their physical and mental skills in their game.
Jaz’s sporting credentials are broad. He has represented England at junior level in hockey and has played and coached cricket at a high level. He is a uniquely inspirational coach in his chosen sport, squash. In the words of former World No. 1 Squash Player Amr Shabana “Jaz is a living legend”.
At JazSports Jaz brings together a team of highly qualified coaches and top-notch supporting professionals from specialist personal trainers to nutritionists and sports psychologists. He works closely with managers, agents, sponsors and sports clubs providing him with a varied and broad network helping his athletes to reach their highest potential in their sporting career.
Jaz and his team works with National organisations to promote squash at a strategic national level. Working closely with Gibraltar and with experience in Uganda, Finland and USA means he has a wealth of experience to draw upon.
At the club level the impact of the fitness industry has been meteoric and as clubs strive to add value to their membership so Jaz helps clubs both strategically and detailed project planning to promote the sport ensuring success for the largest to the smallest of organisations.
Consultancy Engagements Jaz has worked in a multitude of capacities when consulting on
JazSports has provided on site assistance in the following programs;
• National Squash Strategy – Gibraltar
• Club Turnaround – London based clubs
• Tournament Hosting – Tournament of Champions
• Coaching and Clinics – Jaz Camps
• Squash Development – New court construction in US
A preview of what LinkedIn members have to say about ajaz:
Jaz is passsionate about squash. He understands the game well and his coaching style reflects that. Besides squash, Jaz is a tireless campaigner of promoting sports via charitable causes. He has the natural ability to make one feel at ease via his wit and the steely determination which he inconsciously imparts in others.
Bail extended again for former Christ’s Hospital employees
Christ’s Hospital School.
May 3 2017
Four men arrested during 2016 over allegations of non-recent sexual offences against pupils from Christ’s Hospital School, have had their police bail extended from May 3 to July 12 while police reports continue to be considered by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Sussex Police said today (May 3).
The four and their legal representatives have been informed and did not need to attend police stations on May 3, police said. Sussex police said that a 65-year old from Shropshire was arrested on January 29, 2016, on suspicion of indecent assault on a girl, indecent assault on a boy and another indecent assault on a boy.
On December 12, 2016, he was re-arrested in Shropshire by Sussex officers and was interviewed on suspicion of further offences against six people – five men, and a woman – before being rebailed. A 66-year old man from North Yorkshire was arrested on January 29, 2016, on suspicion of the rape of a girl and indecent assault on a girl.
A 62-year old West London man was arrested on June 12, 2016, on suspicion of indecent assaults on four girls.
A 74-year old man living in the Charente-Maritime District of France, who is a UK citizen, was arrested in the UK on December 20, 2016, on suspicion of indecent assaults on three boys.
All the men were teachers at the school, police said. The investigation is being carried out by detectives from the Sussex Police Complex Abuse Unit.
Bail extended for former Christ’s Hospital employees Christ’s Hospital school.
Four men, arrested during 2016 over non-recent allegations of sexual offences while teachers at Christ’s Hospital School near Horsham, have had their police bail extended from February 10 to March 15 while police reports are being considered by the CPS, Sussex Police said today (February 10).
The four and their legal representatives were informed and did not need to attend police stations on February 10, police said.
Sussex police said that a 65-year old from Shropshire was arrested on January 29 2016 on suspicion of indecent assault on a girl, indecent assault on a boy and another indecent assault on a boy. On December 12 2016 he was re-arrested in Shropshire by Sussex officers and was interviewed on suspicion of further offences against six people – five men, and a woman – before being rebailed. A 66-year old man from North Yorkshire was arrested on January 29 2016 on suspicion of the rape of a girl and indecent assault on a girl. A 62-year old West London man was arrested on June 12 2016, on suspicion of indecent assaults on four girls. A 74-year old man living in the Charente-Maritime District of France, who is a UK citizen, was arrested in the UK on December 20 2016, on suspicion of indecent assaults on three boys.
All the men were teachers at the school, police said. The investigation is being carried out by detectives from the Sussex Police Complex Abuse Unit.
Anthony Brailsford due back in court today for sentencing – no news so far
Anthony Brailsford – Headmaster of Queen’s Windsor Castle school admits he is a paedophile as court hears he sexually abused boys in his Latin classes and watched them shower naked
Brailsford, who appeared in the dock dressed in a dark suit and blue tie, was released on conditional bail to return to the court to be sentenced on January 6.
Update: Dec 15 2016 – Bail extended and still no names ….
Three men arrested on suspicion of non-recent sexual offences while teachers at Christ’s Hospital School near Horsham have had their police bail extended to February 10, 2017 while police enquiries continue and police reports are considered by the CPS, Sussex Police said.
The three men had previously been bailed until today (December 15).
A Sussex Police spokesman said that a 65-year old man from Shropshire was arrested on January 29 on suspicion of indecent assault on a girl, indecent assault on a boy, and another indecent assault on a boy.
The spokesman added: “On December 12 the 65-year old from Shropshire was re-arrested in Shropshire by Sussex officers and was interviewed on suspicion of further offences against six people – five men and a woman – before being rebailed to February 10.”
A 66-year old man from North Yorkshire was arrested on January 29, 2016 on suspicion of the rape of a girl in West Sussex, and indecent assault on a girl, the spokesman added.
A 62-year old West London man was arrested on June 12, 2016, on suspicion of indecent assaults on four girls in West Sussex, the spokesman said.
The investigation is being carried out by detectives from the Sussex Police Complex Abuse Unit.
Headmaster of Princess Eugenie’s former prep school, St George’s, admits sexually assaulting boys in his Latin classes and watching others showering naked
Yet another paedophile working for a school affiliated with the royal family ….how many does that make now?
Eugenie ended up going to St George’s school because her parents’ first choice was a school, Aiglon, with a paedophile scandal…involving the head, Richard McDonald,who’s a friend of Prince Andrew.
That friend and head, Richard McDonald,
also taught as Christ Hospital School…and attended Gordonstoun at the same time as Prince Andrew
Update: Jan 13 2017
Paedophile headmaster, Anthony Brailsford, who touched boys during Latin classes and watched them shower naked at the prestigious Queen’s school at Windsor Castle is SPARED JAIL
Former headteacher was Latin tutor when the abuse took place, court told
He would get boys to come to front of class and touch their buttocks
Indecent images found on his computer when police raided his home
Judge spares him jail, saying it is ‘not in the public interest’ to lock him up
Anthony Brailsford, the former acting head of the St George’s school – He admitted three counts of indecent assault on a boy in the 1990s and police found a catalogue of indecent images on his computer.
But the 70-year-old avoided a jail term and was instead given a six-month suspended sentence at court today.
St George’s School is known to be popular with royals, and former pupils include Princess Eugenie. Boarding fees are currently £6,953 a term.
The court heard the victim, who cannot be identified, was abused when he was aged just 12 and 13 years.
In an impact statement read to court, the victim said he would never forgive his former teacher for what he suffered.
In his sentencing remarks, Recorder Quinlan revealed that ‘identical’ further matters were also ‘brought to the attention of the school’ for which he received a final written warning.
But the judge said: ‘I do not consider it in the public interest for you to loss your liberty immediately.’
Reading Crown Court heard the then headmaster of St George’s School, the Reverend Roger Marsh, did not respond to the first letter from the victim’s parents which raised concerns over Brailsford’s behaviour.
Mr Recorder Christopher Quinlan QC was told it was only after they threatened reporting the matter to the police in a second letter that Rev Marsh responded to the victim’s mother.
Ex-schoolmaster Brailsford was not sacked after he admitted to touching boys to the headmaster as he denied the assaults were sexual in 1998.
Brailsford, who worked at the school from 1973 to 2012, was spared jail today and was made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order banning him from being in unsupervised contact with boys aged 16 or less for seven years.
He did not have to pay any of the £1,800 contribution to prosecution costs asked due to his finances.
At the time the offences were claimed to have been committed, Brailsford was a schoolmaster at St George’s School, having been appointed as acting headmaster in 1993.
Pupils who attend the school, which is a unisex day and boarding school for students aged three years to 13 years, include the choristers of St George’s chapel – a place of royal worship situated behind the school in the grounds of the Queen’s Windsor Castle.
After a final inspection last week, they chose the latter – while trying to spare some of Aiglon’s blushes by saying that the Swiss option had been “postponed”.
Career maker: Prince Harry’s ex-girlfriend, aspiring actress Cressida Bonas, poses with Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein at a screening of the latter’s new film Big Eyes in London
Prince Harry’s ex-girlfriend Cressida Bonas slopes off to hobnob with ANOTHER Epstein pal
6 January 2015
When Prince Harry’s former girlfriend Cressida Bonas agreed to go skiing with her chum Princess Eugenie, she had no idea she would be caught up in the storm engulfing the Duke of York.
After Prince Andrew joined his daughter and her model friend at their £22,000-per-week chalet in the Alps, it was besieged by the world’s media amid a growing furore over claims Andrew had sex with an under-age girl ‘procured’ for him by his close friend, convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
So it was an unfortunate coincidence that Cressie’s first public engagement on returning to London on Sunday was a bash thrown by another of Epstein’s friends, film producer Harvey Weinstein.
Sloping off: Cressida has recently returned to London from spending time in Verbier in the Swiss Alps with her old friend Princess Eugenie and her family
Dressed in a midriff-baring outfit with her glossy mane worn loose, the 25-year-old posed next to Weinstein, 62, at a screening of his latest offering, Big Eyes.
(Lurking behind was Charles Dance, who in 2004 famously seduced vicar’s daughter Sophia Myles, 33 years his junior, and then cruelly dumped her.)
Despite the movie mogul’s long-standing association with Epstein — the two even made a failed bid for New York magazine in 2003 — the screening was an occasion not to be missed for aspiring thespian Cressida.
Weinstein, who is married to 38-year-old fashion designer Georgina Chapman, a friend of the Duchess of York, is known for mentoring young actresses.
(L to R) Harvey Weinstein, Princess Eugenie of York and Georgina Chapman at attends a VIP screening of ‘Lion’ hosted by Harvey Weinstein and Georgina Chapman at Soho House on December 19, 2016 in London, England
He is credited with propelling Gwyneth Paltrow (pictured below) to A-list status, having collaborated with her on eight films, including Shakespeare In Love, for which she won an Oscar in 1999.
So it is understandable that Cressida, who scored a small part in Harvey’s forthcoming movie Tulip Fever, is keen to nurture her relationship with the Hollywood tycoon.
Aptly she plays a ‘society lady’ in the film, which is based on Deborah Moggach’s novel.
Since splitting with Harry, ambitious Cressida has been taking her acting career seriously.
Last month, she attended a private vocal training school on Orkney to improve her articulation and projection skills.
Meanwhile, her first play, There’s A Monster In The Lake, is being revived later this month at Waterloo Vaults.
Perhaps Cressie, who has given few signs she wants to rekindle her romance with Harry, has set her sights on an even more desirable prize than a prince: an Oscar.
The school was established to provide six choristers for theChoir of St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, which sings in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, which is the official country residence of the British Royal Family. St George’s is one of the oldest schools in the country, and has provided an unbroken line of boy choristers to sing daily services in St George’s Chapel since 1352.
In the shadow of Windsor Castle: Hidden among the pine trees and suburban hedges of Ascot, St George’s occupies a 30-acre estate near the Queen’s favourite racecourse
At the time the offences were claimed to have been committed, Brailsford was a schoolmaster at St George’s, having been appointed as acting headmaster in 1993.
Pupils who attend the school, which is a unisex day and boarding school for those aged three years to 13 years, include the choristers of St George’s chapel – a place of royal worship situated behind the school in the grounds of Windsor Castle.
Headmaster of Princess Eugenie’s former £7,000 a term prep school admits sexually assaulting boys in his Latin classes and watching others showering naked
Anthony Brailsford was acting headmaster of the £7,000-a-term school
Was also a Latin teacher at St George’s School, Windsor Castle in Berkshire
He had denied three counts of indecent assault on the same boy at the school
Changed plea after judge said jury should be told about his indecent images
He had admitted two counts of making indecent images of children – which were mostly of naked, pre-pubescent boys – at a court hearing in 2014.
The offences are said to have happened at the school between 1997 and 1998.
Brailsford was warned by the schoolmaster Reverend Roger Marsh over him touching boys sexually at the school.
“Another set of parents told Reverend Marsh of rumours about the defendant’s behaviour,” said the judge.
Jurors would be told about the headmaster’s note of a meeting he held with white-haired Brailsford following a verbal warning over his behaviour.
The note, which was kept in the school’s records and supported by a later statement from Rev Marsh, read: “I saw the senior master in connection with allegations made about him, touching boys on the back and bottom.
“Mr Brailsford said that he did sometimes run his hand down backs of boys in that way.”
The court heard that Rev. Marsh warned Brailsford verbally about the assaults after the boy, who had been preparing for entrance exams to join prestigious Eton College, had left the school.
Brailsford had “assured” the Reverend that the attacks would stop at the meeting in April 1998.
The survivor, who was aged 12 or 13 years old and was boarding at the school at the time, told police in 2014 that he was attacked between five and seven times.
The headmaster’s note continued: “He said it still happened but less often, despite the verbal warning I gave him on April 7 1998.”
The court heard that the Rev. Marsh, who had also spoken to Brailsford over the rumours two months before the formal warning, later sent a further written warning to the teacher.
The judge said social services then launched an investigation and police were informed.
…Brailsford’s admissions of having indecent images after his defending lawyer, Jon Mitchell, told the court they were “naturist” and not of a sexual nature…there were also hundreds of images of which the majority were of “pre-pubescent boys’ naked backsides”.
Rev Roger Marsh – The Revd Roger Marsh was, until recently, a valued Chaplain of Lancing College, a role which he carried out for ten years. He will be acting Head Master for the remainder of the current academic year. He and his wife Eileen will continue to provide the warm atmosphere of a highly professional, yet family run institution. Both have extensive experience of prep school life, as Roger Marsh’s previous headships include very successful periods at Ardingly College Prep and St George’s Windsor Castle. Roger and Eileen Marsh are both greatly looking forward to the two terms they will spend at Lancing Prep at Worthing.
Ian Beer, former head of Lancing College was one of those who wrote a letter of support for paedophile Bishop Peter Ball
22 June 2017
Church of England colluded with bishop who abused boys, says Welby
Report about bishop Peter Ball, finding collusion over 20 years, is ‘harrowing reading’
Collusion: Secret or illegal cooperation or conspiracy
Senior figures in the Church of England colluded for a period of 20 years with a disgraced former bishop who sexually abused boys and men, a damning independent report has found.
The archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said the report on the church’s handling of former bishop Peter Ball made “harrowing reading”.
“The church colluded and concealed rather than seeking to help those who were brave enough to come forward. This is inexcusable and shocking behaviour,” he said.
“To the survivors who were brave enough to share their story and bring Peter Ball to justice, I once again offer an unreserved apology. There are no excuses whatsoever for what took place and the systemic abuse of trust perpetrated by Peter Ball over decades.”
Two former archbishops of Canterbury, George Carey and Rowan Williams, apologised to the victims of Peter Ball after being criticised for their failures in relation to him.
Ball, the former bishop of both Gloucester and Lewes, was jailed in October 2015 for the grooming, sexual exploitation and abuse of 18 vulnerable young men aged 17-25 who had sought spiritual guidance from him between 1977 and 1992. He was released from prison in February after serving 16 months.
His trial heard that after Ball was first accused in 1993, a string of senior establishment figures – including Carey, an unidentified member of the royal family, cabinet ministers and a high court judge – came forward in his support, writing letters to the police and Crown Prosecution Service.
Ball was cautioned by police. He resigned his post as bishop and retired to a rented cottage on the Prince of Wales’s Duchy of Cornwall estate butcontinued to officiate in 17 public schools until 2007. A fresh investigation was opened in 2012 which led to his conviction.
One of Ball’s victims, Neil Todd – the first to come forward with allegations of abuse – attempted suicide three times before killing himself in 2012.
Welby ordered an independent review of the church’s handling of the case, chaired by Dame Moira Gibb, former chief executive of Camden council.
The report said Ball’s case was dealt with at the highest levels within the church. He “was seen by the church as the man in trouble who the church needed to help”.
Ball was portrayed as a victim, and the review found “little evidence of compassion for Neil Todd even though from the outset it was clear that he was a vulnerable young man who had come to harm”.
It added: “The church appears to have been most interested in protecting itself.”
In the foreword to her report, An Abuse of Faith, published on Thursday, Gibb said the serious sexual wrongdoing of Ball “is shocking in itself but is compounded by the failure of the church to respond appropriately to his misconduct, again over a period of many years”.
“Ball’s priority was to protect and promote himself and he maligned the abused. The church colluded. The church colluded with that rather than seeking to help those he had harmed, or assuring itself of the safety of others.”
The report added, “progress has been slow and continuing, faster improvement is still required”.
Gibb made 11 recommendations in her report, including improving support to survivors of clerical abuse and taking steps to “demonstrate the individual and collective accountability of bishops”.
Peter Hancock, the C of E’s lead safeguarding bishop, who received the report on behalf of the church, said it had failed Ball’s survivors. “Having read the report I am appalled and disturbed by its contents … As a church we colluded, we failed to act and protect those who came forward for help. There are no excuses. We accept all the recommendations and are working to action them.”
Rowan Williams: ‘It is clear I did not give adequate priority to sorting out the concerns and allegations surrounding Peter Ball.’
He added: “For the survivors, it may feel this is all too late.”
According to the report, Ball intimated “on many occasions, to Lord Carey and others, that he enjoys the status of confidant of the Prince of Wales” and “sought to exploit his contact with members of the royal family in order to bolster his position”.
Moira Gibb is made a Dame CBE by the Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace back in 2012
However, Dame Moira Gibb’s report went on, it “found no evidence that the Prince of Wales or any other member of the royal family sought to intervene at any point in order to protect or promote Ball”.
Carey was criticised in the report, which said he “set the tone for the church’s response to Ball’s crimes and gave the steer which allowed Ball’s assertions that he was innocent to gain credence”.
In a statement responding to the report, Carey said it made “uncomfortable reading” and he accepted its criticisms of him. “I apologise to the victims of Peter Ball. I believed Peter Ball’s protestations and gave too little credence to the vulnerable young men and boys behind those allegations.”
Carey said he regretted not putting Ball’s name on the Lambeth List – names of people whose suitability for ministry is under question – after he was cautioned.
Under the leadership of Williams, the church began reviewing past cases, a move which ultimately led to the criminal case against Ball being reopened, the report said. However, he was criticised as being “lamentably slow” in making change.
In a statement, Williams said: “Having read the report and reflected on its details, it is clear I did not give adequate priority to sorting out the concerns and allegations surrounding Peter Ball at the earliest opportunity. I recognise such a delay is likely to have increased the pressure and distress experienced by the survivors of his abuse and I am sincerely sorry for this.”
George Carey allowed church role despite part in abuse cover-up
Former archbishop of Canterbury was criticised in report into abuse by Peter Ball
13 July 2018
George Carey, the former archbishop of Canterbury who was heavily criticised in an independent report for his part in the cover-up of sexual abuse carried out by a bishop, has been allowed to resume an official role in the Church of England.
Lord Carey stepped down last year as an honorary assistant bishop at the unprecedented request of Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, after a damning report which found the church had colluded over the abuse.
But it emerged this week that Carey has been granted “permission to officiate” (PTO) by Steven Croft, the bishop of Oxford, allowing him to preach and preside at churches in the diocese. Croft is reportedly under police investigation for allegedly failing to respond properly to a separate report of clerical sexual abuse.
The decision to grant the PTO was made in February despite expectations of further revelations this month about Carey’s role in the case of Peter Ball, a former bishop of Gloucester, at the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse (IICSA).
The inquiry will spend a week scrutinising the C of E’s handling of the Ball case, starting on 23 July. Ball was jailed in 2015 for the grooming, sexual exploitation and abuse of 18 vulnerable young men between 1977 and 1992. Prince Charles has been asked to give a witness statement to the inquiry about his correspondence with Ball.
Carey, who was archbishop of Canterbury from 1991 to 2002, resigned his honorary post after the publication of an independent report on the Ball case by Dame Moira Gibb.
She concluded that senior figures in the church had “colluded [with the abuser] rather than seeking to help those he had harmed”. She said: “The church appears to have been most interested in protecting itself.”
Carey had “set the tone for the church’s response to Ball’s crimes, and gave the steer which allowed Ball’s assertions that he was innocent to gain credence”, said Gibb.
The former archbishop responded to the report, saying it made “uncomfortable reading” and that he accepted its criticisms of him.
In February this year, Carey contacted the diocese of Oxford to request a PTO, which was granted by Croft. It followed letters from members of the congregation where Carey worships that requested he be allowed to resume ministry at their church.
A spokesperson for the diocese of Oxford said: “The granting of PTO enabled Lord Carey to preach and preside in the church where he worships, a church where his ministry is much valued. The granting of a PTO does not indicate a planned return to the role of assistant bishop.”
It is understood that Carey underwent fresh checks on his criminal record and C of E safeguarding training.
The church’s national safeguarding team was not consulted on whether the PTO should be granted.
A survivor of abuse by Ball said he was extremely concerned to learn that Carey had been granted a PTO. “It’s a real stab in the back for Ball survivors,” he said, adding that it would have been prudent to wait until further evidence had been heard by IICSA.
Croft is one of several senior church figures, including John Sentamu, the archbishop of York, who are reportedly being investigated by South Yorkshire police over alleged failures to act on disclosures of an alleged rape of a teenage boy by a clergyman in the 1980s. The force declined to confirm or deny an investigation was under way.
Matthew Ineson claims he was raped by the Rev Trevor Devamanikkam, and in 2012 and 2013 reported the crime to senior figures in the church, including Croft. He alleges they failed to follow proper procedures and did not advise him to tell police.
Devamanikkam was later charged with indecent assault and buggery without consent, but killed himself in 2017 before coming to trial.
A spokesperson for the diocese of Oxford said: “Written records and notes taken at the time give a different picture to the one Mr Ineson is presenting about how his case has been handled.”
An independent review had been commissioned by the C of E’s national safeguarding team, the spokesperson said.
Ineson told the Guardian: “Steven Croft may disagree about the wording of my disclosures, but nonetheless accepts I did tell him of my abuse. No word of apology has ever been forthcoming for what I have been put through.
“Given the circumstances it is incredible that Croft is still in a position to decide whether PTO should be given to George Carey or anybody else who has been so involved in the dreadful case of Peter Ball or any other safeguarding case.”
PTOs are mostly granted to retired priests who wish to continue their ministry by preaching, taking communion and providing holiday or sickness cover to serving clergy. PTOs are granted at the discretion of the local bishop.
A review by Dame Moira Gibb found he had failed to pass on information about abuse carried out by Bishop Peter Ball.
Ms Racine’s abuser, Michael Walsh, was convicted of five indecent assault charges and confessed to sexual relationships with a further eight children.
He was sent to prison in 1990.
He had been a teacher, a lay vicar at Chichester Cathedral and also ran a choir at a church in Chichester.
Child abuse ‘inevitable’
After his release in 1992, Walsh returned to the same church to be part of the choir.
Concerned for the safety of other girls, in July of that year Ms Racine wrote to the then Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, requesting his help.
Speaking after Lord Carey’s resignation, Ms Racine, 54, said: “I was very concerned that my abuser had just come out of prison and it appeared that he’d just gone straight back into the parish church where he’d originally worked, and was again in a position of authority in the choir there where young children – specifically girls – sang.
“I was really worried that these girls were at a huge risk. I felt it was inevitable that children would be abused.”
Three months after writing her letter she was told Lord Carey had been unable to consider her concerns because he was “committed to a series of visits overseas, together with his summer break”.
‘Duty of forgiveness’
She was informed one month later that the “Archbishop had been assured that there was no question of Michael Walsh being reinstated in the choir,” but nine months after raising her concerns she received a letter from the Archbishop’s chief of staff confirming her abuser was back in the choir.
Lambeth Palace wrote to Ms Racine saying the parish authorities had taken “great care” in coming to their decision to allow Walsh’s return to his position “weighing carefully the risk of re-offending against… the Christian duty of forgiveness”.
Michael Walsh, seen here in the 1990s, was allowed to return to the same church choir after his release from prison
The letters revealed Lord Carey regretted the decision which allowed Alesha’s abuser back into churches and offered her his sympathies.
Ms Racine said: “I thought his response was deeply hurtful, in that it had taken me a lot of courage to write to him at all.
“Most of what he said was in defence of the Church and the people in it, rather than try to reach out to me as a victim.
“I do feel it was a complete failure on his part.”
A spokesman for the former Archbishop of Canterbury said the correspondence with Ms Racine had been conducted on Lord Carey’s behalf by his chief of staff.
He said: “Lord Carey has absolutely no memory of this chain of correspondence or these events. He cannot therefore comment.”
Prince Andrew sits on a yacht in Thailand back in 2001, during a holiday at a £2,300-a-week resort which is thought to have come courtesy of Jeffrey Epstein
6th September 2001 – Princess Eugenie starts her new school at St George s Windsor Pictured with her parents Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew
St George’s School is known to be popular with royals, and former pupils include Princess Eugenie.
There is a big emphasis on “activities”, including the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme, pony trekking and lace making. The boarders, most of whose families live near by, are encouraged to keep pets which, according to the school prospectus, “include hamsters, gerbils, mice, guinea pigs and rabbits”. Dances are shared with nearby Eton and Wellington while Eton often “borrows” girls for its plays. Old girls include the daughters of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
Joanna Grant Peterkin, 50, who became headmistress a year ago, was previously head of modern languages at St Paul’s Girls School, west London. Her father, Sir Brian Young, was once head of Charterhouse, and her husband, Peter, is a major general
The men were all members of the school staff at the times of the alleged offences, police said – A paedophile Ring operating at the school?
No names are being revealed.
The Christian school is in the diocese formerly overseen by paedophile bishop of Lewes Peter Ballwho is serving a 32-month sentence for abusing 18 young men between 1977 and 1992.
Sussex Police said officers arrested a 66-year-old man in North Yorkshire on January 29 on suspicion of raping a girl aged 16-18 in 1992-94.
He has also been accused of indecently assaulting another girl, 17, in 1994.
A 65-year-old man was arrested in Shropshire, also on January 29, on suspicion of indecently assaulting a girl, 18, in 1994, and a boy, 18, in 1990.
He has also been accused of indecently assaulting a boy, aged 15-16, in 1988 or 1989.
Officers also arrested a 62-year-old man in west London on June 12 on suspicion of indecently assaulting four girls aged 14-17 between 1985-1993.
All men have been bailed until December 15, a force spokesman added.
Extract from The Blue for July 1978 page 74“Confirmation was conducted by the new Bishop of Lewes, Bishop Peter, who also gave the Lenten Address: his visit was a most moving spiritual moment in the life of the Hospital”
and earlier:
The confirmation service was taken by the Bishop of Lewes during the sedes vacans between bishops Bell and Wilson. This will have been the confirmation of 1959.
Richard Scorer: My clients accept the PoW has many interactions with Church of England clergy. However our clients do not accept that he claims he was not aware that a caution means an acceptance of guilt.
Scorer claims senior leaders in the Church knew of Peter Ball’s offending but Lambeth Palace did not hand over letters to police:http://ow.ly/M5yK30l4wJe
Mr William Chapman: There’s a reluctance to trust the secular authorities to handle the matter and a willingness to forgive and reintegrate Peter Ball, no matter what he’d done
Elizabeth Hall, Nat Safeguarding Advisor, recommending a further review of Peter Ball information which should involve trying to find all files/documents
Both Michael Ball and brother Peter Ball were not shy about using the name of the Prince of Wales to seek to influence others. Bishop Michael Ball wrote to Lord Carey in Dec 1992 saying that his brother was receiving support from 2 Cabinet Ministers and Prince Charles Peter Ball often mention their friendship.
On 8 March 1993 Peter Ball received a caution for one count of gross indecency against Neil Todd. He resigned immediately. Peter Ball alleged to the Church of England shortly that he either did not wish to resign, and accepted a caution to avoid a trial.
“This Inquiry has been provided with details of allegations made by a total of 32 individuals. These all relate to an alleged abuse of power by Peter Ball for the purposes of his sexual gratification.”
The former Bishop of Lewes, Peter Ball was convicted of two offences of indecent assault, and an offence of misconduct
Peter Ball admitted when pleading guilty that he received sexual gratification from the deliberate manipulation of vulnerable young men, that the contact was consistent with grooming and that he abused his position as a Bishop in the Church of England
In January 1996, Ball was permitted by Archbishop Carey to preach at a particular public school and, to conduct confirmations at other specific schools later on in that year
(1) Why he was permitted to return to ministry in this fashion? (2) Why did no-one think to carry out some kind of risk assessment? (3) Whether or not senior clergy simply thought that Peter Ball’s pleas of innocence should be believed?
“I really appreciate your sympathetic understanding in preventing a scandal with a trial which would have affected the Royal family and establishments in this crucial time of turmoil within the Church of England.” Bishop Kemp comments on a 1990s investigation into Peter Ball
A risk assessment carried out by the Church in 2009 identified that Peter Ball could be identified as a sexual predator given the length and scale of his offending
Prince Charles gives evidence to inquiry into Peter Ball
The Prince of Wales says he was aware that Peter Ball, who lived in Aller, near Langport, had been given a police caution, but claims he did not realise it amounted to an admission of guilt.
Details of Prince Charles’s relationship with Ball will be revealed at an inquiry into the case on Friday.
The next in line to the throne had “decades of correspondence” with Ball and occasionally sent him “small gifts of money”, according to the draft copy of his statement to the inquiry, The Times has reported.
The statement will add that Ball confided in him in 2009 that he had been involved in an “indiscretion” years previously, which he blamed on a person with a grudge.
Peter Ball was propelled into the royal circle by two people. One was prebendary Willie Booth, a former chaplain at Westminster School, who’d taken over from Caesar. The other was Jimmy Savile.
Charles offered Ball sanctuary in a Duchy of Cornwall property when, in 1993, the bishop was forced to resign after being let off with a caution by police over allegations that he indecently assaulted a 17-year-old novice monk.
Some CH students were sent to paedophile bishop Peter Ball
From Christ’s Hospital School Forum:
Fri Nov 08, 2013
Punishments at CH:
“I stayed with Peter Ball for a few nights due to sickness in my family.
I have since been involved, albeit slightly, with this case against him due to something he said to me. I haven’t had to go to court luckily, but several boys who were in his care have been left wounded for life sadly. The metropolitan police were contemplating paying for my ticket back to the UK to go to court, but nothing has come of that. Google him…you’ll see – he’s nothing but a downright pervert with a thing for boys.”
Eric Kemp moved in elevated London circles and was a good friend of Canon Anthony Caesar, sub dean of the Chapel Royal and the Queen’s domestic chaplain.
Bishop Peter Ball often accompanied Bishop Eric Kemp on his London trips.
Kemp appointed the flamboyant Ball as his assistant in the post of bishop of Lewes, he fitted in immediately.
During his time in Lewes, Ball got to know Jimmy Savile well and he was the bishop’s principal entree into the Waleses’ household. After his appointment to Gloucester was announced, Ball became a regular visitor to Highgrove and was held in such high regard that Charles attended his enthronement.
‘We knew that Bishop Peter and the Prince were good friends. He didn’t refer to him as Prince Charles. He would always say just Charles.’
A member of the royal family was among a host of establishment figures who supported a bishop as he tried to avoid charges for sexually abusing young aspiring priests, a court was told.
The former bishop of Lewes, 83, preyed on his victims for sexual pleasure when they came to his home in Litlington, East Sussex.
However despite the raft of allegations he faced his defence team said he had 2,000 letters of support including from cabinet ministers and a member of the royal family
Former Archbishop Carey Admits he “Deserves Criticism” over Bishop Sexual Abuse Cover-Up
The role of Lord Carey of Clifton in the case of Peter Ball will be scrutinised by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. The former Archbishop of Canterbury
could face “explicit criticism” over how he dealt with a paedophile bishop, the head of the child abuse inquiry has warned.
Christ’s Hospital School, West Sussex, where Queen Elizabeth is patron, is an episcopal school started in 1552 by King Edward VI for orphan children of poor Londoners.
Ex-staff arrested over historic sex abuse claims at top boarding school
06 November 2016
Police have arrested three former members of staff at a top boarding school,Christ’s Hospital School
on suspicion of historic sex abuse against pupils, including the alleged rape of a girl.
The men, all aged in their 60s, were arrested in an investigation into historic alleged assaults at Christ’s Hospital in Horsham, West Sussex.
The alleged attacks on as many as nine pupils are all said to have taken place at the prestigious school in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Christ’s Hospital charges boarders up to £31,500 a year and counts Sir Barnes Wallis, inventor of the bouncing bomb, and poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge among its former pupils.
Sussex Police said officers arrested a 66-year-old man in North Yorkshire on January 29 on suspicion of raping a girl aged 16-18 in 1992-94.
He has also been accused of indecently assaulting another girl, 17, in 1994.
A 65-year-old man was arrested in Shropshire, also on January 29, on suspicion of indecently assaulting a girl, 18, in 1994, and a boy, 18, in 1990.
He has also been accused of indecently assaulting a boy, aged 15-16, in 1988 or 1989.
Officers also arrested a 62-year-old man in west London on June 12 on suspicion of indecently assaulting four girls aged 14-17 between 1985-1993.
All men have been bailed until December 15, a force spokesman added.
Christ’s Hospital School – Three former members of staff arrested for sex abuse (1985-1994) against 9 pupils at the school – no names provided.
Bailed until Dec 15 2016
Royal family-linked Christ Hospital School where Queen Elizabeth is patron – another former CH teacher who had been arrested for csa was a good friend of Prince Andrew – teacher Richard McDonald
Yet another paedophile friend of Prince Andrew: Father Gleed
“The birthday ball is the second royal invitation Gleed has received. Two years ago (1979), he joined Andrew and two female friends for dinner at the palace.”
How a royal gift exposed sexual abuse at an elite Canadian school
Oct 12, 2017
Prince Andrew wanted to memorialize his friend and former chaplain at Lakefield College School.
The resulting tribute prompted paedophile Father Keith Gleed’s victims to finally break their silence.
L: Prince Andrew renews his memories of Lakefield College in 1985; which he attended in 1977; R: Keith Gleed
Nine years ago, Prince Andrew paid a visit to his Canadian alma mater: the prestigious Lakefield College School, just north of Peterborough, Ont. It was not the first homecoming for His Royal Highness. A teenage exchange student back in 1977, the Queen’s second son retains strong ties to his old campus and has reminisced often about how deeply he treasures those “life-changing” six months. But that particular trip, in May 2008, was especially sentimental. The Duke of York had a gift to present: a hand-carved baptismal font for the school chapel.
Crafted in part from a large rock that Andrew had delivered from Scotland’s Balmoral Castle, the font was created to honour a dear friend: the late Keith Gleed, an Anglican priest who served as chaplain at the elite private school between 1974 and 1980.
After meeting at Lakefield, Andrew and Gleed remained such good friends that the prince invited the reverend both to his 21st birthday party and to his wedding to Sarah Ferguson.
Shortly before Gleed died of cancer in 2001, Andrew even travelled to his hospital bedside to say goodbye—“surely a testament of true friendship,” according to Gleed’s obituary in the school newsletter.
The day the font was dedicated, staff and students joined Andrew inside the A.W. Mackenzie Chapel for the blessing ceremony. Dead for seven years by then, Gleed was fondly remembered as “the confidant of the troubled, the defender of the bullied and a true friend to all.”
In reality, Father Keith was none of those things. He was a pedophile who preyed on vulnerable young students and took his secret to the grave—only to have the truth exposed, ironically enough, because of Andrew’s well-intentioned efforts to enshrine his memory.
Maclean’s has learned that after the prince unveiled Gleed’s religious tribute, at least five former students came forward to report they were sexually abused by the one-time chaplain. Two have launched lawsuits against Lakefield College School (LCS)—including one graduate, now 54, who says it was Andrew’s gesture that spurred him to break his silence in 2014, prompting Lakefield to initiate a third-party investigation that triggered other victims to come forward.
“Greg was pained and haunted by the knowledge that a pedophile like Father Keith was permanently honoured with a baptismal font on the school’s premises,” says the man’s statement of claim, which seeks $5 million in damages. “Thereafter, Greg began to disclose the sexual abuse he had endured at Father Keith’s hands, which, up to that point, he had kept a secret.” (Although the lawsuits are not subject to a publication ban, Maclean’s has chosen, after consulting with the victims, to identify them by their first names only: Gregory and Edward.)
At Gregory’s urging, school officials removed the memorial font from the chapel. Its current whereabouts is unknown. Lakefield will say only that the one-of-a-kind piece “was removed from school property in 2014.”
That Keith William Gleed was a sexual deviant is not in dispute. Lakefield’s own independent investigators concluded in 2015 that the disgraced chaplain violated “the trust and authority” of his position and “afflicted harm on innocent students by engaging in sexual misconduct.” But the two lawsuits go further, accusing Lakefield of “failing to reveal, and in fact, concealing, Father Keith’s sexual misconduct” from parents and police, and permitting the abuse “to continue unchecked.” At the very least, the lawsuits allege Lakefield is liable for the conduct of its former employee, who was encouraged “to have regular, unsupervised and intimate physical and psychological contact with its students.”
Whatever the full truth, the revelations about Father Keith have landed Lakefield—one of the country’s most esteemed private schools—among the institutions now stained by sexual abuse, from church-run residential schools to elite preparatory colleges. At LCS (as at Toronto’s Upper Canada College, which endured its own abuse scandal in the early 2000s), neither the reputation of the academy nor the socio-economic status of parents and alumni proved enough to protect every student in its care.
“When he started at LCS, Eddy had been a happy and gregarious child who was eager to please and had a promising future ahead of him,” reads Edward’s statement of claim, which seeks $2.25 million. After Gleed sexually assaulted him, his life became “chaotic and crisis-ridden”—a downward spiral of substance abuse, petty criminality and crippling flashbacks. Edward is now 53. “[He] has above average intelligence,” his claim continues. “But because of the childhood sexual abuse he experienced at LCS and the lack of meaningful support he received while attending LCS…he has never achieved his full educational, vocational or earnings potentials and goals.”
Lakefield has filed statements of defence in both lawsuits, denying the allegations, denying it is liable for Gleed’s behaviour, and describing the damages sought as “excessive, exaggerated and remote.” The school also launched third-party claims against the Anglican dioceses of Toronto and Niagara, where Gleed was variously licensed after his ordination in 1960. Both dioceses “endorsed Father Gleed as chaplain” and held him out “as a suitable and respectable Anglican priest,” Lakefield alleges, “when they knew or ought to have known that he was not suited for the position.” (In their own statements of defence, both dioceses also deny wrongdoing—in particular, that church officials may have been alerted to Gleed’s abuse. Maclean’s contacted the lawyers representing the dioceses; both declined comment, citing the active litigation.)
Along with defending itself in court, Lakefield has retained the services of Profile Communications, a boutique Toronto public relations firm that specializes in crisis management. “We are the 911 of communications,” says the company’s website. Via the firm’s principal, Caroline Spivak, Lakefield answered a list of written questions from Maclean’s.
The school says “it had no knowledge of any alleged impropriety on the part of Father Gleed” in the years before Andrew presented the baptismal font. “Once the allegations were brought forward, LCS immediately put in place the necessary resources to support the victims and the independent third-party investigation it initiated,” Lakefield says. “Counselling was made available to all who came forward, and continues to be provided. The school also communicated broadly and openly with its community, encouraging all parties to participate fully in the independent third-party investigation. The safety and well-being of its students is always the school’s highest priority.”
Four of Gleed’s victims, including Gregory, shared their stories with Lakefield’s investigators. Edward did not, but his lawsuit brings to five the number of Gleed’s known accusers (another alumnus also came forward to allege he’d been sexually abused by a different school employee, a teacher named Colin F. Pickering, who died in 2011).
“Following the conclusion of the investigation, LCS acknowledged the tremendous courage it took for them to speak to the investigators and apologized for the harm inflicted by Father Gleed and for the pain they have endured,” the school says. “The investigators’ detailed findings have not been released in order to protect the deeply personal information disclosed by the victims.”
Prince Andrew, who has previously served as a Lakefield trustee, is now honorary chair of the school’s charitable foundation. How he reacted to the truth about his friend—or hearing that the memorial font he helped create was removed from the chapel—is not clear. “We decline to comment,” said a Royal spokesperson, referring all questions to Lakefield.
One of Canada’s oldest private schools, Lakefield was founded in 1879 as Mr. Sparham Sheldake’s Preparatory School for Boys. Though renamed Lakefield College School in the 1960s, the sprawling waterfront campus—315 scenic acres on the shore of Lake Katchewanooka—remains affectionately known as “The Grove.” The high school became co-ed in 1989, and annual fees currently range from $32,000 for a day student to $57,000 for a boarder (international boarders pay $63,500).
Lakefield’s motto is mens sana in corpore sano—“a sound mind in a sound body”—and its mission statement embraces seven core values, including individuality, environmental stewardship and trust. Along with Andrew, notable alumni include Felipe VI, King of Spain; Emmy-nominated actor Will Arnett; Kenneth Irving, the former CEO of Irving Oil; David Miller, the former Toronto mayor; retired Supreme Court Justice Ian Binnie; Ottawa Senators defenceman Cody Ceci; and Anna Gainey, president of the Liberal Party of Canada.
When Gleed first arrived in 1974, Lakefield was still an all-boys academy, with approximately 250 students. Then in his early 40s, the veteran priest had already worked as a chaplain for other institutions: Trinity College School in Port Hope, Ont., the Anglican Young People’s Association, and the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets Corps Vanguard. He’d also been assigned to numerous parishes in his home city of Toronto, including St. James Cathedral downtown. In 1960, the Toronto Star interviewed him for an article about new priests. “I have a photograph taken at the age of two with a Bible,” Gleed told the reporter. “Ever since I can remember I have wished to become a minister.”
A prominent figure on campus, Gleed led chapel service every morning and acted as a residence supervisor. Funny and charismatic, he was well-liked by faculty and students; in one yearbook photo from the 1970s, Father Keith is seen walking down a hallway, surrounded by smiling boys patting his back and shoulders. As Gleed himself would later write of his six years at Lakefield: “Nowhere else have I found such a warm, relaxed, friendly, uncluttered milieu. It nurtures the whole person well!”
Father Keith was beginning his fourth year at Lakefield when Gregory enrolled in September 1977. He was in Grade 9, and eager for the opportunity. “I was excited,” says Gregory, who agreed to speak to Maclean’s via email. “I started at Lakefield with hopes about academic success, developing friendships, and being part of a community. The school’s emphasis on educating the whole person fit for me.”
As happy as he was in his new surroundings, Gregory’s home life was in tatters. His parents separated after he left for high school, and when his dad drove him back to campus at the end of Christmas holidays, his father specifically asked Father Keith to keep a close eye on his son, given their family troubles. Gleed agreed—and throughout that winter, 1978, the chaplain invited Gregory to his private residence nearly every day after classes.
Gregory’s statement of claim describes, in agonizing detail, what happened next.
“During these visits, Greg was alone with Father Keith,” the document reads. “Father Keith gave Greg alcohol (sherry) to drink and sat with Greg on the couch in his living room. Father Keith hugged and embraced Greg, touched and stroked Greg’s head, kissed Greg, and pulled Greg’s head against his chest. While doing these things, Father Keith spoke to Greg in a soothing and reassuring manner, but offered Greg little support with respect to his family problems. While Father Keith was hugging Greg, he also patted and squeezed Greg’s upper and inner thighs. Greg was uncomfortable and felt confused, uneasy and trapped during these encounters.”
During one visit—which would prove to be his last—Gregory woke up on the floor, disoriented. “Father Keith was on his back and Greg was lying across him, face down,” the lawsuit says. “Greg’s head was on Father Keith’s chest and Father Keith was holding Greg in an embrace. Father Keith asked Greg if he could hear his (Father Keith’s) heart beating.” The boy immediately jumped up, insisting he had to leave for supper.
“As Greg walked back to his residence building, Greg could feel that his clothes were no longer on properly,” his statement of claim continues. “His underwear were pulled up tight and twisted and his trousers were askew. His anus was uncomfortable and he knew Father Keith had penetrated him. He felt dirty and that he had been drawn into doing something shameful. When he returned to his residence, he went straight to [the] shower and stood there, frozen, for a long time.”
In that moment, Gregory’s entire life was altered. Though he managed to graduate from Lakefield in 1982, he grew increasingly introverted and despondent during his remaining years on campus, turning to alcohol to numb the anguish. By Grade 13, he was drinking constantly—a coping mechanism he would cling to in the decades to come. Rarely has a day passed without Gregory wrestling with suicidal thoughts.
“Being abused by Father Keith fundamentally changed who I am,” he says. “When I was young, I believed I could make a difference in the world and that I had an obligation to do so. Those dreams gradually disappeared over the years. Since the abuse, I have felt there was something intrinsically wrong with me. I have felt ashamed. I thought that I’d be blamed and no one would believe me.”
For more than 30 years, he told no one. “I knew my pain was there, but it was too large, too all-consuming and too all-defining to confront,” Gregory says. “It was safer for me to avoid the pain by accepting myself as being a failure, as always screwing up.”
Father Keith left Lakefield in June 1980, going on to serve at different Anglican parishes in the greater Toronto area. By 1985, he was once again working as a chaplain, this time at the University of Waterloo’s Renison College. “I’m having a ball,” he told the campus newspaper. “It’s the excitement of living in a community of students, the neat little things that happen.” Two years later, Gleed took a job at St. John’s College at the University of Manitoba.
He remained on the move over the next 15 years, transferring in and out of parishes in Willowdale, Mississauga and Oakville. He also kept in touch with Andrew, and when the Prince married the Duchess of York in July 1986, Gleed was among the Lakefield contingent that travelled to Westminster Abbey for the wedding. (To this day, Andrew remains close with a core group of fellow Lakefield “old boys.” Five times, he has joined former classmates for a reunion canoe trip in the Northwest Territories.)
Father Keith passed away on Feb. 3, 2001, two weeks before his 69th birthday. At his funeral, one nurse recalled how the dying priest appeared to be at complete peace—“almost joyfully ready for his next journey.” Gleed’s death notice appeared in both The Globe and Mail and The Toronto Star, highlighting “his joyous faith, his wonderful smile and his infectious laugh.”
By 2010—more than 30 years after he was sexually assaulted inside the chaplain’s private residence—Gregory decided the time had finally come to confront his abuser. He emailed the Niagara Diocese in the hopes of tracking down Father Keith, only to be told he had died nine years earlier. When a subsequent internet search turned up a news article about Andrew and the baptismal font, Gregory was devastated. “This reinforced ideas in me that no one would believe me, that I was insignificant, and that the abuse of me would not matter,” he says.
A year later, Gregory briefly separated from his wife. During counselling sessions aimed at repairing their relationship, he says he delved deeper into the abuse he experienced—and the pain of discovering that his alma mater had paid tribute to his tormentor. By August 2013, Gregory worked up the strength to start crafting a letter to Struan Robertson, then the head of school. Another year (and multiple revisions) later, he sent it, determined to have Gleed’s font removed from the chapel.
“I am a Grove Old Boy,” his letter began.
“Father Keith’s abuse is allowed to continue with each child that is baptized,” Gregory wrote. “I am certain there are other Old Boys in my position, who also find the commemoration of an abusive, manipulative pedophile contrary to the ideals of the Grove. I recognize that other Old Boys may have had a different experience of Father Keith. Despite this, Father Keith’s true nature sullies any positive experiences or benefit others may have derived.”
After removing the font, Lakefield sent a letter of its own to parents of alumni—“to share some important information regarding our past.” Dated Oct. 20, 2014, the letter laid out the basics of Gregory’s disclosure (without naming him) and encouraged anyone with information about Gleed to contact Lakefield’s third-party investigators: John Callaghan, a senior partner at Gowling WLG; Patrick LeSage, former chief justice of the Ontario Superior Court; and retired Toronto police detective Thomas Klatt, then a managing director of the private-investigations firm MKD International.
Signed by Nick Lewis, then the chair of Lakefield’s board of directors, the letter also contained a further revelation: that another former student had advised Lakefield in 2010—four years earlier—of a separate allegation involving the chaplain. But because that incident occurred after Gleed and the student had left LCS, and because the alumnus was adamant he did not want Lakefield to conduct a comprehensive investigation, the school honoured his wishes. “In light of the recently received allegation, however, it is clear to us that we must now take further action,” Lewis wrote. “These allegations are disturbing and heartbreaking, and we are taking them very seriously.”
Among those who received the school’s letter in the mail was Edward’s elderly mother. When she showed it to her adult son, he broke down—then proceeded to disclose, for the first time, what Father Keith did to him as a Grade 6 student in the mid 1970s.
“After lights were turned out in the junior residence, Father Keith frequently sat on the side of Eddy’s bed, spoke reassuring words to Eddy and rubbed Eddy’s body, including his neck and back,” reads his statement of claim. “Initially, he did so over Eddy’s bed covers and then, after Eddy became accustomed to this routine and the physical contact, he moved his hands under Eddy’s covers and below Eddy’s waist.”
On weekends, when fewer students slept in the residence, Gleed’s groping grew more intrusive. “Under Eddy’s covers, Father Keith stroked and fondled Eddy’s bottom, anus, inner thighs and scrotum, both over and under Eddy’s pyjama pants,” his lawsuit continues. “While touching Eddy in these ways, Father Keith spoke softly, encouraging Eddy to fall asleep. As his bed was against a wall, Eddy felt trapped and unable to escape from Father Keith’s unwanted touching.”
When Edward moved to a different house in Grade 7, the abuse stopped. One day, however, Gleed invited the boy to his private residence, supposedly to discuss Eddy’s behaviour problems. “When Eddy arrived, Father Keith was dressed only in a short bathrobe,” the claim reads. “When Father Keith sat down on his couch, his bare genitals were exposed. It was only when Eddy responded with unease that Father Keith made light of his exposure and covered himself with a pillow. Father Keith invited Eddy to come back and see him, and said he would answer any questions Eddy had about sexual matters. Eddy did not return to Father Keith’s residence.”
By Grade 8, Edward says he was so damaged by Gleed’s earlier molestations that he transformed into a different kid. He became withdrawn, confused, irritable and racked with self-doubt; he also began to smoke, steal and bully fellow students. His misbehaviour reached a boiling point near the end of 1977, when he and his mother were summoned to a meeting with Lakefield officials—including Gleed.
“Eddy was told he had to leave the school,” his statement of claim says. “The experience of being expelled in this way, with Father Keith sitting in judgment of him and without Eddy ever feeling able to speak about Father Keith’s abuse and betrayal of his trust, was devastating to Eddy.”
***
Gregory launched his lawsuit more than a year ago, in September 2016. Edward’s was filed in March. “My clients are determined to get justice and accountability, and will not be deterred by the prospect of a long court battle,” says Elizabeth Grace, their Toronto lawyer. “However, they are hopeful Lakefield will do the right thing by resolving their cases sooner than later.”
Grace credits the academy for agreeing to pay for counselling—and allowing Gregory and Edward to choose their therapists. “Otherwise, Lakefield has acted like any other defendant in these circumstances,” she continues. “The school is trying to defend itself against serious allegations of sexual abuse of its students by what appears to have been a prolific abuser, and so far it is requiring my clients to go through the rigours of a court process that can often be re-traumatizing.”
For its part, Lakefield says it responded to the revelations about Gleed in a manner “guided by the school’s values, its responsibility to the school community, as well as to the alumni who came forward.” That included communicating “openly and broadly” with all LCS stakeholders while the third-party investigation unfolded. (As Lewis, the board chair, wrote in one edition of Lakefield’s newsletter: “Never has there been a more significant demand on the board’s time than with this issue.”)
Father Keith Gleed (center), as seen in the 1979 Lakefield yearbook.
Lakefield also conducted an in-depth review of its policies and procedures, concluding that although they “were consistent with best practices,” there was room for improvement. Says the school: “LCS strengthened its procedures for reporting abuse and amended its policies relating to sexual misconduct, sexual harassment and sexual assault.”
For Gleed’s victims, that is hardly much comfort. The school’s present-day guidelines, no matter how robust, can never erase the damage done. “The expectation was that Eddy was going to be given an exemplary education,” says Edward’s older sister, Kathryn. “The minimum was that he would be safe—and he wasn’t safe. They had in their care an innocent little boy and they didn’t take care of him.”
“His childhood was stolen from him,” she continues. “If this had happened to me, I don’t know that I would have had the courage that Eddy has had to try and live a normal life.”
Like Edward, Gregory has endured so much misery over the years, from depression to anxiety to a paralyzing fear of crowds. He even struggled with bulimia. “I can’t experience joy or happiness,” Gregory says. “I distrust everyone.” Father Keith robbed him of something else, too: a sense of connection to his prestigious alma mater. “I lived there for five years, and was supposed to form relationships, both with the school and my peers, that would last a lifetime,” he says. “However, my wish and expectation of being part of the school community became impossible because I carried the secret of Father Keith’s abuse.”
At the very least, Gregory takes some solace in knowing Gleed’s baptismal font was hauled out of the chapel—though he, too, has no idea where it is now.
Prince Andrew revisits Lakefield College School and headmaster Terry Guest (1978)
Two other friends of Father Keith helped Prince Andrew devise the commemorative font. Terry Guest, who was headmaster of LCS when Gleed was chaplain, carved the font’s wooden base, while Lakefield alumnus Al Pace, a prominent Canadian studio potter, created the basin to hold the holy water. Both men’s contributions to the project were publicized in the school newsletter and in local press coverage of Andrew’s 2008 visit.
Now retired, Guest did not return phone messages seeking comment for this article. Pace replied to Maclean’s with a written statement via Profile Communications, the public relations firm working for Lakefield. “I’m extremely disappointed by the situation and my heart goes out to the victims,” Pace said. “I wish that Keith was here to have the opportunity to respond to the allegations against him.”
Now that the baptismal font is gone, Edward’s sister thinks Lakefield should consider commissioning a new memorial. “How about they put up a monument to the boys who were hurt, as opposed to the priest who hurt them?” Kathryn says. “And how about every year, they take the student body down to that place and say: ‘These are the boys who were not protected—and it will not happen again.’ ”
In the end, Grace says it will be up to Lakefield students and parents—former, current and future—to judge how genuinely committed the school is to confronting a dark chapter in its history. “Unfortunately, Lakefield as a boarding school is not the first to face allegations of this nature,” she says. “I have no doubt parents and prospective students will be watching carefully what happens with these cases.”
Gleed, an ordained Anglican priest, was chaplain at LCS from 1974 to 1980. During this time, he abused at least five boys who have since come forward to disclose the history of abuse. He died in 2001, but not before being stripped of his official capacity as an Anglican priest.
According to the Statements of Claim, this came following a sexual assault complaint to the Anglican Church of Canada by a student in 1992.
But it wasn’t until 2014 when LCS launched its own independent investigation into the allegations against Gleed. In 2015, Greg claims he received a letter from LCS advising him five people, including himself, had come forward. They each told their story of the abuse they endured by Gleed and another teacher who had preceded Gleed’s time at the school.
Investigators concluded Gleed and the teacher “violated the trust and authority of their positions and inflicted harm on innocent students by engaging in sexual misconduct.”
Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, left Gordonstoun before completing his secondary school, and graduated from Lakefield in 1978. The Canadian boarding school is popular with royals, and also counts King Felipe VI of Spain as a former student.
Together with the Earl and Countess of Wessex, the Duke of York is the most involved of the minor members of the Royal Family in Canada and makes homecomings here on a frequent basis, sometimes twice or more in a given year. One reason for his interest lies in the fact that he spent a half-year as a student at a Canadian boarding school, Lakefield College, near Peterborough, Ontario, from January to June 1977. This experience provided Andrew a network of Canadian friends and a broad knowledge of Canada, extended during frequent holiday trips here which have included several challenging canoe expeditions in the wilderness.
A good many of the Duke’s 25 homecomings to Canada have hinged on his role as a trustee of Lakefield College (and patron of the College’s Friends), and from his interest in education generally, although they have also included engagements on behalf of organizations as diverse as the Empire Club of Toronto, the Monarchist League of Canada and the BC Children’s Hospital.
Kracht also turned his gaze on an overlooked moment in his youth: when he was a teenager at the Canadian day and boarding school Lakefield College in Ontario, Kracht was sexually abused by the priest Keith Gleed, who died in 2001.
The initial discovery of Gleed’s crimes reads like a scene from one of Kracht’s novels: when the one-time alumnus Prince Andrew came to the school in 2008 to gift Lakefield with a baptismal font in honor of the late Gleed, five former pupils went public to reveal the truth about the criminal cleric. Two lawsuits against Lakefield are pending; the memorial font has been removed; the Royal family kept a stiff upper lip and declined to comment on the matter.
Prince Andrew – After completing his O Levels, HRH spent two terms in 1977 at Lakefield College School in Ontario, Canada, on a Round Square Exchange Programme.
Round Square owes much to the heritage of Kurt Hahn, who founded two of our original member schools, Schule Schloss Salem in Germany, with Prince Max of Baden, and Gordonstoun in Scotland.
Round Square Board
Richard McDonald
Richard McDonald has played an active role within Round Square since 1994, when he took up post as Head Master of Aiglon College, Switzerland, a founding school. He served on the Round Square Board of Directors between 1996-2000. After a number of years as a Director at Collège Alpin Beau Soleil in Switzerland, recently admitted to Round Square membership, he returned as Head Master of Aiglon College in 2009. He currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Swiss Group of International Schools (SGIS), of which he was Chair 2006-10. He regularly serves as an accreditation team chair for the Council of International Schools (CIS).
Eugenie ended up going to St George’s school because her parents’ first choice was a school, Aiglon, with a paedophile scandal…involving the head, Richard McDonald,who’s a friend of Prince Andrew.
Father Keith Gleed associate chaplain Renison College
[The Fall 1989 TBI Newsletter, came from the collection of TBI Alumnus, Rick Moore]
The Scarborough Sea Cadets honored guests with with a sunset ceremony. Speeches were included – from Honorable Lincoln Alexander, Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario who unveiled a plaque honouring the Founders, from Honourary Chairman Paul Phelan, from Francis MacLachlan – he designed the boats of course and Maurice Smith -he was our first Captain. Among lots of other TBI friends in attendence there was also in attendence Garf and Mary Lorriman with five of their six sons, Alan Hazell and Padre Keith Gleed.
Prince Andrew’s friend – Richard McDonald was a teacher at Christ’s Hospital School at the same as those 3 who have recently been charged.
&
The Christian school is in the diocese formerly overseen by paedophile bishop of Lewes Peter Ball who is serving a 32-month sentence for abusing 18 young men between 1977 and 1992.
Some students were sent from Christ Hospital School to paedophile Bishop Peter Ball for punishment.
Other establishment schools also sent students to Ball. Ian Beer of Harrow, who wrote a letter of support for Bishop Peter Ball also sent students (from 3 different schools) to Ball.
Barnaby Lenon was appointed as headmaster of Harrow in 1999
where in 2010 , a group of boys apparently stumbled across him looking at graphic images in his office.
Mr Hersey, 60, is not believed to have been suspended from Harrow, which charges £30,000-a-year fees. The matter was discussed with Harrow social services but the school decided there was no reason to involve the police.
Anger as Harrow school lets porn registrar Tim Hersey stay
Jul 8, 2010
A pornography scandal has rocked Harrow School.
Tim Hersey, assistant registrar at one of Britain’s most prestigious public schools was disciplined after using a school computer to access graphic homosexual images.The images were also seen by a 13-year-old pupil. But the senior school administrator has been allowed to keep his job – causing concern among staff at the school, which charges parents £30,000 a year in fees.School authorities even decided not to tell the police or the local education authority about any potential child protection issue. Mr Hersey, 60, was not even suspended. Teaching staff have been left shocked by headmaster Barnaby Lenon’s decision to keep him on.A school insider told the Daily Express: “Staff feel it’s an absolute scandal that Hersey has been allowed to keep his job.” An internal investigation confirmed that openly gay Mr Hersey had been downloading hardcore homosexual porn in the school office.His highly inappropriate behaviour was only discovered when a pupil saw the images and contacted a staff member.But an insider told how dozens of boys could have been exposed to hardcore images. “The screen can be clearly seen through the window from outside the room. Anyone could have seen it. A 13-year-old boy came into the office and saw the images,” the insider continued. “I don’t think the headmaster handled the affair very well.”Mr Hersey was featured prominently in a TV documentary about the school broadcast earlier this year. The headmaster defended his decision to keep Mr Hersey on, despite question marks over how suitable he is for working with children.Mr Lenon said: “A staff member was disciplined for a breach of the school’s computer code of conduct. This was a one-off incident and the staff member was reminded of his responsibilities.” He added that Mr Hersey had not been suspended and he had not told the police or the local authority about the incident.The Channel 4 documentary about Harrow School, entitled Too Poor For Posh School, followed a number of boys applying for scholarships. Harrow School counts kings, prime ministers including Sir Winston Churchill and Viscount Palmerston, and foreign statesmen including Jawaharlal Nehru among its former pupils.http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:J1F2mhlbkCwJ:www.express.co.uk/news/uk/185583/Anger-as-Harrow-school-lets-gay-porn-registrar-stay+&cd=14&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ushttp://www.harrowassociation.com/netcommunity/document.doc?id=6012012-Tim Hersey retires from Harrow, with a nice send-offTim Hersey oversaw all entrance scholarshipshttp://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:Aou4bcHv6fkJ:www.welcomewebsites.co.uk/MHA/fanfare/2005_2006.pdf+&cd=8&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ushttp://www.harrowassociation.com/netcommunity/document.doc?id=6152016 – Tim Hersey at RadleyAfter I arrived at St. Catharine’s College, Cambridge, on the afternoon of September 2nd 2016, 28 students and I were fortunate to have dinner with Tim Hersey, Dr Peter Wothers, Dr Ben Pilgrim and some students based in the college. Tim Hersey introduced us to the university and the course on offer for potential study. We shared a wonderful evening together talking chemistry with Cambridge teachers and students.http://www.radley.org.uk/Cambridge-Chemistry-Challenge-2016-WinnerIn September 2006, the daughter of a master at Harrow was attacked in her home, stripped naked, stabbed 66 times and her body mutilated by the drug-crazed schizophrenic son of another teacher.Shortly before he killed Lucy, he bought a chainsaw with which he planned to kill the son of another Harrow master.
Lucy’s father Jason Braham, the school’s art director
Former abbot to stand trial for abusing 10 schoolboys
10Aug2017
Ealing
A former Roman Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing 10 schoolboys in the 1970s and 1980s will stand trial in October. Father Laurence Soper, 73, a former abbot of Ealing Abbey in west London, is charged with 18 sex offences including buggery and indecent assault on boys under 16. They are said to have occurred at St Benedict’s School in Ealing, where he taught first as a priest before being promoted to abbot.
Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey also wrote to police in 1993 with letters of support for the then Bishop of Gloucester Peter Ball who was being investigated for sex offences.
Several CH teachers and headmasters are linked with Gordonstoun school where csa files have gone missing
THE Duke of York last night insisted he would still be sending his daughters to an exclusive Swiss school embroiled in three sordid sex scandals.
‘The Duke of York is aware of reports which have come from Switzerland,’ said his spokesman last night.
…it was ‘a complete coincidence’ that the abuse allegations involving Mr McDonald had arisen at the time of the alleged sex attacks – involving the anaesthetic trichlorethylene – at the school.
Three pupils at the college were also injured in March after being attacked with a man brandishing an anaesthetic spray.
And last December, teacher,Robert Kenneth, a first-year chemistry master from Ayrshire30, was fired over claims he had spanking sessions with gay lovers.
Sir Toby Coghill, who appointed Mr McDonald five years ago and who stood down as chairman of governors at the school last July, said the allegations were a ‘human disaster’ for the teacher.
‘My concern throughout has been for the good name of the school and for the welfare of this guy
VICE squad police questioning the former head of the exclusive Swiss school where Fergie is sending her children are flying to Britain to quiz his ex-colleagues.
2000 – Prince Andrew with Sir Tony Bamford –
HRH Prince Andrew (second from right) receives a cheque for £2 million from Sir Anthony and Lady Bamford for the NSPCC raised by JCB and its employees
Sir Tony Bamford – friend of Prince Charles and listed in convicted billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s black book
and there were several phone numbers for friends Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson
Dec 2001 Andrew and daughter NSPCC
Gordonstoun 1982
Richard McDonald and Prince Andrew were contemporaries at Gordonstoun, a sister school of Aiglon
He served on the Round Square Board of Directors between 1996-2000. After a number of years as a Director at Collège Alpin Beau Soleil in Switzerland, recently admitted to Round Square membership, he returned as Head Master of Aiglon College in 2009. He currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Swiss Group of International Schools (SGIS), of which he was Chair 2006-10. He regularly serves as an accreditation team chair for the Council of International Schools (CIS).
Prince Andrew’s friend, Richard McDonald, who was charged with csa, was teaching at Christ’s Hospital School at the same time as those staff members who have recently been arrested.
The alleged attacks on as many as nine pupils are all said to have taken place at the prestigious school in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Richard McDonald, 40, taught at two top English public schools before moving to Aiglon College in Switzerland.
Police are investigating allegations that McDonald – a friend of Prince Andrew – had sexually abused two boys.
They say they want to build a history of his life. Before 1994 when he took the post at Aiglon in the Alpine village of Villar
Richard McDonald was modern languages teacher at Christ’s Hospital in Horsham, West Sussex and at Charterhouse in Godalming, Surrey.
A police source said: “We will be trying to build up a picture of the accused man. The charges he faces are very serious so we should speak to people who worked with him and knew the man.”
McDonald’s computer has been seized and is now being examined for any evidence of involvement with paedophiles.
He has been in prison in Lausanne since mid-March but kept it from school governors, who had granted him a term’s compassionate leave to sort out his divorce. He has since resigned.
McDonald’s American wife Michele, 37, who lives close to the school, made the child-sex allegations during the divorce case.
Yesterday she said: “What I think of my husband is unprintable.”
But she insisted it was safe for Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie to become pupils, despite a dormitory sex attack on three girl pupils in January and a teacher boasting of gay bondage sessions.
Michele added: “The Duke and Duchess of York have nothing to worry about. My son goes to the school, it is 100 per cent safe.” McDonald last night denied the charges against him.
He said: “This is all nonsense. I find myself in prison for the first time in my life for something I didn’t do.”
In 2001 the Purdews of Champneys (friends of Sir Jimmy Savile and Keith Vaz) briefly acquired Inglewood health hydro from agents of Saudi prince Mohammed bin Fahd. Inglewood had been the scene of allegations, published in the Guardian six years earlier, that then defence minister Jonathan Aitken, a director of the spa, had tried to arrange girls for a Saudi prince and his entourage.
The report led to the notorious libel action brought by Aitken ultimately culminating in his being sentenced to jail for perjury.
Former Tory MP Jonathan Aitken, once a director of Champneys Inglewood. He was accused by former employees of acting as a ‘pimp’ by requesting call girls, once for a sheikh and once for a group of Arabs.
And though Aitken met his future wife Lolicia at Inglewood, he also cheated on her with bondage prostitute Paula Strudwick, telling her to collect the right sort of birch branches from the woods outside the estate for sadomasochistic sex games. You’d have thought someone would have twigged what was going on.
The former boss of one of Britain’s biggest Royal charities has been charged with indecently assaulting a boy of 14.
Colin Gregg, 55, ex-administrator of the Yellow Brick Road charity, was arrested after the teenager told his parents he’d been interfered with following a golf club trip.
He has been bailed to appear before magistrates at Newcastle upon Tyne next month.
The married father-of-three, who was arrested on April 25, had his home in Newcastle searched and a computer disc removed by members of Northumbria Police’s Child Protection Department.
The boy is believed to have told police he was also interfered with in a sauna by Mr Gregg after a cross-country run.
Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein pictured strolling through Central Park together during a four-day break in New York at the start of December 2010 within days of the billionaire giving Fergie the £15,000 payment
Fergie:’I personally, on behalf of myself, deeply regret that Jeffrey Epstein became involved in any way with me,’ she said.
‘I abhor paedophilia and any sexual abuse of children and know that this was a gigantic error of judgment 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…
Prince Andrew was expected to hold crisis talks with the Queen today as he returned to Britain from a holiday in the upmarket Swiss ski resort of Verbier with his ex-wife Fergie, Sarah Ferguson
Prince Andrew 2000 – The same year that Prince Andrew was keen to send his daughters to a school involved with a paedophile scandal connected to his old friend from Gordonstoun Richard McDonald, Prince Andrew was spending time with billionaire convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein
One of the famous friends who entered Epstein’s fast-moving orbit was Prince Andrew, who appeared at a Florida function in 2000 with Epstein under the name “Andrew York,” the Telegraph reported. Soon, he was spending time at Epstein’s Palm Beach mansion, though Buckingham Palace denied he ever spent more than a few days there.
Epstein visited Windsor Castle in 2000 for Queen Elizabeth’s official birthday celebrations and went to the Royal Family’s country retreat at Sandringham the following winter. Andrew also entertained Epstein at the Scottish estate of Balmoral.
Prince Andrew first met Jeffrey Epsteinthrough his friendship with Ghislaine Maxwell, daughter of the newspaper tycoon Robert Maxwell, in the 1990s.
In 2001, Virginia Roberts, a 17-year-old who now claims to have been held as Epstein’s “sex slave”, was introduced to Prince Andrew while staying at Miss Maxwell’s London home.
A sex attack at a Swiss school where Prince Andrew intended to send his daughters has been linked with the man suspected of murdering Caroline Dickinson.
Two girls, aged 14 and 16, were anaesthetised, stripped and sexually assaulted at Aiglon College, in Villars.
The Duke and Duchess of York decided not to send Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie to the school after the attack, on March 17 last year.
Yesterday, Swiss police said they wanted to interview Francisco Arce Montes and gain access to his DNA profile.
Montes, 50, is being held in Miami on suspicion of sex offences.
DNA taken by police in Florida closely matches samples found at the hostel in the French town of Pleine Fougeres where 13-year-old Caroline was raped and murdered in 1996.
The Daily Mail has also learned that police have evidence that Montes may have struck in Britain.
A 25-year-old office worker believes Montes targeted her when she was staying in a hostel in York in 1984.
The woman was woken three times by an intruder at the Holgate Centre where she was staying during a school trip. She was eight at the time.
Her mother – a teacher at her school – was sleeping in the next room and was alerted by the daughter’s gasp of terror when she saw a man standing over her at 3.00 am.
‘I’ll never forget that face as long as I live,’ the woman told the Mail yesterday.
When her mother confronted the stranger, a Spanish waiter, he claimed to be lost. He was arrested but released without charge.
The girl’s mother, who lives in Staffordshire, said: ‘It’s only now that we realise it was Montes. We’d recognise him anywhere.’
Police have interviewed the family as they piece together Montes’s move-ments throughout Europe and the Americas over the last 20 years.
They also think Montes may have attacked women in London where he lived between 1993 and 1997.
Former neighbours in Earl’s Court have said he drove to France in his white Mazda at around the time Caroline was killed.
During his time in London, Montes lured young girls back to his bedsit.
He loitered outside Earl’s Court Underground station, waiting for backpackers.
Montes has convictions for sex offences across Europe. Police in Tuebingen, Germany, have confirmed he served two years in jail in 1989 for raping a 22-year-old and attempting to rape a 19-year-old.
BA(Hons) French & German, Lincoln College, Oxford University
PGCE Lincoln College, Oxford University
After 10 years teaching in the UK – seven years at Charterhouse and three years at Christ’s Hospital as a housemaster – Mr McDonald became Headmaster of Aiglon from ’94 to 2000. After seven years at neighbouring school Collège Alpin Beau Soleil he returned as Headmaster in ’09. His passions have evolved over the years from excessive amounts of cricket to theatre direction, karate instruction, skiing, creative writing, mycology and playing the saxophone. He was the founder of the Villars & Chablais Cricket Club, as well as the Villars Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, a 20-piece big band that has featured in palaces and festivals across Switzerland, including the Montreux Jazz festival in ’14. He was European Regional Director for Round Square ’96 to 2000 and Chair of the Swiss Group of International Schools ’06 to ’10.
The Lord Mayor of London, Michael Bear, and CH school’s headmaster, John Franklin, on speech day in 2010. Students also play at the Lord Mayor’s Show (attended by the school band annually since 1981).
The current headmaster:
John Franklin, BA, since 2007; previously head of Ardingly College 1998 – 2007
Ardingly College – near the Bluebell Railway = Russel Tricker? – Amsterdam/videos? Dover customs?
Christ’s Hospital School
The Board of School Governors is delighted to announce that Mr Simon Reid, currently Principal of Gordonstoun School, will succeed John Franklin as Head Master of Christ’s Hospital with effect from September 2017.
Simon’s career has seen him teach in a number of prestigious schools including Brentwood, Stowe and Christ’s Hospital (1993-2004), where he held various posts including Second in the English Department and boarding house master.
After CH, Simon spent seven years as Deputy Head at Worksop College before taking up his present position at Gordonstoun in 2011.
Simon has a BA in English and Politics and a Higher Diploma in Education, both from the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa. His wife Michèle teaches French (her native language) and they have two adult children. Simon’s interests include architectural and landscape photography, writing poetry, reading and skiing.
Simon Reid the CEO/Head-Designate is effectively an Honorary Old Blue like Richard Poulton who indeed as HM 1986-1996 appointed Simon to the teaching staff 1993-2004.
Prince Andrew is pictured with the Queen and Prince Philip on his arrival at Gordonstoun School in Elgin
Teacher at prince’s public school accused of sex abuse
Police files on sex abuse at Gordonstoun where Prince Philip and Prince Charles were educated have vanished
Official police files on allegations of sex abuse at Scottish school missing
Files on teacher accused of sexually assaulting pupils cannot be found
Derek Jones accused of fondling boy, 12, and taking naked photos of him
Scotland’s Crown Office confirmed files on the 1990 case had disappeared
Derek Jones, a former English teacher at Aberlour House, Gordonstoun’s junior school, was accused of fondling and taking naked photographs of a pupil in 1990
Jones is one of a number of teachers involved in historic sexual abuse allegations at Aberlour House and Gordonstoun in Moray. Aberlour House was the preparatory school to Gordonstoun, and had its own headmaster and governors, until the school’s merged into one site in 2004.
Other allegations of abuse include the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl.
2003 Britain’s Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh visit Christ’s Hospital School in West Sussex, southern England. The Queen toured the facilities before attending a commemoration service to mark 450 years of Royal Patronage.
School Pays [Pounds Sterling]2,500 to Boy Who Came Home with 40 Bruises
Daily Mail (London), June 9, 1999
Paul Sterrett arrived home covered in bruises just three weeks after enrolling at Christ’s Hospital School.
He told his parents he had been the victim of ‘dormitory punishments’ and that one boy had repeatedly kicked him while whistling the theme tune of Match of the Day.
Paul’s father Ian and mother Sue complained to teachers at the 447-year-old school in Horsham, West Sussex. But, they say, despite assurances that the bullying would be
stamped out, Paul was attacked twice more when he returned.
The parents, who live in Crawley, West Sussex, then withdrew him from the school completely.
Solicitors for the family threatened to sue Christ’s Hospital for negligence and breach of a duty of care towards Paul.
The school denied liability but agreed to pay [pounds sterling]2,500 in an out-of-court settlement which was approved at Horsham county court last week.
Yesterday, Mr Sterrett, 41, a British Airways customer services representative, recalled
his son arriving home after his first weeks at the school.
‘My wife screamed when she saw what he looked like,’ he said.
‘Paul had about 40 bruises all over his body and it was obvious there had been some pretty systematic bullying in his dormitory.
‘He told us there were various punishments, one of which was called “milking”, where younger boys had their nipples squeezed extremely hard until it caused bruising.
‘ Mrs Sterrett, 43, said that Paul, who is now 12, was the youngest in the school when he enrolled at Christ’s Hospital in September 1997 – a year early because he was considered very bright, particularly in mathematics.
When we complained, the headmaster said we should take a couple of steps backward and let them get on with it – they had been looking after boys for hundreds of years and had a lot of experience.
5th December 2000 Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, meets members of the Christ’s Hospital School choirduring a visit to the Tinsey House detention centre for illegal immigrants at Gatwick Airport .
The Prince looked at art and craftwork done by the residents who are either waiting to be returned home after their asylum attempts have failed or are awaiting the result of applications. The centre is a blue print for three other purpose-built facilities being planned elsewhere in the country which are designed to speed up the process of returning immigrants home once their attempts to seek asylum have failed.
Chaplain John Robson – He became Chaplain to the Queen and was friends with The Rev Eric Abbott.
Robson and Princess Margaret: The two of them had little in common but their religious faith and a devotion to a man both regarded as a father figure, one-time Dean of Westminster The Rev Eric Abbott.
It was to Mr Abbott that Princess Margaret turned after the death of George VI. For 30 years he was “guide, philosopher and friend” to her according to Mr Robson.
Princess Margaret would take communion at The Queen’s Chapel of the Savoy, just by the Savoy Hotel. The chapel was a favourite of her father’s and she had her own stall complete with coat of arms.
It was noted how she would always attend before flying off to Mustique, the joke among staff being that she was making sure she was “shriven” before misbehaving in the Caribbean.
…he said. “Like all of us, she had a dark side – that was part of her attraction.
Adrian Fulcher, Senior Grecian in our year and latterly member of a very secretive Government department, and who knew him a lot better than I did, once told me that Private Eye had run a story on the shenanigans surrounding Newsome’s contractually premature departure from CH in 1979
Catholic boarding schools ‘prioritised monks and their reputations over children’s safety’, sexual abuse inquiry finds
Inquiry finds children as young as seven were sexually abused at Ampleforth, and 11 at Downside
9 Aug 2019
Two leading Catholic schools “prioritised monks and their own reputations over the protection of children” who were sexually abused, a report has found.
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) found that pupils at Ampleforth, in Yorkshire, and Downside, in Somerset, suffered “appalling” treatment stretching over decades.
The inquiry found that children as young as seven were sexually abused at Ampleforth, and 11 at Downside, amid a “culture of acceptance of abusive
Professor Alexis Jay, chair of the inquiry, said: “For decades Ampleforth and Downside tried to avoid giving any information about child sexual abuse to police and social services.
“Instead, monks in both institutions were very often secretive, evasive and suspicious of anyone outside the English Benedictine Congregation.
“Safeguarding children was less important than the reputation of the church and the wellbeing of the abusive monks.
“Even after new procedures were introduced in 2001, when monks gave the appearance of cooperation and trust, their approach could be summarised as a ‘tell them nothing’ attitude.”
The report found that the true scale of sexual abuse at the fee-paying schools, whose alumni include politicians, aristocrats and celebrities, was likely to be “considerably” more widespread than conviction figures reflect.
Both schools are linked to the English Benedictine Congregation, which has 10 monasteries in England and Wales.
IICSA found that “secretive, evasive and suspicious” church officials had avoided reporting misconduct to police and social services.
The report said allegations stretching back to the 1960s encompassed “a wide spectrum of physical abuse, much of which had sadistic and sexual overtones”.
So far 10 individuals linked to the schools, mainly monks, have been cautioned or convicted over sexual activity or pornography offences involving a “large number of children”.
One alleged offender at Ampleforth, which currently charges £35,424 a year for senior boarders, abused at least 11 children aged between eight and 12 over a “sustained period of time”, but died before police could investigate.
“Many perpetrators did not hide their sexual interests from the children,” the report found, allowing abusers at Ampleforth to prey on entire groups of pupils both outdoors and indoors during communal activities.
“The blatant openness of these activities demonstrates there was a culture of acceptance of abusive behaviour.”
Victims and witnesses who gave evidence during weeks of inquiry hearings last year said the culture was fostered by abbots leading the schools.
In 2001, the Nolan Report recommended all sexual abuse allegations within the church must be referred to police, but many allegedly felt the position was “neither obligatory nor desirable”.
“For much of the time under consideration by the inquiry, the overriding concern in both Ampleforth and Downside was to avoid contact with the local authority or the police at all costs, regardless of the seriousness of the alleged abuse or actual knowledge of its occurrence,” the report said.
“Rather than refer a suspected perpetrator to the police, in several instances the abbots in both places would confine the individual to the abbey or transfer him and the known risk to a parish or other locations.”
But details of the monks’ predatory past was not always passed on to their new residence, where “children were then abused as a consequence.”
Downside, which now charges £33,861 per annum for senior boarders, paved the way for the return of offenders such as Nicholas White, who became his first victim’s housemaster despite staff knowledge of the abuse allegations.
Four suspected paedophiles were feared to remain at Downside as recently as last year, when the former abbot Aidan Bellenger sent two letters to Dom Leo Maidlow Davis containing information that was not passed to the local authority safeguarding lead.
Mr Maidlow Davis later apologised, but the report said: “The whole incident, having occurred so recently, gives no cause for confidence that the attitudes at Downside had changed enough to put children first over threat to reputation and embarrassment to senior members of the monastic order.”
The congregation’s most senior clergymen, including past presidents Richard Yeo and Charles Fitzgerald-Lombard, refused to fully accept that criminal activity was tolerated when questioned at the inquiry.
Accountability within the congregation was exacerbated by “no recognisable line management oversight”, IICSA found, with the monastic order appearing “collaborative rather than hierarchical”.
The inquiry suggested that a “strict separation” between the abbeys and schools was needed to ensure school safeguarding was free from the “often conflicting priorities of the abbeys”.
Neither school has established a redress scheme for victims and “no public apology has been made” outside of the context of the inquiry, the report said.
Richard Scorer, a lawyer from Slater and Gordon who represented several victims at the inquiry, called for the onward reporting of sexual abuse allegations to be made legally mandatory.
“The abhorrent and disgraceful abuse in the Catholic church has once again been laid bare by this inquiry,” he said.
“This familiar and shameful story of coverup has been told time and time again, and is a devastating indictment of an organisation guilty of gross failures on child protection. It is clear that the Catholic church is woefully incapable of policing itself.”
A spokesperson for Ampleforth College said it was developing its first ever safeguarding charter and would review IICSA’s findings to make further improvements.
“We remain completely focused on the safety and wellbeing of those entrusted to our care and our commitment to implement meaningful change,” he added.
“We would like to once again offer our heartfelt apology to anyone who suffered abuse while in the care of our schools, parishes or other ministries.”
A spokesperson for Downside School offered a “sincere and unreserved apology to all victims and survivors of sexual abuse suffered as a result of the actions of some within the Downside community”.
“The abbey and school fully acknowledges the serious failings and mistakes made in both protecting those within our care and responding to safeguarding concerns,” he added. “We have reflected deeply and will continue to listen with the ear of the heart going forward to ensure that the mistakes of the past are never repeated.”
Since the inquiry hearings in November, it has appointed a new headmaster, new chair of governors, carried out a safeguarding review, removed monks from senior positions and is moving the school into a new independent trust.
The Catholic church is one of 13 strands of IICSA’s ongoing investigations, which have included probes into other religious institutions, schools, youth detention centres, government programmes and mental health units.
The inquiry will also examine allegations of child sexual abuse by “people of public prominence” in Westminster and grooming gangs in Telford, Rotherham and other areas.
An interim report published in April found that “all too often institutions are prioritising the reputation of political leaders or the reputation of their staff, or avoiding legal liability, claims or insurance implications, over the welfare of children and tackling child sexual abuse”.
Theresa May established IICSA, which is expected to cost up to £100m, as home secretary in 2014, to examine how UK institutions handled their duty to protect children from sexual abuse following the Jimmy Savile scandal.
But it quickly became the subject of controversy following the resignation of three chairs – Baroness Butler-Sloss, Fiona Woolf and Dame Lowell Goddard – and a data breach that resulted in a £200,000 fine.
Ampleforth in Charity Commission takeover amid concerns of its management of sex abuse allegations
3 April 2018
Ampleforth Abbey has been stripped of responsibility for pupil welfare by the Charity Commission amid concerns about its management of sex abuse allegations.
The Commission has removed responsibility for safeguarding matters from trustees at the prestigious boarding school as it said it had not improved its policies enough since an inquiry into the charity following allegations of sexual abuse was launched in 2016.
It said it had taken action “as a result of continued concerns about the extent to which current safeguarding risks to pupils at the schools run by the charities are being adequately managed”.
Ampleforth Abbey runs a 200-year-old religious community on the same site as Ampleforth College in Yorkshire, which is run by the St Laurence Education Trust. St Laurence also runs prep school St Martin’s Ampleforth, which announced its closure earlier this year.
Last year the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse heard that allegations of sexual abuse had been made against 40 monks and teachers who had previously lived or worked at the Catholic boarding school and religious community.
Emma Moody, a specialist charity lawyer at Womble Bond Dickinson, has now been appointed as interim manager of both charities.
Former Ampleforth College monk charged with 23 historic child sex offences
North Yorkshire Police have charged a former monk from Ampleforth with 23 non-recent child sex offences. Peter Turner, 79, from Redcar, who was previously known as Father Gregory Carroll, is due to appear at Scarborough Magistrates’ Court on April 8, 2019.
26 March 2019
The charges relate to three victims in total, one in Ampleforth and two in Cumbria, who were aged between 9 and 13 at the time of the alleged offending. A spokeman for the force said: “Fifteen of the alleged offences were against a pupil at Ampleforth College in North Yorkshire between 1984 and 1987. “Charges relating to these allegations at Ampleforth include gross indecency, indecent assault and buggery. “The remaining eight were against altar servers at a parish church in the Workington area of Cumbria between 1987 and 1990. “The charges relating to Cumbria include indecent assault and gross indecency.”
Ampleforth Abbey in North Yorkshire is accused of being a “honeypot” for offenders
Forty monks and teachers have been accused of sexually abusing boys at a leading Roman Catholic school that allegedly became a “honeypot” for offenders, it was revealed yesterday.
Reports of child sex offences at Ampleforth College in North Yorkshire were disclosed yesterday at a public hearing of an inquiry into the handling of abuse allegations by the Catholic church.
As a case study, the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse (IICSA) is examining safeguarding policies at two fee-paying boarding schools run by the English Benedictine Congregation — Ampleforth, and Downside in Somerset. Riel Karmy-Jones, QC, counsel to the inquiry, said that it would consider the prevalence of child abuse within the Catholic church and the extent to which Catholic culture “has or does inhibit the proper investigation and prevention” of such crimes.
Since 1996 three monks and two lay teachers at Ampleforth have been convicted of sex offences against pupils, but Ms Karmy-Jones said that the inquiry had been notified of multiple allegations against about 40 monks and teachers.
In an opening statement on behalf of 29 abuse survivors Richard Scorer, a specialist abuse lawyer at Slater and Gordon, the law firm, said that the “temptation to cover up” such crimes was “particularly acute in institutions associated with the Roman Catholic Church”. He said: “Where reputation is key to an organisation’s existence, there is likely to be an almost overwhelming desire to find some way of avoiding the bad publicity associated with child sex abuse.” Shared awareness among child abusers that their misconduct would be covered up, or dealt with in-house, explained why “some institutions become honeypots where multiple offenders operate”.
Mr Scorer urged the inquiry to consider recommending a change in the law to make failure to report abuse a criminal offence.
On behalf of 14 victims and survivors, David Enright said that it was “very difficult to explain” to a non-Catholic “the power and depth of influence the Catholic church exerts over its members. The abusers were not only men in positions of trust; they were seen by the abused, and their families, as spokesmen for the God they worship. It is hard to imagine a greater hold that a child abuser could have over his victim.”
Matthias Kelly, QC, counsel for Ampleforth, said that the school and the abbey wanted “to apologise for the hurt, injury, distress and damage done to those who were abused as a result of our failings”. He said that the school’s policy today was one of “full, transparent and immediate co-operation with the statutory agencies”.
For Downside and the English Benedictine Congregation, Kate Gallafent, QC, said that the Catholic church was committed to giving the inquiry “its full co-operation. The congregation expresses profound shame that any child has been the victim of sexual abuse whilst in the care of the schools connected with its abbeys.”
Mr Slater – worked at both Christ’s Hospital School and Ampleforth both schools filled with paedophiles.
The name had come up in conversation at IHT’s cottage when JDS (Headmaster John Shippen) and IHT were discussing Mr. Slater, who had been a CH Housemaster and formerly a monk at Ampleforth.
Top public school suspends child sex charges teacher
3 Mar 2017
THE head of music at a prestigious private school has been suspended following allegations he sexually assaulted a pupil three decades ago.
Sean Ambrose Farrell, 49, denied two charges of indecent assault and two charges of gross indecency when he appeared before York magistrates last week.
All four offences are alleged to have been committed against a child aged under 14 at the time at Ampleforth College’s junior school.
Farrell, of Riddings Road, Ilkley, was released on bail on condition that he has no unsupervised contact with children aged under 16.
He has been removed from his post at Wellington College, in Berkshire – which counts the late actor Sir Christopher Lee and Will Young among its alumni – several months ago after North Yorkshire Police launched an investigation.
A Wellington College spokesman said: “In line with our safeguarding procedures, Wellington suspended the member of staff concerned and excluded him from the school site as soon as it was made aware that the police were investigating these accusations.”
Press release New charity investigation: Ampleforth Abbey and St Laurence Education Trust Dec 13 2016
The Charity Commission has opened a statutory inquiry into Ampleforth Abbey, registered charity number 1026493 and St Laurence Education Trust, registered charity number 1063808.
Former headmaster resigns over Fort Augustus abuse claims
5 August 2013
A former headmaster of a scandal-hit Catholic boarding school has resigned from a senior role at a Benedictine college of Oxford University.
Father Francis Davidson is accused of covering up child sex abuse during his time at Fort Augustus Abbey School in the Highlands.
He is quitting as monastic superior of St Benet’s Hall.
He was responsible at the Oxford college for the welfare of student monks.
Fr Davidson’s resignation follows a BBC Scotland investigation into physical and sexual abuse at Fort Augustus and its preparatory school in East Lothian, Carlekemp.
In total, 10 monks are now accused of physical abuse; four monks and one lay teacher of sexual abuse including rape; and three headmasters of cover-ups.
Priest, Father Paul Moore , convicted 20 years after first confessing
14 March 2018
Moore was sent to Fort Augustus after allegedly admitting child abuse to the bishop
An 82-year-old Catholic priest who confessed to his bishop more than 20 years ago that he had abused young boys has finally been convicted.
Father Paul Moore has been found guilty of sexually abusing three children and a student priest in crimes spanning more than 20 years.
One of his victims was just five years old.
A BBC Scotland investigation reported five years ago that Moore had admitted in 1996 that he had abused more than one boy years earlier, and it was initially covered up by the bishop.
The then Bishop of Galloway, Maurice Taylor, did not contact the authorities about the priest’s confession until eight months later. Instead, he sent him to a treatment centre in Toronto.
Bishop Taylor removed the priest from his parish in Prestwick, Ayrshire, and later sent him to Fort Augustus Abbey in the Highlands, which was run by Benedictine monks.
The attached school was by this time closed, but the abbey remained open. That is where Moore joined monk Richard White – who was also a self-confessed paedophile, later jailed for five years for child abuse.
The 2013 BBC documentary Sins of Our Fathers told how Moore was still living in a house which was purchased by the church.
Bishop Taylor said Moore had told him about actions that “occurred years previously”, and that the priest was removed from the pastoral ministry after the admission.
The bishop said: “The initial advice I was given was that since no allegations had been made against Moore but that he had made personal admission to me, I didn’t need to inform the authorities.”
The bishop said he arranged a meeting with the procurator fiscal in Kilmarnock in November 1996.
He said: “The Crown Office informed us in 1999 that they had decided not to proceed with any action but the case remained open.”
It was only when the victims came forward after the BBC documentary that the criminal case was brought.
n 2013, the BBC revealed claims by a former altar boy that he had been abused by Moore.
Two years later, Paul Smyth waived his anonymity to speak to a follow-up investigation.
He said: “I just want people to know the truth, I’m not running away any more.”
Mr Smyth told the BBC how he’d been sexually assaulted on Irvine beach when he was 11.
He eventually told the police what happened in 1997, the year after Moore apparently admitted the abuse to Bishop Taylor.
n 2013, the BBC revealed claims by a former altar boy that he had been abused by Moore.
Two years later, Paul Smyth waived his anonymity to speak to a follow-up investigation.
He said: “I just want people to know the truth, I’m not running away any more.”
Mr Smyth told the BBC how he’d been sexually assaulted on Irvine beach when he was 11.
He eventually told the police what happened in 1997, the year after Moore apparently admitted the abuse to Bishop Taylor.
Also in the 2015 follow-up, the BBC revealed a second man, another former altar server and now in his late 40s, was abused by Moore for several years as a teenager in Ayrshire.
The investigation obtained a copy of a £10,000 cheque given to the man by Moore in 2009.
Moore denied the cheque was “hush money” and says it was meant as a loan.
Moore being shown the cheque by Mark Daly
When confronted, Moore denied that he had confessed any child abuse to Bishop Taylor.
He accepted he was aware the man had made allegations against him, and was asked if he accepted that a payment to an alleged victim may look like “hush money”.
He responded: “Sure, it looks now, I realise that now in these times but it’s not that, it wasn’t hush money.
“In the Bible it says lend without hope of getting things back… as far as I’m concerned he can keep it.”
Asked if the two men were lying about the abuse claims, Moore said: “No, they’re not lying. They think that’s what it is. But it’s not.”
Some of the abuse was alleged to have taken place at St Mark’s Primary School in Irvine
The court case also heard from another man, now in his 40s, who told how Moore sexually assaulted him at St Mark’s primary school in Irvine in 1976.
Nowadays that crime would have been classed as rape.
Another man told of an occasion when he was abused at Irvine’s Magnum Centre when he was still a child.
Moore was ordained in 1960 and served in six different parishes in the south west of Scotland before retirement.
In 1995, he abused a student priest and around the same time he was found to have repeatedly stared at the bodies of young boys in Prestwick swimming pool.
Soon after this he made his confession to the bishop.
Bishop Taylor was told of the abuse in 1996
Bishop Taylor, who is now 92, appeared in court and said Moore had admitted to him in 1996 that he had a desire to abuse minors and he knew it was wrong.
He spoke of abusing boys while they slept and others at a swimming pool.
The bishop was shown personnel records he had taken in 1996 when Moore asked to see him.
He told the bishop he had sexual involvement with two males who had been underage at the time.
●Ampleforth pupils ‘denied justice’ at trial of ex-teacher ● Judge and police criticised as former student’s suicide revealed
Ampleforth, where James Glynn was a pupil. He killed himself after claiming he had been abused. Paul Sheppard, a Canadian who taught there, was found not guilty last year of indecently assaulting a boy there 27 years ago
A bungled inquiry linked to a cover-up of alleged sex abuse at Britain’s leading Catholic school denied justice to a teacher’s child victims, former pupils have claimed.
Paul Sheppard, a Canadian who taught at Ampleforth College, was found not guilty last year of indecently assaulting a boy there 27 years ago. The jurors at his trial were under the impression that the former pupil, aged 11 when the crime was said to have been committed in 1989, was the sole complainant.
The handling of Paul Sheppard’s departure from Ampleforth College was not the school’s first attempt to cover up a potential scandal involving the alleged sexual abuse of children
Two years earlier Father Dominic Milroy, the headmaster, had proved equally reluctant to contact police when a monk confessed to sexually abusing a Junior House pupil.
The head removed Father Gregory Carroll but hushed it up by sending him to work at a “mission parish” in Workington, Cumbria. There, he sexually abused a nine-year-old altar boy. In 2005, aged 66, Carroll was jailed for four years for indecent assault and gross indecency…
Monk ‘who ran sex club involving young boys’ at country’s top Catholic School ‘remained in his job for eight years after allegations were first made’
Apr 5 2017
Father Jeremy Sierla allegedly ran ‘sex club’ for boys at Ampleforth College
He remained at Catholic school for eight years after allegations first made
Police told he would make pupils perform sex acts in their pyjamas
Investigation began in 2004 but no charges were ever brought against him
Detectives spoke to more than a dozen young men who attended the school’s Junior House between 1990 and 1993 when Father Jeremy was housemaster.
Some recalled the monk whipping boys’ bottoms with his habit, encouraging the pupils to tie him up, showering naked with them and putting his hands under their duvets, the Times reported.
Photos and video clips – none indecent – of Ampleforth pupils were found on Father Jeremy’s computer, including one of a 12-year-old boy holding a rose in his mouth.
Father Sierla, 59, lived and worked at £30,000-a-year college, pictured, until 2012, despite accusations first being made against him eight years previously
The investigation was triggered when the same boy, in his early 20s by 2004, made allegations to police about abuse he claimed Father Jeremy had subjected him to.
The monk was not charged after prosecutors ruled there was insufficient evidence against him, and the CPS said the case file was destroyed years ago, the Times reported.
Father Jeremy continued to work in the abbey shop from 2004 to 2012 and posed for photographs to promote Ampleforth’s own brand Abbey Beer.
A music teacher, Dara de Cogan, who joined Ampleforth in 2004 was jailed last week for sexually abusing a female student during violin lessons.
Dara de Cogan, 58, received a 28-month sentence and will be on the sex offenders register for a decade.
A school spokesman said that Father Jeremy’s continued presence at Ampleforth was approved at a meeting of safeguarding professionals in 2004 and that his case was reviewed again in 2007 by an independent safeguarding commission.
It took a further five years before the Department for Education (DfE)told Ampleforth he should not be allowed on school grounds.
TheDfE said that it was unable to discuss individual cases but stressed it was ‘paramount that children are protected at school and that there are robust safeguards in place’.
It added: ‘Where schools fail to meet standards, we will not hesitate to take action.’
GENE SIMMONS‘ Rock School” has Master Simmons setting up court at one of the UK’s top independent boarding schools, Christ’s Hospital in West Sussex, south of London. The children who attend the 450-year-old school wear Tudor uniforms, march into the lunch hall accompanied by full brass band and know nothing about rock music. So, in just six weeks Gene must transform a class of classically trained 13-year-old musicians into little rock gods.
The final speaker of the Lent term’s Visiting Speaker Programme for senior pupils was Shami Chakrabarti. Ms Chakrabarti is the Director of the human rights campaign group Liberty. The title of the talk was ‘On Liberty’.
Freemason and president of Christ’s Hospital School – Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, a cousin of the Queen, is also a member of the Queen’s Club where Jaz worked.
2015 During October the staff and pupils of Christ’s Hospital were honoured to welcome HRH The Duke of Gloucester to the School for the official opening of CH’s truly magnificent new Language and Resource Centre (LARC).
Feb. 26, 2012 – Christ’s Hospital Celebrates Quartercentenary. 800 boys of Christ’s Hospital, Hersham wearing their famous Bluecoats and yellow stockings and led their own bands, marched from Cannon Street Station to St. Paul’s Cathedral on 19th May to attend a Thanksgiving Service marking the School’s 400th Centenary. The service was attended by the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. after the service the children were entertained to tea by the Corporation of London in the Halls of various City Companies including the Tallow Chandlers in their Hall at Dowgate Hill, Cannon Street.
HLO Flecker was clearly very much a member of the establishment (not only because he is one of the few persons I ever saw wearing spats). This explains why he was selected to be a member of a Royal Commission to investigate education in the British West Indies in 1948 or 9 (I think). He may well have merited this appointment because of his knowledge of education and his intellectual powers. Another explanation may be because he was a very senior member of the Freemasons, a Grand Deacon...He was thus number 5 or 6 in the hierarchy. The big chief at that time was the Duke of Gloucester, the President of CH.
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.
Jaz Karim worked at two places affiliated with Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester
President of Christ’s Hospital School – Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, a cousin of the Queen, is also a member of the Queen’s Club where Jaz worked.
Freemason Duke of Gloucester with Jimmy Savile– The Child Farm Safety Competition 1977
^ Looks like Savile is wearing his “eyeball rings”
There was Mr Jimmy Savile, of the ‘pops’. … the Queen Mother; the Prince of Wales; Princess Anne; Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester; the Duke and Duchess of Kent; Princess Alexandra and her husband; and Earl Mountbatten of Burma.
Prince William of Gloucester with his parents, The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and brother, Prince Richard, in 1962
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.
Sir Jimmy Savile is a member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists
Yet again, Laud had a very wealthy and influential partner in the company:” Baron Montagu is a BritishConservativepolitician well known in Britain for founding the National Motor Museum, as well as for a pivotal cause célèbre in British gay history, his 1954 conviction and imprisonment for homosexual sex, a charge he denied.”
” 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, a charge he has always denied.[1] 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”.
Quite what Laud and Montagu got up to in their business venture is a complete and utter mystery
Lord Montagu’s name appears alongside child sexual abuse as he was prosecuted in 1953 for having underage sex with a 14-year-old Boy Scout at his beach hut on the Solent, a charge he has always denied and of which he was acquitted [48]. He maintains he was innocent but he states Kenneth Hume was behaving mildly indecently towards another scout. (Kenneth Hume was Shirley Basseys husband. Basseys father incidentally was also a child abuser). Montagu also claims that many years later, a scout who was there told him that accusations arose from the scouts out boasting each other about their experience and the scoutmaster overhearing [p135].
So, Montagu’s story is that he was not a child abuser, but he does mention that he turned a blind eye to his friend, Hume who was.
Montagu was arrested again in 1954 and charged with performing “gross offences” with an RAF serviceman during a weekend party at the same beach hut. He was imprisoned for 12 months and he blamed a deep vein of antihomosexual prejudice, from Home Secretary Sir David Maxwell Fyfe, the Lord Chief Justice Rayner Goddard, and Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Sir John Nott-Bower who was convinced of a homosexual conspiracy. Sir John swore he would tear the cover of all filth spots [p98]. In Oct 1953 the Sydney Daily Telegraph reported there was a Scotland Yard plan to smash homosexuality.
Within weeks of his incarceration there was a debate in House of Commons led by Bob Boothby and Leo Abse (both now believed to be child abusers) which led to a committee of Inquiry led by John Wolfendon, called “The Departmental Committee on Homosexual Offences and Prostitution” [p124].
As well as the infamous beach hut and land on the Solent, Lord Montagu owns Beaulieu River – banks, bed and all [46 p6]. He also owns a maritime museum at Buckler’s Hard, with a nearby marina, and the river harbours over 200 moored yachts [46 p9] [47]. Lord Montagu is the Commodore of the Beaulieu River Sailing Club [46 p20]. He was also vice commodore of the House of Lords Sailing Club [p203].
Montagu mentions a trip on his motor yacht once with Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones to the Isle of Wight, [p275] when Jones was trying to lay low after drugs charges. He also mentions taking Roy Orbison out on the Solent on his yacht. Montagu’s daughter [p103] used his motor launch Cygnet in June 1997 for her wedding. Montagu no doubt had access to many boats and his aunt and uncle, Lord and Lady Forster also owned a motor yacht Mirama [p20]. Diana Dors mentions going on his boat in her memoirs []
Montagu was an extremely well connected man, having been to Eton, and being in the House of Lords. He had links to paedophile Lord Mountbatten [p132] who asked him to go to Broadlands to meet members of his committee set up to investigate the security of prisons. Montagu was famous for his fancy dress balls, and Mountbatten was a guest at his first in 1963 to mark the opening of the Maritime Museum [p278] and again at his Great Gatsby Ball in 1974 to cebrate Montagus second marriage. Montagu also remembers other parties including one at Royal Yacht Squadron at Cowes. He was also known to Margaret Thatcher [p229], and friends with Long Longford [p 134] [p207]
Ralph Bonner Pink MP also a child abuser, owned an ex lifeboat called Ambler kept in Emsworth Harbour and was a member of Emsworth Sailing club [31] [32]. (An odd incident happened, which I mention in passing, at Emsworth Sailing Club in 2014 in which a retired naval captain drove his car at the club and set it alight and was charged with arson [33] )
In England Bonner Pink MP took his boat on the Beaulieu River and to the Montagu Estate, as well as to Portsmouth Harbour. When his daughter Jannella was young they went for two weeks each summer to Bembridge Harbour on the Isle of Wight except when they went to France. In France they went to Honfleur and Barfleur, in Normandy and visited Bayeaux [32].
Bonner Pink knew Edward Heath and Peter Prosser, child abuser who also went to Haut de la Garenne as well as of course as Heath and Savile [32]
10 November 1980 – 27 March 2003) was a British student in Paris who died during a visit to Wiesbaden, Germany, after being struck by several cars on a dual carriageway. The circumstances of his death became a matter of dispute because at the time he died Duggan was attending a youth “cadre” school organized by the LaRouche movement, an international network led by the American political activist Lyndon LaRouche.
Duggan attended Fitzjohns Primary School in Hampstead, Quainton School for Boys, and won a scholarship to Christ’s Hospital school in Sussex as a boarder
A British coroner rejected a suicide verdict in 2003 after hearing the London Metropolitan Police describe the LaRouche movement as a political cult. Duggan telephoned his mother, Erica Duggan, 50 minutes before he died, apparently distressed about his involvement in it.[2][3][4][5]
LaRouche was particularly critical of Britain and of the Tavistock Institute in London, a psychotherapy and social-sciences charity that the movement associated with British intelligence.
In 1999 a LaRouche publication said Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) was threatening to assassinate LaRouche, probably with backing from the royal household.
Duggan’s family came to believe that this worldview affected the movement’s perception of Duggan, when the conference participants learned that he was a British Jew who, as a child, had attended the Tavistock Clinic for counselling when his parents divorced. link
‘A peep into the Blue Coat School!!!!!!!!!’, 1815.Showing a pig in military uniform (General Sir Eyre Coote) standing on its hind legs and being birched by three Christ’s Hospital boys. A woman is standing at the doorway with Sir William Curtis and Alderman Matthew Wood. Coote was dismissed from the army in scandalous circumstances after he was caught by the school nurse at the Christ’s Hospital School flogging pupils and then being flogged by them for money.
Scandal and death
Sir Eyre was removed from the service on the 21 May 1816 because of the scandal he caused in the Christ’s Hospital school for boys.[2] On 25 November 1815 he entered the school and offered some boys money for an opportunity to flog them. After that he asked them to flog him and gave them money. He was caught by the school nurse, and charged with indecent conduct before the Lord Mayor of London. He was acquitted after giving £1000 to the school: after that there was a military inquiry in April 1816 which stripped him of his rank and honours.[3][4] He was appointed GCB 1815 and stripped of it 1816.
In his autobiography the American General and Secretary of StateColin Powell claims direct descent from Coote’s identically named nephew Eyre Coote while the latter was serving as Governor of Jamaica
George Haliburton HUME (pictured above) attended Ampleforth College from 1936 to 1941. Thereafter, at the age of eighteen, he entered the novitiate of the Benedictine monastery at Ampleforth Abbeybefore being ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 1945, when he adopted the monastic name Basil.
A monk at Ampleforth Abbey in North Yorkshire walks past a portrait of the late Cardinal Basil Hume who used to be the Abbot there.
Basil HUME returned to Ampleforth College to teach religious education, history, French and German. He served as Head of the school’s Department of Modern Languages before becoming the Abbot of Ampleforth Abbey in 1963, in which position he remained until, in 1976, he was appointed Archbishop of Westminster by Pope Paul VI.
1963-1976 was the peak period of the SAVILE/JACONELLI partnership.
Controversies
Hume was accused of ‘hushing up’ a suspected sexual abuse scandal at Ampleforth College by not calling in the police when he received a complaint from parents in 1975 about Father Piers Grant-Ferris, the son of a Tory peer at Gilling Castle, formerly a prep school for Ampleforth.
In 2005, Grant-Ferris admitted 20 incidents of child abuse. This was not an isolated incident and involved other monks and lay members. The Yorkshire Post reported in 2005; “Pupils at a leading Roman Catholic school suffered decades of abuse from at least six paedophiles following a decision by former Abbot Basil Hume not to call in police at the beginning of the scandal.”[16]
In 1984, Cardinal Hume nominated Jimmy Savile as a member of the Athenaeum, a gentlemen’s club in London’s Pall Mall. Following the posthumous revelation of Savile’s repeated sexual abuse of minors, members of the club have criticised Hume’s nomination of him for causing embarrassment to the club.[17]
HUME’s nomination of SAVILE to membership of the Athenaeum was seconded by another close confrère of SAVILE, paedophile, Cardinal Keith O’BRIEN, who, in March 2015, was stripped of his privileges by the Pope following his exposure as a sexual offender.
SAVILE, HUME and the Athenaeum:
“It has also emerged that the members of the Athenaeum were horrified when Jimmy Savile was elected, on the grounds that the tracksuit wearing DJ ‘would not be a natural habitué of a club that has counted Sir Winston Churchill, Lord Palmerston and Lord Curzon as members’. The only reason they didn’t veto him was because he was nominated by Cardinal Basil Hume, the Archbishop of Westminster, and Hume would have had to step down if his nominee was blackballed.”
To suggest that Basil HUME went ‘out on a limb’ for Jimmy SAVILE would be a monumental understatement.
We know that they had at least one ‘interest’ in common – and they had it in common with SAVILE’s closest co-offender, Peter JACONELLI.
Like SAVILE and JACONELLI, HUME was a Freemason, of high degree, and with infinite loyalty to fellow brothers.
Basil HUME died on 17th June 1999, two weeks after receiving the Order of Merit.
In the light of the on-going Ampleforth revelations, Basil HUME’s relationship with Jimmy SAVILE merits the closest scrutiny.
And what about any relationship between Basil HUME and Peter JACONELLI?
Are we to believe that that Abbott Basil HUME, Athenaeum patron of one of the two most prolific predatory paedophiles of our times – both of them Catholic, both of them Freemasons, both of them perverts who offended together as well as separately – knew nothing of SAVILE’s co-offender and alleged sexual partner, Peter JACONELLI, the Roman Catholic Freemason?
David Lowe, 61, took advantage of boys aged eight to 13 who were studying at the Benedictine-run prestigious Catholic boarding school and at Westminster Cathedral Choir School where he was a housemaster.
Jimmy Savile photographed in the library at Fort Augustus Catholic school
Sexual predator Jimmy Savile was regular visitor to Catholic school at centre of abuse scandal
FORMER BBC presenter was frequently invited to Fort Augustus Abbey by Benedictine Order monks.
Disgraced Cardinal Keith O’Brien, a good friend of Savile’s, was also a regular visitor at the school.
The revelations of Savile’s visits to the school came as it emerged that many more pupils have stepped forward to claim they, too, were victims of monk teachers.
Savile spent much of his time in the Highlands even before buying a cottage in Glencoe in 1998, which was just over an hour’s drive from Fort Augustus.
Fort Augustus was used as a “dumping ground” for problem clergy who had confessed to abusing children.
O’Brien, who was forced to leave Scotland earlier this year after being forced to admit to inappropriate sexual behaviour, was guest of honour at the school’s old boys’ dinner last year.
The pair met when O’Brien was priest at St Patrick’s Church in Kilsyth, Stirlingshire, in 1971.
Savile was a regular visitor because his mother Agnes was friends with O’Brien’s colleague, Fr Denis O’Connell.
Five men claimed on the Sins Of Our Fathers documentary that they were raped or sexually abused by Father Aidan Duggan, an Australian monk who taught at Carlekemp and Fort Augustus between 1953 and 1974.
Fury at sex abuse inquiry snub: Ex pupils ‘devastated’ by bombshell U-turn
May 15 2017
VICTIMS who claim they suffered horrific sexual abuse at a Scots school have been snubbed by an official inquiry – despite being backed by the PM who said they helped set it up.
When she was Home Secretary, Theresa May wrote to a former pupil of Fort Augustus Abbey school to thank him for his “invaluable” help setting up the English Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse in 2015.
But the evidence of former Scottish pupils like him who attended that infamous boarding school is now unlikely to be heard at the powerful inquiry in London.
Last week, Fort Augustus Abbey was left off the list of schools to be examined by the IICSA later this year.
The snub has prompted fury among those who claim their lives were ruined by what they experienced at the boarding school.
Last night one victim told The Sunday Post: “This has come out of the blue. We’ve been waiting a long time for the inquiry.
“The effect is devastating on our mental health. There have been a number of suicides by ex-pupils because of the abuse.”
He said former pupils are very upset at the bombshell development, especially given Prime Minister May’s earlier support.
In 2015, Theresa May wrote to one of Fort Augustus’s ex-pupils following a number of meetings between the pair where they discussed the alleged abuse he suffered.
Having set up the inquiry less than two weeks previously, she wrote: “With your help we have now established an inquiry to get to the truth about what child sexual abuse occurred in institutions across the UK and why nothing was done.”
But those words now seem empty, after lawyers for Fort Augustus Abbey pupils were contacted last week to reveal the shock evidence reversal.
Fort Augustus Abbey – which was run by an order of English monks – is at the centre of allegations of physical and sexual abuse spanning 30 years.
The exclusive Highlands school shut for good in 1993 but horrific allegations about the way pupils were treated emerged in 2013.
Last year, the English Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse announced those claims would be examined – despite the school being in Scotland.
There is a Scottish inquiry set up to probe similar issues north of the border called the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry.
But campaigners say the English inquiry has been given more clout to take action, which is why ex-pupils from Fort Augustus lobbied to be included in it.
A spokeswoman for the IICSA said the institutions to be examined were still not set in stone – despite the new proposals.
She said: “No decisions of any sort have been made about the matters to be considered at the hearing.”
at centre of sexual abuse allegations resigns from university post
Father Francis Davidson has been accused of failing to act on reports during time at Fort Augustus Abbey School in Highlands.
15 AUG 2013
A FORMER headmaster of a boarding school at the centre of sexual abuse allegations has resigned from a role at Oxford University.
Father Francis Davidson has been accused of failing to act on reports during his time at the Catholic Fort Augustus Abbey School in the Highlands in the 1970s.
He has quit as monastic superior of the Benedictine college St Benet’s Hall, where he was responsible for the welfare of student monks at the university.
Alleged victims who attended the Abbey school told a BBC Scotland investigation that they were molested and beaten by monks over a period of three decades from the 1950s.
It has also been claimed that abuse was carried out at Carlekemp, its feeder school in East Lothian. Both schools are now closed.
FORT AUGUSTUS ABBEY (Photo: Peter Jolly)
Police are investigating the allegations.
One former pupil told the BBC that he told Fr Davidson personally of the abuse but the monks remained in the Abbey. Fr Davidson is the only surviving headmaster of the school.
In a statement issued to the BBC, Fr Davidson offered his sympathies to former pupils for any historic abuse and said he was “shocked and saddened” to hear of the allegations.
He added: “I do not recall them being reported to me during my time as headmaster of Fort Augustus Abbey School.
“As investigations into matters at Fort Augustus Abbey School and Carlekemp Priory School are ongoing, I have stepped aside from my role as religious superior at St. Benet’s Hall.”
Earlier this month, one of Scotland’s most senior Catholics apologised to former pupils amid the claims.
Hugh Gilbert, the Bishop of Aberdeen, said: “It is a most bitter, shaming and distressing thing that in this former Abbey School a small number of baptised, consecrated and ordained Christian men physically or sexually abused those in their care.”
Anne Houston, chief executive of charity CHILDREN 1ST, said: “The focus here must always remain on what’s best for those who were abused in the past and what will make a positive difference to them; that and helping protect children now and in future by taking steps to minimise the risk of this ever happening again.
“It is crucial that the church fully and openly co-operates with the ongoing police investigation and passes on any and all relevant information it may have relating to any allegations of abuse at these schools.”
Monk accused of Fort Augustus Abbey abuse arrested in Sydney
23 January 2017
A former Catholic monk accused of child abuse at a Scottish school has been arrested in Australia.
Father Denis “Chrysostom” Alexander was one of several monks accused of abusing boys at the former Fort Augustus Abbey boarding school in the Highlands.
The BBC has learned he has been remanded in custody in Sydney pending his extradition back to Scotland to face trial.
The Crown Office here said it would not comment on legal matters elsewhere.
Father Alexander has always denied the allegations.
In 2013, he was confronted by BBC Scotland in Sydney as part of a documentary which prompted a major police investigation.
Now, three and a half years after that programme, that investigation has taken a significant turn with the former Benedictine monk’s arrest.
He will face a further hearing on Wednesday at the local court in New South Wales, where it will emerge if he will oppose the extradition or not. He will also be entitled to apply for bail.
One of Father Alexander’s accusers, Hugh Kennedy, has previously spoken of his frustration at the length of time it has taken the Scottish authorities to request the extradition of the former monk who is now 80.
One other former Fort Augustus monk is due to face trial in Scotland soon for a series assaults, whilst a further seven cases remain under consideration by the Crown Office in Scotland.
Fr Alexander was returned by the Catholic Church to Australia in 1979, after allegations of abuse were made by another Fort Augustus Abbey pupil, who the BBC has also spoken to.
No report to the police was made, and no warnings were provided about his alleged offending behaviour, to the Church in Australia where Fr Alexander continued as a priest for a further 20 years or more.
He was stripped of his priestly faculties in 2013 after the BBC programme.
Fort Augustus Abbey monk appears at extradition hearing in Sydney
13 February 2017
A former Catholic monk accused of child abuse at a Scottish school has appeared in court in Australia facing extradition.
Father Denis “Chrysostom” Alexander was one of several monks accused of abusing boys at the former Fort Augustus Abbey boarding school in the Highlands.
He has always denied the allegations.
He appeared via a video link at the hearing in Sydney and was refused bail. The full extradition case is set to be heard in May.
In 2013, Father Alexander was confronted by BBC Scotland in Australia as part of a documentary into alleged abuse by monks at the school, which prompted a major police investigation.
The BBC’s correspondent in Sydney, Phil Mercer, attended the latest court hearing.
He said: “His lawyer argued that he should be released given his age, a lack of mobility and various medical conditions.
“It was discussed in court that Father Alexander has diabetes and hypertension and a history of falls, and the lawyer said that the former priest was not a flight risk and that his incarceration was punitive.
“A lawyer for the British government said that being held in custody would not harm Father Alexander’s health, and he also suggested that the former monk might be a flight risk, that he could be driven to a Benedictine monastery somewhere in Australia to evades the authority.”
After hearing from both sides, the magistrate decided Father Alexander should remain in custody until the full extradition hearing in three months time.
The former monk’s lawyer said he would fight extradition to Scotland.
Father Alexander was returned by the Catholic Church to Australia in 1979 after allegations of abuse were made by a Fort Augustus Abbey pupil, and continued working as a priest for a further 20 years or more.
He was stripped of his priestly faculties in 2013 after the BBC programme.
Bid to extradite priest from Canada over Fort Augustus abuse claims
21 March 2017
Fr Robert MacKenzie moved to Canada after teaching at the Fort Augustus Abbey School in Inverness-shire
Moves are under way to extradite a retired priest from Canada to Scotland in connection with child abuse claims.
The Crown Office has been granted a petition warrant for the arrest of Father Robert MacKenzie, who lives in Cupar, Saskatchewan.
Fr MacKenzie, 84, taught at the former Fort Augustus Abbey School before moving to Canada in 1988.
Papers are now being prepared in the Crown Office to submit an extradition request to the Canadian authorities.
A Crown Office statement said: “The procurator fiscal received a report concerning a now 84-year-old male in connection with alleged historical offences.
“No court dates have been scheduled at this time.”
Court process
The petition warrant is the first stage in the process in which prosecutors are now preparing an extradition request.
This can take several weeks, and once received by the Canadian authorities the court process there could last more than a year.
Fort Augustus Abbey school closed down in the 1990s
The move at the Crown Office came after the launch of a police inquiry in 2013, following a BBC Scotland investigation of alleged systematic physical and sexual abuse at Fort Augustus.
A number of former pupils made detailed allegations to the BBC.
Father MacKenzie was the priest at St Patrick’s, Cupar, in the Canadian diocese of Regina, Saskatchewan.
On remand
Although he retired in 2014, he still lives in the town.
Extradition proceedings are under way in the case of another former Fort Augustus priest, Fr Denis Alexander, who lives in Australia.
He is currently on remand while the extradition process continues, although his lawyers are attempting to have him freed because of what they say is his failing health.
Another former priest, Fr Benedict Seed is due to stand trial at Inverness Sheriff Court in May, charged with eight counts of physical abuse at Fort Augustus.
The Crown Office has still to decide what action to take in a further six cases.
The Fort Augustus School, which was run by the Benedictine Order of monks, closed in 1993.
Allegations of sexual abuse there will be examined by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse in England and Wales (IICSA).
Benedictines ‘can’t accept’ blame for child abuse at school Lady Smith, chairwoman of the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry.
24 June 2017
Lady Smith, chairwoman of the Scottish Child Abuse
The head of a religious order has expressed “sorrow” that monks abused boys at Fort Augustus Abbey School but said his congregation cannot be held responsible for what happened. Dom Richard Yeo, abbot president of the English Benedictine Congregation, said he believed the allegations of former residents who say they were abused at the fee-paying Highland boarding school, which closed in 1993. But the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry was shown a submission from the congregation which said it had “no remit or authority” to acknowledge or accept abuse. The inquiry heard allegations have been made against six monks who taught at either Fort Augustus, on the banks of Loch Ness, or Carlekemp Priory School in East Lothian.
Dom Yeo said one monk, who was later accused of sexual abuse, was moved from the school but there was no evidence police had been informed. He said his predecessors as abbot president had responsibility for ensuring that Fort Augustus was properly run, but he said that was not the same as having responsibility for its running. Asked if he acknowledged abuse had taken place, Dom Yeo said: “Several people have come to me and informed me that they were abused and I have told them that I believe them and that I was sorry about it. That’s my position.” He said he had agreed to take part in a 2013 TV documentary – in which a number of allegations were made – on the condition he was able to “say sorry for the abuse that happened”. But when asked who could now be held accountable for the abuse, he said: “Since the monastery has closed, I don’t see how anybody can be.” He added: “The great problem with all this is that Fort Augustus has closed down and that must mean that any redress that survivors of abuse have is going to be limited.”
Former pupils of Fort Augustus have made allegations of physical abuse, sexual assault and rape. Prosecutors are currently attempting to extradite Father Denis “Chrysostom” Alexander after he was arrested in Australia. Fr Alexander was among those accused of abuse in the 2013 TV documentary. He denies the allegations. The Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry, before Lady Smith, is looking at the abuse of children in care dating back decades. Yesterday it also heard from Vivienne Dickenson of Crossreach, the Church of Scotland’s social care council. Ms Dickenson said the Church was “deeply sorry” for children abused while in its care. The inquiry heard there had been a small number of historical allegations relating to the use of excessive force at Ballikinrain residential school near Stirling and two historical complaints of sexual abuse at Geilsland School, Beith, which closed in 2015.
In 2013, Ian Samson was jailed for sexual abuse that included attacks on children at the Church’s Lord and Lady Polwarth Children’s Home in Edinburgh, which closed in 1982. Ms Dickenson told the inquiry Samson had been given a written warning after concerns were raised by another member of staff in 1980. Commenting on the Edinburgh children’s home, she said: “We fully accept that the systems and processes did not protect children in our care at that time.”
A music teacher has been accused of sending obscene mail.
The teacher at Christ’s Hospital School, Horsham, faces two charges under the Protection of Harassment Act 1997 and ten charges of sending abusive or indecent articles through the post. He will also be in court on a drink driving charge.
The school confirmed Peter Brownlie had stopped teaching while he awaited the outcome of court proceedings but refused to say whether or not he had been suspended. Brownlie is due to appear at Horsham Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday to answer the charges.
The harassment charges against Brownlie say that between March 7 and 15 he made 15 nuisance telephone calls to a number in Southwater, near Horsham, and between March 1998 and March of this year he sent obscene or grossly offensive letters at intervals to an undisclosed address.
Brownlie, 38, has been at the school for seven years. A father of two, he is the school’s head of brass, and lives on site at King Edward Close.
In a statement the school said: “Christ’s Hospital is aware that a male teacher is assisting police with an investigation into allegations of harassment made by a woman. The allegations do not involve any pupil or other member of staff and do not arise from the teacher’s work.
“The headmaster will decide if any action by the school is necessary when further information on the investigation is available.”
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse will take evidence at The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre on July 14, 2015 in London, England. The inquiry will ‘investigate whether public bodies and other non-state institutions have taken seriously their duty of care to protect children from sexual abuse in England and Wales’.
Claims of VIP paedophile ring at Scots boarding school – QVS Queen Victoria School – aired at abuse inquiry
Apr 30 2017
SENSATIONAL claims about a VIP paedophile ring at a prestigious Scots boarding school are to be aired at Holyrood’s child abuse inquiry.
QVS is at the centre of extraordinary allegations
The evidence will include claims that Dunblane killer Thomas Hamilton was connected to the network, which is also said to have included leading members of the Scottish establishment.Queen Victoria School (QVS), which is funded by the Ministry of Defence and has Prince Philip as its patron, is at the centre of the extraordinary allegations.It was not included in the first round of boarding schools and other establishments identified by the inquiry team, sparking fears of a cover-up.However, a former teacher at the Dunblane school who has spent decades attempting to unmask the abusers has now been invited to tell his story.Glenn Harrison was a housemaster at QVS when he began to suspect that a shadowy cabal of powerful individuals was preying on the pupils.However, when he tried to raise the alarm in 1991 the police responded by breaking down the door to his flat, seizing his personal papers and hauling him in to be interviewed.Yesterday, Mr Harrison said: “After almost 27 years of being ignored, someone is listening and wants to know what really happened to me at QVS. I am pleased and eager to share the experience and emphasise the need for authorities to listen to children when they complain as well as teachers and carers especially in institutions. I hope my experience will help to create a more caring and safer environment for young people in the future.”After leaving QVS, Mr Harrison and his family relocated to Orkney and he made numerous attempts to have his allegations investigated over the years. The case was finally referred to the Scottish Government’s historical child abuse inquiry in 2015Earlier this month, it also emerged that Police Scotland detectives are investigating at least two cases of historical abuse linked to QVS. One of them involves former teacher Ben Philip, who died after falling from a ladder at the school in 1993.Children of Scottish service personnel are eligible to attend QVS, which is now mixed but was an all-boys school at the time of the allegations. It is governed by a Board of Her Majesty’s Commissioners appointed by the Queen, the Scottish Secretary and the Defence Secretary.Fife campaigner Tom Minogue, a long-time supporter of Mr Harrison, has also been invited to give evidence by the inquiry’s witness support team. He said: “I never thought we’d get to this point because of the cast of characters involved with QVS, starting with the Duke of Edinburgh as patron and running down through some of the most powerful people in the land as Her Majesty’s Commissioners.“The great and the good don’t want us to speak about any of this, starting with the fact that Thomas Hamilton was running about the place.”Mr Harrison’s allegations centre on a group of men who would allegedly take pupils away for weekends and return them “distressed but flush with cash”.Five years after the claims were first reported to the police, 16 children and one teacher were shot at Dunblane Primary School by evil Hamilton. To his horror, Mr Harrison recognised the fiend as a frequent visitor to QVS.In evidence submitted to the inquiry, Mr Harrison states: “When I enquired about him (as well as other unknown visitors), I was told they were ‘friends of Queen Victoria School’; I have never to this day been able to find out who these ’friends’ were.”The Cullen Inquiry later heard that Hamilton took youth clubs camping in the QVS grounds, that he arranged for an acquaintance to get a summer job at the school and that he took another man shooting at the school’s firing range.Mr Minogue said the implications of this evidence had never been properly explored and added: “These references quite clearly corroborate Glenn’s story and show that Her Majesty’s Commissioners either didn’t know what was going on at the school they were charged with governing, or they have been less than truthful.”An MoD spokeswoman said: “We take any allegations of this nature very seriously and any claims of historical abuse involving Queen Victoria School have been passed to the police. We will fully co-operate with their inquiries.”http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/798285/Dunblane-killer-Thomas-Hamilton-paedophile-ring-QVS
Dunblane, Queen Victoria School, Spec Society (Elite Scottish Freemasons)
April 2 2017,
There were fresh calls last night to widen the Scottish government’s child abuse inquiry after a former pupil of a military boarding school in Dunblane claimed he was abused by a teacher.
It has emerged police launched an investigation after a victim broke decades of silence to reveal his abuse at the hands of a housemaster at Queen Victoria School (QVS) in the 1970s.
The man, now in his fifties, was told by detectives last month that his abuser, who died 24 years ago, would have faced being charged if he had still been alive. The former pupil is believed to be the first victim of alleged sexual abuse at the school known to have come forward. It reignites concerns first raised in 1991 by a QVS teacher who feared boys were at risk. A police probe failed to find evidence of wrongdoing at the time.
Separately, detectives have looked into claims that a woman was abused as a child in the 1990s by her father who had links to QVS.
The Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry (SCAI), launched in 2015, has named dozens of establishments under investigation, but QVS is not one of them.
The school is funded by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and counts Prince Philip as its patron.
Janine Rennie, from the charity Wellbeing Scotland, said: “If the inquiry is going to be effective, it cannot exclude an establishment where there is evidence of abuse.”
The former QVS pupil told police last year that he was abused by a teacher, Ben Phillips, while in primary school. Speaking to The Sunday Times, he recalled Phillips “fondling” his genitals while he was in bed in the dormitory and putting his hand down his pants while he was standing at Phillips’ desk during class. The man only told his father of the abuse in 2013.
“I think it’s my duty to mention these facts,” the man said. “[The police] took my case very seriously. It was only [last month] that an officer gave me a final update. If certain teachers had still been alive then there would be enough evidence with what they had accumulated from myself and other ex-pupils to make a case.
“I thought going to the police was the right thing to do, as there may be old boys out there who have suffered over the years.”
The Sunday Times understands that the MoD and QVS co-operated fully with the investigation into Phillips, who lived and worked at the school. He died in 1993, aged 46, when he fell from a ladder while hanging Christmas decorations.
We can also reveal that police investigated claims by a woman that she was abused as a girl in Dunblane in the 1990s. A local resident first raised concerns over the girl’s welfare in 1991, and in 2015 was asked by detectives to provide a fresh statement. The resident, who spoke to this paper last week, said the woman’s father had close connections with QVS and that the case was quietly dropped.
An MoD spokeswoman said: “We take any allegations of this nature very seriously and any claims of historical abuse involving Queen Victoria School have been passed to the police. We will fully co-operate with their inquiries.”
A spokesman for the SCAI said it will announce further investigations in due course that “may include other boarding schools”.
A spokeswoman for Police Scotland said: “There is no ongoing investigation in connection with Queen Victoria School. Police Scotland will not discuss further details of any reports made.”
Meanwhile, police in Kent have launched a review after a parent of an ex-pupil at The Duke of York’s Royal Military School complained that the force failed to robustly investigate a historical allegation.
CLAIMS of a powerful paedophile ring operating at a top Scottish military school with links to the Royal Family have been passed to the Holyrood inquiry into historical child abuse.
The allegations centre on Queen Victoria School in Dunblane, which has Prince Philip as its patron and is funded by the Ministry of Defence for the children of Scots service personnel.Last night, the Ministry of Defence said the claims were being “investigated via the appropriate agencies”.Glenn Harrison, a former housemaster at the boarding school, first raised the alarm in 1991 when he wrote to parents to warn them that their children were at risk.He also reported his concerns to the former Central Scotland Police but says he was told the school was covered by the Official Secrets Act and therefore out of their jurisdiction.His claims centred on a supposed cabal of individuals known as the ‘Friends of QVS’, which was said to include high profile members of Scotland’s political and legal circles.They apparently enjoyed unfettered access to the school and would often take boys away for the weekend, with the pupils returning “distressed but flush with cash”.
Mr Harrison later 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.”In one instance, Mr Harrison and his wife refused to sit alongside Prince Andrew at a school dinner “in protest at the many unheard voices and suffering of young boys”.The police responded to his complaint by breaking down the door to his flat and removing many of his personal papers, while he was escorted from the school premises and interviewed by detectives.Mr Harrison also reported his concerns to social services, the NSPCC and the Scotland Office, whose inspectors found evidence of bullying but said other allegations had been “exaggerated”.He moved to Shetland, where he enjoyed a distinguished teaching career, and his new MP Jim Wallace, now Baron Wallace of Tankerness, agreed to raise the matter at Westminster.
In 1993,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”.The story took a twist with the Dunblane massacre carried out by Thomas Hamilton, whose links to Queen Victoria School were established at the Cullen Inquiry.In November 1996, Mr 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.”His claims still went largely ignored until being picked up by Brian ‘Robbie the Pict’ Robertson, who led the campaign against Skye Bridge tolls, and justice campaigner Tom Minogue.Mr Minogue, a retired businessman from Dunfermline, made a formal complaint to Central Scotland Police in November 2003.He said: “Glenn Harrison reported all this before anybody had any suspicions about Thomas Hamilton, never mind Nicholas Fairbairn or Robert Henderson.“With each passing revelation, it adds more credence to what he alleged in 1991.“The stories he told me were absolutely harrowing. I don’t know whether boys were abused from that school but I do know Glenn Harrison was absolutely convinced they were, and he is a sincere, genuine and serious man.”He added the so-called ‘Friends of QVS’ put forward by Mr Harrison represented a “who’s who of the Scottish TV news” in the late 1980s and early 1990s.The former housemaster has now retired and left Scotland, telling friends he had “had enough” of being thwarted in his attempts to secure justice.However, a number of individuals who may have been abused at Queen Victoria School have come forward in recent years and the matter has been referred to Susan O’Brien QC, who will chair the Scottish Government inquiry.The school, which began admitting girls in 1996, is open to children of those who have served or are serving in the Army, Navy or RAF.It has been rocked by a number of underage sex and drinking scandals over the years, while two teachers were investigated by the police in 2005 over allegations involving two female pupils.A fiscal later ruled no action could be taken as a new Holyrood law designed to protect children in such circumstances had not been in force at the time.It is the latest boarding school to be hit by historic abuse allegations, after Merchiston Castle School, Fort Augustus Abbey School and Gordonstoun.Alan Draper, of the In Care Abuse Survivors group, urged Ms O’Brien QC to have the “courage” to investigate claims involving high-profile Scottish establishment figures, “even members of her own profession”.He added: “It is a question of how far she is going to be able to deal with it without any interference.”An MoD spokeswoman said: “These cases of historic abuse are being dealt with and investigated via the appropriate agencies. In advance of the completion of any investigations or the finalisation of any inquiry, it would be inappropriate to comment on any aspect of the allegations until a conclusion is reached. The MoD is co-operating fully with the investigations.”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 but any previous reports would be assessed and reviewed if necessary.She added they were committed to the investigation of all reports of sexual crime to bring justice for victims of sexual abuse, regardless of the passage of time and said: “I would encourage anyone who may have been a victim, regardless of when that was, to come forward, safe in the knowledge they will be taken seriously and will always be dealt with professionally.”A Scottish Government spokeswoman said it will be for the inquiry to consider all submitted evidence.http://www.express.co.uk/scotland/588918/Top-Scotland-school-abuse-claims
LORD Cullen, who presided over the Dunblane inquiry, was “taken aback” when he was asked to declare whether he was a Freemason, newly released papers have revealed. Documents relating to the school massacre, released after a 100-year secrecy rule was lifted, show how police investigated claims of a Masonic conspiracy. But they appear to give little support to lingering suspicions of a cover-up involving police, politicians and other senior public figures. Among the 3,000 letters and reports uncovered is correspondence between a member of public and Lord Cullen’s office regarding suggestions that the gunman, Thomas Hamilton, and senior police, who were aware of concerns over summer camps and clubs he ran, were Masons. In one letter, the member of public, whose name has been concealed, wrote to Lord Cullen’s office after a date for a preliminary inquiry hearing was set. The letter, dated 11 April 1996 – less than a month after Hamilton killed 16 pupils and a teacher at Dunblane Primary School – said: “It is in the public interest that Lord Cullen be asked if he is a Freemason, given the widely held view by the public that Thomas Hamilton’s Masonic affiliation was probably the reason that the Ombudsman overturned an earlier decision by Central Regional Council in 1983 to prevent Hamilton from running youth clubs, and that his Masonic affiliation probably facilitated his application for a gun licence.” The letter-writer said anyone involved in the inquiry who turned out to be a Freemason should be forced to resign – and that included Lord Cullen. The letter went on: “It is far too important to allow the Masonic implication to be whitewashed by furtive operations in the Freemasons, intent only in ‘diverting a discourse’ – a Masonic ruse – from the involvement of Freemasons and Freemasonry.” A handwritten note, apparently written by court staff after consulting with Lord Cullen, is marked “verbal response” and dated 18 April. It says “taken aback by the letter” and “not a Freemason, never has been”. Hamilton wrote scores of letters to police, council officials, MPs and even the Queen, claiming he had been the victim of a grand conspiracy to prevent him running boys’ clubs. In a statement given to Central Scotland Police in June 1996, an unnamed Grand Lodge of Scotland leader said he was aware of press speculation that Hamilton was a Mason, but said he did not think this was true as it “would have come to light immediately after the Dunblane incident”.
Abuse inquiry judge urged to investigate Dunblane boarding school
March 5 2017
The judge at the helm of an historic child abuse review in Scotland is being urged to investigate a top private school with links to the royal family.
Glenn Harrison, a former housemaster at Dunblane’s Queen Victoria School (QVS), has raised fresh concern that pupils were sexually abused by a paedophile ring during the 1980s and 1990s. He first blew the whistle 26 years ago but has written to Lady Anne Smith, chairwoman of the Scottish child abuse inquiry, making a new case for its
Music professor at Ampleforth School in court on sex offence charges
Jan 20 2017
A LEADING Roman Catholic school has been rocked by abuse allegations after a music professor appeared in court accused of sex offences against a girl more than 30 years his junior.
Irish-born classical musician and composer Dara De Cogan, 57, was appointed performing arts professor at Ampleforth College, North Yorkshire, in 2004.
The gifted violinist is charged with 12 counts of sexual activity with a child while in a position of trust.
The court heard the victim was a girl aged 16 and 17 at the time of the alleged offences between December 2007 and December 2009.
Dublin-born De Cogan, became leader of the Irish Youth Orchestra in 1978 and represented his country in the European Community Youth Orchestra.
In 1982, he joined the Hallé Orchestra and has played in folk music ensembles and has worked widely in the recording industry.
His court appearance came just weeks after it was confirmed Ampleforth is to be included in one of three public hearings carried out in the national child sexual abuse inquiry. link
Heath made a special point of conducting orchestras involving young musicians. While still prime minister, he conducted the Academy of the BBC at the 50th anniversary concert in the series for children founded by Sir Robert Mayer. Later, it was through Heath’s help that the European Community Youth Orchestra was set up. He became its president, and conducted it on summer tours in 1978, 1979 and 1980.
A vanished file and troubling claims about Heath and young musicians
The ensemble in question was the European Community Youth Orchestra, and it was about to embark on its inaugural tour of EEC capitals. It was to be a flagship for pan-European cultural co-operation.
The 135 musicians, some of whom were as young as 14, were drawn from the then nine member nations. Heath, an enthusiastic amateur musician who had led the United Kingdom into the European Community five years before, was the orchestra’s founding president. He would also be its guest conductor for that tour and several tours to come.
In an intriguing development, the Mail learned this week that a file relating to Sir Edward and the infamous Paedophile Information Exchange group is one of those missing from official Government records.
It is among 114 missing files concerning child abuse identified by an independent review of how allegations were handled by the Home Office.
The title of the missing document, ‘Edward Heath MP [redacted] RE: PIE’, refers to the activities of the Paedophile Information Exchange.
Investigators discovered that the file disappeared more than 25 years ago after being moved to a Westminster record centre. They concluded that there was no evidence of any orchestrated attempts by officials over three decades to cover up child abuse.
But the unexpected absence of the file raises questions about the exact nature of the connection between Heath and the PIE group.
Further new allegations of sexual abuse and possible official cover-up concerning Sir Edward have come to light. They centre on his relationship with the European Community Youth Orchestra.
A retired senior police officer, who served with several southern forces including Wiltshire, told the Mail that there were ‘always rumours’ about Heath, the former MP for Bexley.
The policeman — a widely respected officer with a distinguished career — asked that due to the sensitivities of the Heath investigations, he remain anonymous. He told us that the rumours did not come with any specific evidence against the former PM.
But he went on: ‘The exception were several allegations made against him in his role with the European Youth Orchestra. I understand there were credible claims that Heath indecently assaulted young people on tours to the Continent which he was leading.
‘These tours took place in the late 1970s or early 1980s.
‘It was never clear how old the victims were, or exactly what happened, and what was alleged was not at the top end of the scale of criminality.
‘Why these were never investigated I cannot say. I suspect it is because they took place overseas and the victims were from other countries.’
Ted Heath would have known Dara De Cogan through the European Community Youth Orchestra.
And Heath links to another Ampleforth paedophile – Piers Grant-Ferris – his father Lord Harvington was good friends with Heath and Thatcher.
Music professor at Ampleforth School in court on sex offence charges
A LEADING Roman Catholic school has been rocked by abuse allegations after a music professor appeared in court accused of sex offences against a girl more than 30 years his junior.
Irish-born classical musician and composer Dara De Cogan, 57, was appointed performing arts professor at Ampleforth College, North Yorkshire, in 2004.
The gifted violinist is charged with 12 counts of sexual activity with a child while in a position of trust.
The court heard the victim was a girl aged 16 and 17 at the time of the alleged offences between December 2007 and December 2009.
Dublin-born De Cogan, became leader of the Irish Youth Orchestra in 1978 and represented his country in the European Community Youth Orchestra.
In 1982, he joined the Hallé Orchestra and has played in folk music ensembles and has worked widely in the recording industry.
His court appearance came just weeks after it was confirmed Ampleforth is to be included in one of three public hearings carried out in the national child sexual abuse inquiry. link
Dara de Cogan
became leader of the Irish Youth Orchestra in 1978 and represented his country in the European Community Youth Orchestra. He continued his studies at the Royal College of Music with Jaraslav Vanecek. In 1982 he joined the Hallé Orchestra and became Principal Second Violin in 1986. Alongside his orchestral work, Dara runs his own Irish band, Delginis, and he was the String Coach and Artistic Director for the Hebridean Youth Project Summer Music School.
Dara was appointed Head of Strings at Ampleforth College in 2004 and continues coaching various youth orchestras, as well as private individual tuition.
We are an enthusiastic amateur orchestra based in Hazel Grove, Stockport.
Our President is Dara de Cogan, a distinguished violinist and teacher, and our Musical Director and Conductor is Mehrdad Bakhshayesh.
We give three concerts a year in the Methodist Church in Wesley Street (Hazel Grove), and these are always very well attended.
We rehearse each Thursday evening from 7:30 till 10:00 pm in the Sunday School attached to the Methodist Church in Wesley Street, Hazel Grove.
Piers Grant-Ferris/Robert Grant Grant-Ferris/Heath /Ampleforth/Jersey
Piers Grant-Ferris – His secret past as a serial abuser of young boys at Ampleforth.
He was an officer in the Irish Guards before becoming a novice monk in the Benedictine Order in 1955.
His late father, Lord harvington, Robert Grant Grant-Ferris, the former Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons during Ted Heath’s Government and member of a prominent English Roman Catholic family – retired to Jersey
Edward Heath, Margaret Thatcher and her husband were among the guests on Robert Grant Grant-Ferris, Baron Harvington‘s yacht.
Born Robert Grant Ferris, he was educated at Douai School (csa scandal there too)
He was Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, and chairman of the Ways and Means Committee during the years of Edward Heath’s government, having never before held any office but that of a Parliamentary Private Secretary in wartime.
He served in most of the major theatres of war, including France, Egypt, India and Malta. Of his Maltese service he had particularly fond memories, and he was above all proud when – amid a string of foreign decorations – he was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Sovereign and Military Order of Malta in 1949.
…deeply involved in hospital work…
president of the National Sheepbreeders’ Association in 1956; he also served no less than three terms as president of the Southdown Sheep Society.
Robert Grant Ferris (Robert Grant Grant-Ferris), politician: born 30 December 1907; called to the Bar, Inner Temple 1937; MP (Conservative) for North St Pancras 1937-45, for Nantwich 1955-74; Air Efficiency Award 1942; Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister of Town and Country Planning (W.S. Morrison) 1944-45; President, Southdown Sheep Society of England 1950-52, 1959-60, 1973; President, National Sheep Breeders’ Association 1956-58; a Member of the Speaker’s Panel of Chairmen, House of Commons 1962-70; chairman, Board of Management, Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth 1963-70; Kt 1969; President, Smithfield Club 1970; Chairman of Ways and Means and Deputy Speaker, House of Commons 1970-74; PC 1971; created 1974 Baron Harvington; married 1930 Florence Brennan de Vine (deceased; one son, one daughter); died Jersey 30 December 1996.
Robert Grant Ferris was a noted pilot in the Royal Air Force, and one time Deputy Speaker in the House of Commons. He was one of IWA’s most influential and hard-working friends in Parliament.
Robert Grant Ferris MP was knighted in 1969, and in 1974 was created a life peer as Lord Harvington of Nantwich in Cheshire. He was elected an IWA Vice-President in 1966 and was chairman of the original All-party Waterways Committee.
Life in Jersey revolved around hunting, golf, motor yachting, and farming. Lord Harvington was also a noted breeder of pedigree sheep and former president of the National Sheep Breeders Association. Edward Heath, Margaret Thatcher and her husband were among the guests on his yacht.
Son Piers Grant-Ferris –
He served at Our Lady and St Michael’s Church in Workington, Cumbria, between 1978 and 1989, when he was chaplain to St Joseph’s RC School, before returning to Ampleforth Abbey where he was much sought-after to lead retreats. link
Dec 1976: Lord Winstanley exhorts Antony Grey “pursue Mrs Whitehouse to the end of the road, if not further!”
For greater context to documents below please see John Cockburn’s blog post on Mary Whitehouse versus PIE and the Home Office discussing Chapter 13 of Mary Whitehouse’s 1982 autobiography, “A Most Dangerous Woman” and her fight to bring in new legislation to protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse. Note in particular Cardinal Basil Hulme’s nomination of Savile to The Athenaeum [Sir Jimmy Savile causes anguish at The Athenaeum, Telegraph 10 October 2012] and his involvement in the 1975 cover-up of abuse by the only son of former Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons during Ted Heath’s government Lord Harvington. Father Piers Grant-Ferris of Ampleforth College, Scarborough:
“HE was a highly respected monk and teacher and a celebrated mountaineer, the only son of leading Tory peer and public figure Lord Harvington, a personal friend of Margaret Thatcher.
A former officer in the Irish Guards, Piers Grant-Ferris seemed to represent all the values of his late father, the former Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons during Ted Heath’s Government and member of a prominent English Roman Catholic family.
But the younger Grant-Ferris, who once boasted that only his faith had saved him when he became lost in the Andes without food, had desires which were anything but godly.”[Shame of an officer and a gentleman Yorkshire Evening Post, 18 November 2005]
In November 1976 Mary Whitehouse accused Albany Trust of supporting pedophiles in their campaign to normalise sexual attraction and activity between men and children, indirectly funded by the government via the Trust.
A Bedales settlement over an alleged assault by a teacher included a confidentiality provision
Bedales gave references to ‘sexual abuse’ teacher
Feb 19 2017
A top boarding school attended by royals and children of the famous has issued a public apology for allowing a teacher suspected of sex abuse and investigated by the police to continue working.
Bedales, which charges fees of more than £33,000 a year, told The Sunday Times this weekend that it apologised “unreservedly” for the way it had handled complaints of abuse and misconduct against a teacher at its prep school, Dunhurst, in the 1980s, including providing a reference allowing him to go on and work elsewhere.
An @HMC_Org school. How many others have recycled a member of staff who has an unhealthy interest in the young?
Celeb boarding school Bedales gave sex abuse suspect a teaching reference
Allegations against the unidentified teacher at the £33,000 a year school surfaced in the 1980s.
A famous boarding school whose alumni include Sophie Dahl and Lily Allen has apologised for providing a former teacher with an employment reference despite them being suspected of sexual abuse.
Bedales also apologised for allowing the teacher in question to continue working at the Hampshire school in the immediate aftermath of the allegations and not contacting the police straight away.
Allegations against the unidentified teacher at the £33,000 ($41,000) a year school surfaced in the 1980s. But the person was allowed to continue working at Dunhurst, the prep school managed by Bedales.
Police were not contacted and the school later provided a reference for the teacher so they could work in other schools, despite the accusation.
In a statement handed to The Sunday Times, the school said: “Specifically, the school was remiss on three counts: failure to dismiss the teacher immediately; failure to notify the authorities at the time; and providing references for the teacher based on what was known in 1987.
“We confirm that in 1987 as a result of complaints of serious misconduct made by parents against a teacher at Bedales Prep School, Dunhurst, the teacher was forced to resign.
“Almost eight years later at the end of 1994, specific sexual abuse allegations going back to 1985 were made against the same teacher. The school co-operated fully with the subsequent police investigation but the teacher was not charged.
“Separately, a civil action relating to the same case was subsequently brought in 1998 and a settlement was reached in 2002.”
The headmaster at the time of the alleged abuse was Euan MacAlpine, who told The Sunday Times: “I am out of it now. I have no idea how the whole thing ended. You know perfectly well that these allegations — and they were allegations — are always complex.”
Members of the Bedales community were involved in Save the Children’s 50th anniversary Big Sale last week, which was attended by the Princess Royal. In addition to donating items for sale, students used their keen eye for fashion to select ensembles and model outfits as a preview of the sale, and Block 3 art students helped by designing the invitation. The School’s catering manager, Dave Greenman, was present in recognition of the support he has given in loaning school crockery and cutlery to the branch
Why I loathed doing time at Britain’s most liberal school
21 July 2011
I’m not surprised by revelations yesterday about Bedales pupils having under-age sex, shoplifting and being expelled. Institutions do not change.
In the modern age, it has attracted the offspring of wealthy, but free-spirited society types. My peers included the actor Daniel Day-Lewis — son of a poet laureate — theatre director Peter Hall’s children Chris and Jenny, a number of young aristocrats and the children of Princess Margaret.
Royal connection: Anthony Armstrong-Jones and Princess Margaret take Lord Linley and Lady Sarah to school at Bedales. On the right is the Headmaster, Mr. C. P. Nobes
My parents were persuaded, back in 1972, by an equerry to the Queen that Bedales would be just the ticket for me. The informal ethos, mixing of the sexes and emphasis on the arts sounded ideal to two idealistic liberals working for the United Nations abroad.
But it was like Harry Potter’s boarding school Hogwarts — on Viagra. Sex went on all the time. Of course, if they were discovered in flagrante, pupils were instantly expelled — but that didn’t stop anyone. Nor was sex necessarily consensual.
It was the mid 1960s. I was 14-going-on-15 and a pupil at Bedales, the co-educational boarding school in Hampshire, where Princess Margaret sent her children. My seductress was 10 years my senior and, wait for it, the school nurse.
The following year, still at Bedales, I helped a 16-year-old girl in my class further her affair with one of the junior French masters. He had a bed-sitting-room in a house in the school grounds and, on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons, the girl and I would go together to the teacher’s room for extra study.
Britain’s most prestigious military school ‘bribed teacher’s daughter to provide information that led to the arrest of whistleblower’
Duke of York’s Royal Military School near Dover
Britain’s most prestigious military boarding school is facing damaging new claims that it covered up allegations of abuse against students.
The boarding school near Dover, which has enjoyed visits from Prince Harry and the British Army’s Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Nicholas Carter, is listed on police records as the location for 38 crime reports over the last two decades.
Of these, 12 were sexual offences and 11 were “child protection incidents”, according to police records obtained through freedom of information requests. At least five resulted in cautions, charges or warnings.
But when the school’s then deputy child protection officer Tracy Austin and concerned parent Georgina Halford-Hall raised concerns about child safety, the primary concern of former headmaster Chris Russell appeared to be finding the source of the disclosures.
Chris Russell with his ex-wife, the television presenter Jan Leeming pictured in 2001
Rather than looking into her claims, police arrived at her cottage in the Somerset village of Gurney Slade in June 2014 and arrested her for handling stolen goods and a breach of the Data Protection Act.
“I was horrified,” she said. “I was trying to protect children from abuse, but the only people police were investigating were the people raising concerns.”
The mother-of-three, whose husband is a former chairman of the Wells Conservative Constituency Association, was cleared a year later when crown prosecutors offered no evidence, causing the case to collapse.
Ms Austin, who had resigned from her position as deputy child protection officer in protest at the way the school dealt with concerns about sexual abuse of a teenage girl, was also arrested and faced similar charges. She was later told no further action would be taken against her.
In correspondence from marked “confidential”, Mr Russell wrote to Col Clive Knightley, the MOD official responsible for safeguarding of military children, to tell him that “the mole has been identified and removed from the school”, referring to Ms Austin.
Col Knightley, who is assistant director at the MOD’s Directorate for Children and Young People, thanked Mr Russell for his “very helpful” memo, adding that he is drafting a “short and concise” response from the Adjutant General – who was the then chairman of the school’s trustees.
The school was run by the MOD until 2010 when it became an academy, but it is still promoted by the Government as one of the “highly recommended” schools for children from military families, who are eligible for grants from the MOD to subsidise fees.
On Saturday The Telegraph exposed how the Ministry of Defence appeared to collude The Duke of York’s Royal Military School to stifle claims of bullying and abuse.
Kent Police launched a review into their alleged failure to investigate dozens of criminal allegations at the school, and at least one detective inspector has been disciplined.
Duke of York’s Royal Military School on September 28, 2015
The force has set up a dedicated team to review claims about the school, which is seen as a breeding ground for future army leaders and boasts His Royal Highness, The Duke of Kent, as a patron. Prince Harry inspects the student guards during his visit to The
Now it has emerged that the police are probing allegations that the school – which has enjoyed visits from Prince Harry and the British Army’s Chief of the General Staff – even bribed a teacher’s daughter to provide information that led to the arrest of whistleblowers who sought to expose the alleged goings-on at the school.
A letter from Kent Professional Standards Department, seen by The Telegraph, details how the force is reviewing a complaint that officers “failed to investigate the report of bribery by the school in paying Ceri Austin to provide a statement”.
Ceri Austin’s mother Tracy had resigned from her positions as the school’s deputy child protection officer in protest at the way the school dealt with concerns about sexual abuse of a teenage girl. “They wanted to turn a blind eye to it. At the time there was a spate of sleeper holds – where boys strangle each other until they faint”Former teacher
After allegedly being offered a sum of money, Ceri Austin gave a witness statement which led to the arrest of her mother and Georgina Halford-Hall, a concerned parent who had also tried to complain about alleged bullying and abuse at the school. Both were cleared a year later when crown prosecutors offered no evidence, causing the cases to collapse.
Kent Police are probing why the allegation of bribery was not properly investigated when it was first reported. They are reviewing a complaint about why it was downgraded to a “suspicious incident” when it was in fact a “matter of extreme importance and one which raised serious questions about the credibility of the evidence provided by school’s management and others in the investigation”.
Detective Chief Inspector Swan, who is overseeing the complaint said that allegations are “suitable for a proportionate investigation” which means that “the conduct alleged may if proven justify criminal/disciplinary proceedings”.
A spokesman for Duke of York’s Royal Military School said that the suggestion that anyone was bribed is a “complete fabrication”.
Former teachers, parents and students at the school, which is seen as a breeding ground for future army leaders, have told The Telegraph that when they tried to raise the alarm about the alleged abuse, the school moved to silence them.
Rachel Ward, who sent her two sons to the school, voiced concerns about the allegations practise of “chair-gating”, where boys were made to sit on a hard backed chair facing a wall for whole weekends at a time, only allowed to get up to use the toilet or go to a meal, as a punishment for misbehaviour.
Mrs Ward, a retail and marketing executive from Hampshire whose husband was a Warrant Officers with the Royal Engineers, claims that that she was warned by an intermediary that her husband’s military career would be over if she did not stop complaining.
“They are in charge of all those children, you would think they would have a nurturing instinct,” she said. “But they didn’t want anyone questioning their methods.
Former teachers have also told this newspaper about the “barbaric” punishment systems at the school, and claimed that they were told to stop recording incidents in the medical log book because the school wanted to “turn a blind eye” to the goings-on in the boys’ dormitories.
One former teacher told The Telegraph that he was shocked at the punishments doled out by teachers to younger boys, which he said he found “wholly inappropriate”.
He said: “There was a culture of really quite unpleasant behaviour from some members of staff.”
The former teacher recalled a particularly “murky” incident when a young boy being rushed to hospital after being consensually strangled by one of his peers during a game, and falling unconscious.
At hospital nurses found that his body was covered in bruising including being whipped with a belt.
The school carried out an internal review of the incident and found that the principal “made a number of errors of judgement in the execution of the school’s responsibilities toward [the boy].”
An Ofsted report noted that there had been a “serious bullying incident” in May 2011 which “uncovered wider concerns regarding the safeguarding practises at the school”.
Another former teacher alleges she and her colleagues were told by senior management to stop recording medical incidents.
“They wanted to turn a blind eye to it,” she said. “At the time there was a spate of sleeper holds – where boys strangle each other until they faint.”
Ofsted carried out an emergency inspection in February 2013 “following concerns about the care of boarders at the school”.
A subsequent Ofsted report published in July 2013, rating its provision of care as “good”.
The school received a favourable report following another emergency inspection last month.
A spokesman for DOYRMS said the school would co-operate with any police investigation.
The spokesman said the punishments described “simply did not happen”, adding that such claims have been “fully investigated” by Ofsted whose inspectors exonerated the school.
It said Ofsted had also investigated claims about the handling of a sex abuse complaint and the school had been exonerated.
An MOD spokesman said the suggesting it had tried to stifle claims of abuse at the school is “completely untrue.”
“The MOD continues to take its responsibility for the Duke of York’s Royal Military School and the well-being of its pupils very seriously,” the spokesman said.
“The school has undergone a number of Ofsted inspections, as well as scrutiny by other the Education Funding Agency and Kent County Council, all of whom are satisfied the school is meeting or exceeding the standards required.”
“Mother dug him out of negative equity and bought him a Jaguar,” says Jonathan. “She spent a fortune renovating the house they bought, which she called Enchantress Cottage because the door was made out of wood from an old Royal Navy yacht with the same name.
“My mother is an incurable romantic, but Chris neglected her. He was all about image and status
It had all started so well. When one of Chris’s pupils at Astor School near Dover began a project on Zandra Rhodes, he remembered a newspaper article in which Jan had been singing the fashion designer’s praises. So he wrote to her.
Six months later, Jan replied. A correspondence ensued and they met in July, 1997.
Chris was a bachelor for 17 years. He’d forgotten what it was to have a wife.”
Chris Russell to retire as executive principal and Commandant of Duke of Yorks Royal Military School, Dover
10 December 2016 |
In recent years the school’s ceremonial parade has been inspected by Prince Harry, the Duke of Kent, and the British Army’s Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Nicholas Carter.
Mr Russell was a governor at the school before becoming its head. His early career included a commission in the Royal Army Education Corps.
Outside the classroom, Mr Russell played professional cricket for Kent and Surrey. He represented the Army and Combined Services, captaining two championship winning Army sides. The arts have also been important – he has produced 55 international musicals and initiated and run the National Students’ Art Exhibitions at London’s Mall Galleries, now in its 15th year.
This year, Mr Russell became President of the British Torch of Remembrance and led the visit to Belgium, involving major wreath laying ceremonies including at the Cenotaph, Dover, the Menin Gate, Flanders Fields and the Kings Day Parade in Brussels.
He will still have contact with the school having been appointed as a Trustee of The Dukies’ Foundation.
The school’s new Principal is Mr Alex Foreman who will start in January 2017.
Schools inspector Ofsted apologies over controversial visit to Astor College for the Arts
27 May 2015
It was revealed last week that the 988-pupil school was set to be rated inadequate following a visit from Ofsted inspectors.
But in a highly unusual step, Ofsted has now sent a letter to the school apologising for the “inconvenience” caused by its initial visit and revealed Astor will now be re-inspected.
after the story broke in the media, the school’s chief executive officer, Chris Russell, wrote a letter to parents and guardians.
He said: “I should like to inform you that the college is not in special measures.
“Ofsted have apologised for their shortcomings and the fact that their inspection was incomplete.
The school’s chief executive officer, Chris Russell, said a new team from Ofsted will re-inspect the school in the “near future.”
A prestigious school rocked by child abuse allegations has contacted more than 3,000 former pupils in an effort to uncover historic offences.
Allegations of Gordonstoun pupils being abused first became public two years ago. A number of ex-pupils at its junior school, Aberlour House, claimed they were preyed on by teachers during the 1980s and early 1990s.
Since then, staff have been helping police with their investigation.
And now it has emerged the school has been in touch with thousands of former pupils to ask them to report any abuse they may have suffered while studying there.
Principal Lisa Kerr said it was important to “learn the lessons of the past” in order to ensure the abuse never happened again.
She said: “We have been incredibly proactive in contacting our alumni and saying ‘if you had a bad experience please come forward’.
“If things happened which were criminal, we want them reported to the police, and investigating officers have been very supportive.”
Gordonstoun – where several members of the Royal family have studied – is one of several independent schools in Scotland named by judge Lady Smith, who is conducting a national inquiry into historical abuse.
Writing in the most recent alumni magazine, the school’s chairwoman, Eve Poole, expressed her support for the Scottish abuse inquiry and included its contact details.
Historic sex abuse allegations were first made against the school on a private Facebook page set up by former students, and became public in 2015.
One student claimed she was raped as a 12-year-old on a school camping trip, while another claimed he was assaulted in his dormitory at Aberlour House in 1990 after getting injured in a rugby game.
Now school bosses say there are measures in place to ensure any evidence of bullying or abuse will be immediately detected.
But Ms Kerr said that its leaders needed to know about events of the past to ensure they were not repeated.
She added: “There is not an organisation in the country that could not put its hand on its heart and say things had happened in the past which they wish did not.
“That’s a matter for sadness and regret in society as a whole.
“What we are doing here is giving as much attention and care to people who did not have a happy time in the past as pupils in our care do today.
“For us, it’s not about trying to brush anything under the carpet, it is quite the opposite.
“We cannot give the kind of care we have here today if we try to pretend that the past did not happen, we have to be open about it.
“I am determined to do that, and I hope it will give people the confidence to come forward.”
Ms Kerr, who was appointed last year as Gordonstoun’s first female principal, said she is proud of the support and care given to students at the school today.
A computer system allows information to be shared about any pupil who may be showing signs of distress or “unusual behaviour”.
Each pupil is assigned a staff supervisor, a group leader, a child protection officer and student counsellor – a system that has been approved by the Care Inspectorate.
The school, founded in 1934, taught Prince Charles and brothers Andrew and Edward, along with other members of the royal family.
Former pupils also include Lossiemouth’s Olympic gold medal-winning rower Heather Stanning.
CHARITY ORGANIZATION Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth 11, is Patron of the Charity and Sir Christian Bonington CBE, is President.
Vice Presidents are HRH The Duke of Gloucester GCVO , The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Mr G. F. Harris, MC OLM, Baroness E. Nicholson of Winterboume and Mrs
N. K. Trenaman. The organisation of the Charity consists of a Chairman, Board of Trustees, Hon. Treasurer and Secretary who
Kevin Spacey was given a private tour of Buckingham Palace by Prince Andrew – and he even sat on the THRONE
The Duke of York personally escorted the actor into the heart of the Palace, including areas that are strictly off-limits to most visitors
12th November 2017
Senior royal sources claimed pictures of Spacey were taken inside the Queen’s hallowed throne room.
It is Buck House’s centrepiece, decked out with glittering chandeliers and silk wallpaper.
Last night sources close to the Duke said he had “no recollection” of Spacey being let inside.
Royal experts described the July party — whose guests included Andrew’s daughter Eugenie, 27 — as “tawdry”.
And it revived questions about the Duke’s choice of friendships with the rich and famous.
Both Spacey, 58, and Andrew were pals of paedophile US billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, who was jailed for trying to hire a 14-year-old girl as a prostitute.
Andrew, 57, quit as a UK trade envoy in 2011 after the friendship was revealed.
A royal source said: “Buckingham Palace is not a theme park to be used for private tours, it’s the heart of the monarchy.
“The Duke’s decision to invite Spacey for a personal guided visit was not ideal then.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said last night: “The Palace is home to a number of members of the Royal Family who, from time to time, host guests in a private capacity.”
Spacey’s lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.
Is that BBC DJ Fearne Cotton in the background ? Part of the BBC Billy Cotton dynasty ? Ex ‘girlfriend’ to the pop music paedophile Ian Watkins, currently serving 33 years ? Tut tut.
Fearne Cotton – ex-boyfriend Ian Watkins pleads guilty to attempted rape on a baby
Call for an inquiry into the cover-up of child abuse on the Groucho Club’s members forum
The Groucho club’s management has refused to issue a full and transparent account of the child abuse network, the rapes and the sexual haressment and assult of an employee.
Many of the celebrities now facing allegations, arrested or convicted in the past few years for sexual depravity such as the infant rapist, Ian Watkins, Weinstein, Spacey, Glitter, Saville, Harris, Hall, Max Clifford and others have frequented the Groucho Club. Harvey Weinstein is a lifetime member and was invited to write a chapter in a book about the Groucho Club where he talks about his membership.
WALES: Ex-N.Wales Teacher Denies Sex Assaults; ‘Drunken Party Led to Offences against 4 Teen Boys’
Daily Post (Liverpool, England), October 24, 2008
Byline: By CARL BUTLER
A FORMER North Wales teacher has denied sexual assaults against four teen age boys after a drunken Christmas party.
Robert Charles Durrant – who is on trial in Dorset – spent four years at the Rydal Penrhos School in Colwyn Bay, before he moved to Ruthin School where he spent the next 16 years. He also taught on the Wirral.
Durrant, 60, who got married while teaching at Ruthin, is an English teacher at Milton Abbey School, Dorset, and has denied eight charges that are all alleged to have happened after a drunken Christ mas party at Milton Abbey School on December 6.
He faces six charges of sexually as saulting four teenage boys and two fur ther charges of battery that evening.
Dorchester Crown Court heard yester day Durrant targeted a ‘shy and isolated pupil’ after an alleged night-time assault in the Dorset private school.
Durrant, of Milton Abbas, Blandford, told jurors at Dorchester Crown Court he was very friendly with many of the boys he taught and he would often hug them and give them massages in a friendly way.
Earlier in the trial a schoolboy in his late teens said Durrant came into his room after midnight and touched his leg and tried to kiss him.
Another said Durrant had come into his room and kissed him on the arm and chest.
One boy said Durrant came into his room and put his hands down his trousers.
The final sexual assault was alleged by another boy in his late teens who said Durrant touched his backside twice that evening.
He denies any accusation he touched any of the boys in a sexual manner and said he has little recollection of that evening.
The jury heard after a schoolboy had burst into the room where Durrant was with another pupil, Durrant followed him angrily into his room.
He denies grabbing one boy around the neck but said he did shout at him and the boy reacted by threatening him that he would make up accusations about having his arm twisted by Durrant.
Durrant told the jury he had been drinking wine all evening and he and the other pupils were drunk.
Durrant said after sitting and talking to a schoolboy for a few hours he then hugged him and left and walked around the school stopping at different rooms.
He then admitted he drove two miles home to his house.
Prosecutor Robert Griffiths accused Durrant of targeting one of the school boys because he was a shy and isolated boy.
Mr Durrant replied he resented the accusation.
Mr Griffiths added: “I am going to suggest that over the years you may have got the odd grope off these boys but on that night you went far beyond that.”
When asked in a police interview about his sexuality Durrant said: “I am heterosexual with a hint of bisexual.”
Durrant clarified in court he had ex perimented sexually with other boys when he was at school himself.
The court heard Durrant has been a teacher since 1971 and had previously taught at the Calday Grange School in Wirral and the Christ’s Hospital School in Sussex before moving to Wales.
There he spent four years at the Rydal Penrhos School in Colwyn Bay before he moved to Ruthin School and spent the next 16 years there and got married.
Durrant then left this school, divorced his wife and moved to teach in Zimbab we and then Kuwait before taking the post at Milton Abbey School in 2003.
He now lives alone and is currently suspended from the school, the court heard.
The trial continues.
carlbutler@dailypost.co.uk
CAPTION(S):
Robert Durrant faces charges of sexual assault on four teenage boys
Famous Scottish boarding schools named in child abuse inquiry
31 January 2017
“The inquiry team is investigating boarding schools. Specifically, they are investigating Fettes Cottage, Gordonstoun, the former Keil School in Dumbarton, Loretto School, Merchiston Castle School and Morrison’s Academy, at the time it was a boarding school.
Merchiston Castle School is delighted to welcome Mr Jonathan Anderson as Headmaster from August 2018.
Jonathan grew up in Ulster and read Geography at Queen’s Belfast where he developed his appetite for teaching and subsequently completed his teaching qualification in 1997. The same year, he joined Christ’s Hospital as a Geography Teacher before being promoted in 1998 to Assistant Housemaster, and in 2003 to Housemaster in a boys’ boarding house. After almost 14 years at Christ’s Hospital, he was appointed as Senior Deputy Head at Worksop College, Nottinghamshire, where he has spent the last seven years.
In tandem with head-hunters Odgers Berndtson, the Board of Governors conducted a rigorous selection process over the Autumn Term 2017, and Jonathan was the outstanding candidate within an excellent field of applicants.
On his appointment, the Chairman of Governors, Gareth Baird, said: “The Board of Governors is delighted to announce the appointment of Mr Jonathan Anderson who will succeed Mr Andrew Hunter as Headmaster of Merchiston Castle School after 20 years of stellar service. Jonathan comes to us from his position as Senior Deputy Head at Worksop College and emerged from a very strong field of candidates.
In 1997 Jonathan Anderson joined Christ’s Hospital as a Geography Teacher before being promoted in 1998 to Assistant Housemaster, and in 2003 to Housemaster in a boys’ boarding house. After almost 14 years at Christ’s Hospital,
Dobbie, 66, of Albi in France and formerly of Hereford, was found guilty of 15 counts involving multiple offences against six boys and two girls as young as 12 between 1998 and 2001.
What do the following people all have in common? …Kenyan nationalist Tom Mboya, Blue Peter presenter Valerie Singleton, Waruhiu Itote (‘General China’, a key leader of the Mau Mau rebellion), the singer Vera Lynn, Patrick Shaw (Kenya’s most notorious police officer), Desmond Tutu, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, Jomo Kenyatta, Senator Robert Kennedy, Indira Ghandi, Mwai Kibaki, Muhammad Ali, Daniel arap Moi, Princess Anne, Pele and . . . err, naturally, Cliff Richard.
^ took it upon themselves to visit the school and, more often than not, help raise substantial funds to support its work.
Starehe was founded in 1959 by Geoffrey Griffin, a former Intelligence Officer of the British Army
Money has been forthcoming from the Dulverton Trust, Christian Aid, the Nuffield Foundation, Oxfam (there is a school ‘house’ named after its former director, H. Leslie Kirkley) and especially Save the Children. It was even the featured ‘Christmas appeal’ for Blue Peter in 1971, hence the Valerie Singleton connection, accompanied by Princess Anne. But this is not just a story about Britain’s post-imperial legacies. Money has also been forthcoming from the Dutch Bernard van Leer Foundation, the US Ford Foundation, the Danish Scouts (they paid for the school swimming pool), the West German Protestant Central Agency for Development as well as the governments of Denmark, Austria, Sweden, the Netherlands and the European Commission itself.
Starehe has captured the imagination of Kenya’s elites, many of whom have sent their sons as fee-paying students.
It is an English public school sweltering in the African sun. It is a leading academic institution which offers a free education to the poor and disadvantaged.
Patrick Shaw – Griffin’s deputy at Starehe – a sadistic, never married, voluntary police reservist who frequently operated outside the law (was paid by Save the Children)
Patrick Shaw, by all accounts a sadistically ruthless if efficient police officer who was known to deal with Nairobi’s criminal gangs at the scene of the crime, serve as the administrator for the school for quarter of a century, first as a volunteer and then as salaried member of staff paid directly by the UK Save the Children Fund
Cliff Richard talking to the principal and founder of Starehe boys school Jeffrey Grifin. He was sponsored by the BBC ‘Blue Peter‘ children program
Britain’s pop singer, Cliff Richard engaged in deep conversation with the principal and founding director of Starehe Boys Centre, Geoffrey Griffin. Cliff Richard came to Kenya to lay a foundation stone for a new wing to be used as domitries. He was sponsored by the BBC ‘Blue Peter’ children program. Starehe Boy’s centre provided free education to orphans and bright poor children who could not afford school fees. A few of the children became ministers and important people in Kenyan society. In the Robin Hood spirit, the school was partly founded by the parents of the rich Kenyans who wanted the best quality education for their children and could afford to pay more.
The visit was much reported in the press and Griffin was able to exploit his official position to secure a meeting with Queen Elizabeth, the Lord Mayor of London and Cliff Richard (who would reciprocate by visiting the school the 20 following year, performing his songs for the boys in the school hall).
Visitors to Starehe:
Ken Loach, Princess Anne, King Constantine of Greece and Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, Indira Ghandi, Senator Robert Kennedy, Desmond Tutu, Muhammad Ali, Pele, Vera Lynn, Cliff Richard and Valerie Singleton
Main donors to Starehe – Oxfam, Save the Children, and Christian Aid
Other donors include Shell/BP in Kenya, Sheikh Fazal Noordin Charitable Trust, the Child Welfare Society, the Kenya Welfare Trust,the African Welfare Society, the Roundtable No. 1 and the Welfare Trust of East Africa, Dulverton Trust,
Ford Foundation Donor
In 1962, Griffin took two Starehe boys to the UK. He used the trip to promote his private venture. He met with Queen Elizabeth, the Lord Mayor of London and Cliff Richard. Griffin’s visit consolidated his connections to to the headquarters of SCF (Save the Children). The charity was to become Starehe’s most important backer.
Paul Whitehouse was founder Chairman of Starehe UK from 1972 to April 2013. Paul worked in a voluntary capacity as Starehe’s Assistant Bursar from 1963-64, and has raised funds for the school ever since.
Paul retired as Chief Constable of Sussex in 2001, and is the former Chair of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority.
Paul is also Chair of Governors of Sidcot School, Chair of The Tim Field Foundation and Treasurer of the Quakers and Business Group. He is a former Chair of Trustees at Anti-Slavery International.
In 1972 Whitehouse founded Starehe UK, a charity which supports boys and girls at the two Starehe schools in Kenya. He was the vice-chairman of Nacro until the end of 2007 when he was appointed Chairman of the Board of Governors of Sidcot School. From November 2011 to February 2014 he was Chair of Trustees at Anti-Slavery International. He is a Director of Friends Trusts Limited, the denominational trust corporation of the Religious Society of Friends, and a Trustee of The Tim Field Foundation.
Princess Anne first visited Starehe Boys’ Centre in 1971.
She returned to the Boys’ Centre in 1982 and again in 1998. And in 2004, The Princess Royal was Guest of Honour at the 45th Anniversary Founders’ Day at Starehe Boys’ Centre.
The Princess Royal fully supports the ethos and philosophy of Starehe
Tom Mboya – was patron of Starehe until 1969. He would meet with Senator Robert Kennedy
Barack Obama Sr -links to Tom Mboya
Mboya worked with then United States Senator John F. Kennedy (later president of the US) and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr to create education opportunities for African students; this effort resulted in African Airlifts of the 1950s – 60s, which enabled African students to study at US colleges. Notable beneficiaries of this airlift were Wangari Maathai, who later won the Nobel Peace Prize, and Barack Hussein Obama Sr.,
According to a letter on file in the Mboya papers at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, “most” of Obama Sr.’s early expenses in the United States were covered by an international literacy expert named Elizabeth Mooney Kirk, who had traveled widely in Kenya. Kirk wrote to Mboya in May 1962 to request additional funds to “sponsor Barack Obama for graduate study, preferably at Harvard.” She said she would “like to do more” to assist the young man but had two stepchildren ready for college.
Obama Sr. never quite lived up to his enormous potential. He achieved his dream of studying at Harvard after graduating from the University of Hawaii. He divorced Dunham in 1963 and married another woman.
Obama Sr returned to Kenya and became a close aide to Mboya, a fellow Luo tribesman, at the Ministry of Economic Development. According to his old “drinking buddy” Ochieng, he antagonized other officials with his “boasting,” was “excessively fond of Scotch” and ended up in poverty “without a job.” He got into frequent car accidents, one of which led to the amputation of both his legs. He was killed in another car accident, in 1982, at the age of 46.
Starehe – lots of big names linked to it over the years and big name child trafficking charidees, like Save the Children, Oxfam….
Griffin:“I am not lucky with women” and his total aversion to dancing — perhaps he didn’t know how. But, we are told, he was an expert in “getting the best out of boys”. It is not clear why King’ala was so fixated on this question of Griffin’s bachelor-hood, or indeed, of his sexuality. Was he concerned that there was a risk Griffin condoned homosexuality or that he spread the practice at Starehe?
Patrick Shaw, by all accounts a sadistically ruthless voluntary police reservist who frequently operated outside the law was known to deal with Nairobi’s criminal gangs at the scene of the crime, served as the administrator for the school for quarter of a century, first as a volunteer and then as salaried member of staff paid directly by the UK Save the Children Fund
...the question of Griffin’s sexuality. King’ala keeps coming back to it but he is too timid to pose the direct question: “Was Griffin gay?” Instead, King’ala circles it as a query about Griffin remaining unmarried. He dwells on Griffin’s refusal to discuss his personal life; on whispers that Griffin was ostracised by his family and on his glaring lack of friends. King’ala repeatedly brings up the name of John Beecher, the friend with whom Griffin introduced scouting at Nairobi School. Once Beecher — who was a year older … “I am not lucky with women” and his total aversion to dancing — perhaps he didn’t know how. But, we are told, he was an expert in “getting the best out of boys”. It is not clear why King’ala was so fixated on this question of Griffin’s bachelor-hood, or indeed, of his sexuality. Was he concerned that there was a risk Griffin condoned homosexuality or that he spread the practice at Starehe?
NYAIRO: Revealing uncomfortable truths about the Starehe … Events in Lamu County last week forced me to revisit The Autobiography of Geoffrey W. Griffin: Kenya’s Champion Beggar as narrated to Yusuf King’ala.
Paul Whitehouse, founder chairman of Starehe, was also involved in the Nicholas Gargani satanic case – small world, eh? Whitehouse is currently a trustee of Starehe Future
Paul Whitehouse was founder Chairman of Starehe UK from 1972 to April 2013. Paul worked in a voluntary capacity as Starehe’s Assistant Bursar from 1963-64, and has raised funds for the school ever since. Paul retired as Chief Constable of Sussex in 2001 Paul Whitehouse’s wife Elizabeth Dinsmore, was a respected solicitor. Her work with the Equal Opportunities Commission brought her into contact with Cherie Booth, with whom she struck up a close acquaintanceship. Paul Whitehouse had to resign from his Chief Constable role.. By promoting and giving pay rises to two officers who planned the operation that ended with the fatal shooting of a naked and unarmed man...
Nicholas Gargani was investigating Then Lewes District Council Leader Norman Bakers involvement Lewes District Council Corruption and crimes which covered attempted murder Fraud plus working with criminals The Hexagon Archive continued correspondence with the Chief Constable for Sussex; Paul Whitehouse and asked him outright if he knew of any Satanists in the force. Whilst he was prepared to answer some very limited questions regarding the case, he became extremely evasive over Barratt’s involvement in his Police Station, merely referring to her in her role as ‘clerk-typist’ and pointedly refused to state whether he personally knew of Satanists inside his force. Chief Constable Whitehouse did point out that it was not an offence to be a member of this type of organization, which further opened the floodgates of speculation. Nicholas Gargani was he Murdered by Sussex Police?
Richard Attenborough – tea to Griffin’s house in the presence of the visiting and legendary Richard Attenborough who wanted to meet the school’s top student of English and Literature.
Tom Mboya – was patron of Starehe until he was murdered – Barack Obama Sr was an aide to him Obama Sr. never quite lived up to his enormous potential. He achieved his dream of studying at Harvard after graduating from the University of Hawaii. He divorced Dunham in 1963 and married another woman. Obama Sr returned to Kenya and became a close aide to Mboya, a fellow Luo tribesman, at the Ministry of Economic Development.
Patron Tom Mboya is pictured w/Nixon, John & Robert Kennedy
“Geoffrey Griffin, a former Intelligence Officer”
“It is a known secret facts T mboya was a CIA agent Nahashon Isaac Njenga Njoroge needed to change name and to undergo cosmetic face operations in the Republic of Apartheid South Africa whose boers(whites )used to run Kenya with Kenyatta and CIA/Mossad/Mi6/mi5 to this day.Where did Patrick Shaw came from/Patrick Shaw of Starehe boys centre and Mr Griffin USA) who used to run NYS/and Waruhio Etote (commonly known as (General china)”
More familiar names… John Robert Hall FSA FRSA (born 13 March 1949) is an English priest of the Church of England. He is the current Dean of Westminster and a chaplain to Queen Elizabeth II. he officiated at the wedding of Prince William of Wales and Catherine Middleton
The Very Reverend Dr John Hall was installed as the 38th Dean of Westminster on 2nd December 2006. The Dean is responsible for the spiritual life of the Abbey and its community. The Abbey is a Royal Peculiar, which means rather than being responsible to a bishop; the Dean is responsible to the Sovereign alone.
The Jubilee Time Capsule visited the Dean at the Abbey to record his memorable moments from the past 60 years. In the above entry the Dean remembers the period he spent teaching in 1968 at Starehe Boys’ Centre and School in Nairobi, Kenya. The school was set up 10 year previously by Dr Geoffrey William Griffin MSB OBE
The Very Reverend Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster Abbey, addressed the girls and their parents. The Dean spoke of his time at Starehe, where he volunteered during a year out between School and University, and where he says he was particularly inspired by Dr Geoffrey Griffin, Starehe’s founding father.
Starehe has built itself an international reputation and has been honoured by visits from many famous persons. Among them have been Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands (when Crown Princess), T.R.H. Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex, HRH the Duke of Gloucester
“Churchill protege Alan Lennox-Boyd, who married sisters, Guinness heiresses, but enjoyed riotous homosexual adventures behind the scenes. Lennox-Boyd had a distinguished ministerial career in several governments…”
Alan Lennox Boyd’s son: Mark Lennox-Boyd invested in Harvey Proctor’s Cottonrose shirt shop
and was Mrs Thatcher’s private parliamentary secretary…
Sir Mark was born into the Guinness brewing dynasty, he studied at Eton and Oxford, became a barrister and was the MP for Morecambe from 1979-1997. His career as a Conservative politician saw him work as Mrs Thatcher’s private parliamentary secretary and he travelled widely as a Foreign Office minister.
…has have a flat in London where he is part of a small group of loyal supporters who look after his former boss, Baroness Thatcher, who stayed at Gresgarth a few times when she was Prime Minister
So, was this man a crime-buster or a psycopath let loose on the streets of Nairobi… with a loaded gun?
Many who spent time with or near him say they were convinced the man had a split personality.
“Despite the extrajudicial killings and his run-ins with the darker side of Nairobi,” one of his informants says, “the man would every now and then exhibit the traits of a humanitarian angel. For instance, he was able to set aside his psycopathic ways and become the principled, fun-loving guy at Starehe Boy’s Centre.”
A police officer he worked with described Shaw as “completely out of control” and “out of bounds of the constitutional description of what an officer should be”.
“He did not report to any particular police station, he used his personal car, and had no fixed jurisdiction,”
It is difficult to estimate, even modestly, how many suspected gangsters Shaw killed.
“Literally hundreds,” one former informant estimates. “At least one fatality a week.”
he JM Kariuki mystery
“The sun shines for both the evil and the good, but there are those who keep their faces to the sunshine and cannot see their shadow,” Shaw is reported to have once said.
At the time, he had come under scrutiny over his extrajudicial killings and the omnipresence he exhibited in the criminal underworld. It was, however, the disappearance and later murder of politician J M Kariuki that sent shivers down the hitman’s spine. His character had been called to question by MPs, who wondered how the man was always the first to arrive at scenes of crime, way before the police did.
When word went around that Shaw had been involved in the arrest of JM, the world started crumbling all around him. Suddenly, he was no longer a revered crime-buster, but a likely criminal himself.
In 1981, John Keen, then Assistant Minister in the Office of the President, was summoned to give testimony to Parliament on the progress the government had made in controlling crime.
“Nine hundred and eighty one gangsters were arrested in the past year,” he testified. In a supplementary question, one MP asked: “And why is it that Patrick Shaw is always the first to arrive on the scene of a crime and not African police?”
Still, the country was not convinced that the fellow was such a “fine policeman” as claimed, and henceforth viewed him with suspicion.
**********
Did you know?
During the 1982 coup attempt by officers from Kenya Air Force, Shaw was in Europe fundraising for Starehe.
(Shaw) is said to have been behind the torture of many who were arrested in connection with the failed coup.
It was in 1962, while on a tour in London to promote Starehe’s Youth-Helps-Youth campaign, that Griffin recounts first meeting Shaw.
Previously while on police patrol, Shaw had occasionally stopped his car outside the centre to observe the activities.
While on leave back home in London, Shaw read about what the London press dubbed the “Sunshine Kids” and in turn made a call to Griffin’s hotel room to request if he could assist.
Griffin obliged and Shaw acted as an escort for the remainder of the London visit.
Martin references that upon his return to Kenya, Shaw began to volunteer more for Starehe and eventually took up the chairmanship of the “house committee”, which was “informally responsible for the fundraising activities.”
Shaw resigned from the agricultural service in 1965 and when Griffin offered him a position as administrative officer, at a very modest salary, he accepted.
The two went on to become close colleagues and friends — a relationship that would last for nearly three decades.
In 1969, Shaw rose to the ranks of assistant director in charge of administration.
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Bishop Wallace Benn: There was clearly a paedophile ring, which I inherited.
Still discussing report by Baroness Butler Sloss
As chaplain of Eastbourne Hospital Hubert was under the Chichester Diocese of the Church of England. This diocese had some of the worst reports of child sex abuse from the 1960s until the early 1990’s. Many priests were outed as sex offenders who had for many years abused children under the nose of their own congregation.
Why would the woman who called @InquiryCSA into being wish to delete all mention of her own father?
… the woman who wants us all to be fully transparent purges the Internet to hide mention of her father?
WHAT IS THERESA MAY TRYING TO HIDE ABOUT HER FATHER?
Theresa May’s Father, Reverend Hubert Brasier, was born on 20th August 1917 at 61 Clonmore Street, Wandsworth, London.
On the surface, Hubert had a pretty normal and average life. Growing up and living through World War 2 obviously came with its difficulties, from what we do know about Hubert, he led a normal life and there doesn’t appear to be any controversy linked to his name. The most obvious and key point is that he was the father of the 2nd Female, British Prime minister, Theresa May.
Due to this fact, it goes without saying that people will want to look up the history of Theresa May, in particular, her upbringing and parents. What is odd, is that Hubert Braiser did have a Wikipedia page detailing his life, his achievements and his background. When Theresa May became prime minister, the Wikipedia page was edited and eventually taken down.
This has obviously raised some eyebrows, it’s clear to see that Mrs May is trying to hide or conceal something about her Father’s past. While the Wikipedia page for her father no longer exists and now points directly to her own Wikipedia Page, anyone can view the old wiki page for Hubert Braiser by using the internet archive ‘Way Back Machine’. Using this tool you can see Hubert Braiser’s old Wikipedia Page here.
For reference, the old Wikipedia page for Hubert Braiser was as follows:
Hubert Brasier (20 August 1917 – October 1981) was a clergyman of the Church of England, and father of Theresa May, 54th and 2nd female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.Brasier was born in Wandsworth, London to Tom Brasier, a clerk and former sergeant in the King’s Royal Rifle Corps, and Amy Margaret, née Patterson. In 1940, he graduated from the University of Leeds and trained at the College of the Resurrection, Mirfield. His wife was Zaidee Mary (née Barnes; 1928–1982), whom he married at St Giles’ Church, Reading in 1955.
Brasier was made a deacon in 1942 and ordained at Southwark Cathedral in 1943. He was curate of St Andrew’s Catford from 1942, then of St Luke’s Reigate from 1948. In 1953, he became chaplain of All Saints’ Hospital in Eastbourne, where May was born. He became vicar of Enstone (with Heythrop from 1964) in 1959 and finally of St Mary the Virgin, Wheatley, to the east of Oxford, from 1970. As Vicar of Wheatley, May wrote a short guide to the parish church.
Brasier died in 1981 following a car accident on the A40
Some key points to take away is that Hubert Braiser worked for the Community of the Resurrection Seminary School in Mirfield, West Yorkshire This school would become well known and associated with the systematic sexual abuse of children by the Italian Verona brothers, who were rampant sex offenders in the 1960’s and 1970’s
In 1953, Hubert became the Chaplain All Saints at Eastbourne Hospital in Sussex. It was here that he crossed paths with the notorious serial killer Dr John Bodkin Adams. Dr Adams was the Harold Shipman of his day, he had his elderly patients put him in their wills and would then ‘bump them off’ by giving them an injection and then state of their death certificates that they died of natural causes.
Over 165 deaths have been associated with Dr John Bodkin Adams, his murderous rampage did not go un-noticed, many nurses did speak out and report the doctor to their superiors; however, due to the NHS being newly founded and in its infancy, officials thought that a scandal like this could cause the collapse of the NHS, as such Dr Adams was able to avoid justice for some time.
Dr Bodkin Adams just couldn’t stop himself, he carried on murdering his patients and was protected by Lord Gwynne who was believed to be his secret gay lover and was a very well connected politician.
Hubert is linked to Bodkin as he worked in the same hospital and would have given ‘last rights’ to many of Bodkin’s patients. Some have even speculated that Bodkin may have confessed his crimes to Hubert, as when he was quizzed about stealing from old women he said: ” ‘I have made my peace with God over that’.
In 1957 Dr John Bodkin Adams was charged and prosecuted for his crimes, he was acquitted of murder, which many have claimed was a clear and obvious cover-up. In the end Bodkin was convicted of 8 counts of forging a prescription, 4 counts of making false statements on cremation forms, and 3 offences under the Dangerous Drugs Act.
He was struck off and not allowed to practice medicine, however, in 1961, once the dust was settled, the NHS reinstated the doctor and allowed him to carry on practising medicine.
As chaplain of Eastbourne Hospital Hubert was under the Chichester Diocese of the Church of England. This diocese had some of the worst reports of child sex abuse from the 1960s until the early 1990’s. Many priests were outed as sex offenders who had for many years abused children under the nose of their own congregation.
On the surface it appears there isn’t much to see when it comes to Hubert Braiser, maybe there isn’t much to see; however, it does raise suspicion when Mr Braiser was so close to a prolific serial killer and associated to a diocese caught up in a child sex abuse scandal. It is no doubt that many of Mr Braisers associates and colleagues would have been directly involved or had a part to play in the scandal and its cover-up.
It’s also clear that Theresa May does not want the general public looking into her father’s background. There has been a clear attempt to erase Hubert Braiser’s historical portfolio from the internet.
Since Theresa May has put together the inquiry to investigate child sexual abuse, especially abuse at the hands of priests, it has raised some eyebrows that she is attempting to conceal her father’s background.
The inquiry that was set up was a farce in itself, May appointed Baroness Butler-Sloss to oversee the inquiry, 6 days later she was forced to step down from the position; as it came to light that her brother was Attorney General at the time a lot of the abuse was alleged to have taken place. As a replacement, Theresa May appointed Fiona Woolf to chair the inquiry, however, Mrs Woolf had to stand down when it became apparent that she used to live very close to Leon Brittan, an MP who was accused of sexually abusing young boys.
It appears that Mrs May is either incompetent or is clearly trying to sabotage the whole inquiry. If it is the latter, that draws several questions and concerns as to why she is attempting to erase her father’s history from the internet.
The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Donald Coggan with the three new bishops – two of them formerly Anglican monks – consecrated at St Paul’s Cathedral in London. They are, from left, the Rt Rev Anselm Genders, Bishop of Burmuda and formerly Bursar of the Community of the Resurrection in Mirfield, Dr Coggan, The Rt Rev Peter Ball, Suffragan Bishop of Lewes in the diocese of Chichester, and the Rt Rev Peter Nott, Suffragan Bishop of Taunton and formerly Rector of Baconsfield in Buckinghamshire.
Some key points to take away is that Hubert Braiser (Theresa May’s father) worked for the Community of the Resurrection Seminary School in Mirfield, West Yorkshire This school would become well known and associated with the systematic sexual abuse of children by the Italian Verona brothers, who were rampant sex offenders in the 1960’s and 1970’s
Why would Theresa May be petrified of anyone researching her beloved father Hubert Brasier
#1
#2 Well, her father was very closely associated with the Diocese of Chichester which spawned many paedophiles.
#3 I cannot imagine that Hubert Brasier, father of Theresa May, would NOT have known of the evil deeds of Shipman-like Bodkin Adams!
#4 Did Brasier take confessions from Bodkin Adams and did he help cover up his deeds for political reasons?
#5 Once again, Theresa’s father is closely associated with another institution involved in child abuse.
Makes you wonder why this woman’s first choice for IICSA chair was Sloshed Butler (Elizabeth Butler Sloss), Known to be protective of church
Dame Alun Roberts@ciabaudo
It wasn’t coincidence that Theresa May chose the Sloshed Butler for her dirty work!
The brave Dickens was not dissuaded by Paedo Havers of Butler-Sloss fame.
Sir Michael Havers, brother of Baroness Butler-Sloss
Sir Michael Havers was appointed as Attorney General by Margaret Thatcher in 1979, and was made Baron Havers in 1987. He intervened three times between 1981 and 1983 to stop the investigation and exposure of Establishment paedophiles, and to prevent the publication of stories which showed that Establishment figures were members of the Paedophile Information Exchange.
It seems at the very least deeply inappropriate to have someone heading a ‘historic’ child abuse inquiry whose own brother played such a major role in the protection of Establishment paedophiles throughout the 1980s.
Mr Johnson, who was abused by a number of clergymen when he was a choirboy in the Church of England Diocese of Chichester and kept a detailed record of the meeting. He said he “felt pressured to agree to exclude information about the bishop from the report”.
Butler-Sloss’s brother was a practicising paedo. Woolf was friends with a child rapist.
When Theresa May appointed Butler-Sloss, sister of paedo AttGen who defended Peter Hayman, she was laughing at YOU!
Theresa May, the gift that keeps on giving: Butler-Sloss Fiona Woolfe Lowell Goddard Ben Emmerson
Home Office is FINED by the Treasury after May and Rudd broke rules with big pay packages for child sex abuse inquiry chief and panel
Home Office accounts reveal May and Rudd both broke government rules with pay for child sex abuse inquiry
Treasury has fined department £366,000 for not seeking authorisation for six-figure packages
Breaches related to Professor Alexis Jay’s appointment in August 2016 and pay rates set for panel in 2015-16
14 July 2017
Theresa May and Amber Rudd both broke government rules by handing big pay packages to senior figures on the child sex abuse inquiry.
The Home Office has been fined more than £366,000 by the Treasury after the chair and panel for the probe were handed six-figure packages without authorisation.
Theresa May set up the inquiry in 2014 in response to allegations of child sex abuse at institutions ranging from the BBC to children’s homes, but it has been beset by trouble from the start.
Mrs May was responsible for breaking the rules when as Home Secretary she set the daily rates for panel members at a generous £565 a day.
And Mrs Rudd breached them again in August last year when she appointed Professor Alexis Jay on a £220,000 package.
Under austerity restrictions introduced by the coalition, any salaries at a level above £142,500 have to be signed off by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
As a result the Treasury imposed an ‘exemplary’ fine of more than £366,000 to make clear its displeasure.
After two abortive attempts to appoint chairs, Mrs May drafted in Dame Lowell Goddard in February 2015 – but the New Zealand judge resigned 18 months later after a disastrous tenure and contested allegations of inappropriate behaviour.
The scale of Dame Lowell’s pay and benefits had caused fury, and she was reportedly given an £80,000 pay-off when she quit last August.
The Home Office’s latest accounts indicated that the fine related to Mrs May’s failure to follow rules when she appointed the judge to the key post.
However, the department later clarified the document was wrong and in fact the breaches related to the pay of the panel and Prof Jay.
Former shadow chancellor Chris Leslie told MailOnline the pay packages were a ‘debacle’ and ‘flew in the face of the most basic checks of the Treasury’s rules’.
Theresa May’s government won’t compensate children who were raped. It says they ‘consented’ to the abuse
July 18th, 2017
Children as young as 12 who are survivors of rape and sexual assault are being refused compensation by the government. The grounds for its denial? That the children consented to their abuse.
It’s your own fault
A group of five charities submitted a Freedom of Information request (FOI) to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). And it revealed CICA has refused to compensate over 700 children who had been raped or sexually assaulted. Even when the perpetrators of the crimes had been jailed. And the group of charities says that in some cases, CICA told survivors it was because they consented to their rape or sexual assault.
The Guardianreports that Barnardo’s, Victim Support, Liberty, Rape Crisis and the National Working Group (NWG) – have written to Justice Secretary David Lidington, demanding he reviews CICA guidelines.
Victim blaming
When giving evidence to the government’s Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (CSA Inquiry), Barnardo’s said [pdf p2] the CICA policy:
…differentiates between consent ‘in fact’ and consent as stated by the law… In the case of the young person that applied for compensation, [it] was denied because CICA stated that ‘In [the claimant’s] case it appears she willingly entered into a sexual relationship with [the] alleged offender’… We are very worried that CICA’s policy goes against consideration of consent in law…
Additionally, CICA’s view on consent appears to lack understanding about sexually abusive and exploitative relationships. In such relationships, the victim may appear to ‘consent’… yet in such situations the abuser will have carefully groomed and manipulated the young person into believing that their relationship and abuse is normal. This grooming process is often so carefully carried out that the young person is unaware they are a victim. This does not mean that the young person is not in fact a victim…
We are also concerned that CICA’s apparent lack of understanding on the issue of sexual abuse and exploitation can cause distress to young people who have been the victims of these crimes.
In one example, a gang of older men were jailed for 30 years after being convicted of raping and sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. Her case was taken up by Victim Support; she was denied compensation by CICA on the grounds that ‘she had not been the victim of non-consensual sexual acts’.
She was devastated and left with the feeling that she was somehow responsible for the abuse she had suffered, the charity said.
Disgusting
The Canary contacted CICA for comment but it failed to respond.
The attitude of CICA, and the government more broadly, is staggering. If it is not traumatic enough that children have to go through the unimaginable torture of rape and sexual abuse, to then have the government body that’s supposed to defend you saying, at best, ‘Well – it’s your own fault, really’, is a national outrage. The Conservative government must heed these charities’ demands and change the rules by which CICA is governed. Quickly.
that same Theresa May who appointed Butler Sloss because of the great cover up job she did in #Cleveland
The Tory government set up a judicial enquiry under Lord Justice (Elizabeth) Butler Sloss. The enquiry sat for a year, heard evidence from parents, social services, police, doctors, nurses and – without any apparent unease – from a champion of paedophile rights, Ralph Underwager. It cost £5 million.
But there was one very odd aspect to the enquiry. Its remit from Whitehall prohibited it from asking – let alone answering – the most important question of all: how many of the 121 children at the centre of the crisis had been abused ?
The evidence in the documents clearly answered the question Butler-Sloss had been forced to duck: had these children been abused ?
The papers showed that the children had long histories of involvement with social services and painstakingly documented injuries. In many cases a convicted paedophile was living in their houses, and many had made very convincing disclosures of sexual activity with adults.
In the end, and with Yorkshire TV’s backing, we decided they were too important to throw away.
Just what was Cleveland really about ? For me it was clear: it was about the plight of children – some just toddlers – who were abused and – briefly – rescued; then re-abused by a child protection system which could not bear the pressure from politicians and press. The truth of what happened to those children was too difficult to hear. Which is why we called the film Cleveland: Unspeakable Truths.
The Serial Killer, The Traveller’s Daughter, and the Cover Ups
Theresa May’s Father, Reverend Hubert Brasier,was born on 20th August 1917 at 61 Clonmore Street, Wandsworth, London. Like many people a century ago, his was a home birth. Hubert’s father, Tom Brasier, was a military man. He had served as a sergeant in the King’s Royal Rifles, but was a clerk by the time Hubert was born. Hubert’s mother’s maiden name was Amy Margaret Patterson and they had married 8 years prior in Hampshire. Amy and Tom’s first son, James David Brasier, had died within a year of his birth in 1911 in Uttaranchal, India, where Tom Brasier had been deployed whilst in service. Two years later, in 1919, Hubert was joined by his younger sister and only other sibling Jean Robina Brasier.
By 1938, Hubert Brasier was 21 years old and attending Leeds University. On the 27th April 1939, preempting World War 2, Neville Chamberlain’s cabinet introduced limited conscription. Single men between the ages of 20 to 22 were now eligible to be called up for compulsory military service. A month later the ‘Military Training Act’ was passed in the UK Houses of Parliament. On the 3rd of September 1939 WW2 began and the ‘Military Training Act’ became the ‘National Service (Armed Forces) Act’ which increased liability of call up to men aged 18 to 40.
Hubert Brasier (front row, third from left) at Community of the Resurrection college in 1940.
In the year 1940 Hubert Brasier, then 23, had a decision to make. As a man of his age in the early years of WW2 he was probably heading to fight the Nazi Wehrmacht, or heading to defend British colonial outposts. Hubert Brasierfelt his only path was that of the Anglican-Catholic Church, and hejoined 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. However the seminary in Mirfield in the early 1940’s was just about to start welcoming its first refugee children. In December 1941 mass bombing of Sheffield and other northern industrial towns meant many children were evacuated to the countryside. The residents of Mirfield were some of the first to support the war effort and receive evacuee.
The Community of the Resurrection had only been founded at the later part of the 1800’s. The people of Mirfield took some time getting used to having the single young men of the seminary walking around the village. One Mirfield resident recalled them being referred to as ‘The Petticoat Men of t’Resurrection’. In the early 1900’s the residents of Mirfield grew suspicious of the men of god and this climaxed to a protest outside the Black Bull in Mirfield proper. Father Frere, a talented musician who was popular with the locals, stood on a chair and used his preaching talents to good effect. The community of Mirfield and the Community of the Resurrection were a tight knit unit by the 1940’s. When the northern industrial hub of England began to be targeted by the Luftwaffe nightly, many children from all over England were evacuated to communities such as Mirfield. Hubert Brasier would only stay in Mirfield for the beginning of his training.
In 1942 he was designated to a new church, in London, and after a year of hands on priestly experience he would be ordained. Hubert’s first placement was at The Church of St Andrew on Sandhurst Road in Catford, Southwark. The bombings were numerous in Catford, and the community was very close, soon to be brought closer by tragedy. On the 20th January 1943 a bomb landed directly on the local Sandhurst Primary School, 38 Children were killed alongside 6 teachers. To be a man of God in this devastated community would have meant sharing a lot of suffering and loss. The parents of many of the lost children agreed for them to be buried in a mass grave at Hither Green Cemetary, and for a terraced memorial to be laid in their honour.
Theresa May’s father was still a bachelor priest at this point in history. During the war life, the whole of London could be savage. The bombing brought death daily to Lewisham and the number of funerals were overwhelming for all of the local religious institutions. When war ceased Hubert continued to serve the Anglican-Catholic community of Catford until 1948 where he was relocated to a Reigate in Surrey and the very small, steeple-free church of St Luke, in the Southpark area. In contrast to The Church of St Andrew in Catford, St Luke’s was almost retirement. Obviously the stress and strain of the war experience had affected the still single Hubert, and the transfer made for good respite. In 1952 Hubert had reached the age of 35, and as in Mirfield at the turn of the century, celibacy provided more questions than it answered. Communities were already rife with gossip and speculation about the private lives of others. It can be presumed that the Anglican-Catholic churches history of child abuse is older than just the last 60 years, and it would usually be easier for a priest to be married.
The Serial Killer
The following year, in 1953, Hubert became the Chaplain All Saints at Eastbourne Hospital in Sussex. Over the next 6 years he would work alongside the famous serial killer Dr John Bodkin Adams. For those who are unaware of Dr John Bodkin Adams, he was believed to be the Harold Shipman of his age. He would usually prey upon his more elderly patients, convincing them to put him in their wills, of which over 130 complied. They were soon given an injection by Bodkin Adams, and would conveniently pass away of ‘natural causes’ soon after. On review more than 165 of the deaths that Dr Bodkin Adams oversaw were seen as suspicious. The suspicion was not a well kept secret amongst staff at Eastbourne Hospital, most of the nurses had voiced their concerns to their superiors. They were believed to have been ignored on purpose, as the newly founded NHS was considered to be under political threat and a scandal that could see a general practitioner sentenced to death was to be avoided at all cost. The problem was Dr Bodkin Adams just couldn’t stop himself. He was being protected by Lord Gwynne who was believed to be his secret gay lover, and was an extremely well connected politician.
Hubert Brasier would have given last rights to many of those killed by Adams, he may have even taken confession from Bodkin Adams himself, who when asked by the press if he was guilty of stealing from old women said ‘I have made my peace with God over that’. Eastbourne Hospital is where it is believed that Theresa May’s mother Zaidee Mary Barnes met Hubert Brasier for the first time. Hubert was 11 years her senior and Zaidee had already been diagnosed with MS, and was a regular visitor to Eastbourne Hospital. Whether or not in the 1950’s society it was considered appropriate for a celibate hospital chaplain to marry a patient, that is what happened in 1955. Zaidee and Hubert were married in Reading in front of Zaidee’s father Reginald James Barnes whose profession is recorded in the wedding certificate as a ‘Traveller’. On October 1st 1956 Theresa Brasier was born in Eastbourne hospital. The following year Dr John Bodkin Adams would be acquitted of murder in a trail that was an obvious cover up, however he was convicted on 8 counts of forging a prescription, 4 counts of making false statements on cremation forms, and 3 offences under the Dangerous Drugs Act 1951. He would be temporarily struck of the NHS, only to be reinstated in 1961 when the proverbial dust had settled.
As chaplain of Eastbourne Hospital Hubert was under the Chichester Diocese of the Church of England.
During the 1960’s til the 1990’s this diocese has some of the worst examples of child sexual abuse committed by priests. The numbers and the scope of the phenomenon is truly astounding.
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.
Gisburne House was in Watford @Observer_Owl used by Islington council to send children out of borough – several abusers amongst staff
Importantly @guyadams reported Gisburne House cater Michael Taylor revealed as PIE member in his 2000 trial & conviction
The Paedophile Information Exchange PIE was allegedly given £70,000 by the Home Office between 1977 and 1980 – the equivalent today of about £400,000.
A former Home Office worker revealed that Jim Callaghan’s Labour government and Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative administration, which took over in 1979, may have provided funding for PIE.
The whistleblower said senior civil servant Clifford Hindley, who was head of the Home Office’s voluntary services unit, signed off a three year grant for £35,000 in 1980.
So this is where it comes full circle back to Peter Righton – also an Anglican Franciscan for a while – & the @c_of_e monastic movement(s)
so favoured by Bishop Peter Ball he simply had to set up his own entire movement, just like Father Trevor Huddlestone’s alma mater the college & community of the Resurrection, Mirfield
Peter Righton’s time in retreat as an Anglican Franciscan is also central to the involvement of the Southbank Trio & Albany Trust
Alun:
Do you remember when May appointed the (Elizabeth Butler-Sloss) to chair IICSA? Well, she protected the Church just like Carey did. Kids didn’t count!
JJ Nortyperson@JJNortyperson
she’s still protecting the church, while I am waiting to die because @JustinWelby destroyed me as part of his fake safeguarding campaign
a vicar? “I think my ideal job would be working as
the director of a charity in London, specialising in
street and hostel work. It was the sort of thing I did before ordination.”
..Cadet… became a deacon in 1999, became a priest in 2007, Seahawk Culdros positition since 2012, before that he served with 30 Commando (IX) Royal Marines
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.
St Peter’s Choir, Streatham at Llandaff Cathedral in 1984
Stephen Lloyd front row left. John Brierley front row right.
Also in the picture, from left: Fred Vere, Simon Gay, David Trendell, Adam Smith, Christopher Daly, Andrew Smith, Michael Stoddart, Peter Edwards, Stephen Turner, Jonathan Edwards
A review by Dame Moira Gibb found he had failed to pass on information about abuse carried out by Bishop Peter Ball.
Ms Racine’s abuser, Michael Walsh, was convicted of five indecent assault charges and confessed to sexual relationships with a further eight children.
He was sent to prison in 1990.
He had been a teacher, a lay vicar at Chichester Cathedral and also ran a choir at a church in Chichester.
Child abuse ‘inevitable’
After his release in 1992, Walsh returned to the same church to be part of the choir.
Concerned for the safety of other girls, in July of that year Ms Racine wrote to the then Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, requesting his help.
Speaking after Lord Carey’s resignation, Ms Racine, 54, said: “I was very concerned that my abuser had just come out of prison and it appeared that he’d just gone straight back into the parish church where he’d originally worked, and was again in a position of authority in the choir there where young children – specifically girls – sang.
“I was really worried that these girls were at a huge risk. I felt it was inevitable that children would be abused.”
Three months after writing her letter she was told Lord Carey had been unable to consider her concerns because he was “committed to a series of visits overseas, together with his summer break”.
‘Duty of forgiveness’
She was informed one month later that the “Archbishop had been assured that there was no question of Michael Walsh being reinstated in the choir,” but nine months after raising her concerns she received a letter from the Archbishop’s chief of staff confirming her abuser was back in the choir.
Lambeth Palace wrote to Ms Racine saying the parish authorities had taken “great care” in coming to their decision to allow Walsh’s return to his position “weighing carefully the risk of re-offending against… the Christian duty of forgiveness”.
Michael Walsh, seen here in the 1990s, was allowed to return to the same church choir after his release from prison
The letters revealed Lord Carey regretted the decision which allowed Alesha’s abuser back into churches and offered her his sympathies.
Ms Racine said: “I thought his response was deeply hurtful, in that it had taken me a lot of courage to write to him at all.
“Most of what he said was in defence of the Church and the people in it, rather than try to reach out to me as a victim.
“I do feel it was a complete failure on his part.”
A spokesman for the former Archbishop of Canterbury said the correspondence with Ms Racine had been conducted on Lord Carey’s behalf by his chief of staff.
He said: “Lord Carey has absolutely no memory of this chain of correspondence or these events. He cannot therefore comment.”
Church of England colluded with bishop who abused boys, says Welby
Report about bishop Peter Ball, finding collusion over 20 years, is ‘harrowing reading’
Collusion: Secret or illegal cooperation or conspiracy
Senior figures in the Church of England colluded for a period of 20 years with a disgraced former bishop who sexually abused boys and men, a damning independent report has found.
The archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said the report on the church’s handling of former bishop Peter Ball made “harrowing reading”.
“The church colluded and concealed rather than seeking to help those who were brave enough to come forward. This is inexcusable and shocking behaviour,” he said.
“To the survivors who were brave enough to share their story and bring Peter Ball to justice, I once again offer an unreserved apology. There are no excuses whatsoever for what took place and the systemic abuse of trust perpetrated by Peter Ball over decades.”
Two former archbishops of Canterbury, George Carey and Rowan Williams, apologised to the victims of Peter Ball after being criticised for their failures in relation to him.
Ball, the former bishop of both Gloucester and Lewes, was jailed in October 2015 for the grooming, sexual exploitation and abuse of 18 vulnerable young men aged 17-25 who had sought spiritual guidance from him between 1977 and 1992. He was released from prison in February after serving 16 months.
His trial heard that after Ball was first accused in 1993, a string of senior establishment figures – including Carey, an unidentified member of the royal family, cabinet ministers and a high court judge – came forward in his support, writing letters to the police and Crown Prosecution Service.
Ball was cautioned by police. He resigned his post as bishop and retired to a rented cottage on the Prince of Wales’s Duchy of Cornwall estate butcontinued to officiate in 17 public schools until 2007. A fresh investigation was opened in 2012 which led to his conviction.
One of Ball’s victims, Neil Todd – the first to come forward with allegations of abuse – attempted suicide three times before killing himself in 2012.
Welby ordered an independent review of the church’s handling of the case, chaired by Dame Moira Gibb, former chief executive of Camden council.
The report said Ball’s case was dealt with at the highest levels within the church. He “was seen by the church as the man in trouble who the church needed to help”.
Ball was portrayed as a victim, and the review found “little evidence of compassion for Neil Todd even though from the outset it was clear that he was a vulnerable young man who had come to harm”.
It added: “The church appears to have been most interested in protecting itself.”
In the foreword to her report, An Abuse of Faith, published on Thursday, Gibb said the serious sexual wrongdoing of Ball “is shocking in itself but is compounded by the failure of the church to respond appropriately to his misconduct, again over a period of many years”.
“Ball’s priority was to protect and promote himself and he maligned the abused. The church colluded. The church colluded with that rather than seeking to help those he had harmed, or assuring itself of the safety of others.”
The report added, “progress has been slow and continuing, faster improvement is still required”.
Gibb made 11 recommendations in her report, including improving support to survivors of clerical abuse and taking steps to “demonstrate the individual and collective accountability of bishops”.
Peter Hancock, the C of E’s lead safeguarding bishop, who received the report on behalf of the church, said it had failed Ball’s survivors. “Having read the report I am appalled and disturbed by its contents … As a church we colluded, we failed to act and protect those who came forward for help. There are no excuses. We accept all the recommendations and are working to action them.”
Rowan Williams: ‘It is clear I did not give adequate priority to sorting out the concerns and allegations surrounding Peter Ball.’
He added: “For the survivors, it may feel this is all too late.”
According to the report, Ball intimated “on many occasions, to Lord Carey and others, that he enjoys the status of confidant of the Prince of Wales” and “sought to exploit his contact with members of the royal family in order to bolster his position”.
Bishop Ball with Prince Charles and Camilla. Ball gave the homily at the funeral of Camilla Parker Bowles’s father, Major Bruce Shand, in 2006
Moira Gibb is made a Dame CBE by the Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace back in 2012
However, Dame Moira Gibb’s report went on, it “found no evidence that the Prince of Wales or any other member of the royal family sought to intervene at any point in order to protect or promote Ball”.
Carey was criticised in the report, which said he “set the tone for the church’s response to Ball’s crimes and gave the steer which allowed Ball’s assertions that he was innocent to gain credence”.
In a statement responding to the report, Carey said it made “uncomfortable reading” and he accepted its criticisms of him. “I apologise to the victims of Peter Ball. I believed Peter Ball’s protestations and gave too little credence to the vulnerable young men and boys behind those allegations.”
Carey said he regretted not putting Ball’s name on the Lambeth List – names of people whose suitability for ministry is under question – after he was cautioned.
Under the leadership of Williams, the church began reviewing past cases, a move which ultimately led to the criminal case against Ball being reopened, the report said. However, he was criticised as being “lamentably slow” in making change.
In a statement, Williams said: “Having read the report and reflected on its details, it is clear I did not give adequate priority to sorting out the concerns and allegations surrounding Peter Ball at the earliest opportunity. I recognise such a delay is likely to have increased the pressure and distress experienced by the survivors of his abuse and I am sincerely sorry for this.”
In no way would I wish to influence the decision about Bishop Ball. No? But you did so pull the other one next time!
Tory MP Tim Rathbone
Alun:
Rathbone was not only David Cameron’s godfather; he was also a relative. David Cameron is related to Queenie. Is that the secret to the support to Ball?
Establishment figures who helped disgraced bishop avoid prosecution for sex abuse revealed
Lord Chief Justice Anthony Lloyd helped Bishop Ball with character ref
Alongside Bishop Ball, Harvey Proctor and Bea Carthew, Enoch Powell also corresponded with Nicholas Soames, Proctor’s most ardent defender.
Former Lord Justice Anthony Lloyd and David Cameron’s late godfather Tory MP Tim Rathbone among figures who wrote in support of former Bishop of Gloucester, Peter Ball, one said he was a “saint”
Dame Alun Roberts@ciabaudo
Northleach = Ball = Harding = Jennings (lifelong Ball friend) = Prince Charles Coincidence?
for Ball was an honorable man. They are all honourable men. Including yourself Mr Carey!
Bishop Ball was given special treatment because he was mates with Prince Charles!
Dame Alun Roberts@ciabaudo
With a little help from his friend: Ball promised to go abroad but went to stay on Charles’ estate.
Goddard inquiry: Outrage as bishop Peter Ball jailed for sex offences given public funding for legal team
30 July 2016
A lawyer close to the inquiry said: “I was really surprised Ball was given funding. The issue is about how he was allowed to get away with it by the Church not about his offending. He has already been investigated and pleaded guilty.”
Moira Gibb Report on the Church of England and convicted paedophile Bishop Ball:
Chris Stacey@chrisstacey1
He’s one of the gatekeepers I’ve seen campaigning in Lords to clear name of another Bishop Bell from 1950s. Children don’t feature at all
We cannot allow the Bishop Ball story to be put to bed! Ball’s links to paedophiles and royalty with links to paedos warrants scrutiny!
Not passing on information re. Bishop Ball was a criminal act on the part of ‘Lord’ Carey. What are the consequences?
How did ‘Lord’ Carey, a man who actively protected an evil paedophile bishop, make it to the top of CoE? Or have I answered my own question?
Bishop Peter Ball, convicted, to Enoch Powell, fascist and alleged satanist and child abuser:
Oh, just remind me again who were Enoch’s two aides and buddies! Ah, yes. Proctor and Denby!
Peter Ball sending the love of God to Enoch and Pam! What a mistake!
Further evidence of close relationship between godly convict Bishop Ball and ‘Rivers of Blood’ Enoch:
Interesting that Enoch Powell corresponded both with Ball and Montagu who were both let off the hook by Skelhorn.
Can you see what it is yet?
Rev Peter Ball was one of many to correspond with Enoch. Others included Atkinson friend Tonypandy, another alleged abuser.
In 1993 the CPS agreed to issue Ball with a caution, rather than prosecute, after the personal intervention of then-Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey.
MI5 knew of cover-up over Cyril Smith child abuse, inquiry hears
9 Oct 2017
MI5 knew the country’s chief prosecutor had covered up a sex abuse inquiry into Cyril Smith but did nothing because it was not its job to expose paedophiles, an inquiry has heard.
Files released by the intelligence agency show it was aware that the Director of Public prosecutions (DPP) had lied to a newspaper over its decision not to prosecute Smith. But it decided not to make the information public because its duty was to ‘defend the realm’ rather than to expose a prominent politicians accused of being a paedophile.
The disclosure came during the first day of hearings into how Smith, the former Liberal MP, was able to abuse boys at Cambridge House hostel and Knowl View residential school in Rochdale. Smith died in 2010, having never faced prosecution.
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) last night released an MI5 briefing note which showed how Sir Thomas Hetherington, the then DPP, had lied to a local newspaper about the existence of a 1970 police inquiry into allegations of gross indecency made against Smith.
Had the DPP admitted Smith had been under investigation, it would have led to a new inquiry and Smith being put on trial in his lifetime.
Hetherington had called a legal adviser in the intelligence agency to inform him of the press interest from David Bartlett, a journalist with the Rochdale Alternative Press. The briefing note states: “After consultations, the DPP’s press representative had untruthfully told Bartlett that they had no record of this case. In fact their file closely accorded with the details given by Bartlett.”
The MI5 file from 1979
The memo, from the MI5 legal adviser and written in April 1979, goes on to suggest that the South African intelligence agency had been “trying to obtain compromising information about political figures” and that Smith was one of them.
The police investigation into Smith had been closed nine years earlier in 1970 by Hetherington’s predecessor Sir Norman Skelhorn who decided it was unlikely to lead to a prosecution.
Skelhorn’s decision was made despite a senior detective warning that the “sordid” accusations against Smith “stood up”.
Brian Altman QC, IICSA’s lead counsel, told the inquiry: “The documents show that the Security Service’s legal adviser was informed of the false representations to the press from the DPP’s office.
“Based upon their review of the information they hold, the Security Service considers they took active steps to ensure that those involved in investigating allegations of child sexual abuse against Smith were made aware of all information of relevance to their inquiries.
Elders of Cape Town church expel alleged abuser John Smyth
09 June 2017
JOHN SMYTH, the Evangelical Christian camp leader accused of savagely beating young men during the 1970s and ’80s in his garden shed (News, 13 April), has been formally expelled from his church in South Africa, where he now lives.
In a lengthy statement, the elders of Church-on-Main, Cape Town, where Mr Smyth and his wife, Anne, have worshipped since 2013, announced that the Smyths would be “excommunicated, with all its scriptural implications”, because of Mr Smyth’s refusal to engage with the church leadership about the allegations.
The statement explains that the church was aware that some had criticised Mr Smyth’s holiday-camp ministry in Zimbabwe when he first joined Church-on-Main, four years ago, but had been assured that this was nothing more than jealousy at the ministry’s success.
Last September, however, the church elders found out that Mr Smyth was regularly meeting young men from Church-on-Main at a sports club, playing squash before showering together and then questioning them about “pornography, masturbation, and other sexual matters”.
They then discovered that Mr Smyth’s Zimbabwe camps had been involved in a court case. The elders’ statement said, however, that whenever they attempted to discuss the matter with Mr Smyth, he became defensive, and attacked the elders’ leadership of the church.
After the allegations first surfaced in the UK in February (News, 10 February), the elders said that they had urged Mr Smyth to return to the UK to work with the police, and told him not to attend Church-on-Main meetings or contact any other church members.
Because he has refused to engage with the leaders, or follow their advice, he has now been excommunicated from the church, the statement says.”
Our counsel has always been for John to present himself to the UK authorities for whatever consequences he could face, admitting, if necessary, to any accusation that holds substance, and to apologise, asking for forgiveness and mercy,” it says.”
If our having had John as a leader of a discipleship group, or his role in any form of ministry has led to hurt or risk to anyone, or to bringing the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ into disrepute in any way; for this we apologise.”
Channel 4 News, which first broke the story in February, has broadcast new details that appear to suggest that the Archbishop of Canterbury continued to be involved with Iwerne Trust camps at the same time as Mr Smyth.
Archbishop Welby was a dormitory officer at the holiday camps in the late 1970s, when Mr Smyth was one of the leaders. A statement from Lambeth Palace, issued after the Channel 4 programme, said that the Archbishop had worked with Mr Smyth, but that no one had discussed the allegations with him.”
I was completely unaware of any abuse,” the Archbishop told LBC radio in February. “I never heard anything at all, at any point. I never had the slightest suspicion that there was anything going on.”
Last week, Channel 4 News reported that the Archbishop’s name appeared on a speaker roster for an Iwerne Trust camp in 1979, as did Mr Smyth’s, and he remained on the camps’ mailing list, despite then living in France.
Archbishop Welby denied that these documents implied that he was connected to Mr Smyth. “I left to work and live in Paris in 1978 — as I understand it, a year before the abuse was to begin — and did not return to work in the UK until 1983,” he said in a statement this week.”
As I have previously stated, I was not one of the inner circle of people surrounding John Smyth, or in the leadership of the camps. A talk on reading the Bible, which I did as a one-off in 1979, does not make anyone a member of an ‘inner circle’.”
A spokeswoman for the Archbishop declined to comment on Mr Smyth’s expulsion from Church-on-Main.
IICSA today – Bishop John Hinds of Chichester admits how shocked he was when Bishop Wallace Benn asked for the blemished criminal record check of Revd Rideout to be overlooked, that many mistakes were made, and that the church should not be left to police itself.
Shocking things emerging from IICSA today – Meekings (social worker appointed By Chichester diocese to do a past cases review) says available info on the CRBs etc of clergy later convicted of abuse like Rideout and Peter Ball was missing from the files he was shown.
Richard Scorer@Richard_Scorer
Extraordinary evidence at @InquiryCSA this morning – Roger Meekings who did the Chichester diocese pasr cases review says the files on Peter Ball, Gordon Rideout (& others) were filleted so he didn’t see evidence about their abuse. Question now is who filleted them?
InquiryCSA (IICSA)
Meekings was a Professional Supervisor to Shirley Hosgood, former Child Protection Officer, Chichester Diocese.
Linda Woodhead@LindaWoodhead
Didn’t Shirley Hosgood and Bishop Hind say to the inquiry that only the bishop (or bishops) could access the blue files?
InquiryCSA (IICSA)
*Schedule amendment* Angela Sibson to give evidence tomorrow with read evidence from Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss and Kate Wood to follow from Canon Ian Gibson.
Cassandra Cogno@CassandraCogno
Is Dame “we don’t want to give the press a bishop” Butler-Sloss not giving evidence in person?Not so long ago she was going to run this show
InquiryCSA (IICSA)
Nikita McNeill changes the line of questioning to the Past Cases Review
Counsel to the Inquiry Nikita McNeill ask Canon Ian Gibson about the blue files and the status of the files when Canon Ian Gibson took over the job and responsibility of them
Roger Meekings tell the Inquiry that in 2009-2011 the Diocese of Chichester was a very male orientated environment and a female safeguarding officer provided a challenge to male authority
Canon Ian Gibson: “There wasn’t a blue file for Peter Ball”
Nikita McNeill asks Canon Ian Gibson about the allegations against Canon Gordon Rideout and his blemished disclosure
Canon Gordon Rideout’s blemished CRB was a safeguarding issue and was raised at a senior staff meeting – Canon Ian Gibson tells InquiryCSA
Bishop Wallace asked Bishop John not to disclose blemished CRB information on Canon Gordon Rideout to the safeguarding advisor of the diocese as he is a friend and much respected person
Nikita McNeill asks Canon Ian Gibson about why he believes management experience is important for bishop
Counsel to the Inquiry Nikita McNeill hands over questioning of Canon Ian Gibson to the Chair and Panel.
methinks Welby doth ‘protest too much’
Canon Gordon Rideout who was the Vicar of All Saints in Eastbourne was jailed for ten years for 36 separate offences on 16 children between 1962 and 1973. Peter Ball, former Bishop of Lewes was convicted of abuse in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Former priest Keith Wilke Denford of Burgess Hill and organist Michael Mytton were convicted of historic sexual abuse. Vickery House, a former Brighton priest was also convicted along with the former Vicar of Brede, Roy Cotton. Former Vicar of St Barnabas in Bexhill was charged and convicted of historic allegations amongst many others. But Father Hubert Brasier was about to be offered a fantastic opportunity that would take him from the Chichester Diocese.
In 1959, Theresa May’s father, Hubert Brasier was installed as the 1st Vicar of Enstone with Heythrop, deep in the Diocese of Oxford. This cannot be understated, it was quite an achievement.Only 4 miles from Chipping Norton this was a sought after location and Hubert would have been the envy of many men of the Anglican-Catholic cloth. Hubert is approaching his mid forties and it may be time to permanently settle for the sake, and sanity of his family. He lives the quiet life in Enstone for 11 years with only records of baptisms, funerals, and weddings to note his existence. In 1970 Hubert is moved to be Vicar of Wheatley in Oxfordshire as Zaidee’s condition was worsening and he was no spring chicken anymore.
On October 12, 1981, Hubert was killed in a car accident on his way to a service at a local church in nearby Forest Hill. His Morris Marina edged out of a central reservation and in front of an oncoming Range Rover driven by a chartered surveyor named Desmond Hampton. Hubert Brasier died of head and spinal injuries sustained in the crash soon after, Zaidee would pass away months later. The Oxfordshire Coroner Nicholas Gardiner recorded a verdict of accidental death.
The Cover Ups
So there is the life of Hubert Brasier, it doesn’t seem like there’s is much to see. Yet just after Theresa May took over at No.10 her campaign team started to request the deletion of web addresses linked to Hubert Brasier. If you were to go to Wikipedia and type in Hubert Brasier there will be no results. I first realised that he had once had a Wiki entry when I found a version of it in French, and then one in Spanish. Any researcher has the wonderfully named ‘Wayback Machine’ to help them nowadays. You can go to the archive and find pages that have been deleted, only if you can work out the original web address. In this case you can copy and paste the Wikipedia page address and add Hubert_Brasier to the end. You will see Hubert’s Wiki page in all its former glory from a snapshot archived on 17th July 2016. For some reason the people around May, or May herself, do not want you looking into the history of Hubert Brasier. After researching Hubert’s life I came across many pages that had been removed, links to nowhere, and a few conspiracy theories too. On investigation of Hubert’s Wiki entry there is nothing damning present. It’s not a large entry, it covers only the basics, so why would you want it removed? The only important information it seems to contain is Hubert’s placements within the Church of England, and that he’s Theresa May’s father.
On 8th July 2014, Theresa May as Home Secretary, oversaw the appointment of Baroness Butler-Sloss to the inquiry set up to investigate child sexual abuse by prominent politicians and clergy in the previous decades. Within 6 days of the announcement of Baroness Butler-Sloss as chair, she was forced to stand down for obvious conflicts of interest. Theresa May had selected somebody whose brother was Attorney General during some of the periods being investigated. Later the same year May chose the then Lord Mayor of London, Fiona Woolf, to chair the inquiry. Fiona Woolf had to stand down when it became apparent that she had lived near Leon Brittan, who had also been accused of alleged sexual abuse. She recalled sending him and his wife a dinner invite at around the time of the accusations. It was almost as if Theresa May was sabotaging the inquiry with no regard for the victims who still required answers.
On 4th February 2015, May announced that Dame Lowell Goddard, a New Zealand High Court judge, would be taking over as chair. But a month after Theresa May became Prime Minister, in August 2016, the new Home Secretary Amber Rudd announced the resignation of Dame Lowell Goddard. Soon after her resignation it was announced that one of the existing panel members, Professor Alexis Jay, became the chair. But now the inquiry has faced serious and obvious questions about its credibility.
To get things so badly wrong must be almost impossible. Theresa May never seemed to meet any of her immigration targets as Home Secretary, and it is truly hard to name her recorded achievements whilst she has been in office. But the inquiry into child sexual abuse seems to be something Theresa May does not want to face. My thoughts are that the investigation will focus on Tory MP’s who frequented the infamous Elm Guest House, but also the Diocese of Chichester, once the ecumenical home of her Father Hubert Brasier. So what is it that you fear Mrs May? The truth about your colleagues, or is it something much closer to home? Maybe May is terrified of people connecting her with the name Brasier?
I have done my best to build an accurate jigsaw from all the pieces I could locate, but it may need a different set of eyes to see the real picture.
What a coincidence this chap (Desmond Hampton) should have been driving the car that killed Hubert Brasier, May’s father!
Desmond was highly respected for his advisory work with many of the old institutional and charity landowners including the Church Commissioners for England, the Crown Estate Commissioners, many educational and medical charities most notably the Kings Fund and Guys and St Thomas’s Hospital and also the Duchies of Cornwall and Lancaster where he provided the independent valuations of their estates for many years.
John Bodkin Adams was a British general practitioner, convicted fraudster and suspected serial killer. Between 1946 and 1956, more than 160 of his patients died in suspicious circumstances. Of these, 132 left him money or items in their wills.
Dr John Bodkin Adams the smooth-talking widow-friendly suspected serial killer linked to 163 deaths
HE was the attentive doctor who relied on grateful late patients to bequeath cash and even a Rolls, but when yet another wealthy widow died suddenly, the detectives came knocking.
The strange case of Dr John Bodkin Adams
He is known as the serial killer who got away with it.
The case of Dr John Bodkin Adams was a worldwide sensation in 1950s. The portly general practitioner lived and worked in the south coast English seaside town Eastbourne and he had a reputation for being a particularly attentive doctor, especially to elderly wealthy widows.
As a young man from Ulster, Ireland, Adams answered an ad to join a firm of Christian GPs in Eastbourne, England, in 1922. He did not come with the best of skills having just scraped through his medical degree. But Adams was a deeply religious man and many believe it was this façade of respectability and devoutness that allowed him to go unchecked for almost 30 years, ‘relieving’ wealthy widows of their pain and their money.
He had also graduated from riding a scooter around town to a chauffeured limousine. In fact, Adams had a practice of referring his wealthy widow clients to London consultants, even accompanying them to the city in his Rolls Royce.
Adams received money from over 300 wills and was left property, jewels, silverware and the luxury cars he so loved. The sums were significant for the time. In 1936 he was left £7000 by one Eastbourne widow. The relatives contested the will but Adams won in court and pocketed the money, which would be equivalent to more that $250,000 today.
Dr Bodkin Adams, a 57-year-old Ulster-born bachelor, was president of the Eastbourne Y.M.C.A. He taught Sunday school.
And he was the Chief Constable’s personal physician …
Detective Bert Hannam …solved the murder of two teenage girls in Richmond in 1953. On 31 May, Barbara Songhurst, 16 and Christine Reed, 18 who had been raped and stabbed.
Victims of paedophile priests at Catholic seminary in Yorkshire speak of horrendous 1960s abuse as British police plead with Italian forces to extradite the last living cleric for questioning
Men at Mirfield Junior Infirmary were sexually abused in the 1960s
Two paedophile priests fled the country and died before facing police
One alleged abuser remains in Italy but is ‘too ill to travel’ to the UK
Here their victims recount the horrendous abuse 40 years later
7 February 2015
Gerry McLaughlin (pictured front centre, with his arms folded) was just 11 when he went to Mirfrield Junior Seminary where he was abused by Fr John Pinkman (right)
Yes to all this being interesting. I have the reference from Crockford, I believe, &a the removed wiki page confirms his placement.
Canon Gordon Rideout was the vicar of All Saints Church in Eastbourne for 25 years.
Clergyman Canon Gordon Rideout was chaplain at Moira House School, Eastbourne, until 2003, and chairman of governors at Bishop Bell C of E School in Eastbourne until November 2011.
Clergyman Canon Gordon Rideout was a serial sex offender who preyed on young children across the south of England.
In 2013, Rideout, 74, was jailed for 10 years at Lewes Crown Court after being convicted of two attempted rapes and 34 indecent assaults on 16 boys and girls
In the 1970s Canon Gordon Rideout was taken to a military court on child sex-abuse charges.
At that time Rideout was chaplain on a military base.
In the spring of 1956, Lady Dorothy Macmillan’s brother, the Duke of Devonshire ‘dropped dead’ in front of his doctor, Dr. John Bodkin Adams .
Dr Adams was arrested in connection with the deaths of a number of his patients.
Former Attorney General Hartley Shawcross. His first wife, Alberta Shyvers, took her own life in 1943. sussexexpress.
During the Adams committal hearing in January 1957, Hartley Shawcross was seen dining with Adams’s suspected lover, Sir Roland Gwynne (Mayor of Eastbourne from 1929 to 1931), and the Lord Chief Justice, Rayner Goddard, at a hotel in Lewes, near Eastbourne.
There is suspicion of a cover-up.
Dr Adams was acquitted.
Lady Dorothy Macmillan, wife of former UK prime minister Harold Macmillan. Lady Dorothy was the daughter of the 9th Duke of Devonshire
Reportedly, Harold Macmillan, the UK’s Conservative Party Prime Minister from 1957-1963, was expelled from the top private school called Eton for ‘homosexual perversion’.
Dorothy had many affairs, including one with the bisexual Lord Boothby.
UK Government asset Lord Goodman , a powerful British Jew, protected people like Tom Driberg MP, Sir Anthony Blunt and Lord Boothby “who were regularly seen at parties with rent boys and arrested at public toilets.”
The police acquired a memorandum belonging to a Daily Mail journalist, concerning stories of homosexuality between “a police officer, a magistrate, and a doctor”.
The doctor was said to be Adams.
The ‘magistrate’ was Sir Roland Gwynne, Mayor of Eastbourne from 1929 to 1931 and brother of Rupert Gwynne, MP for Eastbourne from 1910 to 1924. The ‘police officer’ was the Deputy Chief Constable of Eastbourne, Alexander Seekings.
160 of Bodkin Adams’s patients had died mysteriously, 132 of them writing the doctor into their wills.
Harold Macmillan
“Harold Macmillan, and the then Attorney General, Reginald Manningham-Buller, were both related to one of Dr Adams’ likely victims….
“A homosexual relationship existed between Adams and a powerful local politician, who had protected him for over thirty years.”
Wheatley villagers remember Mrs May teaching Sunday school classes and regularly attending religious services in her father’s church. While a student at Oxford university, she even found time to attend the annual meeting of the parochial church council chaired by her father.
Theresa May was a good speaker at the Union and an active member of another student debating group, the Edmund Burke Society, which in her last year she chaired, presiding over proceedings
…her boyfriend and future husband — two years her junior — who attracted attention as a potential rising political star. Philip May was the toast of the debating chamber, a friend of Benazir Bhutto, the future Prime Minister of Pakistan who was to be assassinated in 2007.
It was Benazir who introduced Philip to Theresa at a Conservative association disco — he the centre of much attention, she the barely-noticed ex-grammar schoolgirl and vicar’s daughter.
Over the past week, Theresa May’s tenure and competence as Home Secretary has come under increased scrutiny, particularly in regards to the issue of police cuts and national security.
However, in the week that Britons go to the polls, we consider another aspect of her past record which calls into question her competency, or perhaps lack of.
Investigation into historic child abuse claims In February 2013, then Home Office permanent secretary, Mark Sedwill, commissioned an investigation into a collection of documents relating to historic child abuse cases dating from 1979–1999.
Sedwill quickly discovered that 114 potentially relevant files were missing, presumed lost or destroyed.
Among these documents there is believed to have been a dossier which was passed to Lord Brittan by the late Conservative MP Geoffrey Dickens.
Whilst Home Secretary, Theresa May tasked NSPCC head, Peter Wanless, to review the Sedwill investigation, and look into the Home Office failings.
Theresa May has since admitted that there “might have been” a cover-up at the Home Office in the 1980s concerning allegations that politicians were involved in child sex abuse. However, she stated that an official review found that the claim was “not proven”.
Nevertheless, The Wanless report concluded that “shambolic” record keeping at the Home Office meant a definite answer could not be given either way. Though the files remained missing, it claimed that no one person could be directly connected to the allegations.
Former child protection manager Peter McKelvie claimed that at least 20 prominent people in Westminster had abused children. There was the suggestion that they used children’s homes as a “supply line” but this is yet to be substantiated.
Ex-child protection officer Peter McKelvie who resigned as an adviser to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA).
Mr McKelvie discovered potential links between paedophiles and the government when he was assisting police in investigating convicted paedophile and founding member of twisted organisation PIE (Paedophile Information Exchange), Peter Righton.
According to McKelvie, amongst evidence seized from Righton’s home in 1992 there was a haul of documents pointing to a “very well organised paedophile network”, dating as far back as the 1950s and 1960s.
Several police operations into child sex abuse are still ongoing, including Operation Fairbank and Operation Fernbridge—a probe into up to 40 MPs involved or complicit in child abuse—and others investigating particular children’s homes and authorities.
Allegations of child murders and sinister orgies in the Dolphin Square flats complex in Westminster have also surfaced during the course of these investigations.
A paedophile ring is said to have been run by a “powerful elite” including not only MPs, but also ministers and an even larger number of people aware of its existence; people that could have stopped it, yet did nothing.
Jackie Malton, the former detective chief inspector with the Metropolitan Police, said: “There is clear evidence that something was happening […] Either the police disbelieved it, or they covered it up one way or another.”
Vishambar Mehrotra, a retired magistrate, believes his son was murdered 33 years ago and fell prey to one of these rings. The skull and several rib bones of Vishal, 8, were discovered in 1982 by pigeon shooters in remote marshland at Durford Abbey Farm, at Rogate, close to the Hampshire-West Sussex border.
Just why police and prosecutors failed to tackle these claims, many of which emerged years ago, remains an enduring question.
In July 2014, Clive Driscoll, a former senior Metropolitan police officer, claimed he was moved from his post after revealing plans to investigate politicians over claims of child abuse alleged to have taken place in children’s homes in the ’80s.
In an internal meeting in 1998, he revealed the names of suspects he intended to investigate. Soon after, he was taken off the case. He told the BBC his inquiry was “all too uncomfortable to a lot of people”.
Investigative journalist Don Hale also referenced an incident in which former Employment Secretary Barbara Castle handed him a dossier containing sexual abuse allegations in the 1980s. He claimed that his home was later raided by Special Branch, the file confiscated, and threats of imprisonment followed.
At this stage, it may be worth bearing in mind the words of Conservative Whip, Tim Fortescue, when discussing ‘Dirt books’ in 1995: “It might be a scandal involving small boys… they’d come and ask if we could help”.
The current whereabouts of the dossier remains unknown. The Independent Police Complaints Commission have since launched an inquiry into 14 different claims of police and establishment cover-ups. One deals with dropped criminal allegations against a politician during a child abuse investigation in south London, another into the suspected Dolphin Square ring and the dissolution of the case due to officers being “too near prominent people”.
For two Home Secretaries to have ‘lost’ material of such a serious and consequential nature is, of course, alarming. However, when one of those Home Secretaries goes on to become our Prime Minister, any chance of ever winning justice for children, like 8 year-old Vishal Mehrotra, tragically appears more distant than ever.
Dr John B Harman’s sister married to Lord Longford – friend of paedophile Jimmy Savile and child murderer Myra Hindley
Lord Frank Longford (who sent flowers when Beck died and befriended child killer Myra Hindley) is uncle by marriage to Harriet Harman
Sir Simon Hornby, (older brother of paedophile Charles Hornby) had seven years previously married the Queen Mother’s racehorse trainer’s daughter, Sharon Cazalet, in a star studded wedding. The Queen Mother, Princess Margaret, Noel Coward, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton are all on film walking into a tiny village church in Shipbourne in Kent for the occasion.[ii] At the Cazalet family home Fairlawnes in Kent, the Queen Mother had often been a guest, as well as the historian Elizabeth Longford (nee Harman) and her husband, Labour Peer, Lord Frank Longford
2001 Obituary of Rosamund Hornby Holland-Martin by Countess Mountbatten of Burma:
She was hugely active in the NSPCC’s centenary appeal in 1984, especially when, along with Princess Margaret, the society’s president
She was born Rosamund Hornby into a family with a strong history in the NSPCC. Her father, Charles Harry St John Hornby, was a member of the central executive committee (now the board of trustees)
In 1951, she married Deric Holland-Martin – he later became Admiral Sir Deric and she Lady Holland-Martin
Sir Deric was the fourth son of Robert Martin Holland-Martin.
Robin Holland-Martin is the grandson of Robert Martin Holland-Martin.
Harriet Harman (PIE-Linked) of NCCL – her father Dr John Harman
was adamant (Bodkin) Adams’ treatment, though unusual, was not reckless.)
Martin Walkerdine@mwalkerdine
DPP get report on Paedophile Information Exchange says Scotland Yard on 24 August 1983
PIE – Harman
In August 1983, a Scottish headmaster, Charles Oxley, handed over a dossier about PIE to Scotland Yard after infiltrating the group, the Glasgow Herald wrote. He said the group had about 1,000 members.
But the NCCL continued to defend having PIE as a member.
As late as September 1983, an NCCL officer was quoted in the Daily Mail saying the group was campaigning to lower the age of consent to 14. “An offiliate [sic] group like the Paedophile Information Exchange would agree with our policy. That does not mean it’s a mutual thing and we have to agree with theirs.”
How much did Harman and her husband the MP Jack Dromey knew about the group during their time working at the National Council for Civil Liberties, now Liberty, in the late 1970s. PIE was affiliated to the NCCL from the late 1970s to early 1980s.
NCCL officer Nettie Pollard, who worked in the organisation until the late Nineties, ‘wrote a letter inviting the Paedophile Information Exchange to affiliate in 1975’.
NCCL Harriet Harman and Peter Tatchell
NCCL officer Nettie Pollard, who worked in the organisation until the late Nineties, ‘wrote a letter inviting the Paedophile Information Exchange to affiliate in 1975’.
Theresa May’s father and Harriet Harman’s father were both orbiting Dr Bodkin Adams before & during his trial!
Theresa May’s dad worked as chaplain at Dr Bodkin Adams hospital? and Harriet Harman’s dad was defence witness for Dr Adams!?
Harriet Harman’s father was Dr John Bishop Harmon
Dame Alun Roberts@ciabaudo
I think the two Gwynne brothers are the key to Bodkin Adams
Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Roland Vaughan Gwynne, DSO, DL, JPwas Mayor of Eastbourne, Sussex, from 1928 to 1931. He was also a patient, close friend, and probable lover of the suspected serial killer Dr John Bodkin Adams.
In Eastbourne it is healthy
And the residents are wealthy
It’s a miracle that anybody dies;
Yet this pearl of English lidos
Is a slaughter house of widows –
If their bank rolls are above the normal size.
If they’re lucky in addition
In their choice of a physician
And remember him when making out their wills
And bequeath their Rolls Royces
Then they soon hear angel voices
And are quickly freed from all their earthly ills.
If they’re nervous or afraid of
What a heroine is made of
Their mentality will soon be reconditioned
So they needn’t feel neglected
They will shortly be infected
With the heroin in which they are deficient.
As we witnessed the deceased borne
From the stately homes of Eastbourne
We are calm, for it may safely be assumed
That each lady that we bury
In the local cemetery
Will re-surface – when the body is exhumed.
It’s the mortuary chapel
If they touch an Adam’s apple
After parting with a Bentley as a fee
So to liquidate your odd kin
By the needle of the bodkin
Send them down to sunny Eastbourne by the sea.
Lord Justice Fulford was revealed to have been a founder of a ‘defence committee’ for the Paedophile Information Exchange while it was openly calling for the age of consent to be cut to just four.
He discussed holding courtroom protests at meetings with PIE chairman Tom O’Carroll – who was jailed for two years in 1981 for conspiracy to corrupt public morals – and wrote articles claiming O’Carroll’s trial was an ‘act of oppression’ because the child sex campaigners only wanted to ‘make friends’.
The Prime Minister has approved the appointment of Lord Justice Fulford as the first Investigatory Powers Commissioner.
The Prime Minister has approved the appointment of Lord Justice Fulford as the first Investigatory Powers Commissioner for a 3-year term. Lord Justice Fulford will take up appointment with immediate effect.
Prime Minister Theresa May said:
I’m pleased to announce the appointment of Lord Justice Fulford as the first Investigatory Powers Commissioner. He brings a wealth of experience in the judiciary and expertise in matters of law which will be crucial to his vital role scrutinising the use of investigatory powers, as part of a world-leading oversight regime.
Biographical notes
The Rt Hon Sir Adrian Fulford qualified as a barrister in 1978 and took Silk in 1994. He was appointed a Recorder of the Crown Court in 1995. He was appointed a High Court Judge of the Queen’s Bench Division on 21 November 2002. He was elected to serve as 1 of the 18 judges of the International Criminal Court in 2003 for a term of 9 years, and was assigned to the Trial Division. He was sworn into office on 11 March 2003. He was appointed as a Lord Justice of Appeal on 10 May 2013.
With effect from 1 January 2015, Sir Adrian was the Deputy Senior Presiding Judge for England and Wales. From 1 January 2016 he became the Senior Presiding Judge. He is currently the Judge in Charge of IT and leads for the judiciary on HM Courts & Tribunals Service reform.
Whilst holding the appointment as the Investigatory Powers Commissioner, Sir Adrian will remain a Judge of the Court of Appeal.
Background
Section 227 of the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 provides for the Prime Minister to appoint the Investigatory Powers Commissioner (IPC). The role of the IPC is to authorise and oversee the use of Investigatory Powers by public authorities.
Sir Adrian will now begin work on establishing his office, and will take on the statutory functions of the IPC in due course.
Judge Fulford presided over Roger Laing 2015 Oct 2 Court of Appeal [7] No aspersions are being made about whether the right decision was made in this particular case of child abuse.
However the appeal brought to mind that Judge Fulford was accused in 2014 by the Mail of backing the Paedophile Information Exchange PIE and being in groups that supported it. High Court judge and the child sex ring: Adviser to Queen was founder of paedophile support group to keep offenders out of jail[8]
He has apologised for some of his links but says he has no memories of others, states the Guardian, Judge apologises for involvement with NCCL group linked to PIE [9]
The Mail on Sunday states “But he said he had “no memory” of being a founder member of the Conspiracy Against Public Morals, which the Mail continues was set up to defend PIE leaders facing criminal charges.”
An official investigation by the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office took place by Lord Kerr of Tonaghmore. It concluded on 18 June 2014, that the allegations against Fulford were “without substance” and he “was not and had never been a supporter of PIE or its aims”. Following his exoneration, Fulford resumed sitting as a judge on the full range of appeals [10]
Unfortunately the Ministry of Justice and the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office have not been transparent about the investigation.
They issued a dismissive press statement [11a] and below, stating that Fulford was exonerated after after two “lengthy” interviews with “searching questions” put to him by fellow Justice, Justice Lord Kerr, a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom to which Adrian Fulford reponded!
How much easier if their names were given as well..
Just for information the Lord Chief Justice was Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, who is John Thomas, Baron Thomas of Cwmgiedd [18] and without the titles just plain John Thomas. The Lord Chancellor was just plain Chris Grayling [19]. Lord Kerr of Tonaghmore turns out to be Brian Kerr, Baron Kerr of Tonaghmore or just plain Brian Kerr [20]
The Ministry of Justice has refused to publish a copy of the report on grounds of confidentiality and personal information [11b]. They even took the statement down from their website after a year as revealed by this FOI request[11]
Whilst the Mail group is often gossip from the gutter, the MOJ statement, undated and unsigned is breathtaking in its arrogance. It does not even address the issue of group that Adrian Fulford is supposed to have founded – “Conspiracy against Public Morals” which supported PIE.
It is not denied that Fulford (Adrian) was there at the third meeting on 11 Sept 1979 nor even that he founded the group. In October 1979 the Mail says Fulford wrote a full-page article in gay rights magazine Broadsheet, in which he was described as ‘the founder’ of the PIE support group.
Among those also attending the 11 Sept meeting were Sandy Marks and Tim Brown.
Sandy Marks and Tim Brown were both members of the radical Fallen Angels collective who according to Charlotte Russell, the pre-eminent researcher in this field, “the Fallen Angels took it upon themselves to call the Gay Movement to account, their final three sentences underlined concluding their case” [16]
“The question is whether gay complicity in the oppression of children and pedophiles is to persist”
“The ILGA must acknowledge adult-child relations as crucial to the development of a coherent sexual politics.”
“We demand the right to form alternative relations with kids – on their terms, and to affirm the erotic in those relations.”
Tim Brown wrote “Show me an adult who is not a paedophile…Sex with children is wonderful… Children are wonderful they should not be subjected to any kind of guilt trip or legal shit about their bodies and their sexuality. It is theirs and nobody else’s.” Tim Brown, London N19 [16]
Sandy Marks chaired the Islington social services committee during the children’s homes scandal of the 1990s, attended a conference with a radical pro-paedophile activist group called Fallen Angels in 1980.
Her other paedophilic links are explored in this article Islington kids’ homes scandal: Shame of ex-mayor Sandy Marks’ pro-paedophile past [17]
These articles by Ms Russell confirm the agenda of the Fallen Angels and much else
CONSPIRACY AGAINST PUBLIC MORALS: PAEDOPHILIA & PUBLIC MORALS (OCTOBER 1980) [13]
IGA Conference April 1980: The Fallen Angels take PIE’s fight to Barcelona[14]
Little Angels? A letter to Socialist Challenge from Fallen Angel Tim Brown (October 1979) [15]
Fallen Angels: Paedophilia – Summary Submission to the ILGA Conference, Barcelona 1980 [16]
Islington kids’ homes scandal: Shame of ex-mayor Sandy Marks’ pro-paedophile past [17]
“.. Islington had become a focal point for the politicisation of paedophilia,” said Ms Russell.
Although Adrian Fulford is reported as saying that Tom O’Carrolls presence ‘left me feeling extremely uncomfortable’, he does not mention that the Fallen Angels made him feel at all queasy.
Sandy Marks has said various things about the time, one of which is she cannot remember events of this time due to illness. Islington Council have said they are shocked and that there will be an investigation by a “top lawyer”. It is not clear who the “top” lawyer is, or how “top” they will be, whether the investigation has begun or when the Report will be published.
It is essential that Adrian Fulford must give evidence to this inquiry. He clearly would have first hand evidence, from the inside, of what happened at the time. Perhaps he could be “top witness”.
Clearly if someone of his position does not give evidence, then the Islington investigation cannot be remotely to be said to be a thorough investigation. It would be negligent not to.
It would also be very interesting as to what Sandy Marks might have to say about Adrian Fulford..
As long as the MOJ is secretive and dismissive, and justice is not seen to be done then there naturally will be suspicions. The public obviously do not know the detail of what was considered, but would be right to demand further information. Is it right that Judges investigate themselves and then publish the report? These Judges could even be friends.
Ministry of Justice and Child Protection Policy
Also worrying is that the Ministry of Justice does not have any child protection policy [11c]
Can you email me the Child Protection Policy of the Ministry of Justice?”
The MoJ adheres to the requirements of the Children’s Acts 1989 and 2004. To establish whether the information was held I conducted a thorough search, and made enquires within Judicial Office as well as Civil and Family Justice Policy areas. It may help if I clarify that the information being requested is not held by MoJ because there is no legal or business requirement for MoJ to do so. There is no MoJ wide Child Protection Policy each business area would consider the need for a specific policy given the context of the work which that area carries out. The work of the MoJ is vast and diverse and as such one policy would not necessarily encompass the entirety of its business sufficiently and different areas of the MoJ have policies designed to address their unique needs.
Judges and Blackmail
If a Judge was a paedophile supporter it would be quite within the bounds of possibility, in fact the very MO of the “security” services that the judge was blackmailed by the deep state, the secret services. He could be put into positions of power to do the bidding of those very services. Indeed the secret services are often accused of running the child abuse networks for this very purpose.
Lord Justice Fulford, is now a Lord Justice of Appeal and as of 1 January 2016, is the Senior Presiding Judge for England and Wales. He was also appointed as the Investigatory Powers Commissioner for a 3-year term on 3 March 2017[10]
Fulford’s job is to “authorise and oversee the use of snooping powers by public authorities” [12].
Some people may still be worried that he is “authorising and overseeing” authorities who could have control over him by blackmail.
Some may be worried that as Senior Presiding Judge for England and Wales, Sir Adrian Fulford has not been publicly exonerated of being free of any sinister influence over him in the public positions he holds.
Is it right that a Judicial Report about the links to paedophile and child abusing groups, of a man who is Investigatory Powers Commissioner and the Senior Presiding Judge for England and Wales, is kept secret?
Shame on the murky Judicial Conduct Investigations Office and MOJ.
The Judicial Conduct Investigations Office – a body that is supposed to investigate complaints into the judiciary.
Is that not extra reason for justice to be seen to be done?
Is that not extra reason to be transparent?
Is it the same old story that power breeds arrogance?
Is it the illusion of justice that is being propagandised to the people?
Are the judiciary being blackmailed by the deep state?
How do we know that the following is not the true scenario?
Brian had a couple of chats with his friend Adrian, perhaps at the urinals down at the club. Adrian replied. Brian told John and Chris who were in the bar, that there was nothing to it. Squeaky clean old boy, squeaky clean. It was all dressed up as legit, titles added, committee names, hyperbole, as per, so on and so forth. Jobs a good un.
John, Chris, Brian and Adrian all know Andy. Its in the interest of national security, after all.
Apparently so is raping children….
If its not, then the Report of the Inquiry into Sir Adrian Fulford must be published.
Hers (Cynthia Payne’s) was a high-class establishment. The clients at her afternoon “parties” – as the police found when, just before Christmas in 1978, they kicked her nice front door down—vicars, barristers, bankers, an MP and “a peer of the realm”.
Isn’t it an interesting juxtaposition that this house is just around the corner from the Bishop of Southwark’s.
The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Donald Coggan with the three new bishops – two of them formerly Anglican monks – consecrated at St Paul’s Cathedral in London. They are, from left, the Rt Rev Anselm Genders, Bishop of Burmuda and formerly Bursar of the Community of the Resurrection in Mirfield, Dr Coggan, The Rt Rev Peter Ball, Suffragan Bishop of Lewes in the diocese of Chichester, and the Rt Rev Peter Nott, Suffragan Bishop of Taunton and formerly Rector of Baconsfield in Buckinghamshire.
Convicted paedophile Bishop Peter Ball was
Chaplain at Ardingly 1990-94
Convicted paedophile Bishop Peter Ball
was also investigated as part of a ring.
The newly releaseddocuments also suggest Ball associated with other known sex offenders in the clergy and was investigated in 2008 for being part of suspected pedophile ring.
The documents show Ball covered for and helped priests accused of sex abuse.
Current Archbishop Justin Welby launched an independent review into the Church of England’s response to the allegations.
A spokesperson for Lord Carey declined to comment.
Theresa May is doing deals with the DUP to ensure Conservative rule. Nothing to see here though.
There is no national interest in this dishonest DUP deal – we’re now all forking out to prop up Theresa May
Stephen Crabb referred to the deal as ‘the cost of doing business’ – something which usually refers to the paying of bribes in overseas markets, appropriately enough
The Democratic Unionist party (DUP) is the largest political party in the devolved Northern Ireland assembly (where it shared power with the Irish republican party Sinn Féin until the start of this year) and with 10 MPs in the 2017 UK general election, its best-ever Westminster performance, the fifth-largest party in the House of Commons.
Founded by Ian Paisley, it is led by Arlene Foster and its support of the Conservatives in parliament will allow Theresa May to form a government.
Kincora: Ian Paisley’s dead pastor friend linked to sexual abuse of children
July 21 2010
A firebrand preacher who was a good friend of Rev Ian Paisley has been linked to the abuse of children at Kincora.
Pastor Willie Mullantook his own life in December 1980, less than a year after police started an investigation into the paedophile ring operating at the east Belfast care home for boys.
Mullan, who was never charged, had close links to William McGrath — the sinister Orange Order leader who used his role as housemaster at Kincora to sexually assault dozens of boys.
He was also friendly with Joss Cardwell, an Ulster Unionist councillor who preyed on kids at the home and who died by suicide in 1983 after being questioned by the RUC.
“There were strong rumours at the time about Willie Mullan’s involvement in Kincora, particularly as he
killed himself not long after the police investigation began,” said a religious source.
“He would have been |friendly with William McGrath and Joss Cardwell, and this added to some people’s belief that he may have been abusing boys there.”
Rev Paisley had previously described Pastor Mullan, who used to visit him during his time in Crumlin Road prison, as “a very old friend and dearly beloved brother of Christ”.
Paisley was a prisoner of the Kincora cover-up which he never exposed because he was probably being blackmailed by Loyalist William McGrath, the Housefather at Kincora. McGrath knew Paisley had been involved in bombings in the late 1960s
6 September, 2019
Israeli ambassador claimed former DUP leader Paisley contacted him ‘to obtain arms’, declassified files reveal
29 December, 2017
UPDATE
The imminent revelation by BBC NI’s Spotlight programme that Ian Paisley financed the infamous UVF Silent Valley bombing of 1969 will come as no surprise to Village readers. While the BBC disclosure provides another piece of the jigsaw and is of enormous historical value, it doesn’t begin to scratch the surface of Paisley’s deeply disturbing partnership with the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and – equally important – the Ulster Protestant Volunteers (UPV).
In December 2017 Village published an article entitled “Blackmailed” which outlined Paisley’s links to the UVF/UPV bomb campaign of 1969 and showed how, as a result of it, he was compromised in his dealing with another of the conspirators, William McGrath, the notorious and brutal child rapist who was “Housefather” at Kincora Boys’ home in the 1970s.
Paisley was nearly ten years younger than McGrath. He first met the sexually insatiable and lecherous pervert McGrath when he – Paisley – was 22 or 23 in 1949 through his involvement in the Unionist Association in the Shore Road area of Belfast. Paisley had moved into the locality to study at a bible college.
McGrath perceived the Catholic Church as the instrument of the Antichrist and was determined to expunge it from the four corners of island of Ireland so that the Protestant community – which he believed was descended from the Tribe of Dan of Caanan, one of the Lost Tribes of Israel – could prevail. He perceived himself as a soldier in what he called the ‘battles of the Lord’. His self-anointed duty was to prevent the Pope ‘enslaving the people of God’, not just in NI but throughout Britain. Paisley came to share these bizarre views and took a step closer to his involvement with McGrath and others in the infamous 1969 bomb campaign. It is an indisputable fact that McGrath, Paisley and others such as John McKeague (another paedophile who was involved in the Kincora scandal) and Gusty Spence of the UVF instigated the violence that lit the sectarian firestorm that became the Troubles. The fact that Paisley financed the Silent Valley bombing demonstrates just how central he was to the entire affair.
Paisley used to visit McGrath at Kincora long after 1973 when he had been told by Valerie Shaw that McGrath was a paedophile. One of the former residents at Kincora, James Miller, who was at Kincora between 1976 and 1978, told the Hart Inquiry on 8 June, 2016, about these visits. Miller thought it “just seemed strange that he was so friendly with Mr McGrath, you know”. [Day 210 page 75.] Yet, after the eruption of the Kincora scandal in 1980, Paisley would pretend to have difficulty even remembering who McGrath was.
Readers interested in learning more about Paisley’s links to the UVF and UPV can read “Blackmailed” (see below) which first appeared in December 2017. Further details about Paisley’s support for McGrath after he was arrested by the RUC for the rape of children at Kincora can be read by visiting ‘Kincora Survivor‘ also on this website. It shows how Paisley bullied a former Kincora resident lest he might give evidence at McGrath’s trial about “Englishmen” who had abused Kincora boys. See:https://villagemagazine.ie/index.php/2017/11/kincora-survivor/
A question for historians now is to establish what role William McGrath played in {i} the formation of Ian Paisley’s bigoted, violent and hate-filled religious and political beliefs; {ii} what was the true nature of the Paisley-McGrath personal relationship; {iii} to what extent did Paisley wield his power and influence to cover-up McGrath’s brutal rape of children at Kincora and elsewhere; {iv} did McGrath implicitly or explicitly blackmail Paisley over the latter’s involvement in the UVF/UPV bomb campaign of 1969 {v} since McGrath worked for MI5 and MI6, what did those intelligence services know about Paisley’s financing of the UVF and why was neither man arrested?
The source of the BBC’s forthcoming revelation about Paisley is David Hancock, a former British army officer. Hancock served as a major in NI from 1968 to 1970. He told the BBC that an RUC District Inspector in Kilkeel, Co Down, advised him that Paisley had supplied money for the bombings. Hancock is to be applauded for bringing this scandal to light. But why did the RUC not act on the information, then or later? Were MI5, MI6 and RUC Special Branch (who were all involved in running the Kincora operation ) afraid that if they acted on this information, McGrath would be exposed? McGrath, of course, was convicted in 1981. So why did no one at the Cabinet Office, NIO, MI5, MI6 or RUC – then led by Sir John Hermon – insist that the police act on the information after his conviction? Was it because McGrath had kept his mouth shut about their collective involvement and they wanted to ensure his silence by letting sleeping dogs lie?
Is there now any good reason why the PSNI should not declassify the file it inherited from the RUC on Paisley and the Silent Valley bombing? Will Andrew Parker, the incumbent Director-General of MI5 who likes to pontificate on ethics, release his organisation’s file on the Silent Valley bombing?
THE Israeli ambassador to the UK claimed former DUP leader Ian Paisley contacted him “to obtain arms”, declassified state papers released reveal.
The claim, which prompted surprise from the Irish government, is contained among hundreds of previously confidential files published in Dublin and Belfast today.
The documents, dating back to the late 1980s and early 1990s, also reveal that:
The claim that Mr Paisley had asked the Israeli ambassador about arms is included in files released by the National Archives of Ireland.
In June 1985, Noel Dorr – Ireland’s ambassador in London – wrote a letter to his boss in Dublin on the conversation he had at a recent function.
“I expressed surprise at this since I thought it unlikely that Paisley would leave himself open on something like this,” Mr Dorr wrote.
The Israeli ambassador, Yahuda Avner, said Mr Paisley was talking about “border protection”.
“I said I presumed that the emphasis was on surveillance equipment rather than on arms but the ambassador did not elaborate further on the detail of the request,” Mr Dorr said.
“I would assume that what happened is that Paisley may have written to the ambassador to seek a meeting in regard to ‘border protection’. The ambassador possibly interpreted this general phrase as referring to weapons rather than technology.”
The ambassador told Mr Paisley that “these things” could only be dealt with between governments.
Haughey believed Jimmy Savile would be a good mediator for Thatcher dealings
A letter in the National Archives reveals details of a meeting between the pair at the Central Remedial Clinic in the 1980s.
Dec 28th 2013
CHARLES HAUGHEY BELIEVED BBC presenter Jimmy Savile would make a good mediator for meetings between the British and Irish governments.
Following a meeting in 1980 at the Central Remedial Clinic, founder Lady Valerie Goulding, wrote to the Taoiseach to thank him for seeing Savile, one of the charity’s most important patrons.
The document, released under the 30 Year Rule today, repeats a suggestion by the Fianna Fáil leader that the Top of the Pops front man “could be a good mediator as he really is very well in with Mrs. Thatcher and members of the Opposition as well”.
Haughey and Savile sat down for tea at the CRC on 26 May 1980. The DJ became a regular visitor at Abbeville when he visited Dublin to organise sponsored walks as part of his charity work for the CRC.
Jimmy Savile guest of An Taoiseach…Photographed at an Taoiseach’s Office, Government Buildings…1980-05-26.26th May 1980.26-05-80.05-26-80..From left:..An Taoiseach Charles Haughey TD..Lady Valerie Goulding of the Central Remedial Clinic..Jimmy Savile.
It was another two decades before allegations of paedophilia emerged publicly about Savile. The CRC has issued statements to stress that he never had private access to patients during his visits to the treatment centre for those with disabilities.
Since ITV aired a documentary last year, police in London have launched Operation Yewtree to investigate allegations of sex abuse within the BBC. The probe is split into three strands – allegations involving Savile, those involving Savile and others and those involving others.
More than 600 people have come forward with allegations of sexual abuse against Savile alone, making him one of the most prolific sex offenders the UK has ever seen.
Larger version here. (Image: Sinéad O’Carroll/TheJournal.ie)
The CRC has been at the centre of its own controversy this year as it became embroiled in the salary top-ups scandal.
Under Section 38 of the Health Act 2004, which includes both health agencies and voluntary hospitals, bodies may not supplement approved rates of remuneration with either Exchequer funding or non-government sources of funding.
The Sunday People revealed how Jimmy Savile once told one of their journalists that he could fix anyone with just one phone call – to the IRA terrorists.
Savile said: “All I have to do is call my friends in the IRA. They’ll have someone waking up in hospital the next morning eating their breakfast through a f***ing straw.
“I know the IRA, men from the IRA, and you don’t need to ask these guys twice.
“I’m serious. Don’t f***ing think I’m not serious. I can get them done – just with a phone call. That’s all it takes, young man.”
The DUP have strong historical links with Loyalist paramilitary groups.
When Enoch Powell was expelled from the Tory party after his fascist turn, he moved to Northern Ireland. There, his campaign manager was a young man named Jeffrey Donaldson, who says on his website:
“I worked alongside two of the greatest names in Unionism in the 20th century. Between 1982 and 1984 I worked as Enoch Powell’s constituency agent, successfully spearheading Mr. Powell’s election campaigns of 1983 and 1986 when the South Down seat was retained despite the fact the constituency contained a natural ‘nationalist’ majority.”
Their most famous politician was Ian Paisley, one of the founders of the party, who entered the Good Friday Agreement with their long standing rivals Sinn Fein which led to peace in Northern Ireland and a period of stability.
Has Theresa May considered bringing back Enoch Powell aides Harvey Proctor and Barbara Hewson cousin Jonathan Denby to negotiate with DUP?
DUP and UUP call for Kincora Boys’ Home to be included in abuse inquiry UUP leader Mike Nesbitt refers to claims children were used by British intelligence services “to gain control over prominent public figures”
When the still, mostly classified (due to allegations that boys were supplied to Lord Louis Mountbatten’s ‘bloodsports’ lodge in County Sligo), selective investigation into Kincora in 1981 revealed that McGrath was not only a notorious paedophile, but also a paedophile pimp to the British establishment. Tara was effectively finished as an organisation. The investigation also revealed that McGrath set-up and administered Kincora as a centre for raping young boys and among McGrath’s well connected circle included John McKeague (founder of the Red Hand Commandos), as well as other prominent politicians and political personalities in England such as Sir Anthony Blunt (a third cousin of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the late Queen Mother and once named as the ‘most dangerous woman in Europe’ by none other than Adolf Hitler), along with Sir Knox Cunningham (the Queen’s Counsel). Both members of the Cambridge scene of political research and development operations.
1959 Captain Peter Montgomery former BBC staff member in Belfast
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.
He knew people who were very powerful. If McGrath had been unmasked at an early stage, Blunt would have been named as a paedophile and no one could have been sure who else would possibly be named. There were top hats and royalty in that circle.
1978 – The Dorchester Hotel where members of the royal family rose to give a standing ovation to Jimmy Savile as he walked into the banqueting hall for a Special Variety Club luncheon. Savile was seating between Lord Louis Mountbatten and Sir Billy Butlin and was praised by Angus Ogilvy, husband of Princess Alexandra.
Savile, Dublin & Belfast: Time to re-evaluate his role in The Troubles?
Ulsterman first to get Jimmy Savile cash: Victim receives £15,000 from BBC after being groomed by notorious TV star
The victim was in a care home in 1977 when he wrote to Savile, telling him how he had been sexually abused and would love to meet Abba or Boney M on Jim’ll Fix It.
The newspaper revealed that Savile paid for the boy to travel to the studio, but handed him to an accomplice who molested him.
The abuser, only known as ‘Brian’, started to sexually molest the victim and later drove him to an exclusive club in Pall Mall, London.
“At this house (the club) Brian abused me and a much smaller boy aged between seven and nine who looked very poorly and thin and was also being abused by a very obese man,” he said.
He believes he was drugged there before being abused, and woke up the next morning facing the other boy. However, he had no recollection of being abused by Savile himself.
He said Savile later made him a packed lunch, handed him £5 and sent him back home to Northern Ireland.
RUC didn’t treat Jimmy Savile abuse claim seriously
March 12 2013
The RUC did not treat a complaint from a victim of Jimmy Savile properly, a damning report reveals today.
It is one of eight police forces across the UK that have come under fire for ignoring Savile’s abuse victims as it emerged the disgraced presenter could have been stopped as early as 1964.
Inspectors said there is a “distinct possibility” that officers could fail to prevent another Savile-like scandal from happening.
In its 60-page report, Mistakes Were Made, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) suggested some victims whose complaints weren’t formally recorded were dealt with brusquely.
Eight victims had claimed that they tried unsuccessfully to report crimes – four who approached the Met, and one each who went to police in Cheshire, Merseyside, West Yorkshire and the then RUC, now the PSNI.
Last night a PSNI spokeswoman said: “PSNI have engaged the HMIC review and sought to provide inspectors with as much information as possible.
“We have now received the final report and will give full consideration to its findings and recommendations.”
No further details about the allegation made to the RUC are included in the report.
HMIC said: “We have concerns about the extent to which victims may have tried to report their allegations to the police… and, for whatever reason, were not treated as they should have been.”
It concluded: “We consider the failure to connect the various allegations was critical to the eventual outcome of the investigations. There was intelligence available of four separate investigations which was never linked together and, because of that failure to ‘join the dots’, there was a failure to understand the potential depth of Savile’s criminality.”
Just five allegations and two pieces of intelligence were recorded against Savile during his lifetime, HMIC found. This is in stark contrast to the 450 claims made against the former Top Of The Pops presenter after Operation Yewtree was launched by Metropolitan Police in October.
The earliest record uncovered by HMIC naming Savile in connection with a sexual abuse probe is dated 1964, but officers failed to act on the intelligence received.
A damning report by Met Police and NSPCC said Savile’s offending spanned from 1955 to 2009, meaning his reign of abuse could have been cut short by 45 years.
Alan Collins, a solicitor from law firm Pannone who is representing more than 40 of Savile’s victims, said further opportunities to investigate Savile were lost.
“There is a definite risk that unless policies and attitudes change, Savile will happen again,” he said.
As well as the 1964 Scotland Yard ledger, a record of an anonymous letter to the Met Police in 1998 was found, alleging that Savile was a paedophile.
One man who came forward in 1963 in Cheshire to allege rape against Savile was told to “forget about it” and “move on”, HMIC said.
Another went to Vine Street police station in London to report that his girlfriend was assaulted at a recording of Top Of The Pops and was warned that he “could be arrested for making such allegations” and sent away.
HM Inspector of Constabulary Drusilla Sharpling said: “The findings in this report are of deep concern, and clearly there were mistakes in how the police handled the allegations made against Savile during his lifetime.”
Considering whether such abuse on a similar scale could happen again, Ms Sharpling said it is neither “enough nor correct to say this couldn’t happen now”.
The HMIC report said that “the inconsistencies in approach that the forces have taken mean that there is a distinct possibility that such failures could be repeated”.
The 1964 intelligence record naming Savile also contains the first known reference to Duncroft School, the children’s home in Staines, Surrey.
Police had evidence of sexual abuse involving Duncroft pupils but “lost sight” of this intelligence until last year, HMIC said.
The next occasion Duncroft became known to police, in the context of allegations made against Savile, was in 2007 when Surrey Police commenced their investigation.
Jimmy Savile during a sponsored charity walk in Belfast on the Ravenhill Road in November 1976
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.
She added: “Jimmy was a great friend and helped with the disabled police officers’ charity.
“He was the very first person to help me. At the time there was very little being done for disabled police officers.
“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.”
Kincora opened on Belfast’s Upper Newtownards Road, close to Stormont’s Parliament Buildings, in May 1958 and closed October 1980 in the aftermath of the sex abuse scandal.
In 1981, three senior care workers were jailed – one of whom, William McGrath, was believed to have been an MI5 agent.
Newly uncovered UK government files show that, in 1986, the then MI5 director general Sir Antony Duff wrote to the then Cabinet Secretary Sir Robert Armstrong about serious child abuse by top people..dailymail.
The files name former MI6 deputy director Peter Hayman, former Home Secretary Leon Brittan, Margaret Thatcher’s close aide Peter Morrison and Conservative Member of Parliament William van Straubenzee.
The files refer to the Kincora children’s home in Northern Ireland where boys were abused.
1961 School Trip to The Houses of Parliament with Wokingham MP William Van Straubenzee.
William van Straubenzee has connections to the Church, the Military, Northern Ireland, Kincora, Edward Heath, the Ministry of Education and Richmond Council, all of which have been linked to the UK child abuse scandal.William van Straubenzee
Henry van Straubenzee
Princes William and Harry were said to be ‘devastated’ after a teenage friend, Henry van Straubenzee, died in a car crash.
Henry van Straubenzee was killed instantly when the car in which he was a passenger hit a tree outside the exclusive prep school, Ludgrove, where all three boys were once pupils.
“A cover-up operation involving former British Ministers has been penetrated by SUNDAY WORLD during a detailed probe of the Dublin bombings.
“The men named in another Littlejohn type cover-up are Mr. William Whitelaw, former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and Mr. William Van Straubenzee, his Tory colleague, who was Minister for State for NI. in the Heath administration.
“Self-confessed mass murderer, Albert Walker Baker, has claimed he ‘made a deal’ with Mr. Van Straubenzee in Crumlin Road Jail in August, 1973.
“Later he signed documents agreeing to the ‘deal’ in the presence of Mr. Whitelaw – who was N.I. Secretary at that time.
“Baker was then on remand awaiting trial on charges of murdering four Catholics in Belfast.”
In the 1970s, Lord Longford, friend of Myra Hindley, compiled a self-funded report into pornography.
Lord Longford invited Sir Jimmy Savile, the Bishop of Leicester and Cliff Richard to join him on a wide-ranging tour of sex industry establishments, including strip clubs in Copenhagen.
It contained a long account of sex and sadism in a boys’ boarding school:
‘Sometimes the prefects did a lot of the whipping; at other times they made the third-year boys do it as well, or the second-year boys whip the first years and the first years whip each other.’
Telephone call from Lord Longford. He is setting up an independent commission of inquiry to look at the whole question of pornography.
‘It’s a high-powered group. We’ve got two bishops, an archbishop, a High Court judge and broadcaster and sage Malcolm Muggeridge. But we need some young blood. I thought of you and Cliff Richard. What do you say?’ I said yes.
Tuesday, June 15, 1971
Lunch at the Garrick Club with Lord Longford and the Evening Standard film critic, Alexander Walker. Lord L. was particularly mellow, fresh from yesterday’s trip to Windsor where he was installed as a Knight of the Garter.
In the late 1970s, Jimmy Savile’s brother, Johnnie, began working at Springfield Hospital where he ran the hospital radio. He was dismissed in 1980 after assaulting seven women (including staff and patients). He then went to Richmond Royal Hospital… as well as working for The Variety Club of Great Britain.
Dr Morris Fraser
Morris Fraser, the prolific predatory paedophile from the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, was employed by Springfield Hospital in1974.
Johnnie Savile was the brother of the notorious predatory paedophile and necrophiliac, Jimmy. By all accounts, Johnnie traded in on his brother’s fame. The consensus is that he was insignificant, but from what I have seen, he was far from it. Johnnie was perverse, no stranger to controversy and ‘in’ with the ‘right’ crowd.
South West London & St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust Inquiry
Despite claims in 1980 that Johnnie had assaulted one female patient and following the Jimmy Savile review, an inquiry was undertaken in 2015 by South West London & St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust in to Johnnie, which confirmed that between 1978 and 1980, he had assaulted seven women, including:
five patients,
one visitor,
one staff member.
In this BBC Report a victim of Johnnie Savile states how she was raped whilst at Springfield Hospital and that her attempts to report the matter were ignored.
A determined man is 52 year old Richmond man, Johnnie Savile.
Johnnie, brother of television and radio celebrity Jimmy Savile, has taken up the challenge of raising £16,000 to pay for a new x-ray machine at Barnes Hospital.
Johnnie, who is married to Gerda and his two daughters, Maureen (20) and Diana (21), is a well known figure in Richmond as he has been raising funds for different charities in the borough for over 40 years.
“I am a member of the League of Friends of the Royal Hospital and I stage discos for patients and staff’s birthdays or if a member of staff is leaving” he said.
He is a regular visitor to Lancaster House, Richmond, the home for retarded children and often brings with him games and toys. He sometimes take the children on outings.
Johnnie visits the home on behalf of the Variety Club of Great Britain, of which he has been a barker for over 20 years.
“I said I would be willing to stage a free disco at whatever school raised the most money in the sponsored walk but even that doesn’t seem to have inspired much interest”, he said.
Johnnie has however received help from one source. Children at a Home in Battersea have said they will organise a sponsored walk on behalf of the hospital.
…not only was Johnnie a member of the League of Friends of Richmond Royal, he also put on the discos, had constant access to a local children’s home and was able to take the children on outings as well as connections to Barnes Hospital, the Variety Club and a care home in Battersea. He was also doing children’s discos and local fetes.
Questions need to be answered!
Johnnie died in 1998. Nobody seems very concerned about the level of access he had to children with disabilities and in care homes. I think the whole situation needs to be looked at again – for the sake of the vulnerable children who I feel had been badly let down by the system.
it’s important another inquiry is carried out in to how he was allowed unfettered access to both Lancaster House and a Battersea children’s home and that Richmond upon Thames Social Services Department yet again has some very serious questions to answer.
Top of the Pops
Johnnie on Top of the Pops with his brother, Jimmy – celebrating the 800th edition on 26th July 1979.
Johnnie and Honor Blackman – 23rd February 1974. Johnnie was canvassing the constituency of Battersea North as prospective parliamentary candidate of the Liberal Party.
Ray Wyre: a former probation officer working in the field of child sex crime. Retained as a consultant by Nottinghamshire Social Services during the Broxtowe Case.
The child protection expert and former social worker, who set up the UK’s first residential clinic for paedophiles (Gracewell Clinic in Birmingham)
He later helped found the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, a child protection charity specialising in safeguarding children against sexual abuse, and went on to train professionals all over the world.
During his career, he worked with some of the most dangerous criminals, including Reggie Kray and child killer Robert Black.
Police believe his taped interviews with Black could yet prove crucial as they seek to solve the 1978 murder of 13-year-old Genette Tate.
He questioned Anne Marie West as officers prepared the case against her parents, Fred and Rosemary.
Ray Wyre & Dr Morris Fraser were into group therapy aka ‘community-based residential’ as per this piece co-authored by Wyre for the Lucy Faithfull Foundation
Faithfull was born in South Africa, the daughter of a nurse and an army officer. When her father was killed in the First World War in 1916, her mother returned to England. She was educated at Bournemouth and studied then at the Sorbonne, which she financed by work in a nursery in Paris. In 1978 the University of Warwick made her an Honorary Doctor of Letters and in 1995, she also received the same degree from the Oxford Brookes University. She was elected an honorary fellow of St Hilda’s College, Oxford in 1992.
After her education Faithfull worked at Birmingham Settlement for three years until 1935 running clubs and acting as a caseworker. She entered subsequently the education department of the London County Council as a care committee organiser. During the Second World War and until 1948, she served as a regional welfare officer for the evacuee programme. In the following decade she became employed as an inspector in the children’s department of the Home Office.
Faithfull joined the Oxford City Council in 1958 as one of the first children’s officers. She was appointed its Director of Social Services in 1970, retiring four years later. In the New Year’s Honours 1972, she was awarded an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. Four years later, in 1976, Margaret Thatcher offered her a seat in the House of Lords and after an initial refusal she accepted a life peerage with the title Baroness Faithfull, of Wolvercote, in the County of Oxfordshire on 26 January. In the House, she was instrumental in the passing of the Children Act 1989. She helped to establish and from 1995 chaired the All Party Parliamentary Group for Children. She was a vociferous opponent of Home Secretary, Michael Howard’s Criminal Justice and Public Order Bill of 1994 which proposed the establishment of secure ‘training centres’ in the grounds of adult prisons for children aged between 12 and 14, arguing that locking up children is ineffective and that the huge cost of these could be better spent intervening with families at an earlier stage.
She was trustee of a number of voluntary organisations, notably the Caldecott Community, and Bessels Leigh schools. vice-president of the National Association of Voluntary Hostels from 1978 and of Barnardo’s from 1989. Faithfull supported the National Children’s Bureau (paedohile Peter Righton et al) , of which she was president. In 1993 she founded the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, which works as a child protection agency helping sexually abused children and their families. She died unmarried in London in 1996.
Until July 2001, Valerie was the Chief Executive of the charity ChildLine. Under her leadership, ChildLine counselled over one million children and young people and it grew from a small London based project to the national service it is today. A social worker by background, she worked in the Family Welfare Association in Lambeth and Brent and rose to become Director of Social Services.
(In a long interview article with Wyre, published by Achilles Heel in 1992, he mentions the ‘Brent Boys’ case, in which several boys were abused in a children’s home. Coincidence?)
Dr Mike Harris, BSc MBBS FRC Psych
Dr Harris holds responsibility for high secure provision at Rampton Hospital; medium secure units at Arnold Lodge in Leicester and Wathwood Hospital in Rotherham the Community Forensic Services, including low secure beds for Nottinghamshire; Offender Health in Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire and the Trusts Capital Planning team and strategy. Dr Harris is based at Rampton Hospital. He continues to do outpatient psychiatry in the North of the county as well as assessing people for the GMC and NMC.
Miss Adrianne Jones, CBE
Now retired from paid employment and living in South Wales, Adrianne continues her involvement in social care and community matters through various charitable trusts, a housing association and a local school. Her time as a trustee of the Lucy Faithfull Foundation began in 1993 when Lucy, a former Director of Social Services, invited Adrianne to join the Board.
The majority of Adrianne’s working life was spent in local authority social services in Wales, in three London Boroughs and in Birmingham. She served on several national committees including those chaired by Peter Barclay (Role and Tasks of Social Workers) and Norman Warner (Inquiry into the selection, development and management of staff in children’s homes). She was President of the Association of Directors of Social Services in 1985. In 1994, after retiring as Director of Social Services in Birmingham, Adrianne led the Department of Health’s Support Force for Children’s Residential Care for 3 years. She subsequently undertook assignments, reviews and inquiries for the Government in Wales and for local authorities and voluntary organisations in England and Wales.
Mr John Trotter, LLB (Hons)
In particular, John represented social workers and the profession of social work in many child death and child abuse inquiries such as the inquiries into the deaths of Darren Clark, Paul Brown, Jasmine Beckford, Kimberly Carlisle, The Cleveland Inquiry, Victoria Climbie and others. John also represented ChildLine for many years and other organisations concerned with the safety and welfare of children.
Dr Arnon Bentovim MB BS FRCPsych, FRCPCH, DPM (Chair)
Dr Bentovim has conducted extensive research, training and consultation and has been involved with a number of organisations including; President of Relate 2001 until 2009; Chair of the Institute of Family Therapy, and the International Family Therapy Association 2004-2007 and Professional Advisor to ChildLine to 1990 to 2000.
Shy Keenan
Abuse campaigner: I told Esther Rantzen about paedo Jimmy Savile 18 years ago
She said: “I had been introduced to Esther through the late sex offender specialist Ray Wyre, as a victim of child abuse. I was talking to her about what needed to be done to help victims like me.
Esther Rantzen
‘It could have been after a program… It said in The Sun that Ray Wyre [the pioneering probation officer who worked with paedophiles] introduced us and I did know him very well.’
Bottomley, PeterCorbyn, JeremyDrew, DavidJones, LynneNorris, DanThat this House notes with deep regret the sudden death of Mr Ray Wyre, founder of the Gracewell Clinic and prominent member of the team that established and developed the Lucy Faithfull Foundation; acknowledges with admiration his ground-breaking pioneering work for more than a quarter of a century in the development of effective sex offender treatment; recognises fully the huge debt of gratitude we owe to him for the formulation of his remedial programmes for victims of abuse and their extended families, together with disciplined measures designed to rehabilitate the perpetrators; registers unqualified appreciation of the stunning impact globally of Mr Wyre‘s outright commitment to the protection of children whilst offering hope for change to those who abused them, as he worked tirelessly to raise awareness of these issues with other organisations throughout the world; and expresses the fervent hope that those who have worked with and for Ray Wyre for so long to such good effect will ensure that his methods and philosophy are sustained and developed further in the same spirit as he would have wished.
Navy larks – yet again – like Jimmy Savile & bro in naval uniform photo?
Sir Jimmy Saville OBE DJ TV Presenter stands to attention in a naval uniform saluting onboard HMS Belfast in London with his Brother
Sir Jimmy Saville OBE DJ TV Presenter stands to attention in a naval uniform saluting onboard HMS Belfast in London with his Brother John They had not spoken for 8 years due to a family dispute until they met on board the ship May 1990
Dr Ray Wyre
Ray Wyre credited as a child protection expert and a sex crime consultant. He began his current career as a probation officer trained in social work in UK prisons, in his past he trained to become a Baptist Minister. It is during his time at HMS Albany, that Wyre began to branch away from accepted methods for handling those convicted of sex offences.
Springfield mental hospital have a childrens ward that Richmond social services used to refer children in their care to
A SURVIVOR of the London 7/7 bombings has claimed she was a victim of a paedophile ring masterminded by her stepfather who had links to Jimmy Savile’s older brother Johnny.
Beverli Rhodes alleges she was raped by stepdad Patrick Rhodes at the age of 13 and passed around up to 60 of his evil cronies.
She also claims he took her to the BBC’s Wood Lane television studios in the early 1970s where she recalls being raped on three different occasions by men in dressing rooms.
And Beverli, now 51, says that she witnessed shamed DJ Savile’s brother abuse very young children at paedophile parties when she was 14 years old.
“Johnny Savile was a monster. He did some truly sordid things to very young children and got off on abusing disabled children because they couldn’t get away,” Beverli told the Sunday Mirror.
“He used to brag to everyone about being Jimmy Savile’s brother. He was very good friends with my stepfather Patrick who would arrange the children.”
Mum-of-four Beverli claims her stepfather held a senior position in the Freemasons and orchestrated the abuse for the paedophile ring which went on to include celebrities.
She wept: “I’ve been through so much but even the terrorist atrocity I suffered pales in comparison with what I witnessed at those parties.”
Beverli was in the crowded first carriage of a rush-hour Piccadilly Line train near King’s Cross when the 2005 explosion set off by suicide bomber Germaine Lindsay, 19, killed 26 passengers. She lost several teeth in the blast and sustained dreadful injuries to her face and head.
DEVASTATING For months afterwards she underwent multiple facial reconstruction operations – but the terrorist attack left her with devastating post-traumatic shock disorder.
Beverli has spoken publicly of her ordeal that day. But what she has never revealed, until now, is the extent to which her tormented childhood intensified her PTSD.
“I vowed never to reveal my past, not even to my children,” she confesses. “But when more and more people came forward to say Savile abused them it was time to break my silence.
“I survived but I wonder how many children now grown-up are still suffering in silence? I’d urge them to please, please come forward and speak to the police like I am.”
Beverli is in the process of making a full statement to Operation Yewtree, the Jimmy Savile investigation, about the childhood abuse that spanned six years of her life.
Her nightmare began when she was nine in 1970 at her home in Plymouth. She claims her stepfather would sell her used pants to paedophile friends for PS150 while her mum Christine was out.
“I was just a child but I knew it wasn’t right,” Beverli recalls.
She tells how her stepfather worked for a tile company in Plymouth and said that he was was high up in the Freemasons.
“He often had to go away on Masonic business or for work or charity trips.
These became a front for the abuse,” she says.
Beverli was 11 when she says her stepfather abused her.
From then on she claims she was passed around his pals like a toy.
“When I was 13 in 1974, he took my virginity,” she says
After that Beverli claims the abuse became monstrous. Not only did her stepfather rape her regularly but she claims she was raped by up to 60 other men. “Patrick even used his job as away of setting up meetings for people to have sex with me,” she says. “He would arrange a time to go to a client’s house to lay a floor.
Beverli says she stopped counting at 60. It was also around this time that Beverli claims she was first forced to attend paedophile parties.
Beverli says she attended many similar parties – sometimes twice a month – with about 10 men present and five children ranging in ages, a mix of girls and boys. But the one that sticks in her mind most was where she claims to have first met Johnny Savile.
“My stepfather was in awe of him because he had a famous brother, and they knew each other from their childhood in Yorkshire,” she says.
Johnny, five years younger than his famous brother, was sacked from Springfield Psychiatric Hospital in Tooting, South-West London, over an alleged depraved sex game.
A woman, believed to be a former patient at the hospital, complained that Johnny Savile, who died in 1998, mauled, groped and raped her. When Beverli was 14 or 15 her stepfather got a promotion and the family relocated to South Africa, but still the abuse didn’t stop.
Beverli claims it was on a business trip back to the UK that she was first taken to the BBC studios.
During the same visit back to Britain Beverli says she attended her first London paedophile party. Later on in the trip she says she spoke on the phone to a man she was told was a world famous celebrity. “Back in Plymouth I remember my stepfather handing me the phone,” she remembers. “I knew this man was speaking to him about organising a child, or children, for one of their parties. But I got the impression he was more interested in young boys.””I have been having therapy for years but my life is blighted with horrifying flashbacks and panic attacks,” says Beverli. “I wonder if anyone abused at those parties will remember me. I was introduced as Sasha or Bee. “If they do, then they’ll know what we went through and might feel brave enough to speak up about the abuse. I just want to be able to heal the horrors and move on.”
A BBC spokesperson said: “The BBC cannot comment on individual cases. It has asked that anyone with allegations of this nature should report them to the BBC investigation unit or the police directly.”
Brian Hutchinson – late father Dougie helped found the DUP and was once Ian Paisley’s right-hand man
DUP welcomed sex abuser Brian Hutchinson back to party
25 January 2010
A self-confessed sex abuser has been secretly allowed back into Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) — in the latest scandal to rock the party.
Fruit farmer Brian Hutchinson, 42, was voted in as party treasurer in Armagh even though he assaulted a 15-year-old girl for more than a year.
The married dad of five sensationally quit the DUP in 2002 after his litany of abuse was exposed.
But the Sunday Life newspaper can today reveal that he is back in the organisation in a high-profile position controlling party cash.
A DUP spokesman admitted yesterday: “The Party acted on this matter in 2002.
“Mr Hutchinson withdrew from the party and his council position.
“In 2008 he rejoined the party and is the current treasurer of our Armagh branch.
“The Party will be making no further comment on this matter.”
Confirmation that Hutchinson has rejoined party ranks will be yet another blow to the DUP — still reeling over the Iris Robinson cash and sex scandal.
The revelation also comes as embattled Sinn Fein chief Gerry Adams is under fire for his handling of child abuse allegations facing his younger brother Liam.
Garden centre manager Hutchinson told us yesterday: “I’m just trying to put all that behind me and get on with party work.”
Hutchinson — whose late father Dougie helped found the DUP and was once Ian Paisley’s right-hand man — was booted out of the party in September 2002 after his teen assaults came to light.
He received a police caution for indecent assault — which involves admitting your guilt — and was put on the Sex Offenders’ Register for five years.
Hutchinson was voted in as DUP treasurer of the Armagh branch just one year after his name came off the list.
The party and Hutchinson have insisted he was not in the party in an official role until after his name was removed from the Sex Offenders’ Register.
But yesterday Hutchinson admitted he was invited to DUP bashes in Armagh before he was taken off.
He confessed: “I was at dinners at the area and DUP events from 2002 to 2008.”
Hutchinson was first suspended from the DUP in July 2001 and in 2002 quit his council seat and the party.
He said at the time: “I have decided it is best to resign for the sake of the DUP.”
The disgraced unionist said in 2002 that “no sex took place”.
But it emerged he’d been groping his 15-year-old prey for more than a year before he was rumbled.
His systematic abuse only came to light when the under-age girl finally plucked up the strength to tell her mum.
After she exposed Hutchinson, he was back behind the counter of his large nursery business in Co Armagh, which he still runs.
He had held his seat on Armagh council for nine years before he resigned.
Hutchinson succeeded his late dad when he retired from the council in 1993, after 40 years in local government.
His veteran politician father served time in Crumlin Road jail for his part in the notorious Siege of Armagh — when civil rights protestors were blocked from marching through the city centre.
Hutchinson spoke to us yesterday at his nursery, and said he did not want to comment on whether he thought it was suitable that he was back in the party.
He said he was voted back into the DUP in 2008 at the party’s Armagh annual general meeting.
Hutchinson added: “My nomination was put forward by someone, and someone else seconded it.”
When asked for the identities of the politicians who nominated him, he said: “I don’t remember who they are.”
We rang councillor Freda Donnelly to comment on his re-appointment — as she’s a DUP councillor in the Armagh City branch.
She slammed down her phone after snapping: “I have no comment to make.”
so it wasn’t a good idea then – but suddenly it is?
Shows how hypocritical May can be.
Secretive DUP Brexit donor links to the Saudi intelligence service
The shadowy donor group that gave the Democratic Unionist Party £425,000 during the Brexit referendum campaign has links to the former Director General of the Saudi intelligence service – also the father of the current Saudi Ambassador to the UK –
The donation to Arlene Foster’s party – which was used to fund key Leave campaign advertisements across the UK in the run up to the European referendum – was initially kept hidden because of Northern Ireland’s donor secrecy laws.
However, under pressure from activists after openDemocracy revealed how Brexit campaigners were funnelling dark money through Northern Ireland to fund “Take Back Control” adverts, the Democratic Unionist Party was forced last night to reveal its major donor to be a group calling itself the Constitutional Research Council.
Little is known about the Constitutional Research Council, including where it got these funds from. However, we do know one thing: it is chaired by the Scottish Conservative Richard Cook.
Cook has strong links with Saudi Arabia – which was seen by economists as a likely beneficiary from Brexit.
In 2013, Cook founded a company called Five Star Investment Management Ltd with the former head of the Saudi Arabian intelligence agency, Prince Nawwaf bin Abdul Aziz. The prince’s son is the Saudi ambassador to the UK.
Meet the Scottish Tory behind the £425,000 DUP Brexit donation
19 May 2017
Senior Scottish Conservative Richard Cook is at the centre of a major Brexit funding scandal.
Richard Cook and David Cameron.
A modest, semi-detached house in Clarkston on Glasgow’s southside seems an unlikely source for a secretive, £425,000 donation to the Democratic Unionist Party’s Brexit campaign. But the occupant – Richard Cook – is the only person publicly connected with the Constitutional Research Council, a shadowy pro-union group that funnelled dark money to the DUP ahead of June’s EU referendum.
And Richard Cook is not just connected to Northern Irish unionism – he has links that go to the heart of the Scottish Conservative Party, the Saudi intelligence service and a notorious Indian gun running scandal.
Mr Cook is a former vice chairman of the Scottish Conservative party and Tory election candidate (for which he was fast-tracked through the selection, according to reports on ConservativeHome). He has campaigned with Ruth Davidson and David Cameron, and his Facebook friends list is a roll-call of prominent Scottish Tories.
Scottish politicians are now calling for the Scottish Tory leader to clarify her relationship with Cook, who in the 2010 general election lost out to Labour’s Jim Murphy in East Renfrewshire. Key activists in his team were subsequently found burning the EU flag and posting Northern Irish loyalist song lyrics on Twitter.
Cook is at the centre of a political scandal raging in Northern Ireland. Back in February, an openDemocracy investigation found that donors had taken advantage of Northern Ireland’s secretive electoral laws to funnel hundreds of thousands of pounds to the DUP’s pro-Brexit campaign. Under pressure, the DUP revealed that the party had received £425,622 from a group called ‘the Constitutional Research Council’. Over £32,000 of this money was spent on data analytics company AggregateIQ, a small Canadian outfit that has been linked to Donald Trump’s billionaire backer Robert Mercer and Cambridge Analytica, who are now at the heart of an investigation by the Information Commission.
We know almost nothing about the Constitutional Research Council. The outfit has no formal legal status. What we can say for sure is that it is chaired by Cook, and he has promised to fund the pro-union campaign in any future Scottish independence referendum.
“More people with more money are ready to step up to the plate this time compared with the last referendum” Cook told the Sunday Times earlier this year. He didn’t reveal who those people are.
The DUP has also refused to say who the backers behind the CRC are, and there is little to suggest that Cook himself is a major donor. Former Conservative colleagues describe Cook as “a nice guy but not a rich guy”.
Richard Cook with his “good friend” Baroness Warsi, former chairman of the Conservative Party.
Cook – who could not be contacted for this piece – appears to retain an interest in Scottish politics. He is listed as an advisor on Think Scotland, a conservative-minded website funded by Scottish unionist businessman Robert Kilgour. Think Scotland is owned by former Tory MSP Brian Monteith. Monteith was head of press during the referendum for Leave.EU, the campaign group run by Arron Banks and Nigel Farage.
Cook’s interests are not confined to politics. Since general election defeat in 2010, he has been involved in a number of international business deals. In 2012, his company Cook Consulting (UK) Ltd held a press conference in Glasgow announcing its involvement in a £640m water desalination project in Pakistan. The firm failed to submit accounts in 2014 and was dissolved by Companies House via compulsory strike-off in 2015.
In 2013, Cook founded another company called Five Star Investment Management Ltd with the former head of the Saudi Arabian intelligence agency, Prince Nawwaf bin Abdul Aziz. The prince’s son is the Saudi ambassador to the UK. The other director of the company was Peter Haestrup, a Danish national who has been connected to the Purulia arms drop case, a long-running multinational scandal that involved weapons being dropped over the Indian province of West Bengal in 1995.
Richard Cook with Scottish Tory Jackson Carlaw.
Five Star Investment Management Ltd was registered at Mr Cook’s Glasgow address. The firm filed no accounts with Companies House, and was dissolved in December 2014.
Cook also has connections with right-wing pressure groups in the UK. He was Scottish spokesperson for Conservative Friends of Israel and for the Campaign Against Political Correctness, a campaign allied to the Freedom Association, a right-wing Eurosceptic pressure group that supported apartheid in South Africa.
Back in 2009, Richard Cook spoke alongside current Tory MSP Murdo Fraser at a Freedom Association fringe event at the Conservative party conference in Perth to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Margaret Thatcher’s 1979 election victory. Freedom Association Chief Executive Simon Richards later praised Cook as “one of the hardest working PPC’s (Parliamentary Prospective Candidates) anywhere in the country”.
The Freedom Association has historical links with Northern Ireland. Among its original founders was Ross McWhirter, a controversial journalist who campaigned for strict restrictions on Irish people in Britain, including making it compulsory for all Irish people in Britain to register with the local police and to provide signed photographs of themselves when renting flats or booking into hotels and hostel. McWhirter was shot dead by the Provisional IRA in Enfield in 1975.
The Freedom Association boasts of “friendly links” with the Democratic Unionist Party. In 2007 and 2008, leading DUP politicians Jeffrey Donaldson and Sammy Wilson were involved in Freedom Association “fact finding” events in Northern Ireland. At the time, the Freedom Association said it had “taken a close interest in Ulster matters from its earliest days and is keen to strengthen its ties with the province and to demonstrate its support for the Union.” Donaldson was the chair of the DUP’s Brexit campaign – his name appeared on the election material that the CRC’s £425,000 donation paid for – and Wilson was a prominent pro-Brexit DUP voice throughout the campaign, regularly appearing in the media.
After his defeat in the 2010 general election, Richard Cook wrote: “I believe deeply in our party, its membership and in the need for a centre right party to represent the hundreds of thousands of Scots who believe in the same things we do.” Among the activists he singled out for praise during the campaign were Ross McFarlane and Colin Taylor.
McFarlane was subsequently sacked as a Holyrood assistant by Ruth Davidson in 2011 after footage emerged showing him setting fire to the EU standard while dressed in the robes of Glasgow University amid anti-Catholic taunts. McFarlane had been Davidson’s election agent. Around the same time, it was discovered that Colin Taylor had posted song lyrics on Twitter glorifying Northern Irish loyalist terrorist group, the Ulster Volunteer Force, while serving as president of the student Conservative Association from 2009 to 2010. The social media posts were picked up when Taylor was working for the Tory Press and Research Unit at Holyrood.
Commenting on Richard Cook’s involvement with the CRC, Scottish Labour General Election campaign manager James Kelly said:
“This whole affair is like something from a spy novel and the East Renfrewshire Conservative Party is at the heart of it.
“Richard Cook isn’t just someone who happened to be a member of East Renfrewshire Conservatives. He’s been a leading figure in the local Tories for more than two decades… He’s close to senior elected Tories, including Jackson Carlaw.
“It simply isn’t tenable for East Renfrewshire Tory candidate Paul Masterton to maintain silence on this. Will Mr Cook play any part in his campaign? Will he refuse to take any funds from Mr Cook or anyone who has received money from Mr Cook? Will Mr Masterton make a statement about what he knew and when about these extraordinary allegations?
“This affair now risks tainting the Tory campaign to win the East Renfrewshire seat. It’s clear that only Labour can beat the SNP here.”
An SNP spokesperson said:
“These are deeply concerning allegations The fact that we still do not know the source of such a significant amount of cash used to help bankroll the Brexit campaign is unacceptable, and cannot be allowed to continue.
“Just as concerning are the apparent links to the highest levels of the Scottish Tory party. Ruth Davidson must clarify what links she has with Mr Cook, and whether her party has helped itself to money from the same murky sources.”
The Scottish Conservatives haven’t yet got back to our request for a comment. Richard Cook could not be reached for comment.
Cook’s “good friend” Baroness Warsi – former chairman of the Conservative Party. Warsi describes herself as a “Northern working-class mum”. She is a member of the Carlton Club
She served as a Special Adviser to Michael Howard for Community Relations, and was appointed by David Cameron as Vice Chair of the Conservative Party. Warsi was sworn of the Privy Council on 13 May 2010
Labour tried to do deals with the DUP last time there was a hung parliament
Under Gordon Brown, Labour had tried to strike a similar deal when there was a hung parliament in 2010.
Yvette Cooper, Shaun Woodward, Ed Miliband and Alistair Campbell were just a few of the Labour supporters or MPs to have recently criticised Theresa May for dealing with the extremely conservative, anti-abortion, anti-LGBT rights party from Northern Ireland.
However, when Brown failed to get a majority he wrote letters to the DUP asking to do a deal.
Amid criticism, former DUP leader Ian Paisley has been relishing telling everyone about Brown’s eagerness to pair up with the party.
Diane Abbott, Paul Boateng, Bernie Grant & Keith Vaz
Dame Alun Roberts@ciabaudo
I find it interesting that Corbyn is now eulogising his former Islington buddies. Why now and what’s in it for him?
I wonder how much these four know about child abuse in Islington?
…what went on in Islington under their watch is the big elephant in the room.
Born in London to Jamaican immigrants, Miss Abbott read history at Cambridge University before becoming an administration trainee at the Home Office.
She worked as a race relations officer for the national Council for Civil Liberties before moving into the media, joining Thames Television and later TV-am.
She was a press officer at the Greater London Council and Lambeth Council before changing tack and moving into politics.
After a brief stint at Westminster City Council, Miss Abbott was elected into the House of Commons in 1987
She was criticised during the MPs expenses scandal, after claiming £142,000 in 2009, including £1,100 on taxis.
She has also appeared on Have I Got News For You, Celebrity Come Dine With Me and Celebrity Cash in the Attic.
Lambeth knew Carroll was a problem long before he was eventually dismissed. In 1986, it discovered something that should have excluded him from working with children. Carroll already had a conviction for child abuse – which he hadn’t disclosed when he had applied for a job in Lambeth. But the conviction, and his failure to disclose it, did not lead to his dismissal.
Diane Abbott – press officer to Linda Bellos, leader of Lambeth Council
In mid-1986, three of Lambeth’s most senior officials held a secret disciplinary hearing, and decided to leave him in post. And when Carroll asked if he could turn Angell Road into a centre to provide therapy for victims of child abuse, Lambeth agreed. The police even sought advice from him when they were investigating alleged child abuse in another home, South Vale.
Janet Boateng: Former chair of Lambeth social services committee
Janet Boateng’s name never comes up in articles about the paedophile ring that operated in Lambeth Council-run children’s homes between 1974 and 1994.
But maybe it should, because she was chair of Lambeth Council’s social services committee, who had overall responsibility for the running of children’s homes, and she personally unveiled the ‘new child care strategy’ at a time when Lambeth children’s homes were infested with paedophiles.
Only thing that Vaz inspires is taking drugs with prostitutes behind his wifes back. What a time we live in to have role models lile Keith.
Chris Stacey@chrisstacey1
British Labour politicians at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton, UK, November 1987. From left to right, Bernie Grant , Paul Boateng, Neil Kinnock, Keith Vaz and Diane Abbott.
Diane Abbott – Michael Portillo has been friend since school
She is a product of Cambridge University, from which she gained a history degree, and before that, of Harrow County Grammar School, where she shone in the sixth-form drama club, making friends with the broadcaster Clive Anderson, the Washington ambassador, Sir Nigel Sheinwald and Michael Portillo, with whom she starred in Romeo and Juliet, though not in the title roles. Today, she and Mr Portillo appear in the BBC politics show, This Week, where their close rapport has been described by Jonathan Dimbleby as a “love-in.”
Abbott will be well aware of all the allegations against Portillo.
…the persistent rumors about NSPCC’s Wanless’ close friend and confidant Michael Portillo, now like Savile, a BBC TV personality, being allegedly involved in a Westminster sex scandal himself. Rumors circulated in 1994 that Portillo and another Tory Secretary of State, Peter Lilley, had got sexually involved with Britain’s first openly gay footballer, Justin Fashanu.
Unfortunately for the two secretaries of state though, a disgruntled Fashanu supposedly decided to “blow the lid,” threatening to “bring down the government” by leaking evidence of these affairs to the Daily Express. When MI5 allegedly threatened Fashanu, Tory MP Stephen Milligan, a part-time journalist, is said to have weighed in on the footballer’s behalf on a mission to get to the bottom of it all and “clean up the Tory party.”
Within days, however, Milligan was found hanged in his London flat, naked, with an orange in his mouth in an apparent suicide, made to look like he was a sexual deviant. Fashanu was swiftly sacked by his football club and got on the first flight to the United States. Several years later Fashanu was also tragically found hanged, this time in a garage in Shoreditch, London.
So, if Labour are ‘elected’ to Government, Diane Abbott is tipped to be Home Secretary and will Keith Vaz be the Minister for Children ?
Diane Abbott worked for the Home Office in 1976
Diane Abbott Race Relations Officer at the National Council for Civil Liberties 1978 to 1980, that would of brought her in contact with PIE.
Amongst her colleagues at NCCL were Harriet Harman, Patricia Hewitt and Paul Boateng
Abbott – elevated to the Shadow Cabinet for the first time since she entered Parliament in 1987 – was also close to Corbyn at his coronation as Labour leader in Westminster
For more than 35 years, Corbyn, 66, the MP for Islington North since 1983, has been a close friend and political soulmate of Abbott, 61, the MP for the adjoining constituency of Hackney North.
The relationship between Corbyn and Abbott went from platonic to physical in 1979.
At the time, Corbyn was about 30 and a full-time trade union official and councillor in North London, alongside his wife, who was keen to become an MP.
Having won a scholarship to Cambridge, Abbott, who was 25, had become a solicitor with the National Council for Civil Liberties (NCCL), which was regarded as a stepping stone to Westminster.
Harriet Harman, who was acting Labour leader until last weekend, was legal officer at the NCCL, and Patricia Hewitt, another who became a Labour Cabinet minister, was general secretary.
‘Jeremy was also making a name for himself as a disciple of Tony Benn and Ken Livingstone
Listen to Ken Livingstone, former Mayor of London, talking to David Mellor on the role of M15 in the Kincora Children’s Home Paedophile scandal
Former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone knew about the Paedophiles for decades
Ken Livingstone said:-
“I was raising in parliament against Mrs Thatcher the Kincora Boys Home where boys were being abused and MI5 was filming it because they were hoping to be able to blackmail senior politicians in Northern Ireland.
They were hoping to catch one of Ian Paisley’s MP’s – and they never did – and give themselves some leverage. The truth is there’s been an awful lot of covering up of paedophiles and paedophile rings for decades and decades.”
Will the Prime Minister take time in her busy day to reconsider the statement that she made to the House last year about Sir Maurice Oldfield?Will she consider the inconsistency of the withdrawal of his positive vetting while no action was taken againstMr. Peter England, a deputy secretary in the Northern Ireland Office, and Mr. J. L. Imrie, an assistant secretary at the Northern Ireland Office, following investigations into the buggery of young children at the Kincora boys’ home? Is she not disturbed that Mr. Imrie has taken no action against the newspaper that named him and his activities four weeks ago, although he continues to work for the Government in the Ministry of Defence? Can she assure the House that she is convinced of Mr. Imrie’s innocence?
If not, will she now finally concede a genuinely independent inquiry into what went on in the homes in Kincora, irrespective of the damage that that may do to MI5 when its role is exposed?
The Prime Minister (Margaret Thatcher)
I have nothing further to add to the statement that I made on Sir Maurice Oldfield in the House. I note that the hon. Gentleman uses the privileges of the House to name people who are unable to answer back.
Sir Maurice Oldfield (1915-81) was director of MI6 from 1973 to 1978 and Ulster Security Co-ordinator 1979. He was also homosexual. We know this to be true because Margaret Thatcher was forced to make a statement on the issue on April 23rd 1987.
Sir Maurice Oldfield became Security Co-ordinator in Northern Ireland in October 1979. Subsequently reports were received which caused his positive vetting clearance to be reviewed. In March 1980, in the course of that review, he made an admission that he had from time to time engaged in homosexual activities. His positive vetting clearance was withdrawn. By this time he was already a sick man; he finally ceased to serve as Security Co-ordinator in Northern Ireland when a successor took over in June 1980; he died in March 1981.
There was a lengthy and thorough investigation by the Security Service, which included many interviews with Sir Maurice Oldfield himself, to examine whether there was any reason to suppose that he himself or the interests of the country might have been compromised. The conclusion was that, though his conduct had been a potential risk to security, there was no evidence or reason whatsoever to suggest that security had ever been compromised; indeed, he had contributed notably to a number of security and intelligence successes which would not have been achieved had there been a breach of security. That conclusion stands.
The facts of the case were made known to the Security Commission, when it undertook the review of security procedures and practices, including vetting, in the public service which I commissioned in March 1981. In that report the commission dealt with criteria for positive vetting clearances and with the security implications of male homosexuality. I made it clear in my statement on the Security Commission’s report, which was presented to Parliament in May 1982 as Cmnd. 8540, that the Government accepted the Security Commission’s report and were acting upon its recommendations.
Ken Livingstone brought up the issue again on March 8th 1988, in the context of the Kincora Boys’ Home.
The most delightfully indiscreet oyster I ever met was Michael Havers, the Tory attorney- general for many years and, briefly, lord chancellor. He had a healthy sense of the ridiculous which made him deride excessive secrecy, but he also derived peculiar pleasure from breaking the secrecy rules with which he was so deeply involved. Among many leaks to me, perhaps the most extraordinary was his detailed confirmation — while we were shooting pheasants in 1986 — of the Official Secrets scandal surrounding Sir Maurice Oldfield, the former Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service, MI6.
At dinner in Grosvenor House a year previously, Sir David McNee, the Metropolitan Police commissioner, had told me that Oldfield had been suspended from secret work after Scotland Yard officers had reported his involvement in homosexual activities. His behaviour, which would then have barred him from service in MI6, was not detected until he had retired as MI6 chief in 1978. Courageously, he had come out of retirement at Mrs Thatcher’s request to become security supremo in Northern Ireland, and McNee had been so concerned by what he was then told about the ‘rough trade’ visiting Oldfield’s London flat that he informed the home secretary, who alerted Mrs Thatcher. Why did McNee tell me this well-kept secret? It was the reaction of an honest copper and great believer in the role of intelligence in national security, appalled that such behaviour by any man in a supreme position of trust should remain covered up to suit the establishment.
I took no action until Havers told me that Oldfield had confessed his folly to him and had admitted having falsified his positive vetting form over many years when asked about his sex life. He also told me that the prime minister had withdrawn Oldfield’s security clearance and suspended him from his intelligence job, though he had been allowed to continue, briefly, after inquiries had shown that he had not been blackmailed and had promised to restrain himself.
Chapman Pincher knew Sir Maurice Oldfield better than most, and went on to claim Oldfield’s obsession was “what is referred to in Britain as rough trade; lower-class, down-and-out young males”.
But according to Mr Pincher, in his book Traitors: The Labyrinths of Treason, Special Branch officers who were giving Sir Maurice round-the-clock protection throughout his Northern Ireland appointment discovered that male prostitutes were visiting him in his flat in Westminster.
It would seem that Sir Michael Havers told Chapman Pincher about Sir Maurice Oldfield’s ‘follies’ in 1986, with the confession actually taking place in March 1980. Sir Michael Havers was Attorney General from May 1979 to June 1987. Sir Maurice Oldfield finally resigned as Security Co-ordinator in Northern Ireland in June 1980, presumably after not being able to restrain himself.
It is often wrongly assumed that Oldfield’s links with Ireland date only from his appointment as Ulster Security Coordinator in 1979. But as Director of MI6 throughout the 1970s he was not only closely connected with Irish affairs, including the Kincora operation, but was a regular visitor to Belfast.
Sir Michael Havers would have been acutely aware of the Kincora scandal, which first came to public attention with an article in the Irish Independent in January 24th 1980, with the first convictions having taken place in December 1981. On February 16th 1982 there was a high-level meeting at the offices of the Lord Chancellor, Lord Hailsham, in London. Also present were Attorney General, Sir Michael Havers; Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, James Prior; and Sir William Bourne, a barrister and senior civil servant. Sir Michael Havers reported he had previously been briefed by the Northern Ireland Director of Public Prosecutions that the RUC were still investigating issues around Kincora despite the recent convictions. On March 23rd 1982 Sir Michael Havers wrote to James Prior, admitting that Kincora had turned out to be a much more complex affair than he had first thought.
Why didn’t Andrew Parker, the present D-G of MI5 oblige John Imrie to fly across the Irish Sea and appear before Hart?
28 March, 2018
Village has learnt that John L.L. Imrie, formerly of MI5 and the Northern Ireland Office (NIO), died last summer without a whisper of his passing reaching the ears of the press. Imrie had the unique distinction of being the only British official ever linked to the Kincora Boys’ Home sex abuse scandal by name in the press during his lifetime. Imrie had served as an Assistant Secretary at the NIO in the early 1970s while the sexual abuse of boys at a number of homes in Northern Ireland including Kincora was rampant.
Imrie did not provide evidence to the Hart Inquiry in 2016.
Judge Hart, whose 2017 report is littered with factual inaccuracies, determined that MI5 had known nothing about the Kincora scandal until it was exposed by the media in January 1980.
Imrie was one of many who – had he told the truth – could have put Hart straight.
Privates on parade at victoria station
Imrie was a convicted sex pest. In 1979 he went ‘cottaging’ in London, that is to say, looking for sex with random strangers in gentlemen’s lavatories. He was arrested at the gents at Victoria Station when, after an attempt to attract a sexual partner by displaying his genitals, he was charged with indecent exposure.
Sir Howard SmithAndrew Parker
The last thing MI5 needed in 1979 was a sordid scandal involving an MI5 officer who had served in Belfast. At this time the Kincora scandal was bubbling under the surface ready to erupt across National headlines. Howard Smith was D-G of MI5. He appreciated the full potential of the scandal because he had served as intelligence supremo in NI in the early 1970s when Imrie had been stationed in Belfast and the Kincora ‘honey trap’ operation was up and running. Two social workers had already provided details of the scandal to Peter McKenna of the Irish Independent. They had learnt about it from Richard Kerr, a resident at Kincora for whom they were responsible. Hence, Establishment pressure was exerted to drop the charges against Imrie for his performance at Victoria Station. The endeavour failed, proving yet again that MI5 is not always top dog when confronted by honest police officers and lawyers. Indeed, only last year we witnessed another example of this when the incorruptible Chief Constable of Wiltshire, Michael Veale, his Assistant Chief Constable Paul Mills, and their Operation Confier team reported that former British PM Edward Heath was a paedophile. (See Village October 2017.)
The fact that Imrie was a figure whom Whitehall wanted to protect became public knowledge thanks to Private Eye magazine. On 17 August 1979 it reported that: “Up until the trial strong pressure was brought to bear by a variety of authorities to drop the charges in the national interest”.
Ken Livingstone noticed a discrepancy in the way Imrie had been treated compared to the mauling Sir Maurice Old eld had received after the exposure of his sexual predilections in 1980
Imrie was brought before the Magistrates’ Court at 70 Horseferry road, London, (now the City of Westminster Magistrates Court) where he pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against him and submitted a preposterous defence maintaining that he had been caught short with a weak bladder and, fearing disastrous consequences on the train he intended to take at 11.10 to Sydneyham – which had no toilet – he had been compelled to display him- self to the gentlemen in the vicinity of the urinals. The presiding magistrate – another honourable individual who was prepared to do his job without fear or favour – concluded Imrie was lying since he had been arrested at 11.25, i.e. 15 minutes after the bladder-bursting train had departed. Imrie was convicted, conditionally discharged and ordered to pay £50 costs.
Imrie was not the only senior intelligence officer arrested for misbehaviour in a public lavatory in London during this era. In 1984 Sir Peter Hayman, the reputed Deputy Chief of MI6, was also arrested for gross indecency, and convicted. Hayman was an abuser of Richard Kerr, details of which will be revealed in a later edition of Village. Sir Anthony Blunt and Guy Burgess, another pair of paedophiles from the ranks of both MI5 and the Anglo-Irish Vice Ring, were also members in good standing of MI5’s cottaging circuit.
Imrie’s conviction did not deflect the upward trajectory of his career.
After Kincora was exposed in January 1980, the RUC set out to track down the child molesters involved, or at least some honest officers in the RUC tried to do so before they were stifled. At least they managed to question Imrie before the vice grip of the cover-up took a hold.
Against this background, it is hardly unfair to ask if Imrie was a pederast (i.e. an abuser of teenage males), if not an outright paedophile himself. Why else would the RUC have made inquiries about him? The answers to these questions may be found lurking in the pages of Imrie’s personnel file which gathers dust somewhere in the vaults of MI5.
During the 1970s the RUC Special Branch officers who helped Joseph Mains, the Warden of Kincora, run the operation on the ground, are rumoured to have maintained a secret library of files as insurance in case anyone ever tried to prosecute them for trafficking the children involved to their abusers. The RUC Special Branch library may still be in existence and, if so, undoubtedly has bulging files on Imrie and others such as Peter England, also formerly of the NIO.
The Independent Inquiry Into Child Sexual Abuse in London still has an opportunity to demand sight of Imrie’s personnel file and that of england but time is running out fast.
MI5’s interview rooms at Victoria Train Station
a career shrouded in mystery
Inevitably, a cloud of mystery hangs over Imrie’s career. A little speculation must be forgiven. Despite claims to the contrary, he probably never worked for the Ministry of Defence (MoD). References to him in the Civil Service Yearbooks during the 1980s as an MoD employee were probably nothing more than a cover for his true role inside MI5, a department that was not officially acknowledged as part of the British Government at that time. Countless MI5 officers were held out as MoD officials for decades to perpetrate the myth MI5 did not exist.
Imrie definitely worked in Germany during an earlier phase of his career, perhaps with Ian Cameron at the British Services Security Organisation, which was based in Berlin and responsible for the security of British forces in Germany in the 1960s. Cameron later headed up MI5 in NI in the 1970s and was Central to the Kincora operation. (See Village March 2017).
What did Imrie do in NI? We are on more solid ground here. Village has obtained a ‘confidential’ NIO file which was circulated to Imrie and provides an indication of the type of work he undertook: it was political in nature. The file is dated 19 December 1972 and concerns a meeting between Ian Paisley and others and the NI Secretary of State William Whitelaw. The file was also circulated to Franke Steele of MI6, the Chief Constable of the RUC and the General Officer in Command of the British Army.
Scraping beneath the bottom of the barrel
By the late 1980s, Imrie was working inside MI5’s ‘B’ Branch as a recruitment officer while being listed in the Civil Service Year Book for 1988 as a Grade 5 officer in the MoD Civil Administration Department. Just how a convicted sex pest rose to become a Grade 5 officer with responsibility for MI5 recruitment is staggering – even by the weird standards of that unorthodox organisation.
Or is it ? If we have learnt anything about MI5, it is that anything is possible once you drop down the MI5 rabbit hole. Imrie’s conviction may have been something that commended him to the Mad Hatters at the top table at MI5.
MI5 and MI6 recruiters are the only people who are briefed to scrape beneath the sludge at the bottom of the barrel. At that time both organisations needed people with the stomach to oversee and direct torture, murder and blackmail operations.
They also needed psychologically and emotionally stunted agents who could photograph and record paedophiles in the act of abusing children. MI5’s surveillance targets in this underworld included an array of degenerates ranging from lowly knuckle-dragging Loyalist paramilitaries to elevated Knights and Lords at Westminster such as Sir Edward Heath, Lord Greville Janner, Sir Cyril Smith, Sir William Van Straubenzee and Sir Peter Morrison, all of whom they hoped to blackmail, control and, if necessary, destroy. And who better than a lavatory-creeper like Imrie to recognise the type of rat capable of performing this sort of work in return for a miserable salary? Who better than Imrie to know when to inch open the secret side doors at MI5’s hQ when the type of creep who would get a kick out of this sort of work was loitering nearby ?
imrie and Peter england are exposed in the Sunday World
Imrie enjoyed a number of years of quiet anonymity after his conviction as a asher. Then, on 7 February 1988, the late Liam Clarke published a story in the Sunday World which named him as one of a group of four senior NIO officials who had been interviewed by the RUC about Kincora. One of the others was Peter England, who had been a Deputy Undersecretary with overall responsibility for the intelligence services in NI and a friend of Sir Anthony Blunt. (See Village november 2017.)
Clarke also described how Peter England had tried to force his sexual attentions on a male civil servant at the NIO; and had been recognised in a photograph by a boy he had abused. The boy was undoubtedly John Louis Baird. According to a report broadcast by BBC NI and supplemented by an article in Phoenix magazine, John Louis Baird was abused by England at a house on the Old Hollywood Road in Belfast which had been used as the pick-up point for Provisional IRA leaders during peace talks with the NIO and MI6 in the 1970s. The boy spoke to Chris Moore who broadcast an interview with him on the BBC in 1982. He was shown in silhouette and described how signals were exchanged via flashing headlights with England’s car before he was transferred to it. Moreover, a briefing document on personal security which was found in Kincora was linked to England. Several phone numbers appeared in the margins of pages 5, 7, 11 and 13 in England’s hand-writing.
Ken livingstone questions Thatcher about imrie’s failure to sue The Sunday World
Ken Livingstone MP (and future Mayor of London) was one of those who pursued the Imrie affair back in 1988. He noticed a discrepancy in the way Imrie had been treated compared to the mauling Sir Maurice Oldfield had received after the exposure of his sexual predilections in 1980. Oldfield had served as Chief of MI6 1973-78, and Security Coordinator NI, 1979 1980. He was pushed to the side-lines by Margaret Thatcher after she discovered he had confessed to what he had described as his homosexual “tendencies”. how could the mere admission of such “tendencies” have cost him his “positive vetting” i.e. his licence to operate within the intelligence community ? It was not homophobia since Imrie, a convicted flasher who opportuned men in toilets, and had been quizzed about Kincora, managed to retain his job and achieve promotion. Perhaps the explanation is that Oldfield had become an enemy of the ultra-right-wing faction that controlled MI5 and held Thatcher in their thrall whereas Imrie was presumably well got with them, especially after his service for them in Northern Ireland. Oldfield had enraged the Mad Hatters at MI5 by interfering with their plots against Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson.
Ken Livingstone holding Margaret Thatcher to account
Livingstone brought the Oldfield-Imrie discrepancy up in the house of Commons on 8 March 1988.
“Will the Prime Minister take time in her busy day to reconsider the statement that she made to the house last year about Sir Maurice Oldfield ?”, Livingstone asked her. “Will she consider the inconsistency of the withdrawal of his positive vetting while no action was taken against Mr Peter England, a deputy secretary in the Northern Ireland Office, and Mr JL Imrie, an assistant secretary at the Northern Ireland office, following investigations into the buggery of young children at the Kincora boys’ home ? Is she not disturbed that Mr Imrie has taken no action against the newspaper that named him and his activities four weeks ago, although he continues to work for the government in the Ministry of Defence ? Can she assure the house that she is convinced of Mr Imrie’s innocence?
“If not, will she now finally concede a genuinely independent enquiry into what went on in the home in Kincora, irrespective of the damage that may do to MI5 when its role is exposed ?”.
Thatcher replied: “I have nothing further to add to the statement that I made on Sir Maurice Oldfield in the house. I note that the honourable Gentleman uses the privilege of the house to name people who are unable to answer back”.
Thatcher’s answer was patently absurd. In the first instance, Peter England was dead and could not sue so parliamentary privilege was a red herring. Secondly, the whole point of Livingstone’s question about Imrie was to highlight the fact that Imrie’s name had appeared in the Sunday World yet he had not sued the paper. Thatcher, who had practised as a barrister, surely knew that newspapers did not enjoy parliamentary privilege for stories that did not arise from an exchange in parliament.
Imrie was also named twice by Private Eye in 1988 in connection with Kincora.
Will the london inquiry call the two RUC whistle-blowers ?
On 23 January 2015 the late Liam Clarke reported in the Belfast Telegraph that two RUC officers had told him that a tory MP had “visited Kincora during the 1970s”. Both officers, he reported, were “willing to help any inquiry into Kincora either here or in England. They revealed that the MP died before they could arrange to interview him”. There are only a tiny number of MPs who match this description. One of the officers revealed that the MP had visited NI “quite regularly…We were told by criminal records in Scotland Yard, London, that he had a conviction many years ago for indecent behaviour or something in a gents’ loo against another boy but his death meant we never got a chance to question him”.
The chances are stratospherically high that these two RUC officers were also the source of Clarke’s 1988 Sunday World story about Imrie and England. It is statistically unlikely that both RUC men have died since 2015. Since they know at least something about the Westminster MP, they should be asked to testify at the Independent Inquiry Into Child Sex Abuse (IICAS) in London. Their evidence about Imrie and the MP must surely be of some relevance to IICAS which is due to commence its probe into VIP-child-sex abuse this month.
Unfortunately the auguries that the truth will emerge at IICAS are not favourable. Thus far ICCSA has shown a disconcerting lack of interest in credible witnesses such as Richard Kerr while granting frauds such as ‘Nick’ “core participation” at their hearings (i.e. access to documents, legal representation and the right to question witnesses.) As Village readers may appreciate, ‘Nick’ is a ventriloquist’s dummy controlled by those protecting the Westminster VIP vice ring. His role is to discredit the existence of the VIP ring by blabbering out his far-fetched and ludicrous claims. At least one pederast connected to the Tory Party is fond of pooh-poohing the existence of the Westminster VIP vice ring in the media by reference to ‘Nick’s’ crazy allegations. This is like the Pope denying the existence of the Roman Catholic Church. This pederast abused at least one Kincora boy – richard Kerr – who was trafficked to London for his grotesque entertainment.
St Stephen’s where Imrie held himself out as a devout member of the Church of England
Graduating from flashing at strangers in toilets to greeting worshippers at church
Imrie never sued Liam Clarke, the Sunday World or Private Eye, and maintained a very low profile until his death. After his resignation from MI5, he lived in Dulwich, South London where he died last June. The only clue as to what he did in retirement is to be gleaned from a death notice which appeared on the website for St Stephen’s Church, Dulwich. Imrie, it reported, had been a devout member of the Church of England and attended St Stephen’s on a regular basis. The death notice read as follows:
“It is with sadness that we share in the news of the death of John Imrie. For many years he was a sidesperson at the 8am Sunday service as well as a regular at our mid-week Holy Eucharist on Wednesdays. During his working life he was a senior civil servant in the Ministry of Defence, serving both in Germany and Northern Ireland before reaching the highest level of the Ministry in London. His funeral will be here at St Stephen’s on Tuesday 11 July at 12 noon. May he rest in peace and rise in glory”.
There is no mention of Imrie having had a wife or children in his death notice, something that indicates he remained a bachelor throughout his life.
another Hart failure
As someone who was able to attend St Stephen’s Church as a ‘sidesperson’ on such a ‘regular’ basis, Imrie was hardly suffering from dementia or physical infirmity. A ‘sidesperson’ acts as an usher, greeter of worshippers and collector of donations at church ceremonies.
Clearly, Imrie was hale and hearty and could have testified at the Hart Inquiry in 2016. Equally clearly, this would have been the last thing he would have countenanced. It is inconceivable that he could have told the truth about Kincora without being sidestepped at St Stephen’s upon his return and shunned by every parent in Dulwich and beyond.
The man without eyes at the back of his head
More to the point: why didn’t Andrew Parker, the present D-G of MI5, or any of his staff, oblige Imrie to fly across the Irish Sea and appear before hart ? Ex-MI5 officers on a pension must obey such directives.
Parker, as Village readers will know, is more than happy to sermonising to others about their ‘ethical responsibilities’. What could have been more ethical and responsible than turning over every slimy stone at MI5 to uncover the truth about Kincora. By any calculation, Imrie’s file was an obvious one to submit to hart: Imrie was the only man ever mentioned by name in the press during his lifetime in connection with Kincora; moreover, one who was named in the house of Commons.
Hart, Parker and MI5 should also have made every effort to identify the RUC officers who spoke to Imrie during the Kincora probe to establish precisely why he had been of interest to the RUC’s early inquiries, and what they discovered about him. Yet not a single sheet of paper of any consequence concerning Imrie featured in the allegedly comprehensive compendium of documentation furnished to hart by MI5, the MoD and the RUC.
Of course, there is no mystery as to why the file on Imrie was withheld from Hart. The immoral majority who really control MI5 (home Office) and MI6 (Foreign Office) lied to the Hart Inquiry as Village has demonstrated over the previous year. It goes without saying that Parker – as an ‘ethically responsible’ individual – could have had no part in any of this, nor indeed any inkling that his subordinates were subverting the Inquiry behind his back. He’s only head of MI5, after all.
If the unexpurgated files relating to Imrie had been handed over to Hart, the floodgates would have buckled and the truth about Kincora would have burst forth. The public would have learnt that MI5 not only used it to blackmail Loyalist paramilitaries and senior Loyalist politicians, but that it was exploited by perverts like Peter England for their own sick personal gratification.
Chair of UK investigations (IICSA) changes suspiciously often as it investigates role of MI5 and MI6
12 June 2017
The London-based Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) was established in 2014. It has a mandate to investigate VIP abusers with links to Westminster. Regrettably, it cannot be described as truly independent since it is a creature of the Home Office, the parent department of MI5 which blackmailed, protected and exploited paedophile networks in the UK and Ireland and has dirty tricks embedded in its DNA.
An “independent” Inquiry?
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) was established in 2014 by Theresa May in her then capacity as Home Secretary. Her first choice as chair was Lady Ann Elizabeth Oldfield Butler-Sloss, whose appointment was announced on 8 July 2014. A storm of protest swept her off the chair within days because she was the sister of the late Michael Havers. He had served as Margaret Thatcher’s Attorney General in the 1980s. As reported in Village last month, Havers spoke up for the high-ranking British diplomat and MI6 officer, Sir Peter Hayman, after he had been exposed as a paedophile in March 1981 by Geoffrey Dickens MP in the House of Commons. The police had discovered that Hayman had been involved in a paedophile network and was a connoisseur of child pornography. Havers, speaking in his capacity as Attorney General, parried that Hayman’s collection was not extreme and had not warranted prosecution.
Butler-Sloss was born on 10 August 1933. Since the IICSA is likely to last another 12-15 years, she would have been well on the way to her century when it finished. Just what was Theresa May thinking?
May’s second choice as chairman was Dame Catherine Fiona Woolf, DBE, JP, DL, who was appointed in September 2014 and lasted a month. She was a friend and neighbour of Leon Brittan who had served as Home Secretary in the 1980s. In 1984 he was handed the Dickens Dossier which exposed a VIP paedophile network, by Geoffrey Dickens MP. Brittan commanded all the resources of the police and by lifting a telephone could have ensured that immediate action was taken to end the rape and brutalisation of children described in the institutions in the dossier. Instead he did precisely nothing. Why?
In 2014 it emerged that the Dickens Dossier had disappeared. When quizzed about this, Brittan initially claimed he had no memory of ever having received it but later relented and “recalled” he had handed it over to an official in the Home Office.
After media reports that Brittan had been a dinner party guest at Woolf’s house on at least three occasions, she stepped down from the IICSA and was replaced by Judge Lowell Goddard who shouldered the burden until 2016 when it became too much for her. One would almost be forgiven for suspecting that the Inquiry was designed to topple over under its own weight.
A subterranean campaign against the truth
A campaign to suppress the truth about manipulation by MI5 and MI6 of VIP paedophile networks has been afoot for decades and shows no sign of abating. As detailed in recent editions of Village, last year MI5 and MI6 (which is attached to the Foreign Office) lied to the Hart Inquiry about their involvement in the Kincora scandal and received a clean bill of health from it.
Meanwhile pro-establishment figures in the media (at least one of whom has been linked to MI6) have been campaigning to end police investigations into historical child abuse. There is growing support for this initiative among the British public on account of the behaviour of the police who investigated the singer Cliff Richard and others for child abuse when – patently – there was no evidence against them. Their behaviour was so inept one would be forgiven for thinking their intention was to poison the public against historical abuse inquiries.
Some of the vice rings which the IICSA should be investigating overlap with networks in Ireland. The odds are stacked high that the IICSA will be persuaded to ignore them in light of the publication of the Hart Report earlier this year which was meant to have dealt comprehensively with Irish issues but was hoodwinked by the spooks.
The Tory MP who visited Kincora
Other substantial threats to the Anglo-Irish paedophile network which have emerged in recent years have been swept back under the carpet. In 2015 two RUC officers who had been involved in the inquiries that led to the conviction of the staff at Kincora disclosed the involvement of a Tory MP at the home. On 23 January 2015 the late Liam Clarke reported in the Belfast Telegraph that they had told him that a Tory MP had “visited Kincora during the 1970s”. Both officers, he reported, were “willing to help any inquiry into Kincora either here or in England. They revealed that the MP died before they could arrange to interview him”. One of the officers revealed that the MP had been “coming over to the Northern Ireland Office quite regularly… We were told by criminal records in Scotland Yard London that he had a conviction many years ago for indecent behaviour or something in a gents’ loo against another boy but his death meant we never got a chance to question him”.
Clarke’s report adds credence to what Clint Massey, another Kincora survivor, recalls about his time at the home. “In those days, there were loads of people over from London. I have always assumed they were senior figures from Whitehall. I certainly heard English accents”.
Unfortunately, in 2017 the Hart Inquiry inaccurately concluded that the abuse at Kincora was confined to the staff members who were convicted in 1981 and that a wider sex-abuse ring did not exist.
The establishment’s Achilles heel
On a more positive note, there is a treasure trove of records which could act as a roadmap to pinpoint much of MI5’s complicity in covering up the VIP paedophile networks. They can be found in the archives of the D-Notice Committee. D-Notices are issued to the press to suppress the publication of information on the basis of “national security”. They are signed by judges. Clearly, they are not issued to curtail fiction, and therefore tend to attest to the accuracy of a story.
A D-notice was issued to suppress details about the rape of children at Elm Guest House, the notorious child brothel in London frequented by Jimmy Savile, Cyril Smith, Peter Hayman and others. Richard Kerr was one of those abused at it. Hilton Tims, editor of the Surrey Comet, 1980-1988, has revealed that in the 1980s one of his journalists made inquiries about it only to receive a D-Notice which shut his probe down. Who applied for it? What grounds did they offer the judge who issued it? Indeed, who was the judge?
The same questions could be asked about the D-Notice issued to journalist Dan Hale to quash his investigation into a VIP network involving politicians. It had been based on information supplied by Barbara Castle, the former Labour cabinet minister and MEP.
What, other than a blackmail operation, could have amounted to a “national security” interest at Elm Guest House and justified the suppression of Hale’s inquiry?
Time will tell if the IICSA allows Kerr to testify about Elm Guest House and bothers to examine the D-Notice archive.
An inconvenient witness
One survivor who will not be welcomed by the darker elements of the Home Office should he turn up to testify at the IICSA is Richard Kerr. He was raped as a young child in Belfast and as a teenager at Kincora before he was trafficked to England where he was exploited by a string of VIP abusers at locations such as Elm Guest House and Dolphin Square. At least two of his friends and fellow victims died many years ago. One of them, Stephen Warren, couldn’t take any more and committed suicide by jumping into the sea from the Liverpool-Belfast Monarch Ferry.
One of Kerr’s abusers was a senior politician whom he has yet to name in public. The abuse took place in London so the IICSA should investigate it. Kerr has hinted at who the culprit was on Channel 4 News in 2016. Village believes that he was a high-profile Tory cabinet minister who died not long before the Channel 4 interview.
Sir Anthony Blunt
Kerr is holding yet another ticking time-bomb: he saw Sir Anthony Blunt, formerly of MI5, at Kincora during the period 1975- 1977 in the company of two other men. Blunt was a member of the Cambridge Spy Ring which betrayed Britain’s secrets to the Soviet Union.
Blunt was the third and youngest son of the Reverend Stanley Vaughan Blunt (1870–1929) and his wife, Hilda Master (1880–1969). He was also a relative of the Queen Mother. He was born at Holy Trinity vicarage, Bournemouth, Hampshire, on 26 September 1907. As a child he lived for a while in Paris, where his father was the British embassy chaplain. He was later educated at Marlborough School where he developed a strong interest in art. According to one of his biographers, Michael Kitson: “Blunt was part of a group of rebellious young aesthetes”, he was producing precociously fluent defences of modern art, much to the infuriation of the deeply conservative art teacher – an early indication of his academic talent and his instinctive contrariness”.
Blunt worked for MI5 during WWII and then pursued a career as an art historian. He was to become a Knight of the Realm and Keeper of the Queen’s Pictures. His world was turned upside down in November 1979 after he was exposed as a Soviet mole. Photographs of him were plastered over newspapers in the UK for months on end to remind Kerr of exactly who he was.
‘Small boys are cheap today, cheaper than yesterday’
Blunt developed an appetite for so-called ‘rent boys’: impoverished male youths condemned to eke out a living as male prostitutes in seedy toilets in London: hardly a lifestyle any of them embraced voluntarily. Blunt ‘cottaged’ for them around the lavatories in Hyde Park, near to Speakers Corner. Details of Blunt’s private life and his fondness for visiting Northern Ireland have been described in many of the biographies written about him. If Kerr had not stepped forward, there would still have been ample grounds for the IICSA to enquire into his background. Kerr is significant nonetheless because he places Blunt at Kincora with two other men. This fact makes it imperative that the IICSA should roll up its sleeves and take a long hard look at Blunt. Although Blunt did not abuse Kerr himself, his two companions did.
There are also unconfirmed reports that Blunt was a visitor to Elm Guest House.
Blunt acquired his taste for ‘rent boys’ from his fellow MI5 traitor Guy Burgess, with whom he once lived. Burgess was addicted to them. While Burgess purported to be concerned for the downtrodden, he made jokes about the children he exploited from their ranks. On one occasion he wrote a nauseating adaptation of La donna e mobile which he thought was hilarious: “Small boys are cheap today, cheaper than yesterday”.
Blunt’s treachery was uncovered by MI5 in 1963. The following year he agreed to make a confession in return for immunity and the wholescale betrayal of the secrets of everyone he knew. Peter Wright of MI5 was assigned to interrogate him. In return for his co-operation, Blunt was given a pardon and his treachery was concealed from the public. The pardon was not limited to his treachery; in addition it afforded him blanket immunity for any crime he had ever committed, something undoubtedly designed to cover his sexual transgressions.
A marathon seven-year interrogation
Blunt must’ve felt he had smashed a mirror for bad luck. His face-to-face encounters with Wright would drag on for seven years. They were still proceeding apace during the early years of the Troubles by which time MI5 was keen to find any mechanism to gain control and influence over Loyalist politicians and paramilitaries. Blunt was in a pole position to assist them with his knowledge of the Anglo-Irish Vice Ring of which he was a leading light. The opportunities for sexual blackmail were immense.
For seven years Wright and MI5 pored over the careers of the Oxbridge graduates of the 1930s and anyone else of possible interest known to Blunt.
Blunt’s circle of friends in Ireland
Wright’s odyssey into the hidden recesses of Blunt’s life unravelled an array of friends and associates in Ireland, connections which reached back to his childhood. Blunt had attended Marlborough School where he had befriended the celebrated Belfast poet Louis MacNeice, who was born in the same month as him. For a long time the pair remained the best of friends.
Sir Samuel Knox Cunningham, MP, KC
Blunt earned a scholarship to Cambridge in 1926 where he made more Irish friends. One of then was Sir Samuel Knox Cunningham who was slightly younger than him. Cunningham became known as the ‘Boxing Queen’ because of his homosexuality and prowess as a pugilist. He was a heavyweight boxing champion at Cambridge. In later life he was elected as a Unionist MP. In the 1960s he represented South Antrim. He served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Prime Minister Harold MacMillan, 1959-1963, and as such routinely attended Cabinet meetings at 10 Downing Street. Knox Cunningham often stayed with Blunt while in London and also knew Guy Burgess from their days at Cambridge. He was a rich man and lived on a 70-acre estate at Glencairn Park, and once came within an inch of becoming Grandmaster of the Orange Order. He chose not to stand in the 1970 general election and was succeeded by his fellow Orangemen and election agent, James Molyneaux who later led the Unionist Party. Molyneaux was a friend of another high-ranking Orangeman, William McGrath, one of the staff at Kincora who was convicted for child abuse in 1981.
Cunningham was also a key figure in the odious Anglo-Irish Vice Ring. At the start of Blunt’s debriefing, Peter Wright’s interest in Cunningham would have centred on the fact he had sat around the Cabinet table, was gay and the friend of a self-confessed KGB mole (Blunt) and another traitor who had defected to Moscow (Burgess). By the end of the debriefing in the early 1970s, Cunningham’s lofty position within the Orange Order and central role in Unionist politics would have been of equal interest to MI5. Cunningham was one of many homosexuals active inside the Orange Order who were susceptible to blackmail, especially as homosexuality was still a crime in Northern Ireland, and he undoubtedly knew many of them, including a leading light in the Orange Order, William McGrath, the housefather at Kincora.
Richard Kerr has revealed that Knox Cunningham was a visitor to Kincora. Since the IICSA is charged with investigating VIP child abuse, especially abusers who were Westminster MPs, the Inquiry will, it is to be hoped, listen to what Kerr has to say about Cunningham.
The Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Tyrone
Another of Blunt’s Irish friends was Captain Peter Montgomery, a cousin of ‘Monty’, the famous WWII field marshal. The Captain lived at a magnificent estate in Blessingborne, County Tyrone. The pair first met at Cambridge. Montgomery became one of Blunt’s earliest lovers, possibly even his first. Montgomery later became Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Tyrone, which meant he was one of a string of personal representative of the Queen in Ulster. He also became President of the Northern Ireland Arts Council. Montgomery always kept a room for Blunt at Blessingborne, and Montgomery often stayed with Blunt when he visited London. When Blunt suffered nervous exhaustion in 1943, it was to Ulster and the embrace of Montgomery he repaired for recuperation. After Blunt was exposed as an MI5 traitor, Blunt’s signature was found by Sunday Times reporters in the guestbook at Blessingborne.Captain Montgomery was also a key figure in the Anglo-Irish Vice Ring. According to the whistleblower Robin Harbinson, who knew him well, he procured boys from Portora Royal College, Enniskillen, for those in the vice ring with a penchant for well-bred children.
One of Blunt’s biographers, Miranda Carter, has provided a glimpse at the lifestyle Blunt and Montgomery enjoyed: “The writer Hugh Massingberd, Peter Montgomery’s great-nephew, remembered meeting Blunt, very much ‘off duty’, with his uncle in 1965. ‘It was a very hot day, and Blunt came in wearing virtually a G-string and a light sleeveless T-shirt, and said, “Peter’s overdressed and I’m underdressed. How do you do?”. It was a bit stagey. His [great] uncle also once took him to a party at Blunt’s old stomping ground, Palace Court. ‘There seemed to be a lot of oriental youths around, and Blunt and my uncle, one felt, had dropped their guards. It was full of opera queens and an odd mixture of seedy old faggots and oriental boys. It was very much a gay party’”.
Britain’s insatiable appetite for revelations about the Cambridge Spy Ring
As the bloodhounds in the UK press picked up the scent of Blunt’s MI5 treachery in 1979, he became preoccupied at the prospect of the seamy side of his private life being exposed. At the same time, senior members of the British Establishment were trying to talk Margaret Thatcher out of confirming that Blunt had been a KGB mole. They must also have been concerned that a root and branch investigation of Blunt’s sordid life by the media would expose the Anglo-Irish abuse network.
Now, if Richard Kerr manages to get to testify before the IICSA, he might yet manage to prise open this long-sealed can of Anglo-Irish worms. In the first instance, he will focus attention on Blunt and the Anglo-Irish network. While the British media has little interest in Kincora, it has an insatiable appetite for stories about the Cambridge Spy Ring. New books are published every year and receive a wider readership, and this has been the case for decades. If Blunt were linked to the vice ring that swirled around Kincora, some sections of the British media might become difficult to muzzle. If it became apparent that MI5 learnt about the inner workings of the Anglo-Irish vice ring through Blunt, and that this was what led them to Kincora, MI5 might yet face a torrid time in the British press, whatever about at the IICSA.
There is also a Byzantine and ironic possibility that Blunt – the arch traitor – returned to the MI5 fold in the 1970s, albeit with his tail between his legs. Those in MI5 who controlled him might have assigned him to work as an agent provocateur. And his mission? To lure influential pederasts and paedophiles to places like Kincora and Elm Guest House where MI5 surveillance teams were waiting to film them for blackmail purposes.
David Sullivan, whose body was found in February 2001, a year and five months after he went missing.
Unsolved murder of bus driver puts spotlight on suspected paedophile ring in the North
There are many questions for authorities over abuse in Enniskillen in the 1980s
Apr 12, 2019
In a windswept, isolated bog near Belcoo, Co Fermanagh, lay the body of a former school bus driver responsible for a litany of sex attacks against his young passengers. He had been brutally murdered, possibly in an attack motivated by revenge.
David Sullivan (51) spent much of his time driving his white, specially adapted Hyundai at all hours of the day visiting places such as scenic Lough Navar near Derrygonnelly, outside Enniskillen.
He was something of a nomad, a creature of the night who never slept for more than four hours. He had no siblings, just an elderly mother to whom he spoke regularly.
On February 3rd, 2001, his remains were discovered by a man walking his dog, a year and five months after he had gone missing. Sullivan was at that time suffering from advanced Parkinson’s disease.
Almost 20 years on, Sullivan’s killer has never been found and while there were always allegations about sexual impropriety when he was alive, including his possible links with local businessmen and professional people to a suspected paedophile ring in Enniskillen during the 1980s, it is only now with the passage of time that the true extent of activities can be revealed.
Jekyll and Hyde
Long before his murder, Sullivan – a youth leader with both St Macartin’s Cathedral Youth Club and the Duke of Westminster High School’s Youth Club in Ballinamallard – had already become a Jekyll and Hyde character. He spent his days driving for Ulsterbus and his nights in the company of teenage boys and criminals. He played snooker with his friends at the Wellington Snooker Club on Rossorry Church Road and allowed children to use his flat in Enniskillen.
One of his victims came forward this week to reveal how the chain-smoking Sullivan sexually abused him on his school bus 12 times when he was a boy, abuse that stretched over a five-year period.
John (not his real name) told the Impartial Reporter how Sullivan first raped him on his school bus when he was 12 years old, attacking him in a lay-by early one morning near Lisnaskea.
John recalled Sullivan telling him, as he looked over his thick glasses: “I can do what I want.”
“He would appear from anywhere and at any time. It was like a game of cat and mouse. He would have taken the first victim he found. That was me, too many times.”
John believes Sullivan was not operating alone. On one occasion Sullivan tried to force John to get into his car and when the teenager refused Sullivan sped off almost crashing into traffic. About 15 minutes later, another man driving a van pulled up claiming that John’s uncle had asked him to collect him.
“I was told to get into the van. It never dawned on me what was going to happen until he asked me to pull back the floor mat where he had a load of pornographic magazines.
“I was abused there and then. The irony was cruel. I finally stood up to Sullivan only to be met by another.
“There was no way he would have known about me had it not been for Sullivan. That is why I am convinced a paedophile ring was in operation,” John said.
Teenage boys were regularly seen entering and leaving Sullivan’s flat. Police believe he may have been involved with businessmen and professionals in a paedophile ring. These men include some well-known people, including some in positions of trust, who probably thought their secrets would never be unearthed.
Since the Impartial Reporter first published details of the case a few weeks ago, as part of a campaign to raise awareness of historical sex abuse, many victims have come forward to tell their stories.
There’s the man who was raped by several men in toilets in Enniskillen from February 1987, beginning when he was 12 years old.
“I came outside and was actually physically sick on the floor. I wasn’t really sure what had just happened to me,” he said.
“In that alleyway there was nobody and those toilets were empty, only for those men, and I would turn up and then I started seeing other boys there that I would’ve been at school with.”
Police closed an investigation into his claims due to a “lack of evidence”. He turned to alcohol and drugs and has suffered with his mental health ever since.
Then there’s the man who revealed how his attacker, a family friend and prominent businessman, made him watch pornography before sexually abusing him while his wife and children were on holiday.
“I couldn’t believe it, I covered my face and went to the place in my mind I had trained myself to go to. I just wanted my mum to come and save me but I was entrapped in something I didn’t want to admit I even knew about,” said Brian (not his real name). On another occasion the abuser took him to a country lane near Devenish Island and raped him. He was 14.
Five years ago, Brian went to the Police Service of Northern Ireland but his case was dropped by the Public Prosecution Service due to a “lack of evidence”.
Another person to come forward in recent weeks is Karen (not her real name) whose life spiralled out of control after she was repeatedly raped by her brother 30 years ago.
The woman, who has discovered her son was also abused by the same man, recalled when and where the abuse of her first started. She even remembered the colour of the bedsheets. Brown. Her brother was 15 at the time, she was 11.
“I can still see the big room, the double bed, the single bed. I can remember the brown bedspread, brown blankets, the walls were papered but there was one wall that had gloss paint. There was one window with brown curtains and a net curtain. The carpet was brown as well.
“And then it all started. I was 11 when my brother called me into his bedroom to give me a cigarette. Then asked me to touch him,” said Karen.
She claimed she knew of up to nine other victims of the same man and said when both she and her son reported the abuse to the PSNI in 2013 and 2014 the cases were dropped, again, due to “insufficient evidence”.
“It eats away at you like a cancer. Just imagine your heart being ripped from your chest and getting physically sick and not knowing where to turn when your own child tells you they were abused by the same person,” she said.
Questions for authorities
There are many questions now for the authorities. Who murdered Sullivan and why? Why was he never prosecuted for his abuse? Were claims of a paedophile ring ever properly investigated?
This week the PSNI’s public prosecution branch offered to meet the sex abuse victims who have been coming forward.
In a statement, Detective Chief Supt Paula Hilman said: “I am aware of the coverage relating to historic child sexual abuse cases covered by the Impartial Reporter in recent weeks. I would like to offer to meet with any of these victims to explore these incidents further.”
In a statement, a spokeswoman for Translink – which runs Ulsterbus – said in view of the “extremely serious matters” raised by the reports it had contacted the PSNI and was in the process of informing the educational authorities and other appropriate bodies about the claims.
Senior members of the PSNI are to be challenged by the Policing Board on this matter, while chief constable George Hamilton has taken a personal interest in these revelations.
Those sex abusers still living in Co Fermanagh who may have thought they got away with it may well expect a knock on the door from a police officer soon. The past is finally catching up on them.
Fermanagh historical sex abuse claims: Ten are arrested
4 August 2020
Ten people have been arrested by police investigating allegations of historical sexual abuse in County Fermanagh.
They are all aged between 63 and 78, and were arrested in County Fermanagh, Belfast, and Londonderry on Tuesday.
A police operation began last year when dozens of alleged victims of sexual abuse told their stories to the Impartial Reporter newspaper.
There have been claims that a paedophile ring was operating in Fermanagh.
Police have confirmed that as part of their enquiries they want to ascertain whether there are any significant or relevant links between the alleged offending.
Integrity of process
On Tuesday, police said one property in the Fermanagh area was searched as part of their operation.
Det Supt Gary McDonald said police were not in a position to give specific details about each arrest at the current time.
“However, I want to give reassurance to the both victims and the local community that we are continuing to work on the reports made to us over the past year,” he said.
Det Supt McDonald said that to “protect the integrity of each individual investigation” and to allow for an prompt investigation, “the team of investigating officers from Public Protection Branch felt it important that these 10 people were arrested and interviewed simultaneously to ensure the integrity of the interview process”.
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.
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
Scott Nelson@SocialistVoice
Michael Gove wrote an extreme right-wing pamphlet against NI Peace Process, labelling it a moral stain#DUP Coalition
Robert Alston was born in 1938, brought up in Sussex, educated at Ardingly College and New College Oxford, and did National Service with the Royal Sussex Regiment.
From 1961 to 1998 he was a member of the Diplomatic Service. The Middle East (as a Persian speaker) and defence, security and proliferation issues were the principal themes of his career. He served overseas in Afghanistan, France, Iran, Belgium (in the British Delegation to NATO), Oman (as ambassador from 1986-90), and New Zealand (as High Commissioner also accredited to Samoa and as Governor of the Pitcairn Islands from 1994-98); also in Belfast on secondment to the Northern Ireland Office.
Since retiring from the Diplomatic Service he has been involved with education (as Chairman of the Council of Ardingly College from 2005-10 and Chairman of the Governing Body of the Marsh Academy New Romney fro 2007-13); the Church (on the staff of Archbishop George Carey from 1999-2002; the Commonwealth Institute and its successor the Commonwealth Education Trust; the Pilgrims, where he serves as a member of the Executive Committee; and the County of Kent as a Kent Ambassador and a Deputy Lieutenant from 2007-13.
He became a Freeman of the World Traders (on the firm recommendation of Past Master Peter Gadsden) in 2000, and progressed through the Company to the Mastership in 2007-8. For him highlights of his year were the Sheep Drive across London Bridge in aid of the Lord Mayor’s charities (the brainchild of his wife Pat, also a Liveryman of the Company), and leading a delegation of World Traders to accompany Lord Mayor David Lewis on his official visit to Oman.
George Carey, who was archbishop of Canterbury at the time when police were investigating claims of sexual abuse by Peter Ball, wrote letters of support, to the director of public prosecutions and the chief constable of Gloucester police in February 1993.
Carey wrote of Ball’s “excruciating pain and spiritual torment” and the implications for the state of his mental health.
Ball escaped prosecution at the time, resigned his post as bishop and retired to a cottage provided by Prince Charles, Prince of Wales’s Duchy of Cornwall estate.
After a fresh investigation was opened in 2012, Ball, now 83, was sentenced to 32 months in prison in October 2015 after pleading guilty to abusing 18 vulnerable young men between 1977 and 1992.
Since retiring from the Diplomatic Service he has been involved with education (as Chairman of the Council of Ardingly College from 2005-10 and Chairman of the Governing Body of the Marsh Academy New Romney from 2007-13);the Church (on the staff of Archbishop George Carey from 1999-2002; the Commonwealth Institute and its successor the Commonwealth Education Trust; the Pilgrims, where he serves as a member of the Executive Committee; and the County of Kent as a Kent Ambassador and a Deputy Lieutenant from 2007-13.
He became a Freeman of the World Traders (on the firm recommendation of Past Master Peter Gadsden) in 2000, and progressed through the Company to the Mastership in 2007-8. For him highlights of his year were the Sheep Drive across London Bridge in aid of the Lord Mayor’s charities (the brainchild of his wife Pat, also a Liveryman of the Company), and leading a delegation of World Traders to accompany Lord Mayor David Lewis on his official visit to Oman.
Led by Freeman Hon causa Pat Alston ONZM, in the organisation of the 2008 London Bridge Sheep Drive which raised more than £50,000 for the Lord Mayor’s Appeal.
Patricia Alston, ONZM, is a Director of Romney Tweed CIC, a company she founded in 2012 which aims to create employment in an area of social deprivation on the Romney Marsh, Kent, through the manufacture of high quality cloth from the wool of Romney sheep.
A former secretary in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) from 1959-1969, she served in Tokyo, the FCO Inspectorate and the Private Office.
From 1969-1998, she accompanied her husband, Robert, a member of the Diplomatic Service, on postings to France, Iran, Belgium, Oman and New Zealand. From 1986-1990, Robert served as Ambassador to Oman, and from 1994-1998 as High Commissioner to New Zealand, also accredited to Samoa, and as Governor of the Pitcairn Islands.
Patricia is a former Chairman of the British Diplomatic Families Association and was Chairman of The World Traders Sheep Drive Committee in 2008. She is a Liveryman of The Worshipful Company of World Traders.
In 2010 Patricia was awarded New Zealand’s honour, the ONZM, in recognition of her services to New Zealand – United Kingdom relations.
The company No. 8850986 was incorporated on 24 January 2014
PATRONS
Admiral of the Fleet the Lord Boyce, KG,GCB,OBE,DL, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports and Governor of Dover Castle Sir David Wootton, former Lord Mayor of London, and Deputy Chairman of the City Wool Advisory Board
DIRECTORS
Patricia Alston,ONZM, Founder of Romney Tweed CIC, former Chairman of British Diplomatic Spouses Association, Chairman of World Traders Sheep Drive Committee 2008. Robert Alston,CMG,QSO,DL, retired diplomat, former Chairman of the Governors of Marsh Academy and Ardingly College. Member of Kent Ambassadors and Deputy Lieutenant of Kent, Past Master World Trader. John Corneille, Independent management consultant, former PwC Partner and Chair of the Pro Bono committee of the Worshipful Company of Management Consultants. Edna Delaney, Managing Director, Romney Resource Centre, which specialises in assisting educational underachievers, NEETS, the unemployed and early school leavers. Alison Gowman, Partner in DLA Piper UK LLP, Alderman of the City of London. Trustee of several organisations. Past Master Glover. Ursula Underhill, Consultant in education and assessment. Previously worked for Cambridge International Examinations (a department of the University of Cambridge). Taught for 17 years in secondary, further and higher education.
COMPANY SECRETARY
Alan Milne, FCIS, Chartered Secretary in Practice with International Experience.
ROBERT ALSTON AND PRINCE CHARLES (CLOSE FRIEND OF PAEDOPHILE SIR JIMMY SAVILE)
MORE than 300 guests joined HRH Princes Charles and HH Sayyid Shihab bin Tariq Al Said for the 40th Anniversary reception of the Anglo Omani Society at Lancaster House London, Other notable guests included Robert Alston, the Anglo Omani Society chairman…Sir Alan Duncan
Prince Charles said he particularly welcomed the formation of the Anglo Omani Society’s New Generation Group which is working with the Princes Trust in Oman. He pointed to work of the Trust, which following his visit in 2013, is now supporting the Public Authority for SME Development (Riyada) in Oman helping to mentor entrepreneurs.
Duke of York supports call for Oman-UK trade agreement
2016
Prince Andrew – linked to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein (LOLITA EXPRESS) and Robert Alston – brother of Richard Alston convicted paedophile/part of PIE ring who abused children with John Whittingdale’s half brother, PIE treasurer Charles Napier
Duke of York supports call for Oman-UK trade agreement
23rd July 2016
Prince Andrew was addressing a reception of senior Omani and British diplomats and business figures at the Anglo-Omani Society (AoS) headquarters in Sackville Street, London held by the Omani British Friendship Association (OBFA) of which he is Patron.
Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah Al Hinai, the Sultanate’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, Robert Alston, Chairman of the Omani-British Society, members of the society and members of the Omani diplomatic mission in Britain were present on the occasion.
London: On the occasion of the Omani British Friendship Association (OBFA) Financial Services Roundtable, The Anglo-Omani Society and OBFA hosted a reception on Monday in the presence of His Royal Highness The Duke of York and His Highness Sayyid Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, patrons of OBFA.
Attended by leading dignitaries and senior level business figures from both Britain and the Sultanate, the event, hosted by the Anglo-Omani Society and OBFA at the Society’s premises in Sackville Street, was organised on the occasion of the OBFA Financial Services Roundtable.
AoS chairman Robert Alston with His Highness Sayyid Haitham bin Tariq Al Said with Prince Andrew in the rear
Other guests included HE Sheikh Al Hinai, Oman’s Ambassador to the UK, HE Dr Al Futaisi Oman’s Minister of Transport, Lord Ahmad UK Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport as well as the Ambassadors of Kuwait, UAE, Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. In addition the Anglo Omani Society chairman Robert Alston and its New Generation Group chairmen Oliver Blake and Sheikh Ma’an Hamad Al-Rawahi helped host the event.
Businesses and Omani Government organisations represented included HSBC, Oman Air, Omran, Oman Global Logistics, Ithraa, Apex Publishing, Oman Travel, Dentons LLP, BAE Systems, Charles Kendall Group, Carillion, Pathfinders and BP.
Robert Alston was a director of the Antarctic Heritage Trust – Prince Charles’ sister, Princess Anne is patron
Robert Alston on the staff of Archbishop George Carey from 1999-2002.
Archbishop Carey accused of failing to refer to police detailed 1992 allegations against Peter Ball.
George Carey, who was archbishop of Canterbury at the time when police were investigating claims of sexual abuse by Ball, wrote in support of Ball to the director of public prosecutions and the chief constable of Gloucester police in February 1993.
Several people who allege that Bishop Ball abused them while serving as Bishop of Lewes between 1997 and 1992 are preparing to sue the diocese of Chichester for hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Why did the CPS abandon investigation into Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor?
The reputation of Sussex as a paedophile hotspot now has further credence thanks to child sex abuse convictions in the overlapping Anglican diocese of Chichester ...
Cardinal Murphy O’Connor’s Cover-Up of Child Abusers Must Be a Lesson to the Catholic Church
NSS Executive Director Keith Porteous Wood has followed the career of Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor who died on 1 September 2017 and seeks to set the historical record straight with this alternative obituary.
The death of Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor has understandably resulted in obituaries lauding his achievements as a Prince of the Catholic Church. But we are pleased that few ignore entirely the Cardinal’s involvement in one of the most scandalous child abuse cover-ups this country has seen.
I don’t doubt for a moment that Cardinal Murphy O’Connor did some good in his life, but there was another side to his story that should not be forgotten – a side that resulted in pain and suffering for many children. And the ruthless campaign by the Church to repress the details of the Cardinal’s many errors and misjudgements, and worse.
Despite the image of a genial old buffer that the Cardinal liked to project, it did not stop him, in 2006, from sacking his talented press secretary, a lay position, simply because he was “openly gay”. And O’Connor was “firmly against the repeal of Clause 28, which banned the promotion of homosexuality in schools”, a repressive and vindictive measure now regarded with embarrassment. This, despite the prevalence of gay men in the priesthood.
Those with long memories will also remember that, following complaints from parents, O’Connor, when Bishop of Arundel and Brighton, moved a known serial practising paedophile cleric, Michael Hill, from unsuspecting parish to unsuspecting parish.
If O’Connor’s objective had been to reward Hill by affording him the greatest possible opportunities to prey on an almost unlimited supply of vulnerable unaccompanied juveniles, some of them thousands of miles from their parents, he could have done no better than appoint Hill as Catholic chaplain at Gatwick Airport. Yet this is exactly what O’Connor did, despite his knowledge of Hill’s repeat offending and psychiatric reports that Hill was likely to re-offend.
Needless to say, O’Connor never shared what he knew about Hill’s criminal abusive activities with the police, contributing directly to Hill’s ability to continue his orgy of abuse unhindered. Hill was eventually convicted and jailed in two separate trials for abusing a boy with learning difficulties at the Airport, as well as eight other boys. Ten further charges unaccountably “remain on file”.
To his dying day, the best Murphy O’Connor could do in his mea culpa on Hill was to say his response was “inadequate but not irresponsible”. Not much consolation to the victims and their families. Nor will have been the self-righteous indignation of his pitiful response to criticism:
“Inevitably mistakes have been made in the past; but not for want of trying to take the right and best course of action.”
Richard Scorer, abuse lawyer and NSS director, examined the Hill saga exhaustively in his book Betrayed: The English Catholic Church and the Sex Abuse Crisis and demonstrated beyond doubt that O’Connor’s claims about Michael Hill were completely baseless.
And, so predictably, O’Connor’s affable mask slipped again and he got pretty vicious when the media started asking what were, to his mind, too many questions and getting too close to the uncomfortable truth.
Few if any others than O’Connor could have managed to intimidate the BBC into silence, yet having done so, O’Connor still had the gall to claim that there was an anti-Catholic bias in the media. He wrote:
“Many others feel deeply concerned by the apparently relentless attack by parts of the media on their faith and on the church in which they continue to believe.”
That old trick so well practised by the Catholic hierarchy: portraying itself as the victim.
That would all be shocking enough, yet there is credible speculation that the Hill saga could have been just the visible tip of the iceberg. A 2012/3 report by the group Stop Church Sexual Abuse has speculated that:
“[Anglican] clergy … seem to have worked together with priests from [O’Connor’s] Catholic Diocese of Arundel and Brighton … to abuse children.
Reports include that of a Catholic priest who had multiple reports for alleged child sex offences and who was moved by the Catholic Bishop [O’Connor] over to the CoE diocese of Chichester and became an Anglican Minister.
“The relationship between the [Catholic] Diocese of Arundel and Brighton [O’Connor’s] and [the Anglican one of] Chichester [in which Peter Ball, mentioned below, ministered] has been historically close. … in the 1980s … Bishops Cormac Murphy O’Connor and Peter Ball [not imprisoned until 2015 on multiple counts of sexual abuse committed over twenty years earlier] were close friends and it is now [claimed] that both sat on multiple reports of child sexual abuse by clergy and did nothing to protect children from further abuse.
“In total upwards of 17 Anglican and 19 Catholic clergy have been reported to have abused children up to the late 1990s within these Dioceses. Most lived and/or worked within one small geographic area which adds to the concern that there [may have been] a network of sex offenders shoaling for victims within church communities, schools, cathedrals, youth groups and scouting groups.”
Even the Daily Telegraph reported police investigations into “claims that O’Connor hampered Hill’s prosecution” and if the claims above are correct about O’Connor’s close friendship and nefarious collaboration with the devious and mendacious Peter Ball, who escaped justice for decades, this does not seem in the least far-fetched.
At least, however, O’Connor is still indelibly connected in the public’s mind with the disgraceful Michael Hill saga, having been widely reported including in The Times, with severe criticisms including “Victims’ groups demanded his resignation in 2002”.
The Church could not but have known very much more. But the process of rewriting history is no doubt in full progress.
Does it not however speak volumes about the Pope and Catholic Church that, given all the above, they chose, out of all the possible candidates, “His Eminence Cardinal” Cormac Murphy O’Connor to be a cardinal, to be the most senior Catholic in England and Wales, to be Emeritus Archbishop of Westminster, and to be the Pope’s Apostolic Visitor to investigate clerical child abuse in the Archdiocese of Armagh?
But maybe we should not be surprised. The Pope tellingly did not strip O’Connor’s fellow Cardinal in Scotland, Keith O’Brien, of his cardinal’s biretta for abusing his rank with decades of predatory sexual activity, when it all came to light in 2013.
It seems from the Gibb Report into disgraced former Bishop Ball that Sussex police appear to have done a workman-like job on abuse in the Anglican diocese. I would have suggested that the Sussex Police now turn their attention to the Catholic diocese, but unfortunately the CPS told them in 2003 to abandon the investigation whilst refusing to explain why. Hopefully this was not because of O’Connor’s clerical rank, just like the CofE’s Report suggested Peter Ball’s cleric rank was the reason he escaped justice in 1993.
Damian Green sacked after ‘misleading statements’ on porn claims
20 DEC 2017
Damian Green, one of Theresa May’s closest allies, has been sacked from the cabinet after an inquiry found he had breached the ministerial code.
He was “asked to quit” after he was found to have made “inaccurate and misleading” statements about what he knew about claims pornography was found on his office computer in 2008.
He also apologised for making writer Kate Maltby feel uncomfortable in 2015.
Laura Kuenssberg said the PM “had little choice but to ask him to go”.
The BBC’s political editor said the departure of a close friend left Mrs May a “lonelier figure”.
The 61-year old Mr Green, who as first secretary of state was effectively the PM’s deputy, is the third cabinet minister to resign in the space of two months, Michael Fallon and Priti Patel having both quit in November.
In her written response, Mrs May expressed “deep regret” at Mr Green’s departure but said his actions “fell short” of the conduct expected of a cabinet minister.
He had been under investigation regarding allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards journalist and Tory activist Ms Maltby. He denied suggestions that he made unwanted advances towards her in 2015.
He also denied that he had either downloaded or viewed pornography on a computer removed from his Commons office in 2008.
An official report by the Cabinet Office found that two statements he had made in November about being unaware pornographic material had been found on a computer in his office were “inaccurate and misleading” and constituted a breach of the ministerial code.
The report also found that although there were “competing and contradictory accounts of what were private meetings” between himself and Ms Maltby, the investigation found her account “to be plausible”.
Her parents, Colin and Victoria Maltby, said in a statement they were not surprised to find that the inquiry found Mr Green to have been “untruthful as a minister, nor to that they found our daughter to be a plausible witness”.
They praised their 31-year-old daughter for her courage in speaking out about the “abuse of authority”.
Ms Maltby is not commenting on Mr Green’s resignation until she receives more details from the Cabinet Office.
In his resignation letter, Mr Green said statements he made about what he knew about the pornography could have been “clearer”, conceding his lawyers had been informed by lawyers for the Met Police about their initial discovery in 2008 and the police had also raised the matter within him in a phone call in 2013.
“I apologise that my statements were misleading on this point,” he said.
Damian Green has never been a politician with a huge public persona, or even a hugely well-known character.
But he was an extremely important ally of Theresa May. Not just a political friend but a genuine one, close to her for decades.
The parish priest in the village of Newick, the Rev. John Baker, organized a donors’ group to back Mr. Knight in his struggle and mobilized the support, among others, of Viscount Hampden, Viscount Brentford, the Earl of March and Mrs. Susan Sainsbury, the wife of a Conservative Member of Parliament. Their efforts won the support of the Anglican Bishop of Lewes, Peter Ball, a member of a small monastic order who shuns ecclesiastical vestments and worships in a converted pigsty. Group Contributed $313,000
The Secret Life of a Paedophile exposed a Chaplain at Ardingly, later Bishop John Neale, to have colluded with Righton.
Bishop John Neale wrote a letter to Righton concerning one of those boys abused by Righton and when Neale was asked if he knew of his long-standing friend’s (Peter Righton) sexual interest in boys and whether he might have done more to protect them, he declined to reply.
Smith and Brittan are dead, as is Willie Whitelaw who had, while Home Secretary in 1980, allegedly blocked a police investigation into a Westminster paedophile ring.
Also gone is Sir Tony Hetherington, the DPP at the time that the then Lancashire police chief Albert Laugharne was told by his office to shut up about Smith.
Paedophile Sir William van Straubenzee is in Jeffery Epstein’s Black Book
More people at Ardingly charged with child sexual abuse:
CLIVE WILLIAMS
Clive Williams was a director at …Ardingly College along with Robert Alston -diplomat brother of convicted paedophile, PIE member, Richard Alston – partner of PIE member Peter Righton
Maurice Victor Clive Williams, of Ardingly College Limited (Ardingly College, College Road, Ardingly, RH18 5JY, Forest Row) is a 72-year-old director that is mentioned in 3 filings. This British national worked for 1 company, to name just a few Ardingly College Limited.
This director worked with The Revd Canon John Ratings in Ardingly College Limited, Nicholas Paul Smith in Ardingly College Limited, Andrew Kerr Stewart Roberts, Simon Charles Ward, Caroline Fiona Rich.
20 former pupils at Ashdown House prep school in Sussex – where London mayor Boris Johnson was a boarder – have recently come forward with complaints about extreme cruelty and sex offences committed on them as young boys. A number of teachers are being investigated.
Maurice Victor Clive Williams, 71, retired, of High St, Barcombe, East Sussex, has been charged with four offences, two of indecent assault and two of gross indecency, all with a girl under 16. Another man, Martin Haigh, 66, unemployed, of Lavender St, Brighton, has also been charged with eleven offences, five of indecent assault and six of gross indecency. Four of the indecent assault charges against Haigh involve one boy and the fifth charge involves another boy. Two of the gross indecency charges involve the boy subject of the four indecent assault charges, two involve a second boy, one involves another third boy and one involves a fourth boy. All the boys were aged under 16 at the time of the alleged offences. The offences are alleged to have occurred while both men were employed as teachers at Ashdown House School near Forest Row. None of the offences are alleged to have been committed jointly. The charges, authorised by the CPS, follow an investigation by East Sussex child safeguarding detectives.
A third man, now aged 68, arrested in Tadley, Hants, in January 2015 on suspicion of gross indecency, has been stood down from his police bail while the CPS consider the evidence in relation to him.
‘Men Who Are Attracted to 13-Year-Old Boys Make the Best Teachers’ – Director of Kent Social Services ’74-’85
The Confessions of Rev. Nicolas Stacey
Nicolas Stacey was Director of Social Services for Kent from 1974 to 1985.
In the archives of the British Library are five tapes which should be a cause of concern to us all. Much of the interview with Rev. Nicolas Stacey relives his action-packed adventures at war, his unlikely turn as an Olympic athlete, and his time in the Church of England. Some of the content of the tapes have caused victims of Kendall House sexual abuse to call for an immediate inquiry.
Nicolas Stacey was the Director of Social Services for Kent from 1974 until 1985. The position was relatively new and had only been created three years prior. Nick had made a sideways move from being Director of Social Services for Ealing from its inception in 1971. On the tapes, Stacey says “They started these social service departments, and I thought that this could be something that I could do. Although I was neither a social worker, nor local government officer.”
He goes on to explain, “I think the Chief Executive thought, ‘Look, I’m going to upstage Keith Joseph’ (the then Secretary of State for Social Services) by persuading the council to put up somebody who would be turned down again, because I was not, simply not, qual… ‘cause in general, almost all the people that were appointed had some social worker training.” Stacey was obviously unsuitable for the role but by 1974 he was in charge of six thousand staff across Kent, and responsible for over one hundred thousand potential service users.
If we rewind the tape at this point and go back to Nicolas Stacey talking about his school days, we can begin to see why he was so inappropriate for the role.
Billy Williamson
I was amazed to hear Rev. Stacey talk of his old Deputy Headmaster at Wellesley House Pre-Prep School, Broadstairs, Kent. I had already heard of the fiendish Billy Williamson whilst investigating Ashdown House Prep School, the Sussex boarding school where Boris Johnson was a student. After his time as Stacey’s deputy head in Broadstairs, William Glynn Williamson became the headmaster of Ashdown House and his reign of terror was unforgettable to the students whom he ruled. He was known for bare-bottom flogging of teenage boys, harsh corporal punishment, and a short fuse. William Glynn Williamson had married the mother of a Wellesley house pupil, Laura Violet Morton, and used her fortune to acquire Ashdown House boarding school for boys.
In Alex Renton’s book, Stiff Upper Lip: Secrets, Crimes, and the Schooling of a Ruling Class, we can see examples of Billy Williamson and his behaviour towards children. Renton writes, “Billy Williamson had taken over Ashdown shortly after the Second World War. One of his pupils in the early 1940s, when he taught at a school called Wellesley House, was publisher Anthony Blond. In a memoir, he described Williamson as a ‘magic man,’ a brilliant teacher. Blond says Williamson was ‘in love, as teachers have to be (without being practising pederasts) if they are to stay sane, with the concept of ‘boy’ – and some specimens more than others’.” Williamson was a keen flogger of their “bare bottoms,” but the pupils liked their master no less.
Rev. Stacey was good friends with Anthony Blond, who also published his autobiography Who Cares? in 1971. Nick Stacey describes on the tapes how Blond was a “very colourful man” and goes on to say, “He married and then I think he got divorced, and he lived with the most ‘beautiful boy’ in London, called Andrew McCall, and that split up. And then he married a very upper class girl. And much younger than him. And I said to Anthony when he got engaged to her, what do her parents think about this and he said, ‘They think I’m an elderly bisexual Jew.’”
Nick Stacey would also describe Billy Williamson in a peculiar manner on the recordings. “Willie Williamson, who went on to be headmaster at Ashdown Forest where Princess Margaret sent her son, was a genius with bright, attractive 13-year-old boys… and absolutely never did anything that was the least bit improper — but I mean he was really an example of [how] people who are attracted to boys of that age are the most brilliant teachers.”
Williamson would also employ Martin Haigh, the teacher who in 2017 was convicted of sexually abusing four boys during his time teaching at Ashdown House. Billy Williamson’s brutal abuse of young boys would continue unabated until he stepped down as headmaster of Ashdown in 1975.
Rev. Nicolas Stacey frequently used terms like “bright attractive 13-year-old boys,” “beautiful boys,” and made statements like “people who are attracted to boys of that age are the most brilliant teachers.” If those statements were to be made in an interview for the Director of Social Services for Kent today, what would happen? I would suggest the result should be a public inquiry.
Stacey’s Blanket Silencing
The third and fourth tapes contain damning evidence of neglect, cover ups, and a systematic culture of ignoring children that went right to the top of Kent Social Services. Stacey became relaxed speaking to the interviewer, Louise Brodie. After hours of stating his early triumphs, Nick begins to speak of his tenure as the Director of Kent Social Services. At times, he makes more statements that cause concern.
“It’s terribly sad when you’re sexually orientated towards children,” he said, while defending a Canadian child sex offender who was a church organist. Stacey describes how he frightened the other Directors of Social Services because he was “a different beast.” But his tone becomes almost sinister when talking of rules he set down with his six thousand member staff about dealing with accusations of abuse. “Nobody was to go to the police about accusations against staff without my approval. And it is incredible the way times have changed. I could never begin to do that now. But children, especially children in care, are incredibly manipulative.” Nicolas Stacey should never have been director of Kent social services.
Children were physically pinned down in Kendall House, drugged with excessive doses of controversial medications, beaten regularly, mentally abused, sexually abused, and in some cases raped. Nicolas Stacey states, “I never once went to the police. This was because I never felt that we had a serious case and never in the eleven years I was there did a scandal occur. I mean no scandal that I know of, or none that got out in the public.” Louise Brodie cuts in on the recording and asks Stacey, “No scandal about your staff?” Stacey replies, “About my staff. Now what I did do, I said ‘Look, I’m afraid I’m going to ask you to resign. I am going to have you put on the register of “at risk”.’” A clear admission by Rev. Nick Stacey that he had covered up abuse whilst head of the Kent Social Services. This was Stacey’s “Frost-Nixon” moment. “I would try and get them to go to counselling, had it emerged, you know, that… rampant abuse of kids had occurred, you know.”
Nick Stacey openly admitted on tape that there were cases of abuse, but that he had not informed the police, and instead offered voluntary counselling to the abuser. No mention of the abused at all. But the shock confessions don’t stop there. Stacey went on to say, “A member of staff once hit a child very hard and we had to go to the police. But I went into the dock. I got one of the best QCs. In fact, he was a son of Canon John Collins, you would know from your South African experience. And I went to court and spoke. I said you’ve got no idea how these children wind care staff up. You know, we sit comfortably at our home, we expect care staff with small pay to look after some of the most admittedly tragically deprived. It’s not their fault that they wind people up, and they’re aggressive. Once somebody loses their cool and they do hit somebody then, you know, you say they should be locked up. And I got them off.” Stacey seemed to be very focused on his staff and never on the service users in his care. How many other cases of abuse did he cover-up?
The Survivors
For Stacey it was always about winning, but for the former residents of Kendall House during his term as Director of Social Services for Kent, life had been about loss. The tapes, which were recorded in 2006, were discovered by one of the survivors. Teresa Cooper had once been locked in a room for over a hundred and sixty days in Kendall House. That was one of the many various illegal punishments that the teenage girls living in the care home endured.
My initial thought whilst listening to the Nicolas Stacey tapes was of the various survivors of Kendall House during his tenure as director. I spoke with Teresa Cooper and I asked how it felt when she first discovered the tapes. “I was shocked,” Mrs. Cooper told me, “and then I cried because I didn’t know who to tell as no one listens to me.” I could only imagine the range of emotions that Teresa Cooper experienced. She went on to tell me “I can’t describe how shocked I was. Mortified is an understatement because when you listen to the recordings you realise what you are up against.”
What’s clear from listening to the seven hours of interviews, is that Nicolas Stacey was very much a part of the establishment. Rev. Stacey admitted to hiding cases of abuse while he was responsible for the safety of the children in care homes around Kent. This admission should be enough to deserve a public inquiry into Kent Social Services during his reign as well as the Kent Police force’s response to the recorded confessions. Nick Stacey is a perfect example of the culture that existed in the United Kingdom during the 70s and 80s, where the cries of victims were ignored. Instead, Stacey routinely protected sexual predators and child abusers in general. It is important for all of us to understand what went wrong during that period of systematic child sexual abuse. Kent Police and Kent Social Services refuse to take any responsibility for their inaction even after the facts have surfaced.
There are still hundreds of people who suffered abuse, whilst in Kent care homes, who remain unrepresented. Their extreme experiences and ongoing related sufferings have been ignored by the current Kent establishment. And yet, before Nicolas Stacey’s death in May 2017, he was honoured as a speaker at the Kent Legend’s Association dinner. His various obituaries in the major British newspapers praised him as a man who helped revolutionise the care industry. His sympathy for and aid to paedophiles has been completely ignored.
Former headmaster of prep school attended by Boris Johnson and Damian Lewis is arrested on suspicion of child sex offences
Clive Williams, 69, is understood to have been arrested on Wednesday
He took the helm at Ashdown House in 1975 and remained until 2003
£24,000-a-year school in East Sussex dogged by claims of historic abuse
Mr Williams was released on bail after interview while investigations continue
Johnson family left ‘sad’ and grateful for Mr Williams’ ‘fantastic teaching’
11 July 2014
The former headmaster of the £24,000-a-year prep school attended by Boris Johnson has been arrested on suspicion of child sex offences.
Clive Williams led Ashdown House school in East Sussex, whose former pupils also include the Homeland actor Damian Lewis, the Queen’s nephew Viscount Linley and former Tory chief whip Andrew Mitchell, for almost 30 years.
He is understood to be the 69-year-old man who Sussex Police say they arrested and interviewed on Wednesday over alleged sexual assaults and child neglect.
Mr Williams was released on bail while investigations continue and is not charged with any offence.
The former headmaster of the £24,000-a-year prep school attended by Boris Johnson has been arrested on suspicion of child sex offences.
Clive Williams led Ashdown House school in East Sussex, whose former pupils also include the Homeland actor Damian Lewis, the Queen’s nephew Viscount Linley and former Tory chief whip Andrew Mitchell, for almost 30 years.
Alumni: The Queen’s nephew Viscount Linley
New boy: Viscount Linley, then aged 7, is left in the care of ‘Billy’ Williamson in 1969.
The headmaster, who had been so charming to Princess Margaret, turned out to be a sadist, addicted to spanking the bare bottoms of his charges.
There was talk of blackmail and predatory older pupils encouraged by abusive teachers. That chimed with my adult perception of the bizarre sexualisation of life at Ashdown, especially the system of reward and discipline. At least two children I knew who had been given authority over younger kids used it to force sexual contact – Williamson seemed to have turned a blind eye. There was talk of connections with house masters at Eton, to which Ashdown fed pupils. There had been at least one suicide. There were more teachers in the complaint.
Stanley Johnson (centre) with friends Norman Lamont and Leon Brittan
The hard choices that face the Father of the Mayor
Stanley Johnson
7 May 2008
By chance, Clive Williams, headmaster of Ashdown House, the Sussex prep-school which Boris and three of his siblings (Rachel, Leo and Jo) attended, telephoned me as I sat down to write this article to congratulate me on becoming First Father.
‘What about this charge, Clive,’ I asked, ‘that Boris doesn’t pay attention to detail?’
‘Codswallop!’ Clive replied. ‘You can’t write Greek and Latin prose as well as Boris did without having a supreme ability to master detail. If you’re going to get it right, you have to be meticulous.’
Here’s one of Maurice Williams / Clive Williams’ teachers:
Martin Haigh – Ashdown teacher
Ex-teacher sentenced for sex offences at East Sussex boarding school in 1970s
24 Mar, 2017
Martin Haigh
A Brighton man has been given 12- year prison sentence for sexual offences against four pupils at an East Sussex boarding school, at Ashdown House School, where he was a teacher in the 1970s, and possession of indecent images of children.Martin Haigh (pictured), 67, unemployed, of Lavender St, Brighton, was sentenced at Brighton Crown Court on Friday (24 March) after a four day trial on charges of offences against two of the boys, which had ended in his being convicted on the previous day.He was convicted of four offences, one of indecent assault and three of gross indecency, against the two boys who were then pupils aged between seven and 12, at Ashdown House School, an independent preparatory boarding school near Forest Row, between 1973 and 1975 while he was a teacher there.At a previous hearing before the trial Haigh had also admitted seven other offences, three of gross indecency and four of indecent assault, against two other boys at the school during the same period.He also admitted an offence of possessing indecent images of children, found on a computer at his address when officers searched it in 2015. The images were taken from the Internet and there is no evidence that they were children known to him.Haigh was sentenced to a total of 11 years for the sexual offences and an additional one year for the possession of indecent images.He will be a registered sex offender for life and has been served with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) severely restricting his access to children and computers.The prosecution, authorised by the CPS, followed an investigation by East Sussex child safeguarding detectives after allegations were referred to them for the first time in January 2014.Police emphasise that there are no current or recent safeguarding issues at the school in relation to this case.Detective Constable Paul Deadman said; “This was a complex and protracted investigation, during which it became clear that Haigh had systematically taken advantage of the trust of young and vulnerable boys to abuse them for his own sexual gratification.
He is understood to be the 69-year-old man who Sussex Police say they arrested and interviewed on Wednesday over alleged sexual assaults and child neglect.
Mr Williams was released on bail while investigations continue and is not charged with any offence.
A spokesman for the family told The Times: ‘We are all sad to hear this news. We were all four happy at Ashdown and will always be especially grateful to Clive Williams for his fantastic teaching.’
There is no suggestion that the Johnsons, Mr Lewis, Mr Mitchell or Viscount Linley were among the alleged victims.
Mr Williams took the helm of the school near Tunbridge Wells, Kent, with his wife Rowena in 1975 and remained until 2003, a time in which the school admitted girls for the first time.
Since he left, however, the 170-year-old school has become the centre of allegations of historic sexual abuse.
In December it emerged two former pupils were suing the school over abuse they claimed happened in the 1970s and involved ‘more than one teacher’.
An email seen by the Daily Mail said: ‘The effects of this abuse has damaged a number of pupils long into adulthood and it is felt among us that, as part of the healing process, it is important for us to take our power back and take action against such damaging and horrendous actions.’
Multiple complaints have been forwarded to officers from Sussex Police’s Operation Mitre who have been in touch with more than 20 alleged victims, including some who live abroad.
The Sussex Police spokesman added: ‘During January this year we were contacted by a firm of Solicitors representing a number of clients who have reported to them that they were sexually and physically assaulted by staff whilst they were pupils at Ashdown House School near Forest Row in the 1970’s.
The investigation continues and now spans a period from the late 1960s to the early 1980s.
Damian Lewis: Boarding school is a ‘very violent’ experience that ‘defines you emotionally for life’
Posted on 16 May 2016 by Boarding Concern
Damian Lewis, the Old Etonian actor, has told how he found being sent to boarding school a “very violent experience“.
The star said children who are sent away from home to be educated are left with an experience that “defines you emotionally for the rest of your life”.
The son of a City broker, he was born in the wealthy London suburb of St John’s Wood and was sent to boarding school Eton, whose former pupils include David Cameron and Boris Johnson.
Lewis, who has two children with fellow actor Helen McCrory, said he would not send his own children to boarding school at such a young age.
Recalling his own experience, he said: “I went at eight and I think that’s very hard. You go through something which, at that age, defines you and your ability to cope.
“There’s a sudden lack of intimacy with a parent, and your ability to get through that defines you emotionally for the rest of your life. It’s a very violent experience in those first few weeks. It’s just, boom.”
[Wikipedia has Damien Lewis (b.1971) as attending Ashdown House prep school.]
We were all four happy at Ashdown and will always be especially grateful to Clive Williams for his fantastic teaching.’
The story begins in 1974. Boris, Leo and I (Jo, my littlest brother, was in crèche) are at the European School in Brussels. The Belgian capital in the Seventies was all wild dinner parties, consciousness-raising groups and open marriages. My mother was often in hospital, and my father was often away, and when they were “at home”, my glamorous parents tended to be out.
After being a chaplain at Ardingly, Peter Ball went to St Bartholomew Church in Brighton – Diocese of Chichester – where he had close unrestricted contact with children.
Vickery House was the former vicar of St Bartholomew’s Church in Brighton
-Ardingly alumnus, brother of diplomat Robert Alston-Ardingy alumnus and governor – long term partner of Ardingly alumnus, paedophile Peter Righton of PIE
-friend of paedophile PIE member, British Council teacher, Charles Napier – half-brother of John Whittingdale who was pps and friend to Margaret Thatcher – who was close friends with paedophile Jimmy Savile – Jimmy Savile was good friends with both Peter Ball and Prince Charles.
Robert Alston, Ardingly alumnus and governor worked for Lord George Carey who wrote letters of support for paedophile Bishop Peter Ball
Bishop Peter Ball was good friends with both Jimmy Savile and Prince Charles
All linked.
Richard H Alston b 1945 and his partner Peter Righton b 1926
Righton, age 35, was 19 years older than Alston, who was 16 when they met. They spent 40 years together, the court heard.
They met in 1961 when Richard Alston was still a student at Ardingly.
They spent 40 years together – (diplomat brother Robert Alston would most likely have known his brother’s partner of 40 years – PIE member Peter Righton, who was friends with PIE member Charles Napier.)
Charles Napier and Richard Alston
The court heard Alston and his partner Peter Righton forced an 11-year-old boy at the school (not Ardingly) to watch pornography and then perform sex acts on him at their home.
Southwark Crown Court heard Charles Napier – now a convicted paedophile – would sometimes be present.
Charles Napier (left), half-brother John Whittingdale MP
Charles Napier, treasurer of PIE, former envoy for the British Council in Cairo appeared in court along with Richard Alston – brother of diplomat Robert Alston.
“The man who may hold key to UK’s biggest paedophile network ever”
Righton – the subject of a 1994 documentary on paedophiles
After he had been found guilty of abuse as early as 1972, Napier was placed on List 99 with the Department of Education and so should not have been allowed to teach again However Peter Righton, an equally devious and prolific abuser, intervened As Director of Education at the National Institute for Social Work, Righton had become a prestigious social work professional.
Charles Napier was able ( by his own admission in a number of letters to Righton over many years ) to abuse countless number of boys in Sweden and Egypt over many years in the late 70’s through the 80’s until 1992 when the arrest of Righton and the discovery of these letters led to his ( Napier’s) immediate dismissal
Napier and Righton ” shared ” a large number of victims, and offences, including rape, during the 80’s but never faced charges on any of the most serious cases of abuse
Many questions remain unanswered including who were Napier’s referees for his employment with the British Council
Why was Righton allowed to reach the very top of the social work profession ( with posts at NISW and the National Children’s Bureau as stepping stones to positions as a Home Office/ Government “expert” on major reports ) despite being caught red handed abusing boys on a large scale in the 1950’s and writing quite openly in NISW and NCB journals, articles etc from 1971 onwards about his views that adult and child sexual relationships we re not necessarily harmful.
As a true test of his new found “remorse ” (Napier) can nowshare with the Police all the names of the ” rich and famous ” who attended the parties his victims referred to
As Treasurer of the Paedophile Information Exchange in its peak period of membership in the mid 70’s Napier holds the key to the identity of hundreds of dangerous abusers who continued to abuse thousands of children over many decades
Police Investigate Public School Paedophile Ring’ The Times, 25 August 1996.
SCOTLAND YARD detectives are investigating allegations of a paedophile network involving teachers from some of Britain’s top public schools, writes Stephen Grey.
The paedophile and child pornography unit is inquiring into a ring of private school staff who allegedly exchange information, boast of abusing youngsters and travel abroad together on “sex tours”. At least six teachers have been questioned and their homes raided as inquiries continue into the ring that has links to some of the most notorious paedophiles in Britain.
The paedophile unit has been assisted by detectives from forces around the country as well as social workers.
The inquiry began after a former teacher at Abberley Hall preparatory school in Herefordshire allegedly confessed to a colleague to being part of a huge network of paedophiles.Abberley Hall confirmed last week that both teachers were no longer on staff.
The former teacher claimed that he had had sex with “hundreds and hundreds” of boys and named teachers at six other leading establishments.
Trips for the teachers to indulge in child abuse with “rent boys” have allegedly been organised to countries including the Philippines, Czech Republic, Romania, Albania, Thailand and even Bosnia.
“These people decided a few years ago it was no longer safe to talk openly of abusing kids in this country, but decided they were perfectly safe abroad. At home they content themselves with sick pictures of child abuse,” said one source.
Although full details cannot be revealed for legal reasons, the investigation has involved a series of police raids, including one at the home of a head of department at a prominent London public school, where pornography was removed.
Stephen Meek (left) became Principal of Geelong School in 2004
1996 cont.
Another raid took place at Hurstpierpoint College in Sussex. Last week Stephen Meek, headmaster confirmed that two staff had been dismissed after a police caution for the possession of indecent material. “It was nothing to do with pupils at the school,” he said.
Other teachers also named include three masters at another leading public school, two masters at two famous preparatory schools in the home counties, and a choir school teacher. The teachers were said to exchange paedophile videos. When they feared police raids, they allegedly worked together to conceal material. “Many of these teachers will be secure in the knowledge that they will never be prosecuted,” said one police source.
Also named as allegedly linked to the network are Peter Righton, the former childcare expert exposed as a paedophile, and Charles Napier, a former treasurer of the Paedophile Information Exchange and a former staff member of the British Council in Cairo who was jailed last year for sex assaults on youngsters in London.
Headmaster Old Swinford Hospital, Stourbridge September 1978 – August 2001 (23 years)
Ardingly College
Head of Classics
September 1961 – August 1978 (17 years)
^ Chris Potter would have been teaching at Ardingly when Richard Alston was a student and he would have been there during part of Peter Righton’s friend Bishop John Neale’s tenure as chaplain.
Christopher Potter was born in Worcester 61 years ago. He studied classic Greek and Latin at Cambridge University – subjects he still teaches. His first experience in education came at a boarding school in Ardingly, Sussex, before he came to Old Swinford in 1978.
Twenty three years on, the father-of-five is retiring, earning him the honour of being one of the longest serving headmasters in the history of the school.
‘Over the past years we’ve built up a big entry to both Cambridge and Oxford, and we’re recognized on a national level for our academic achievements, but this boy was the first from this school to get into Cambridge for 320 years, and that was a big day for both me and the school’ he says.
Apart from the academic results, Old Swinford has also educated some familiar faces. Nick Baley, the new doctor Anthony Trueman in EastEnders, and Ian Hislop from the TV-show Have I Got News For You are just some of the ex-pupils that have made it big.
Left unconscious 3days fractured skull Prospect House Dorm2 @osh_SCH by Headmaster Potter O.B.E. et al. Age12 ’82 #Coverup #ptsd #headinjury #injustic
Joined August 2011
Child Abuser Christopher Potter OBE is still alive. Life long friend of Leon Brittan . Uncover child abuse at @osh_SCH
StephenCook68
Stephen Cook
Victim of extreme abuse/ full time boarder’79-81@Old Swinford Hosp.School by Christopher Potter O.B.E. et al. Seeking Justice for ComplexPTSD & neuro-damage
News anchor Jon Snow has described how he was abducted and undressed by a member of school staff when he was six years old.
Snow went to Ardingly College in West Sussex, where his father was headmaster. He said in his autobiography that the school’s domestic quarters had a “prison-camp feel” as he described the incident in 1953.
Snow wrote in Shooting History that the man responsible was a member of domestic staff named “Jim”, who lived on the school grounds and had been released from a psychiatric hospital.
Ardingly College Lodge No 4410
This is the Masonic Lodge for Ardingly College. We are independent of the school, but strongly connected.
Ardingly College is an English public school at Ardingly, in Sussex. It was founded in 1858 by Nathaniel Woodard. Woodard established Ardingly as St Saviour’s College, after Lancing and Hurstpierpoint
In 1923 the then Headmaster of Ardingly College, together with other masters and the Provost of the school, the Bishop of Lewes, set up a new private lodge under the UGLE for Masons having a connexion with the school. We are that Lodge. We are open to Old Ardinians, school staff, parents of pupils and of OAs, and any other friend of Ardingly College
Support from the School staff continued for many years. GJ Ince, the School Chaplain, was appointed our Chaplain at the Consecration and served in that office until 1944
The school has its own Masonic Lodge, Ardingly College Lodge, which is a member of the elite Freemason “Public School Lodges” Council.[19] The Lodge, which is open to male Old Ardinians as well as those with an affiliation to the college, was founded in 1922 by the then headmaster, Thomas Erskine Wilson, together with masters, the Provost of the school and the Bishop of Lewes.[20]
In 1958 the school celebrated its centenary . On 9 June 1958, as part of the celebrations, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh visited Ardingly. A stone plaque on the terrace parapet commemorates the visit, where she “beheld the view”. Later that week, on 14 June 1958, the then Prime Minister , Harold MacMillan , visited the school to open the Centenary Building, which comprises the college cricket pavilion and upstairs Centenary Room. On 8 May 2008, the Duke of Kent visited Ardingly as part of its sesquicentenary celebrations and officially opened a new teaching block at the pre-preparatory school.
Robert Alston was governor of Pitcairn Island where sexual abuse was rampant.
Legacy of Sexual Mayhem, the Dark Secrets of Pitcairn Island
For Britain, the case raised embarrassing questions about its supervision of the colony, now known as an overseas territory. Judges and lawyers were appointed, and in 2003, after a series of legal and logistical hurdles had been surmounted, 13 men were charged with 96 offences dating back to the 1960s.
In 2004, I spent six weeks on the island, reporting on one of the most bizarre court cases imaginable.
Why was it that many outsiders persisted in defending men who were guilty of a crime that was normally reviled — pedophilia? Why did they continue to mythologize Pitcairn, although it had failed, in such a dramatic way, to live up to its utopian image?
Several people who allege that Bishop Ball abused them while serving as Bishop of Lewes between 1997 and 1992 are preparing to sue the diocese of Chichester for hundreds of thousands of pounds.
The Rev Guy Bennett from the diocese of Guilford which borders the Diocese of Chichester is another convicted child sex offender who came out of prison in 2000 and immediately held himself out as a vicar at, at least, one church service in the Diocese of Chichester where he now lives.
Official inquiries into prolonged failure to prevent child abuse in the Diocese of Chichester which includes Lewes brought up allegations against Bishop Peter Ball
She wanted to exclude some of the survivor’s allegations against Bishop Peter Ball, in a bid to protect the Church of England.
He says she told him she “cared very much about the Church”.
Mr Johnson, who suffered assaults by a number of clergymen when he was a choirboy in the Church of England Diocese in Chichester, said he felt during her review of Church abuse, Baroness Butler-Sloss had been “showing bias and wasn’t being impartial”.
The Rt Rev Peter Ball, who was bishop of Gloucester and bishop of Lewes in East Sussex, was charged with two counts of indecent assault and one of misconduct in a public office, following her investigation into abuse in the diocese of Chichester during the 1970s and 1980s.
Baroness Butler-Sloss was behind controversial paedophile ruling
Butler-Sloss gave character evidence supportive of Chard at another trial eight years ago when he was accused of assaulting a man while working as a nightclub bouncer. Chard was also convicted for that offence, but on that occasion escaped being sent to prison.
Chard’s victim from the 2007 case and his family have expressed anger that Butler-Sloss, who last year stepped down as chair of the independent historical child abuse inquiry, was again prepared to apparently back him in court.
Peter Ball associated with other sex offenders in the clergy and that he was investigated in 2008 for being part of a suspected paedophile ring.
Convicted paedophile Bishop Peter Ball with Peter Canon Gordon Rideout, from Polegate, East Sussex, who was jailed for 10 years in May 2014. He was found guilty of 36 separate sex offences by a jury at Lewes Crown Court.
Canon Gordon Rideout was chaplain on a military base in Middle Wallop, Hampshire, in the UK.
In the 1970s Canon Gordon Rideout was taken to a military court on child sex-abuse charges.
He was cleared by the military hearing.
Rideout was cleared of three indecent assaults by a court martial in 1972. One of Rideout’s victims, June Potter said: “We went out of our way to write statements and everything. I gave them names.”
Canon Gordon Rideout went on to sexually abuse young girls and boys across the south of England.
Canon Gordon Rideout was the vicar of All Saints Church in Eastbourne for 25 years.
Clergyman Canon Gordon Rideout was chaplain at Moira House School, Eastbourne, until 2003, and chairman of governors at Bishop Bell C of E School in Eastbourne until November 2011.
Bishop Bell C of E School in Eastbourne
Child sexual abuse
The school has been at the centre of three major child safeguarding problems, including a child sexual abuse scandal:[11]
In February 2009, teaching assistant Robert Healy was jailed for seven years after he admitted grooming two girls using the social networking site Bebo, then having sex with them.[12]
Canon Gordon Rideout was allowed to remain chair of the school governors for more than a year despite having being suspended by the Church of England following a Criminal Records Bureau check and despite the school being aware.[13] Rideout was jailed for 10 years in May 2013 for abusing 36 vulnerable girls and boys at a now closed Barnardo’s home in Crawley, West Sussex, over a four-year period between the 1960s and 1970s.[14]
In September 2012, maths teacher Jeremy Forrest was arrested in Bordeaux, and subsequently charged by Sussex Police with the abduction of a 15-year-old female pupil.[15] He was found guilty in June 2013, and after pleading guilty to five further charges of sexual activity with a child, was jailed for 5½ years.[16][17] The judge said that Forrest had been repeatedly warned by colleagues but had lied to them and had been motivated by self-interest.[18] Although a review published in April 2013 did not find evidence of “any significant or systemic failings in safeguarding” following the Forrest verdict,[11] there were calls for headteacher Terry Boatwright to be sacked.[19]
GEORGE BELL GROUP supporters- LORD LEXDEN and The Revd Lord Carey (his son rev Mark Carey was recently arrested for child abuse and Lord Carey covered up for convicted paedophile Bishop Peter Ball)
Clergyman Canon Gordon Rideout was a serial sex offender who preyed on young children across the south of England.
In 2013, Rideout, 74, was jailed for 10 years at Lewes Crown Court after being convicted of two attempted rapes and 34 indecent assaults on 16 boys and girls
In the 1970s Canon Gordon Rideout was taken to a military court on child sex-abuse charges.
At that time Rideout was chaplain on a military base.
Canon Gordon Rideout, 73, of Filching Close, Wannock, is alleged to have committed the offences between 1962 and 1973 in Crawley, London and Hampshire. A total of 36 of the 38 alleged offences are of indecent assault on girls and boys in their early teens, Sussex Police said. Of those, 31 are alleged to have been committed at a property in Crawley, West Sussex, and one in Barkingside, east London, between 1962 and 1968. A further four indecent assaults are alleged to have taken place in Middle Wallop, Hampshire, between 1971 and 1973. The other two allegations are of attempted unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl in Crawley
Peter Ball, Bishop of Lewes; the Rev CM Johnston; the Rev GT Rideout
1979
PAR310 – PARISH OF EASTBOURNE ALL SAINTS
PAR310/7 – Incumbent: other records
PAR310/7/2 – Photographs
PAR310/7/2/12 – Photographs of events commemorating the church centenary
PAR310/7/2/12/16 – Peter Ball, Bishop of Lewes; the Rev CM Johnston; the Rev GT Rideout
Jailed sex predator priest handed additional sentence
A FORMER priest who is already serving ten years in prison for 36 historic sexual offences has now been sentenced to nine months in prison.
Gordon Rideout
pleaded guilty to one charge of indecent assault on a girl under the age of 16 at a children’s home in Reigate when he appeared at Guildford Crown Court on 20 December 2016. The assault took place between 29 July 1969 and 21 July 1974.
Rideout was originally jailed for 10 years in May 2013 at Lewes Crown Court for a series of historic sexual offences between 1962 and 1973, including attempted rape and indecent assaults on both boys and girls, some of whom were under 13 years of age.
Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS South East Jaswant Narwal said: “Gordon Rideout was in a position of trust throughout his career, something he abused systemically. The impact he had on the victim in this case cannot be underestimated, even more than 40 years after he abused her, as it is clear this has affected the rest of her life and now Rideout has finally accepted responsibility for his actions and been sentenced for them.”
Theresa May’s father revealed to have spent time working at a church in Reigate
St Mark’s Church where Reverend Hubert Brasier led worshippers during a harvest festival
7 July 2017
St Luke’s Church in Reigate
It has been revealed that Theresa May’s father, Reverend Hubert Brasier was a curate at St Luke’s Church in Reigate more than 60 years ago.
He worked at the church in South Park from 1948 to 1953.
After leaving Reigate, he went on to Eastbourne where he became chaplain of All Saints’ Hospital. His daughter, Theresa (May), was born at Eastbourne in 1956.
The incumbent vicar at St Luke’s during Mr Brasier’s curacy was the Reverend Canon Walter Palmer Godwin who served the parish for some 39 years, from 1914 until his death on June 23, 1953.
Mead Lodge and Rosemead, Reigate, Surrey In 1942, Barnardo’s opened its Mead Lodge hostel at 115 Bell St Reigate – less than a mile from St Lukes Reigate, Church Road, South Park, Reigate, Surrey, RH2 8HY, United Kingdom RH2 8HY, United Kingdom
Gordon Rideout pleaded guilty to one charge of indecent assault on a girl under the age of 16 at a children’s home in Reigate.
Aug 1960 saw the arrival of a party of boys from Gordon Williams House St the Boys’ Garden City
The assault took place between 29 July 1969 and 21 July 1974.
Ian Gow was church warden at Rev Jonathan Graves’ church – St Luke’s Church, Stone Cross. He paid tribute to Gow at church service attended by Margaret Thatcher
In 1988, St. Luke’s was reopened with Father Jonathan (Graves) as Priest and the then Eastbourne MP, Ian Gow, as Church Warden
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has attended a private church service in memory of murdered Conservative MP, Ian Gow, who died this morning following a car bomb explosion at his home. Gow was a church warden at St Luke’s Church near his village in Hankham, East Sussex. The Reverend Jonathan Graves pays tribute to Gow.
Rev Jonathan Graves appeared at a Plea and Case Management Hearing at Lewes
Crown Court on Thursday 5th May. He is charged with 11 counts of abuse, these include:
– Indecent assault against a male,
– Gross indecency against a male,
– Assault / neglect / ill treatment / abandonment of a child,
– Indecent assault against an adult female.
He pleaded not guilty to all charges and a trial date has been set for 5th December 2016.
Fr. Jonathan was the vicar of St. Luke’s Church, Stone Cross in the Diocese of Chichester from 1995 – 2002, where most of the alleged offences took place.
He later had his Permission to Officiate as a Church of England priest withdrawn.
Despite this Fr. Jonathan continues to officiate and play the organ at funerals, particularly at Hastings Crematorium – he conducted 137 funerals in a four year period AFTER being banned by the Church of England.
You do not have to be licences to conduct a funeral and Fr. Jonathan is a ‘retired priest’ conducting ‘humanist’ funerals… apparently,
even though they have prayers and hymns?!?
– This is completely legal.
We are not trying to pre-judge the outcome of the trial and recognise that everyone is
innocent until proven guilty but….
Is it right for a man facing such serious charges to be visiting families in their
homes at a time when they are vulnerable due to their recent bereavement with,
it would appear, no real safeguards being put in place?
A former Church of England priest has been charged with abusing a boy more than 25 years ago.
Jonathan Mark Graves, 57, of Jervis Avenue, Eastbourne, is accused of indecent assault against a boy aged 11 to 13 between 1987 and 1990.
He was also charged with child cruelty against the same boy and indecent assault against two women, one between 1994 and 1995 and the other in 2002.
Baroness Elizabeth Butler-Sloss looked into the case in 2010 as part of a review for the Diocese of Chichester over concerns about several priests. The report was sent to Sussex Police in 2011. Police launched Operation Perry to investigate three priests, Graves of which is the last.
Jonathan Graves was a priest at St Luke’s Church in Stone Cross, East Sussex
The sadistic priest – Jonathan graves abused at st Luke’s Stone Cross in the 1980s
Church of England priest has been jailed for 12 years for torturing and sexually abusing two schoolboys in the 1980s and 90s.
At the time, he was the vicar at St Luke’s Church in Stone Cross.
He was convicted on Thursday at Hove Crown Court of 12 offences dating between 1987 and 1992.
Former Church of England priest has been jailed for 12 years for torturing and sexually abusing two schoolboys in the 1980s and 90s.
Jonathan Graves, 60, of Eastbourne, East Sussex, restrained the children, who were aged between 12 and 14, using belts and chains, and then beat them.
At the time, he was the vicar at St Luke’s Church in Stone Cross.
He was convicted on Thursday at Hove Crown Court of 12 offences dating between 1987 and 1992.
‘Manipulative and twisted’
During his summing up Judge David Rennie called Graves “secretive, cynical, manipulative and twisted”.
Det Insp Jon Gross, of Sussex Police Public Protection Command, said: “I’m pleased as far as you can be with this, it’s a significant sentence for this type of offence.
“This man has had two personas, the public persona that his congregation knew and let parents put their children in his care, and behind closed doors the planning to groom these children and get them to do despicable things.”
He added he had “nothing but admiration” for the victims who came forward and “stuck with” the prosecution process for about four years.
Graves, of Jervis Avenue, was cleared of five similar charges, including one offence of indecent assault on a 50-year-old woman in 2002, following a nine-day trial.
Graves was the vicar at St Luke’s Church in Stone Cross at the time of the attacks
Two retired Church of England priests have been arrested in the Eastbourne area on suspicion of sexually abusing children and young men.
Canon Gordon Rideout, 73, is suspected of sexually assaulting nine young people between 1965 and 1972.
Former parish priest Robert Coles, 70, is suspected of sexually assaulting three young men in West Sussex in the late 1970s and mid-1980s.
One of the allegations against Robert Coles was investigated in 1997, and an arrest was made, but there was insufficient evidence to justify criminal proceedings at that time.
The other allegations have only recently emerged as a result of the current inquiry.
Rev Michael Butler of Albany Trust moved to become Chichester diocese Press Officer mid 70s before R Harbinson complained re Fr. Colin Gill
Misc
ANDREW SADLER was linked to Peter Righton and Charles Napier in the child sex video ring (“Operation Fledgeling”).
Andrew Sadler was accused of a sex act on a boy at Abberley Hall preparatory school in 1995, convicted of child rape in Romania in 2000 and convicted of child grooming in Britain in 2007.
Richard Alston contributed to various books written or edited by Donald Mitchell, Benjamin Britten’s publisher and later director of the Britten Estate.
Britten and Pears were close to Queen Elizabeth and the Queen mum. Britten often stayed at Sandringham and Queen Elizabeth attended many concerts at Aldeburgh.
Alston was also thanked first in “Britten and Auden in the Thirties: The Year 1936 : the T.S. Eliot Memorial”edited by Donald Mitchell
“Acknowledgements“I am much indebted to Richard Alston without whose dedicated editorial assistance I should have found it difficult to see this revised edition through the press… and to Peter Righton for correcting proofs…”
Letters from 1966 between the then Archbishop of Canterbury and a bishop show the Church agreed that a convicted paedophile should be ordained.
The correspondence has emerged in a report into the Church’s failure to support victims of Roy Cotton that was published online and then removed.
A spokeswoman for the Diocese of Chichester told the BBC the Meekings Report was removed because the document had accidentally included some confidential information.
Both studies looked into the behaviour of Cotton and another paedophile priest, Colin Pritchard.
Former Sussex priest jailed for sex abuse against boy
Feb 22 2018
Ifor Whittaker was previously known as Colin Pritchard
A “disgusting and despicable” ex-Anglican priest has been jailed for sexually abusing a boy and conspiring with another priest to abuse the child.
Ifor Whittaker, formerly Colin Pritchard, was convicted of abusing the boy, aged between 10 and 16 when the abuse happened in the 1980s and 1990s.
The 73-year-old also conspired with ex-clergyman Roy Cotton, who has since died, to commit sex acts.
Whittaker, of Rectory Road, Sutton, south London, was jailed for 16 years.
He was told he will serve a minimum of 10 years in prison. He is already a registered sex offender for life after a previous conviction.
Sentencing Whittaker, Judge Paul Tain described the priest’s behaviour as “disgraceful, disgusting and despicable”,
He said: “It was an obvious and clear case of grooming, where he carefully manipulated a vulnerable child.”
Whittaker had “attempted to bamboozle, cheat and mislead the jury”, the judge said.
He said the abuser had “plied the victim with alcohol” and “emotionally blackmailed the boy by saying ‘no one would believe you over a priest'”.
The boy had been invited by Whittaker to do gardening work at the church
Whittaker, a former rector of Sedlescombe, near Battle, was convicted of seven counts, which also included gross indecency and inciting the boy to commit gross indecency.
The offences took place between February 1987 and February 1993 in East Sussex, Hove Crown Court was told.
The jury was told Whittaker was a “predatory paedophile” and had organised and facilitated the abuse with Cotton, who worked as a priest in Brede, near Rye, in the 1990s.
He died in 2006 and was never prosecuted.
The victim, now in his 40s, told the court Cotton had been the main abuser and had “just passed me over like a toy to be borrowed by a friend”.
‘Quite forceful’
The court heard the abuse began after he was invited to do gardening work at the church by Whittaker in return for pocket money.
Whittaker and Cotton “had an agreement” and Cotton would often take the boy to and from Whittaker’s house, it was said.
There were also occasions at Cotton’s house when, after abuse had taken place, Whittaker would “suddenly immediately appear in the room as if he had been watching”, the jury heard.
Whittaker’s victim described him as “quite forceful, quite scary”.
The jury was told Whittaker had previously pleaded guilty to gross indecency and indecent assault in 2008 over offences which had take place in Wellingborough in Northamptonshire against teenage boys in the 1980s.
The diocese apologised “unreservedly” after Baroness Butler-Sloss’s report criticised both senior clergy and Sussex Police over how they dealt with historical claims of abuse by Cotton and the then Colin Pritchard.
Following Whittaker’s latest conviction, the Diocese of Chichester issued a statement saying: “We express our profound sorrow and regret to the victim in this case and our admiration for their courage and determination in coming forward.
“The abuse of children is both a travesty and a tragedy and a complete betrayal of the Christian faith.
“This case demonstrates once again why it is so important to listen to those reporting abuse.”
Bishop turned ‘blind eye’ to Bexhill vicar’s abuse, inquiry hears
06 March 2018
A damning image of ‘wilful blindness’ in historic cases of sexual abuse of children who were ‘terrified and silenced’ by clergy in Sussex has been set out at a public inquiry. Fiona Scolding QC, lead counsel to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), said yesterday that abuse that left an ‘indelible scar’ on children was often ignored or forgiven.
In one segment, Miss Scolding described abuse by a Reverend Colin Pritchard, former vicar of St Barnabas’ Church in Bexhill and a church in Sedlescombe. She said: “There have been suggestions about the culture of abuse operated by Reverend Pritchard and that Bishop Peter Ball turned a blind eye to that abuse.” Pritchard was arrested in 1997 on suspicion of sexual offences, and again in 2007. Miss Scolding said: “There were no restrictions upon his ability to attend church or be involved in ministry with children from his arrest until July 2007.
Reverend Pritchard, who was vicar of St Barnabas in Bexhill, pleaded guilty in 2008 to seven counts of sexual assault on two boys and was jailed for five years. Pritchard – now known as Ifor Whittaker – was convicted last month of sex offences against a boy and jailed for 16 years. The crimes were when he worked in Sedlescombe, police said. Speaking on behalf of the Diocese of Chichester and Archbishops’ Council for the Church of England, Nigel Giffin QC said the Church’s response to abuse in the last few decades was ‘not nearly good enough’. The IICSA inquiry will look into how far institutions failed to protect children from sexual abuse within the Anglican Church. It focuses on abuse within the Diocese of Chichester, which covers all of Sussex, as a case study. Miss Scolding said: “As a society we have over the past 10 years had to examine some uncomfortable truths about our wilful blindness to such abuse.” Richard Scorer, speaking on behalf of many of the victims, said: “The Church of England claims to offer moral guidance to the country yet clerical sexual abuse cases powerfully undermine the claim. This leads to the cover-up of abuse. “The question is whether the Church can be trusted to put its own house in order.” In a statement, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said: “The failures that we have seen are deeply shaming and I personally find them a cause of horror and sadness. “That children have been abused within the communities of the church is indeed shameful.” The inquiry continues.
2011 Baroness Butler-Sloss was appointed by the Diocese of Chichester to carry out the review which looked into the behaviour of Cotton and another paedophile priest, Colin Pritchard.
The Bexhill connection triggered some thoughts. A number of names seem to be linked to the area.
Stingemore – arrested at the same time as McSweeney –
Priest marks silver jubilee FR TONY MCSWEENEY, parish priest of St George’s church in Sprowston Road, Norwich, celebrated 25 years since his ordination with a Mass on January 21. Three hundred parishioners of all ages were at the church to mark his silver jubilee. Fr Hugh Flower, parish priest in Eastbourne, who trained for the ministry at St John’s seminary near Guildford with Fr McSweeney, said in a homily that he had been inspired by Fr McSweeney’s relationship with the parish he had served for 10 years.
link Peter Ball suspected of committing offences during late 1980s but allegations against other priests date back further still
The arrest of Bishop Peter Ball on suspicion of sexual offences against boys and men at addresses in East Sussex and elsewhere is the latest development in a wide-ranging and often contentious series of official inquiries into decades of alleged child protection failures in the diocese of Chichester on England’s south coast.
………………………….
From the 1970s to the 1990s there were sporadic and low-profile investigations into allegations of sexual abuse against priests in the diocese, but none got as far as the courts. The breakthrough case was arguably the 2008 conviction of Rev Colin Pritchard, a vicar in Bexhill. Pritchard pleaded guilty at Northampton crown court to four counts of indecent assault on a child and three counts of gross indecency on a child. The offences are reported to have taken place between 1979 and 1983 and to have involved two victims, aged between 12 and 15. He was jailed for five years.
Another case involved Roy Cotton, who became a priest in the diocese of Chichester after having been convicted of a sexual offence against a child in 1953 for indecently exposing himself in the organ loft of a village church. Cotton died in 2006 and was never prosecuted.
After Cotton retired he was granted permission to officiate and Meekings reported that a member of St Saviour’s and St Peter’s church in Eastbourne told him that “Cotton attended that church and made a ‘nuisance’ of himself with the choirboys which led to a number of them leaving or wanting to leave the choir and the church”.
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.”
As chaplain of Eastbourne Hospital Hubert was under the Chichester Diocese of the Church of England. During the 1960’s til the 1990’s this diocese has some of the worst examples of child sexual abuse committed by priests. The numbers and the scope of the phenomenon is truly astounding. Canon Gordon Rideout who was the Vicar of All Saints in Eastbourne was jailed for ten years for 36 separate offences on 16 children between 1962 and 1973. Peter Ball, former Bishop of Lewes was convicted of abuse in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Former priest Keith Wilke Denford of Burgess Hill and organist Michael Mytton were convicted of historic sexual abuse.
Former priest Keith Wilke Denford of Burgess Hill and organist Michael Mytton were convicted of historic sexual abuse.
Michael Mytton worked as an organist in the Lewes area
A retired Church of England priest and a former organist and choirmaster have been found guilty of a string of child sex abuse offences dating back more than 25 years.
A judge said that Father Keith Wilkie Denford and Michael Mytton had committed “a grave breach of trust and a gross breach of trust”.
Denford, who was the vicar at St John the Evangelist Church in Burgess Hill, West Sussex, was found not guilty of abusing one of the boys aided by organist and choirmaster Mytton (known as Mark), 69, in the back of Mytton’s Jaguar.
Prosecutor Marcus Fletcher said during the trial that one of Denford’s two victims recalled blowing the whistle about the abuse to a vicar – but nothing was done.
In the end, it was not until last year that police were alerted after one of the boys, now in his late 30s, found out that Denford was still in contact with children.
Through police investigation, the name of a third boy emerged and he disclosed that he suffered abuse at the hands of Mytton from around 1990 to 1994 when he was aged 10 or 11.
He told investigators that he once accompanied Mytton to a dinner party as his “plus one”.
The jury was told that in 1981 Mytton was convicted of two counts of gross indecency on a 12-year-old boy, forcing Mytton to leave his position at a church in Uckfield.
Denford and Mytton are the two latest figures linked to the scandal-hit Diocese of Chichester to be convicted of historic child sex abuse offences.
In February, retired priest Robert Coles, 71, was jailed for eight years at Brighton Crown Court after he admitted abusing young boys dating back to the 1970s.
Coles, of Upperton Road, Eastbourne, pleaded guilty to buggery and four indecent assaults on one victim and three indecent assaults against two other boys.
The offences took place in West Sussex and elsewhere in the late 1970s and early 1980s against boys aged between 10 and 16 at the time.
Church accused of systematic failings after sixth abuser in two years unmasked
A SEXUAL abuse victim has accused the Church of “systematic behaviour” in failing to act on allegations of assault after the sixth Sussex churchman in two years was exposed as an offender .
The claim comes after it was revealed on Thursday that former Bishop of Chichester George Bell, a man once tipped to be Archbishop of Canterbury, sexually abused a young child for a number of years.
Campaigners are now questioning the Diocese of Chichester’s ability to investigate itself, as historic cases continue to emerge despite five separate inquiries.
Additionally an inquiry into the Church’s handling of the Peter Ball case was commissioned on October 5 and the diocese is also co-operating with the national Goddard review into child sexual abuse.
Yesterday there was no clarification from the current Bishop of Chichester, Martin Warner, following his comment that there had been no cover up by the Church.
This despite an 18 year delay between Bell’s abuse being reported and the Church passing allegations to the police.
George Bell was so feted nationally and internationally that there is church property, a charity, a house of Bishop Luffa School in Chichester, and even a feast day in his name.
But by Thursday his reputation lay in the same increasingly crowded gutter as five other vicars, bishops and church employees from the diocese – which covers almost all of Sussex – who have been convicted since 2013.
The list includes Father Keith Wilkie Denford, a Burgess Hill vicar convicted alongside church organist Michael Mytton of abusing 13 year old boys in the late 1980s.
Robert Coles, a priest from Eastbourne, who pleaded guilty two years ago to 11 charges of abusing boys between the ages of 10 and 16.
And this month former Bishop of Lewes Peter Ball was jailed for taking sexual advantage of young men who came to him for guidance.
Additionally, Bexhill vicar Colin Pritchard was jailed in 2008 for abusing boys in the 70s and 80s, in a case which also brought to light abuse perpetrated by his deceased colleague Roy Cotton.
Phil Johnson, a victim of Ball’s who waived his right to anonymity, said yesterday: “In nearly all these cases information was reported to the Church and the Church failed to take action. This is a sign of systematic behaviour.”
Since 2012 the diocese has seen the publication of the Meekings Report into past cases, an enquiry by Baroness Butler-Sloss, an Archiepiscopal Visitation Enquiry commissioned by Lambeth Palace, and the publication of the Carmi enquiry into abuse in Chichester. Despite these new cases have continued to come to light.
Keith Porteous Wood, director of the National Secular Society, said the problem was internal enquiries with insufficiently broad terms of reference, and called for the Church to be totally transparent in its dealings with the national Goddard enquiry.
For the diocese, Bishop Mark Sowerby of Horsham insisted that the Church’s attitude was now one of complete openness, adding: “We have moved a very long way from the inadequacy of the response [to the Bell allegations] in 1995.”
The remnants of Bell’s tarnished reputation is now being removed by those now troubled by the association.
A spokeswoman for Chichester Cathedral said that George Bell House would be renamed. Prestigious Church of England secondary school Bishop Luffa faced calls from campaigners to rename one of its houses, which is named “Bell house” after the bishop.
And the removal of an annual Church of England feast day held in Bell’s name is expected when church officials next meet, with a spokesman saying that until that can take place, he would “not advise anyone to mark the day in any liturgical way.”
On 23 April 2012, a former altar boy, Christopher Hunnisett, 28, appeared in court accused of murdering Peter Bick, 57, as part of a campaign of hate against paedophiles.
Police found Peter Bick, 57, dead in his flat on January 11 2011.
It emerged this week that Mr Bick – who most recently worked as a meet-and-greet-man at Asda in Silverhill – spent time in prison after he admitted conning a 95-year-old Thakeham woman out of £70,000. The pensioner had given Mr Bick power of attorney but police found he had siphoned off funds to bankroll an upmarket lifestyle and clear his credit card debts. When he was interviewed he said he had paid himself an annual salary and had moved some money around to try and maximise the interest. He was planning to pay it all back, he added.
“Peter was a great animal lover, and especially loved horses and dogs. He was a member of a carriage driving club, a hobby he was passionate about, and he would attend many shows.”
After being freed from prison in September 2010, Hunnisett, of Hastings, East Sussex, made a “hit list” of men he planned to kill in his bid to rid the world of paedophiles.
Mr Bick, an Asda employee from Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, was at the top of Hunnisett’s list of targets
He said he had contacted Mr Bick via a website and met him at his flat, where he claimed the older man had admitted committing sex acts with youths aged 14 and 16.
He then attempted to “honeytrap” him, claiming he could arrange a threesome with himself and a public schoolboy aged 15, whom he invented using the online alias “Golden Boy”, while the boy’s parents were away on holiday.
He claimed Mr Bick agreed but before it was due to happen he travelled to Bexhill, where he told him the boy was unable to join them.
Hunnisett said he then stripped naked and committed a sex act while Mr Bick watched, claiming it was part of his cover. Under the pretext of sex games he then tied the also naked Mr Bick to his bed with shoelaces tied around his neck, saying the older man had admitted it was something he had done with one of the young boys.
As the foreman of the jury returned a guilty verdict, Hunnisett, of Chanctonbury Drive, Hastings, leapt over the dock in an attempt to escape and shouted “Every word I said was true”.
He had to be restrained by eight people and could be heard sobbing as they tried to calm him down in the dock.
The Queen has attended every year since it began in 1943 and even competed at the show in her younger days. Other members of the Royal Family, including HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and HRH The Princess Royal, have also taken part in the show’s competitions. In recent years, the Queen has watched many of her own horses compete in the showing classes.
• The Duke of Edinburgh competed in the Carriage Driving at Royal Windsor Horse Show for more than 30 years. He won in 1982 and was second five times.
A former altar boy who killed and dismembered a paedophile vicar has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a man believed to have been a friend of the Duke of Edinburgh.
Peter Bick, 57, who shared a love of carriage racing with Prince Philip , was bludgeoned to death in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
He told neighbours he had on occasions driven for the Duke.
A former altar boy who was cleared over the killing of a vicar was today being questioned by detectives on suspicion of murdering a friend of Prince Philip.
The Hon Peter Bick, 57, who took part in carriage driving races with the Duke of Edinburgh, was found dead at his home in Bexhill in East Sussex
Nearly 200 drivers from as far afield as Blackpool, Leeds and Devon gathered at Smiths Lawn, Windsor Great Park for this year’s Windsor Sponsored Drive. The grand rosettes were kindly sponsored by Mrs Gillie Simpson and the completion certificates by The Hon. Peter Bick.
The participants, who included HRH Prince Philip with his team of Fell ponies, really appreciated the fine weather and glorious setting. The course consisted of six obstacles and a 15 km drive through the Deer Park.
FORMER Newham hospital radio chief Bob Rush has paid tribute to a colleague who was found bludgeoned to death at his flat.
Mr Rush was station manager of Woodside Radio, which broadcast to patients at both Newham General and St Andrew’s hospitals when Peter Bick was chairman of the Trustees.
The chairman of Monega Association added: “I saw Peter three months ago…”
Newham General Hospital – Chancellor: HRH The Princess Royal
1983: Newham General Opens
Newham General was opened by Her Majesty The Queen on 14 December 1983 under the management Newham Health Authority.
1986: Phase two opens
On 18 February 1986 phase two of Newham General Hospital, which included additional maternity beds, a special care baby unit, a rehabilitation department and an academic centre, was opened by Diana, Princess of Wales.
1991: Trust established
2004: Change of name –The trust managing Newham General became Newham University Hospital NHS Trust.
Newham Healthcare NHS Trust was established as a first wave NHS trust under the Government’s reorganisation of the health service. The new trust took over responsibility for running Newham General from Newham Health Authority. The trust also managed St. Andrew’s Hospital in Bromley by Bow (founded 1871). St Andrew’s closed in 2006.
Another good friend of Prince Philip was accused of sexually abusing his son and was also involved in carriage racing with Prince Philip
The seventh Earl of Lonsdale- James Lowther Lord Hugh Lowther, the eighth Earl of Lonsdale also accused him of having sexually abused him when he was a child and claimed that a plan to disinherit him was hatched shortly after he reported his father to the police for his persistent sexual abuse throughout his childhood.
The 7th Earlmarried four times, had eight children and was a close friend of the Royal Family. He would often entertain the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at the family seat of Lowther Castle.The imposing building at the centre of the Cumbrian estate is now a partly-ruined shell, but the Duke would compete in carriage-racing events in its vast grounds
St Mary Church is part of diocese of Arundel and Brighton – ARUNDEL as in near CHICHESTER above
Why did the CPS abandon investigation into Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor?
19 Mar 2015
As the full scale of the British Establishment’s cover-up of child sex abuse becomes apparent, Alistair McBay argues it is time for the Crown Prosecution Service to make public its reasons for dropping the investigation into Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor 12 years ago.
It’s hard to know where to begin in writing about the issue of child sex abuse in Britain. As Home Secretary Teresa May said earlier this month, the abuse is “woven, covertly, into the fabric of British society”. She warned that “what the country doesn’t yet appreciate is the true scale of that abuse” but might have added “or the scale of the cover-up.”
Previous Bishops of Arundel & Brighton – Bishop Cormac Murphy-O’Connor – friend of Cardinal Keith O’Brien (below) – friend of Sir Jimmy Savile
This case related to decisions made by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor when he was a mere bishop in the Catholic diocese of Arundel and Brighton in Sussex between 1977 and 2000, and centred on how he handled allegations of child rape by priests and the notorious Father Michael Hill in particular.
Ian Jackson told Ms Barnes in an email that he thought she was making the wrong decision by going to the police
21 August 2012
An evangelist Christian preacher from East Sussex urged a victim of sexual abuse not to report the man responsible to the police
Ian Jackson told Lina Barnes he would not support her if she reported that Gospel Hall Brethren preacher Allan Cundick assaulted her at the age of 12.
But Ms Barnes, 33, who sought advice from him last year, said he wanted to protect the Church.
Mr Jackson, who travels the country preaching in gospel halls and has given sermons at Marine Hall in Eastbourne
Simon Bass, from the Churches’ Child Protection Advisory Service, said: “To use scripture as a means of saying we should keep this in house and we should not report this to the authorities again – it’s quite incredulous to even think that somebody would do that.
“It’s totally against what is good safeguarding practice.”
Geelong Grammar: Child Sexual Abuse Royal Commission report set to be tabled in parliament
February 13, 2017
SURVIVOR of abuse at Geelong Grammar School has slammed its trademark positive education program as “crap”, as the royal commission’s findings on the elite Corio school are set to be tabled in Parliament.
Libby O’Brien attended Geelong Grammar in the 1980s and said she hoped the commission’s report did not “get swept under the carpet”.
“There are so many more perpetrators out there,” she said, despite the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse having been in progress since 2013.
“The cover-ups were really frightening,” she said. “I just want to make sure (the royal commission finding) doesn’t go under the radar.”
Ms O’Brien said the decades-long fight for justice had been “an extremely painful process”. She and a group of survivors and friends covered Geelong Grammar’s gates with coloured ribbons in February of last year, transforming it into a “Loud Fence” symbolising those who were sexually abused and couldn’t be heard.
“I’m so sick of telling this story,” Ms O’Brien said. “I keep getting slapped in the face — it’s really, really hard.”
In a November, 2016, submission to the royal commission, counsel assisting David Lloyd said former Geelong Grammar principal John Lewis had failed to protect students under his care.
“Mr Lewis did not treat the issue of child sexual abuse seriously and preferred the reputation of the school to the interests and welfare of the students,” Mr Lloyd said.
A spokesman for Geelong Grammar said the school would be responding to the royal commission’s findings when they become available.
The school was at the heart of a debate in South Australian politics last weekend, when it emerged SA schools had forked out more than $620,000 for Geelong Grammar to teach educators from Adelaide’s northern suburbs how to “nurture and sustain positive relationships”. SA Opposition treasury spokesman Rob Lucas described the program as a “massive waste of taxpayers’ money”.
A spokesman for the SA Department for Communities and Social Inclusion said Geelong Grammar was “one of the world leaders in the adoption of positive education”.
Ms O’Brien said she was “pretty disgusted” that the school was profiting from a program espousing student wellbeing.
“It’s such crap,” she said.
She urged anyone with information on historical abuses to go to the authorities.
“Anyone who knew anything, just report it to police,” she said. “Every report counts.”
Commissioners are holding a public hearing on Catholic Church authorities until February 27. From March 6 they will hold hearings on Commonwealth and State governments, the Uniting Church, Anglican Church, Yeshivah Melbourne and Bondi, and Australian Christian churches and Pentecostal authorities.
Former Geelong Grammar principal John Lewis after giving evidence at the Royal Commission hearing in Melbourne in 2015.
Geelong Grammar payout could hit Catholic Church and other institutions
28 October 2018
A landmark $1.1 million settlement between a sexually assaulted student and one of the nation’s most elite private schools could unleash a wave of court action against institutions that have made modest payments to victims of shocking abuse.
The settlement is expected to have significant implications for the Catholic Church, which settled hundreds of cases of clerical abuse with ex gratia payments of less than $75,000 on the condition that victims waived their right to sue the church.
Former Geelong Grammar School student Peter (not his real name) agreed in 1998 to a confidential $32,000 settlement with the prestigious Anglican school. He was abused as a nine-year-old at the school’s Glamorgan campus in Toorak.
Peter’s lawyers recently claimed the settlement was not binding because the school had not acted in good faith when it insisted it was unaware the teacher was a paedophile.
With the help of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse, they were able to prove that Geelong Grammar had known for years about the teacher’s predatory behaviour and covered it up.
The school had sent him to a psychiatrist in 1973, but he returned to teaching and continued to abuse boys.
The royal commission unearthed more damning evidence in 2015, including a particularly damaging exchange between the school’s principal at the time it was negotiating with Peter and another senior figure.
The teacher had been sacked in 1974 following further allegations of sexual abuse involving students. But he was re-hired in 1980 as a relief teacher at Glamorgan, where he abused Peter and some of his classmates.
During negotiations with Peter in the 1990s, Glamorgan campus head Phillipa Beeson wrote to school principal Lister Hannah: “If [the survivor] got wind of this we could have a real problem on our hands”.
It was part of a strategy to make no legal admissions, while offering paltry sums of money to victims, who were required to sign confidentiality agreements and waive their common law rights.
“We should be sensitive, caring, helpful, etc and offer to do whatever we can to help but on no account should be (sic) make an admission that the claim could be true,” Ms Beeson wrote in a facsimile to Mr Hannah in 1997.
“We should do it quickly and with lots of ‘concern and clucking’.”
Peter told Fairfax Media he was disgusted with the school’s duplicity and their desperate attempts to minimise compensation.
“They knew the teacher was a child abuser and they were intentionally keeping that from me,” he said.
There are thousands of historical deeds similar to the one signed by Peter in 1997.
The Catholic Church in Victoria alone settled about 700 claims from 1996 to 2012 through its internal complaints process – the Melbourne Response and Towards Healing.
Most signed away their right to pursue civil action. But Peter’s lawyer Michael Magazanik, of Rightside Legal, said because Geelong Grammar tried to mislead and deceive his client, the deed agreement was void.
Peter subsequently launched legal action, culminating in the recent settlement.
“It became perfectly clear if you want a fair result, you have to fight them,” he said.
“Geelong Grammar were extremely adversarial, my lawyers dragged them kicking and screaming to the door of the court before they gave up. The school has not changed its approach despite its public rhetoric.”
At least five former teachers have been convicted of abusing students at the elite school, which was attended by Kerry Packer, Rupert Murdoch and Prince Charles.
It became perfectly clear if you want a fair result, you have to fight them.
Peter
Principal Rebecca Cody, who started at Geelong Grammar six months ago, said the school had a significant responsibility to acknowledge and learn from the hurt of the past.
Geelong Grammar School principal Rebecca Cody.
“Through hearing the voice of survivors, inspired by their courage to speak about their experiences at Geelong Grammar School, I am resolute that our ongoing approach to child safety and healing historical harm is proactive and embedded in our systems and culture,” she said.
“We have used and will continue to use the learnings of the royal commission, in addition to our own experience and considered reflection of the school’s past practices and processes.”
Peter’s case, because it settled outside of court, has not established a precedent for survivors who want to sue after waiving their rights. But Mr Magazanik said these types of deeds are likely to become an issue for the Catholic Church.
Other institutions involved in child abuse cases may also be affected.
“It has been paying abuse survivors tiny sums for years. Where those survivors were suffering mental illness and did not have lawyers – as was often the case – then those settlements are open to question,” he said.
Lawyer and advocate Dr Judy Courtin said the Geelong Grammar settlement was extremely rare in a new area of law in which no precedents have been set in Australia.
“The legal landscape in this whole area is shifting by the second,” Dr Courtin said.
While Queensland and Western Australia have both amended laws to give courts discretion to set aside historical deeds of release, Victoria is yet to do so.
The state abolished the statute of limitations so there were no time limits on when victims could sue, and it recently repealed the Ellis defence, meaning the Catholic Church could now be legally targeted.
But Dr Courtin said Victorian law does not yet empower judges to set aside historical settlements, which were often well below the amounts awarded in a successful civil trial.
Some were made to victims without legal representation, abuse was understated and others, like Peter’s, were made deceptively.
“The introduction of legislative provisions by the Victorian government that provides judges with the power and discretion to set aside such deeds, thus opening the way for new action, is paramount and urgent,” Dr Courtin said.
Cranbrook headmaster Nicholas Sampson wrote ‘misleading’ letters after sexual abuse allegations raised #caroyalcomm
14 Feb 2017
Headmaster: response ‘just not good enough’
Former Geelong Grammar headmaster Nicholas Sampson faces questions about how the school dealt with allegations of sexual misconduct by former teacher Jonathon Harvey
The headmaster of one Sydney’s most expensive private schools, Cranbrook, wrote “misleading” letters about a teacher accused of child sexual abuse at his former school and failed to report the allegations to a higher authority, a royal commission has found.
Nicholas Sampson, then the headmaster of Victoria’s Geelong Grammar, paid teacher Jonathan Harvey to retire early in 2004 to avoid any formal complaints of child sex abuse being made against him.
Mr Sampson told the commission he was alerted to allegations against Harvey by the victim’s brother, BLW, and conducted a “fairly cursory” investigation before asking Mr Harvey to retire early.
The commissioners found Mr Sampson should have notified the Victorian Institute of Teaching about the allegations and that he “should have made a documentary record of the reason [Harvey left the school]”.
Instead, Mr Sampson wrote letters to Harvey thanking him for his “outstanding service”, praising him as a “wonderful teacher, an outstanding housemaster, a fine and thoughtful colleague and a tremendous and committed schoolmaster”.
A second letter from Mr Sampson to Harvey confirmed an extra year of pay following his retirement “due to the exceptional service [he] offered”.
The commission dismissed Mr Sampson’s defence that the letters were for personal use: “The letters were plainly kept amongst the school’s formal records in relation to Harvey,” it found
“We also reject the submission that the letters were not misleading. No other records were produced which recorded the real reason for Harvey’s departure from the school, and no explanation was given as to why such documents were not produced.”
Mr Sampson, who became the headmaster of Cranbrook in 2012, an Anglican, $35,000-a-year school in Bellevue Hill, told the commission he was acting in the best interests of the victim, BLF, who did not want his identity revealed.
“We accept that Mr Sampson attempted to act in the best interests of BLF by securing Harvey’s resignation without disclosing his identity,” the Commission found. “It is clear, however, that he should have notified the Victorian Institute of Teaching.”
Royal Commission: Vatican has no test for paedophiles
In a separate sitting on Tuesday, the Commission also heard there was no requirement for the Catholic clergy to be screened for sexual attraction to children but that the Vatican does have a detailed assessment procedure for homosexuality.
The Catholic Church’s central authority spent 13 years developing a protocol on homosexual tendencies among potential priests but has stayed “silent” on the issue of paedophiles, the commission heard.
The commission is examining factors behind abuse claims in the Catholic church, with data showing seven per cent of priests were alleged offenders between 1950-2010.
“As I understand it, the Vatican is specific that you must test for homosexual tendencies but the Vatican is silent in that same way on testing for children,” Commissioner Andrew Murray said.
Sister Lydia Allen, who assesses candidates for the Seminary of the Good Shepherd in Homebush, said the Vatican was working on such a document.
“I have asked them if they have any documents on this situation of child abuse and they don’t yet … it’s part of a project they are going to work on,” she said.
“They do not have . . . anything that says, ‘You must assess for that’.
“However, I think it would be an unspoken rule. I don’t think it needs to be stated explicitly because it’s so obvious.”
David Leary, an academic and Franciscan friar, told the inquiry the assessment process was flawed.
“The first test for a candidate for either religious life or the seminary or for the priesthood is not a question about whether or not they’re homosexual,” he said.
“It’s about whether or not they are compassionate and that’s the thing that needs to be tested.”
Dr Leary said the Catholic church was “highly resistant” to understanding how its structures may have led to child sexual abuse.
“I don’t think we understand the psychology that underpins … child sexual abuse,” he said. “It’s really clear in every other jurisdiction except the church.”
Peter Thompson, rector of Vianney College in Wagga Wagga, told the commission it would be impossible to effectively screen every candidate for the priesthood.
“No one can infallibly predict that someone is not going to offend,” he said.
The hearing, before Justice Peter McClellan, continues.
Originally from the UK, Mr Nicholas Sampson was Principal of Geelong Grammar in Victoria from 2000 to 2004. He then returned to the UK where for eight years was head of the prestigious Marlborough College. Mr Sampson became Headmaster of Cranbrook in 2012.
Having long admired the unique culture of Cranbrook and its philosophy of integrity, balance and the rigorous pursuit of excellence, Mr Sampson has an ambitious vision for 2013 building on these strengths and values to create a blueprint for the future.
Mr Sampson holds a Master of Arts Degree in English Literature from the University of Cambridge. His career in schools has been built on a firm belief in the value of a balanced and expansive education which enable students not only to discover and polish their own talents, but also to admire the gifts of others and to embrace the value of service.
An avid reader of literature and with a strong interest in the arts, Mr Sampson also played hockey at representative level, and is the father of twin daughters.
Marlborough College, educator of royalty – the school in Wiltshire where Princess Eugenie is a pupil.
Former pupils include the poets John Betjeman and Siegfried Sassoon, the actor James Mason, the traitor Anthony Blunt, and songwriters Nick Drake and Chris de Burgh
Ghislaine Maxwell is alleged to have supplied a number of under-aged girls for Jeffrey Epstein‘s sexual abuse and sex-trafficking scheme, according to US court documents.
The 53-year-old was educated at Marlborough College and Balliol College, Oxford.
TEACHER Andrew Richards has left Marlborough College after police launched an inquiry into his alleged possession of computer porn.
This week both police and the £22,000-a-year public school, where Princess Eugenie is a pupil, have confirmed that a teacher is being questioned over material found on his computer.
Neither the school or police would name the teacher but the Gazette has established that the man arrested was the housemaster of C3 House.
Sources within the police force and the school confirmed that it had been Richards who was arrested.
The maths teacher was arrested in his home at the school after police carried out an undercover operation two weeks ago and seized his computer. They took action after receiving information that Richards had downloaded obscene images on his computer, which is still being examined by a specialist team of officers.
After news of the arrest began to circulate in the town this week the school issued a statement saying: “Marlborough College can confirm that following the discovery of inappropriate material on a computer, one of our masters has left the school with immediate effect.
“There is no suggestion of improper behaviour with any pupil in the school.
“The College brought the matter to the attention of the relevant authorities, with whom we have been working closely.
“We understand that the police are carrying out an investigation into
this matter and therefore it would not be right for us to comment
further.”
The master of the public school, Nicholas Sampson, said he was unable to make any further comment.
Wiltshire police put out a statement saying: “On Saturday, April 30 as a result of information received from Marlborough College a male member of staff was arrested and interviewed at Salisbury police station.
“The man was subsequently bailed without being charged to return to Salisbury police station on a date in June.
“Inquiries are being completed to establish if any offences have been committed.”
Marlborough College, one of the top five public schools in the UK, has been rocked by several sex scandals in recent years.
In 2003 the school’s swimming pool manager, Mark Davies, was arrested after allegedly indecent pictures were found on his computer. Davies, brother of the Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies, was cautioned but not charged.
In 2002 there was another scandal when students sitting an exam saw pornographic pictures projected onto a screen. Teacher Richard Jowett, who had been invigilating, had been looking at pictures of naked women on his computer unaware that it was sending the images to an overhead screen in full view of pupils.
Career maker: Prince Harry’s ex-girlfriend, aspiring actress Cressida Bonas, poses with Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein at a screening of the latter’s new film Big Eyes in London
Prince Harry’s ex-girlfriend Cressida Bonas slopes off to hobnob with ANOTHER Epstein pal
6 January 2015
When Prince Harry’s former girlfriend Cressida Bonas agreed to go skiing with her chum Princess Eugenie, she had no idea she would be caught up in the storm engulfing the Duke of York.
After Prince Andrew joined his daughter and her model friend at their £22,000-per-week chalet in the Alps, it was besieged by the world’s media amid a growing furore over claims Andrew had sex with an under-age girl ‘procured’ for him by his close friend, convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
So it was an unfortunate coincidence that Cressie’s first public engagement on returning to London on Sunday was a bash thrown by another of Epstein’s friends, film producer Harvey Weinstein.
Sloping off: Cressida has recently returned to London from spending time in Verbier in the Swiss Alps with her old friend Princess Eugenie and her family
Dressed in a midriff-baring outfit with her glossy mane worn loose, the 25-year-old posed next to Weinstein, 62, at a screening of his latest offering, Big Eyes.
(Lurking behind was Charles Dance, who in 2004 famously seduced vicar’s daughter Sophia Myles, 33 years his junior, and then cruelly dumped her.)
Despite the movie mogul’s long-standing association with Epstein — the two even made a failed bid for New York magazine in 2003 — the screening was an occasion not to be missed for aspiring thespian Cressida.
Weinstein, who is married to 38-year-old fashion designer Georgina Chapman, a friend of the Duchess of York, is known for mentoring young actresses.
(L to R) Harvey Weinstein, Princess Eugenie of York and Georgina Chapman at attends a VIP screening of ‘Lion’ hosted by Harvey Weinstein and Georgina Chapman at Soho House on December 19, 2016 in London, England
He is credited with propelling Gwyneth Paltrow (pictured below) to A-list status, having collaborated with her on eight films, including Shakespeare In Love, for which she won an Oscar in 1999.
So it is understandable that Cressida, who scored a small part in Harvey’s forthcoming movie Tulip Fever, is keen to nurture her relationship with the Hollywood tycoon.
Aptly she plays a ‘society lady’ in the film, which is based on Deborah Moggach’s novel.
Since splitting with Harry, ambitious Cressida has been taking her acting career seriously.
Last month, she attended a private vocal training school on Orkney to improve her articulation and projection skills.
Meanwhile, her first play, There’s A Monster In The Lake, is being revived later this month at Waterloo Vaults.
Perhaps Cressie, who has given few signs she wants to rekindle her romance with Harry, has set her sights on an even more desirable prize than a prince: an Oscar.
Geelong Grammar took no steps to protect students after abuse reports, says inquiry
14 Feb 2017
Royal commission releases report into prestigious Victorian private school criticising headmaster who went on to Eton College
The prestigious Geelong Grammar School’s long-time headmaster took no steps to bring in measures to protect students from a teacher alleged to have sexually abused pupils, a royal commission has found.
Geelong Grammar’s 1980-94 headmaster, John Lewis, allowed Jonathan Harvey to remain at the school despite knowing about allegations against him, the child sex abuse royal commission said.
It said by 1991, Lewis – who became headmaster of England’s elite Eton College after leaving Geelong Grammar – knew about allegations Harvey sexually abused students in 1982 and 1985 as well as allegations of inappropriate conduct with students.
“Despite this knowledge, Mr Lewis allowed Harvey to remain in a position where he had unsupervised access to students,” its report said. “Mr Lewis did not take any steps to prepare policies or procedures to protect the safety and welfare of the students at Geelong Grammar.”
Geelong Grammar’s 2001-04 headmaster Nicholas Sampson, now headmaster of Sydney’s Cranbrook School, organised for Harvey to be paid his entire 2005 salary to retire a year early after a staff member complained his brother had been abused by the teacher in the 1970s.
Sampson attempted to act in the victim’s best interests by securing Harvey’s resignation without disclosing the former student’s identity, but should have notified the Victorian Institute of Teaching, the commission found.
Sampson thanked the maths teacher for his outstanding service and did not record in writing the real reasons for Harvey’s departure, despite verbally informing others at the school about the allegations.
The commission said he should have made a documentary record of the reasons, but accepted Sampson’s evidence that he would now approach a similar situation very differently.
The royal commission also criticised Geelong Grammar for not investigating a boarder’s 1989 complaint that he was sexually abused, before expelling the 14-year-old for speaking out.
No member of staff notified police of the allegations, the commission said. Lewis should have ensured the allegation was investigated, it said.
The commission also found the school’s Highton campus master Robert John Bugg was involved in the boarder’s dismissal for discussing the sexual assault with other students.
Bugg must have believed the likely perpetrator was probably a staff member, it said. “In removing BIW from the school and not investigating the complaint, Mr Bugg failed to protect BIW’s interests and the interests of other students at Highton.”
Live-in boarding house assistant Philippe Trutmann was convicted for abusing BIW and 40 other Geelong Grammar students.
The commission found the school put its own financial interests before those of a student seeking compensation after being sexually abused by a teacher by not disclosing that it knew the teacher may have been jailed for pedophilia.
Before her death, Sian, the wife of diplomat Thomas Hurd and daughter-in-law of the former home and foreign secretary, Douglas Hurd, had been an active campaigner for the charity, Women for Women International.
Nick Hurd was one of 295 MPs who voted against an amendment to the Official Secrets Act that would have given witness protection to the victims of high-profile child abuse
Nick Hurd (Conservative), who voted against it, has a demonstrable relationship to Jeffrey Epstein, a billionaire child abuser from the USA who is at the the heart of an ongoing child sex abuse scandal implicating Prince Andrew.
Epstein has been on the sex offenders register since 2008 after serving thirteen months of an eighteen month sentence for soliciting an underage girl for prostitution, and is currently facing allegations that he recruited a 15-year-old girl to act as a sex slave on a private jet for his friend and client, Prince Andrew.
Supporting the Sir Edward Heath Charitable Foundation
Yet another paedophile friend of Prince Andrew: Father Gleed
How a royal gift exposed sexual abuse at an elite Canadian school
Oct 12, 2017
Prince Andrew wanted to memorialize his friend and former chaplain at Lakefield College School.
The resulting tribute prompted paedophile Father Keith Gleed’s victims to finally break their silence.
L: Prince Andrew renews his memories of Lakefield College in 1985; which he attended in 1977; R: Keith Gleed
Nine years ago, Prince Andrew paid a visit to his Canadian alma mater: the prestigious Lakefield College School, just north of Peterborough, Ont. It was not the first homecoming for His Royal Highness. A teenage exchange student back in 1977, the Queen’s second son retains strong ties to his old campus and has reminisced often about how deeply he treasures those “life-changing” six months. But that particular trip, in May 2008, was especially sentimental. The Duke of York had a gift to present: a hand-carved baptismal font for the school chapel.
Crafted in part from a large rock that Andrew had delivered from Scotland’s Balmoral Castle, the font was created to honour a dear friend: the late Keith Gleed, an Anglican priest who served as chaplain at the elite private school between 1974 and 1980. After meeting at Lakefield, Andrew and Gleed remained such good friends that the prince invited the reverend both to his 21st birthday party and to his wedding to Sarah Ferguson. Shortly before Gleed died of cancer in 2001, Andrew even travelled to his hospital bedside to say goodbye—“surely a testament of true friendship,” according to Gleed’s obituary in the school newsletter.
The day the font was dedicated, staff and students joined Andrew inside the A.W. Mackenzie Chapel for the blessing ceremony. Dead for seven years by then, Gleed was fondly remembered as “the confidant of the troubled, the defender of the bullied and a true friend to all.”
In reality, Father Keith was none of those things. He was a pedophile who preyed on vulnerable young students and took his secret to the grave—only to have the truth exposed, ironically enough, because of Andrew’s well-intentioned efforts to enshrine his memory.
Maclean’s has learned that after the prince unveiled Gleed’s religious tribute, at least five former students came forward to report they were sexually abused by the one-time chaplain. Two have launched lawsuits against Lakefield College School (LCS)—including one graduate, now 54, who says it was Andrew’s gesture that spurred him to break his silence in 2014, prompting Lakefield to initiate a third-party investigation that triggered other victims to come forward.
“Greg was pained and haunted by the knowledge that a pedophile like Father Keith was permanently honoured with a baptismal font on the school’s premises,” says the man’s statement of claim, which seeks $5 million in damages. “Thereafter, Greg began to disclose the sexual abuse he had endured at Father Keith’s hands, which, up to that point, he had kept a secret.” (Although the lawsuits are not subject to a publication ban, Maclean’s has chosen, after consulting with the victims, to identify them by their first names only: Gregory and Edward.)
At Gregory’s urging, school officials removed the memorial font from the chapel. Its current whereabouts is unknown. Lakefield will say only that the one-of-a-kind piece “was removed from school property in 2014.”
That Keith William Gleed was a sexual deviant is not in dispute. Lakefield’s own independent investigators concluded in 2015 that the disgraced chaplain violated “the trust and authority” of his position and “afflicted harm on innocent students by engaging in sexual misconduct.” But the two lawsuits go further, accusing Lakefield of “failing to reveal, and in fact, concealing, Father Keith’s sexual misconduct” from parents and police, and permitting the abuse “to continue unchecked.” At the very least, the lawsuits allege Lakefield is liable for the conduct of its former employee, who was encouraged “to have regular, unsupervised and intimate physical and psychological contact with its students.”
Whatever the full truth, the revelations about Father Keith have landed Lakefield—one of the country’s most esteemed private schools—among the institutions now stained by sexual abuse, from church-run residential schools to elite preparatory colleges. At LCS (as at Toronto’s Upper Canada College, which endured its own abuse scandal in the early 2000s), neither the reputation of the academy nor the socio-economic status of parents and alumni proved enough to protect every student in its care.
“When he started at LCS, Eddy had been a happy and gregarious child who was eager to please and had a promising future ahead of him,” reads Edward’s statement of claim, which seeks $2.25 million. After Gleed sexually assaulted him, his life became “chaotic and crisis-ridden”—a downward spiral of substance abuse, petty criminality and crippling flashbacks. Edward is now 53. “[He] has above average intelligence,” his claim continues. “But because of the childhood sexual abuse he experienced at LCS and the lack of meaningful support he received while attending LCS…he has never achieved his full educational, vocational or earnings potentials and goals.”
Lakefield has filed statements of defence in both lawsuits, denying the allegations, denying it is liable for Gleed’s behaviour, and describing the damages sought as “excessive, exaggerated and remote.” The school also launched third-party claims against the Anglican dioceses of Toronto and Niagara, where Gleed was variously licensed after his ordination in 1960. Both dioceses “endorsed Father Gleed as chaplain” and held him out “as a suitable and respectable Anglican priest,” Lakefield alleges, “when they knew or ought to have known that he was not suited for the position.” (In their own statements of defence, both dioceses also deny wrongdoing—in particular, that church officials may have been alerted to Gleed’s abuse. Maclean’s contacted the lawyers representing the dioceses; both declined comment, citing the active litigation.)
Along with defending itself in court, Lakefield has retained the services of Profile Communications, a boutique Toronto public relations firm that specializes in crisis management. “We are the 911 of communications,” says the company’s website. Via the firm’s principal, Caroline Spivak, Lakefield answered a list of written questions from Maclean’s.
The school says “it had no knowledge of any alleged impropriety on the part of Father Gleed” in the years before Andrew presented the baptismal font. “Once the allegations were brought forward, LCS immediately put in place the necessary resources to support the victims and the independent third-party investigation it initiated,” Lakefield says. “Counselling was made available to all who came forward, and continues to be provided. The school also communicated broadly and openly with its community, encouraging all parties to participate fully in the independent third-party investigation. The safety and well-being of its students is always the school’s highest priority.”
Four of Gleed’s victims, including Gregory, shared their stories with Lakefield’s investigators. Edward did not, but his lawsuit brings to five the number of Gleed’s known accusers (another alumnus also came forward to allege he’d been sexually abused by a different school employee, a teacher named Colin F. Pickering, who died in 2011).
“Following the conclusion of the investigation, LCS acknowledged the tremendous courage it took for them to speak to the investigators and apologized for the harm inflicted by Father Gleed and for the pain they have endured,” the school says. “The investigators’ detailed findings have not been released in order to protect the deeply personal information disclosed by the victims.”
Prince Andrew, who has previously served as a Lakefield trustee, is now honorary chair of the school’s charitable foundation. How he reacted to the truth about his friend—or hearing that the memorial font he helped create was removed from the chapel—is not clear. “We decline to comment,” said a Royal spokesperson, referring all questions to Lakefield.
One of Canada’s oldest private schools, Lakefield was founded in 1879 as Mr. Sparham Sheldake’s Preparatory School for Boys. Though renamed Lakefield College School in the 1960s, the sprawling waterfront campus—315 scenic acres on the shore of Lake Katchewanooka—remains affectionately known as “The Grove.” The high school became co-ed in 1989, and annual fees currently range from $32,000 for a day student to $57,000 for a boarder (international boarders pay $63,500).
Lakefield’s motto is mens sana in corpore sano—“a sound mind in a sound body”—and its mission statement embraces seven core values, including individuality, environmental stewardship and trust. Along with Andrew, notable alumni include Felipe VI, King of Spain; Emmy-nominated actor Will Arnett; Kenneth Irving, the former CEO of Irving Oil; David Miller, the former Toronto mayor; retired Supreme Court Justice Ian Binnie; Ottawa Senators defenceman Cody Ceci; and Anna Gainey, president of the Liberal Party of Canada.
When Gleed first arrived in 1974, Lakefield was still an all-boys academy, with approximately 250 students. Then in his early 40s, the veteran priest had already worked as a chaplain for other institutions: Trinity College School in Port Hope, Ont., the Anglican Young People’s Association, and the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets Corps Vanguard. He’d also been assigned to numerous parishes in his home city of Toronto, including St. James Cathedral downtown. In 1960, the Toronto Star interviewed him for an article about new priests. “I have a photograph taken at the age of two with a Bible,” Gleed told the reporter. “Ever since I can remember I have wished to become a minister.”
A prominent figure on campus, Gleed led chapel service every morning and acted as a residence supervisor. Funny and charismatic, he was well-liked by faculty and students; in one yearbook photo from the 1970s, Father Keith is seen walking down a hallway, surrounded by smiling boys patting his back and shoulders. As Gleed himself would later write of his six years at Lakefield: “Nowhere else have I found such a warm, relaxed, friendly, uncluttered milieu. It nurtures the whole person well!”
Father Keith was beginning his fourth year at Lakefield when Gregory enrolled in September 1977. He was in Grade 9, and eager for the opportunity. “I was excited,” says Gregory, who agreed to speak to Maclean’s via email. “I started at Lakefield with hopes about academic success, developing friendships, and being part of a community. The school’s emphasis on educating the whole person fit for me.”
As happy as he was in his new surroundings, Gregory’s home life was in tatters. His parents separated after he left for high school, and when his dad drove him back to campus at the end of Christmas holidays, his father specifically asked Father Keith to keep a close eye on his son, given their family troubles. Gleed agreed—and throughout that winter, 1978, the chaplain invited Gregory to his private residence nearly every day after classes.
Gregory’s statement of claim describes, in agonizing detail, what happened next.
“During these visits, Greg was alone with Father Keith,” the document reads. “Father Keith gave Greg alcohol (sherry) to drink and sat with Greg on the couch in his living room. Father Keith hugged and embraced Greg, touched and stroked Greg’s head, kissed Greg, and pulled Greg’s head against his chest. While doing these things, Father Keith spoke to Greg in a soothing and reassuring manner, but offered Greg little support with respect to his family problems. While Father Keith was hugging Greg, he also patted and squeezed Greg’s upper and inner thighs. Greg was uncomfortable and felt confused, uneasy and trapped during these encounters.”
During one visit—which would prove to be his last—Gregory woke up on the floor, disoriented. “Father Keith was on his back and Greg was lying across him, face down,” the lawsuit says. “Greg’s head was on Father Keith’s chest and Father Keith was holding Greg in an embrace. Father Keith asked Greg if he could hear his (Father Keith’s) heart beating.” The boy immediately jumped up, insisting he had to leave for supper.
“As Greg walked back to his residence building, Greg could feel that his clothes were no longer on properly,” his statement of claim continues. “His underwear were pulled up tight and twisted and his trousers were askew. His anus was uncomfortable and he knew Father Keith had penetrated him. He felt dirty and that he had been drawn into doing something shameful. When he returned to his residence, he went straight to [the] shower and stood there, frozen, for a long time.”
In that moment, Gregory’s entire life was altered. Though he managed to graduate from Lakefield in 1982, he grew increasingly introverted and despondent during his remaining years on campus, turning to alcohol to numb the anguish. By Grade 13, he was drinking constantly—a coping mechanism he would cling to in the decades to come. Rarely has a day passed without Gregory wrestling with suicidal thoughts.
“Being abused by Father Keith fundamentally changed who I am,” he says. “When I was young, I believed I could make a difference in the world and that I had an obligation to do so. Those dreams gradually disappeared over the years. Since the abuse, I have felt there was something intrinsically wrong with me. I have felt ashamed. I thought that I’d be blamed and no one would believe me.”
For more than 30 years, he told no one. “I knew my pain was there, but it was too large, too all-consuming and too all-defining to confront,” Gregory says. “It was safer for me to avoid the pain by accepting myself as being a failure, as always screwing up.”
Father Keith left Lakefield in June 1980, going on to serve at different Anglican parishes in the greater Toronto area. By 1985, he was once again working as a chaplain, this time at the University of Waterloo’s Renison College. “I’m having a ball,” he told the campus newspaper. “It’s the excitement of living in a community of students, the neat little things that happen.” Two years later, Gleed took a job at St. John’s College at the University of Manitoba.
He remained on the move over the next 15 years, transferring in and out of parishes in Willowdale, Mississauga and Oakville. He also kept in touch with Andrew, and when the Prince married the Duchess of York in July 1986, Gleed was among the Lakefield contingent that travelled to Westminster Abbey for the wedding. (To this day, Andrew remains close with a core group of fellow Lakefield “old boys.” Five times, he has joined former classmates for a reunion canoe trip in the Northwest Territories.)
Father Keith passed away on Feb. 3, 2001, two weeks before his 69th birthday. At his funeral, one nurse recalled how the dying priest appeared to be at complete peace—“almost joyfully ready for his next journey.” Gleed’s death notice appeared in both The Globe and Mail and The Toronto Star, highlighting “his joyous faith, his wonderful smile and his infectious laugh.”
By 2010—more than 30 years after he was sexually assaulted inside the chaplain’s private residence—Gregory decided the time had finally come to confront his abuser. He emailed the Niagara Diocese in the hopes of tracking down Father Keith, only to be told he had died nine years earlier. When a subsequent internet search turned up a news article about Andrew and the baptismal font, Gregory was devastated. “This reinforced ideas in me that no one would believe me, that I was insignificant, and that the abuse of me would not matter,” he says.
A year later, Gregory briefly separated from his wife. During counselling sessions aimed at repairing their relationship, he says he delved deeper into the abuse he experienced—and the pain of discovering that his alma mater had paid tribute to his tormentor. By August 2013, Gregory worked up the strength to start crafting a letter to Struan Robertson, then the head of school. Another year (and multiple revisions) later, he sent it, determined to have Gleed’s font removed from the chapel.
“I am a Grove Old Boy,” his letter began.
“Father Keith’s abuse is allowed to continue with each child that is baptized,” Gregory wrote. “I am certain there are other Old Boys in my position, who also find the commemoration of an abusive, manipulative pedophile contrary to the ideals of the Grove. I recognize that other Old Boys may have had a different experience of Father Keith. Despite this, Father Keith’s true nature sullies any positive experiences or benefit others may have derived.”
After removing the font, Lakefield sent a letter of its own to parents of alumni—“to share some important information regarding our past.” Dated Oct. 20, 2014, the letter laid out the basics of Gregory’s disclosure (without naming him) and encouraged anyone with information about Gleed to contact Lakefield’s third-party investigators: John Callaghan, a senior partner at Gowling WLG; Patrick LeSage, former chief justice of the Ontario Superior Court; and retired Toronto police detective Thomas Klatt, then a managing director of the private-investigations firm MKD International.
Signed by Nick Lewis, then the chair of Lakefield’s board of directors, the letter also contained a further revelation: that another former student had advised Lakefield in 2010—four years earlier—of a separate allegation involving the chaplain. But because that incident occurred after Gleed and the student had left LCS, and because the alumnus was adamant he did not want Lakefield to conduct a comprehensive investigation, the school honoured his wishes. “In light of the recently received allegation, however, it is clear to us that we must now take further action,” Lewis wrote. “These allegations are disturbing and heartbreaking, and we are taking them very seriously.”
Among those who received the school’s letter in the mail was Edward’s elderly mother. When she showed it to her adult son, he broke down—then proceeded to disclose, for the first time, what Father Keith did to him as a Grade 6 student in the mid 1970s.
“After lights were turned out in the junior residence, Father Keith frequently sat on the side of Eddy’s bed, spoke reassuring words to Eddy and rubbed Eddy’s body, including his neck and back,” reads his statement of claim. “Initially, he did so over Eddy’s bed covers and then, after Eddy became accustomed to this routine and the physical contact, he moved his hands under Eddy’s covers and below Eddy’s waist.”
On weekends, when fewer students slept in the residence, Gleed’s groping grew more intrusive. “Under Eddy’s covers, Father Keith stroked and fondled Eddy’s bottom, anus, inner thighs and scrotum, both over and under Eddy’s pyjama pants,” his lawsuit continues. “While touching Eddy in these ways, Father Keith spoke softly, encouraging Eddy to fall asleep. As his bed was against a wall, Eddy felt trapped and unable to escape from Father Keith’s unwanted touching.”
When Edward moved to a different house in Grade 7, the abuse stopped. One day, however, Gleed invited the boy to his private residence, supposedly to discuss Eddy’s behaviour problems. “When Eddy arrived, Father Keith was dressed only in a short bathrobe,” the claim reads. “When Father Keith sat down on his couch, his bare genitals were exposed. It was only when Eddy responded with unease that Father Keith made light of his exposure and covered himself with a pillow. Father Keith invited Eddy to come back and see him, and said he would answer any questions Eddy had about sexual matters. Eddy did not return to Father Keith’s residence.”
By Grade 8, Edward says he was so damaged by Gleed’s earlier molestations that he transformed into a different kid. He became withdrawn, confused, irritable and racked with self-doubt; he also began to smoke, steal and bully fellow students. His misbehaviour reached a boiling point near the end of 1977, when he and his mother were summoned to a meeting with Lakefield officials—including Gleed.
“Eddy was told he had to leave the school,” his statement of claim says. “The experience of being expelled in this way, with Father Keith sitting in judgment of him and without Eddy ever feeling able to speak about Father Keith’s abuse and betrayal of his trust, was devastating to Eddy.”
***
Gregory launched his lawsuit more than a year ago, in September 2016. Edward’s was filed in March. “My clients are determined to get justice and accountability, and will not be deterred by the prospect of a long court battle,” says Elizabeth Grace, their Toronto lawyer. “However, they are hopeful Lakefield will do the right thing by resolving their cases sooner than later.”
Grace credits the academy for agreeing to pay for counselling—and allowing Gregory and Edward to choose their therapists. “Otherwise, Lakefield has acted like any other defendant in these circumstances,” she continues. “The school is trying to defend itself against serious allegations of sexual abuse of its students by what appears to have been a prolific abuser, and so far it is requiring my clients to go through the rigours of a court process that can often be re-traumatizing.”
For its part, Lakefield says it responded to the revelations about Gleed in a manner “guided by the school’s values, its responsibility to the school community, as well as to the alumni who came forward.” That included communicating “openly and broadly” with all LCS stakeholders while the third-party investigation unfolded. (As Lewis, the board chair, wrote in one edition of Lakefield’s newsletter: “Never has there been a more significant demand on the board’s time than with this issue.”)
Father Keith Gleed (center), as seen in the 1979 Lakefield yearbook.
Lakefield also conducted an in-depth review of its policies and procedures, concluding that although they “were consistent with best practices,” there was room for improvement. Says the school: “LCS strengthened its procedures for reporting abuse and amended its policies relating to sexual misconduct, sexual harassment and sexual assault.”
For Gleed’s victims, that is hardly much comfort. The school’s present-day guidelines, no matter how robust, can never erase the damage done. “The expectation was that Eddy was going to be given an exemplary education,” says Edward’s older sister, Kathryn. “The minimum was that he would be safe—and he wasn’t safe. They had in their care an innocent little boy and they didn’t take care of him.”
“His childhood was stolen from him,” she continues. “If this had happened to me, I don’t know that I would have had the courage that Eddy has had to try and live a normal life.”
Like Edward, Gregory has endured so much misery over the years, from depression to anxiety to a paralyzing fear of crowds. He even struggled with bulimia. “I can’t experience joy or happiness,” Gregory says. “I distrust everyone.” Father Keith robbed him of something else, too: a sense of connection to his prestigious alma mater. “I lived there for five years, and was supposed to form relationships, both with the school and my peers, that would last a lifetime,” he says. “However, my wish and expectation of being part of the school community became impossible because I carried the secret of Father Keith’s abuse.”
At the very least, Gregory takes some solace in knowing Gleed’s baptismal font was hauled out of the chapel—though he, too, has no idea where it is now.
Two other friends of Father Keith helped Prince Andrew devise the commemorative font. Terry Guest, who was headmaster of LCS when Gleed was chaplain, carved the font’s wooden base, while Lakefield alumnus Al Pace, a prominent Canadian studio potter, created the basin to hold the holy water. Both men’s contributions to the project were publicized in the school newsletter and in local press coverage of Andrew’s 2008 visit.
Now retired, Guest did not return phone messages seeking comment for this article. Pace replied to Maclean’s with a written statement via Profile Communications, the public relations firm working for Lakefield. “I’m extremely disappointed by the situation and my heart goes out to the victims,” Pace said. “I wish that Keith was here to have the opportunity to respond to the allegations against him.”
Now that the baptismal font is gone, Edward’s sister thinks Lakefield should consider commissioning a new memorial. “How about they put up a monument to the boys who were hurt, as opposed to the priest who hurt them?” Kathryn says. “And how about every year, they take the student body down to that place and say: ‘These are the boys who were not protected—and it will not happen again.’ ”
In the end, Grace says it will be up to Lakefield students and parents—former, current and future—to judge how genuinely committed the school is to confronting a dark chapter in its history. “Unfortunately, Lakefield as a boarding school is not the first to face allegations of this nature,” she says. “I have no doubt parents and prospective students will be watching carefully what happens with these cases.”
Wikipedia is the front line in the battle to misinform the masses
The rule of thumb tends to be that the victorious rewrite history. At least that’s what we are told by those who we suppose to have been the winners. However, nowadays our history is written through collaboration and each example of this is an independent skirmish which makes up the wider global war. Wikipedia is on the front line of these daily battles. The modern encyclopedia is a one stop shop for knowledge on most subjects. Wikipedian’s are well aware that they are strange creatures, who often revel in their own obsessive compulsive natures. They argue with each other over details that would bore the majority of normal folk. But hidden amongst the millions of pages of Wikipedian’s conversations are many arguments over neutrality.
An article which I wrote about UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s father, Reverend Hubert Brasier, led to me investigate Wikipedia. Hubert Brasier’s Wikipedia page had vanished just after Theresa May became PM in July 2016. Two days after my story went viral Mr. Brasier’s Wikipedia page was reinstated under the pretence that it was of importance as Theresa May was now running for PM. If that was so then why would you decide to delete, or merge the page, when she had already become PM a year earlier? The battle over the Hubert Brasier Wiki page is still being fought. The page was soon re-merged with Theresa May’s page and information about Hubert’s work placements was again hidden away in the archives.
There was some backlash to my questions. One man suggested that I just didn’t understand how Wikipedia worked and I took that as a challenge. I wanted to find error in my reasoning but what I discovered instead was confirmation of corruption. I read thousands of conversations between Wikipedian’s who went into detail about the most mundane of semantics. I studied all the pages of interest, checking the controversial conservative and right wing figures of history. Enoch Powell, Oswald Moseley, Lord Sudeley, Margaret Thatcher, Ted Heath, all of them had a long history of page edits and numerous patterns began to emerge.
Wikipedia ‘Sock Puppets’ are Wikipedian’s who are using multiple accounts to force through edits and deletions. Once they are discovered to be suspected sock puppets they are banned from any further edits. But the damage they do before they are caught effects the history that we read. The agenda of a sock puppet is often to undermine pages by slowly taking away information from articles until they are eventually disjointed and full of errors. Then the pages are put forward for deletion or to be merged with other Wikipedia articles. On any page history, you can witness Wikipedian user names highlighted in red who have left, been banned for vandalism, or discovered to be a sock puppet for a different account. Their former profile pages usually show some detail of their punishment and gives you access to all their previous conversations leading to the account being suspended or banned.
Neve Selbert was the first active Wikipedia username to be written down in my little note book on multiple occasions. The account has been actively editing pages about senior UK Conservatives, and others connected with conservative politics, since 21st July 2015, nearly 2 months after the UK Conservatives won the 2015 General Election. Neve Selbert describes himself as a secret monarchist and his account has been suspended on numerous occasions. On his Wikipedia profile page he says that he is sorry for things he has done before on Wikipedia and promises to make it right. It isn’t long into my investigation of the Neve Selbert user account before I stumbled across a group that he is a member of on Wikipedia. The group is the Wikiproject Conservatism and states their intentions as ‘a group dedicated to improving Wikipedia’s coverage of topics related to conservatism’. The group is large, organised and global. It’s quite difficult for anyone on the left of politics to imagine an impartial conservative, let alone a group of impartial conservatives. It is clear that the right wing of politics is using every possible tool to rewrite history in a way that suits their narrative. They wish to erase all evidence that points to the average conservative being manipulative, false, incompetent, and out of touch.
There are groups who oppose these attempts to rewrite a conservative history of the world. But it seems that for every one person fighting for truth and impartiality, there are two more fighting to hide facts. It is obvious that the real history will be written by those who organise. For now the global war of information trundles onward. We most all fight disinformation, not only in the future but also in the present.
The report of Dame Moira Gibb into the Church of England’s handling of the abusive bishop Peter Ball makes shocking reading. It reveals a concern for appearance over reality, for the institution over the individual and, most of all, for the strong and powerful over the weak and vulnerable. From the moment the first victims came forward, the response of the church up to the highest level was one of institutional self-protection.
The complaint was not reported to the police, but only to the archbishop of Canterbury, then George Carey, who persisted long past the point of reason in hoping that his colleague was innocent. The police were not told until after the first victim to come forward, Neil Todd, had attempted suicide twice – and even then it was his parents and not the church who made the complaint. The diocese of Gloucester hired a former policeman to investigate, and if possible discredit, the witnesses.
After news of Bishop Ball’s arrest broke, Lambeth Palace received seven independent accusations about his earlier behaviour. Two were seen by Archbishop Carey, who replied to them personally. Only one of the seven, though, was passed to the police, and that the least damning. Lord Carey’s message to the diocese after Bishop Ball was arrested urged prayers for the bishop and said nothing about victims. After Bishop Ball had retired on spurious grounds of ill health and accepted a caution – though remaining in denial about his crimes – Lord Carey worked to have him rehabilitated. True, he did so with less ingenuity than Peter Ball’s identical twin Michael, himself a bishop, who has admitted allowing his twin to deputise for him at “one or two events”, even after his disgrace.
Lord Carey nevertheless gave Peter Ball £12,000 from church funds, leading to loud complaints from the brothers, who had wanted £20,000. He deliberately kept Peter Ball’s name off the Lambeth blacklist of unemployable clergy; he had the disgraced bishop to stay at Lambeth Palace twice; he attempted to find him work in South Africa (writing to Desmond Tutu for this scheme) and in prisons; he wrote to an American parish that “Peter was possibly the victim of a plot but that, of course, cannot be proved”. Lord Carey’s only objection to a full rehabilitation of Bishop Ball as a retired bishop was that it might provoke unfavourable publicity.
This was disgraceful, and the result has been a deserved disgrace. But it was part of a culture of privilege, power and make-believe that corrupted more than one bishop. Lord Carey’s successor, Rowan Williams did nothing to help Bishop Ball but very little and very slowly to hinder him either.
There is evidence of sexual abuse and improper conduct by Ball during the 1970s and 1980s. Whilst prior of the CGA Peter Ball combined those duties with several other roles, including three
years as a vicar in Staffordshire. While there he established another CGA community and we have heard evidence of an incident
involving one of the community members being beaten by Ball. That account was given to us by someone who went on to be abused by B
all himself and to make a statement about this in the prosecution of Ball in 2015.
Another man who was a member of Ball’s community for more than thirteen years told us of an incident in 1977 when Ball, complaining of phlebitis, asked the man to massage his legs. The
man started to do so but stopped when he realised that Ball, unclothed below the waist, was sexually aroused.
3.2.8
As well as meeting boys and young men through the Give a Year to God scheme, Ball was a frequent visitor to some public schoo
ls and was a governor of several schools. He had a reputation as an entertaining and charismatic speaker and, having been invited into schools, he went on to form associations with a number of individual boys, sometimes offering intensive one to one “counselling”. Of the 18 victims cited when Ball was sentenced in 2015, five had encountered Ball while they were still at school. At least one abusive encounter took place on school premises.
3.2.9
Ball also had associations during the 1970s and 1980s with other priests in the Diocese of Chichester, who we now know were involved in abusive behaviour.
These matters are considered below, in the section of this report which considers the extent to which Ball may have been part of a network of abusive priests.
3.2.10
Ball’s career and influence in the Church continued to thrive throughout the 1980s, though there is also evidence of rumours and rumblings of disquiet about his activities. In 1985 he was a candidate for the position of Bishop of Norwich but diocesan representatives opposed his appointment. They are noted to have reported that ‘…we needed someone married and that Norwich really could not take a group of young men living with the bishop in the bishop’s house – nor was this pastorally wise for the bishop.’
3.2.11
Ball was appointed as Bishop of Gloucester in April 1992. Records indicate that the appointment process deviated in part from standard practice – he was chosen despite being the second of two options considered . There was initially a measure of resistance within the Gloucester Diocese, linked to Ball’s Anglo-Catholicism.
Ball was also opposed to the ordination of women whereas the Synod in Gloucester supported this change.
3.2.12
Former members of the CGA told us that Ball’s lifestyle at that time was not consistent with his avowed austerity. We have similarly heard from former staff at Bishopscourt, the official residence of the Bishop of Gloucester, of an extravagant
way of life.
Household expenditure on food and alcohol increased significantly
following Ball’s arrival and the house was expensively decorated and furnished.
The exception was Ball’s bedroom which was small and sparsely furnished but contained three mattresses. Unlike his predecessors Ball chose a bedroom at the far end of the residence, away from the staff. Ball received many visitors, usually young men, some of whom resided at Bishopscourt for some time
3.3.2
Neil Todd and others subsequently reported that Ball repeatedly encouraged him to engage in ‘spiritual’ exercises involving nakedness and cold showers. In September 1992 Ball suggested that Todd should agree to be beaten while naked so that his body should ‘ bear the marks’. This beating did not take place because of the
intervention of a member of domestic staff at Bishopscourt, Mr J,
who had become increasingly concerned at Ball’s lifestyle and specifically his treatment of Neil Todd.
3.3.3
Neil Todd told Mr J that Ball intended to whip him and that he did not want this to happen. In order to avoid a confrontation with Ball,
Mr J and his wife took Todd away with them on holiday. When they returned Neil Todd did not come back with them but is believed to have gone to London. They have told us that Ball behaved as if nothing had happened.
3.3.4
They remained worried and, later that year, came to London to share their concerns with Bishop John Yates. He was well known to them as he had been Bishop of Gloucester immediately before Ball’s appointment. He was now the Bishop at Lambeth, the head of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s staff, and was to play a
significant part in subsequent events. They have told us that they set out their concerns in detail, referring specifically to the proposed flagellation.
3.3.5
Bishop Yates is said to have listened but did not commit himself to any action. He suggested that if they remained concerned they might speak to another bishop they knew locally, the suffragan Bishop of Tewkesbury, Bishop Jeremy Walsh.
Bishop Yates subsequently wrote to the staff in December 1992, thanking them for their concern but expressing regret that
“confidences had been broken possibly by police here in London”.
(No further clarification of this comment has emerged from our
enquiries).
3.3.6
Neil Todd returned to Bishopscourt in October 1992 and there was a further encounter involving explicitly sexual activity with Ball. Todd was very distressed by this, left Bishopscourt and went to Crawley Down and then to Brixton to stay with the LBSC. In mid-
November Neil Todd attempted suicide. Then, apparently
because he had learned of another young man going to stay at Bishopscourt and feared for his welfare, Todd decided that he should disclose what had happened to him.
3.3.7
He spoke to Mr A who contacted a local vicar in Brixton (where Mr A lived). That led to contact with Bishop Roy Williamson, Bishop of Southwark.
Bishop Williamson told us that he remembered that they told him about Ball being involved in naked prayer. He spoke to Bishop Kemp, as Ball’s superior when he had been in Sussex. On 25th November Mr A spoke directly to Bishop Kemp and told him of Neil Todd’s disclosures, and of his suicide attempt.
3.3.8
Bishop Kemp immediately contacted Ball, who denied any sexual relationship with Todd. Ball then spoke to a superintendent in Gloucester Police, a friend of his, who gave him some advice about his situation. Ball faxed Bishop Kemp a statement stating that he had not had a sexual relationship with Todd but then asked him
to destroy the fax. Bishop Kemp did so.
3.3.9
On 4th December Bishop Kemp met Mr A and the local vicar, and offered to see Neil Todd himself. That meeting took place on 10th December. Todd confirmed that there had been sexual contact between him and Ball at Ball’s request. Todd was very upset, and said that Ball should admit what he had done and should no longer
be a bishop. Bishop Kemp said that he would reflect on what he had been told.
……
3.4.4. Bishop Michael Ball wrote to Lord Carey at the end of the year referring to the support his brother was receiving from prominent figures including, he claimed, two Cabinet Ministers and the Prince of Wales
3.5.4 In mid-January Bishop Michael Ball wrote to a senior
official at Lambeth Palace.
His letter begins:
“Thank you for all your help over this …and thank you too for going back today to try to make some preliminary overtures to the Home Office”.
…..
Mr D recorded being told by Mr F that the police investigation had revealed ‘very serious allegations….from all over the country, covering many years of [Ball’s] life in the ministry. Statements
had been obtained from young men in Cambridge, Oxford, Durham and Newcastle, and many other allegations had come to light ‘.
The monk had also heard from Mr C, then a student at Westcott House Theological College in Cambridge, that there were allegations of mutual masturbation involving Ball and ‘
various boys up at Cambridge at this time’
(implying that these relationships started before the youths went to Cambridge).
From mid-1993 the emphasis of concern at Lambeth Palace was on
whether, when and how Ball should be rehabilitated. Various initial steps were considered and discussed with Ball. The Archbishop of Cape Town, The Rt Revd Desmond Tutu, and Lord Carey corresponded about an invitation to Ball to minister
in a diocese in South Africa. There was a suggestion that Ball might minister in prisons. These options were not acceptable to Ball. The energies of the Ball brothers were channelled into a drive to
secure Peter Ball’s return to public ministry.
Peter Ball spent two days at Lambeth Palace in the first week of September 1993 as a guest of the Archbishop. This was followed by two letters from Bishop Michael Ball in the same week asking that Lord Carey do more to progress Ball’s return to ministry. Lord Carey wrote to Bishop Michael reminding him that he had not placed
Peter Ball’s name on the List, and that he had considered this carefully.
The bishop presciently felt that Ball would “use any limited permission as a lever to extort more and more out of you, and perhaps other bishops, and you will have no peace”.
During 1995 Ball’s gradual return to ministry and the erosion of the Church’s opposition continued. In January Lord Carey gave permission for Ball to go to the USA to lead Holy Week and Easter services in a parish there.
In his correspondence with that parish the Archbishop wrote that
“Peter was Bishop of Gloucester but was deprived of his
episcopal ministry two years ago because of a criminal act against a minor…Peter was possibly the victim of a plot but that, of course, cannot be proved”.
In January 1996 Lord Carey agreed that Ball should be permitted to preach at a public school, provided that the school were made aware of possible hostile press interest. He further agreed in March that Ball could conduct confirmations and preach at two more schools. Ball was still the President of the Anglican Fellowship in Scouting and Guiding and the Archbishop agreed that he could attend their Annual General Meeting and celebrate the Eucharist at their headquarters in Gilwell Park.
3.7.17
In April 1996 Ball, who had not seen Lord Carey face to face since November 1994 asked for a meeting, ostensibly to hand over correspondence between Ball and the Prince of Wales with a view to it being held for posterity in the Lambeth Palace Library.
(The Prince himself was not involved).
Bishop Kemp was to retire in 2001. Shortly before his retirement, following correspondence from Bishop Michael Ball, Bishop Kemp appointed Peter Ball as Emeritus Canon of Chichester–an award usually made in recognition of long and honourable service.
The CPO in Bath and Wells became involved in setting up the forensic assessment but experienced a great deal of opposition. She has reported that Ball began a campaign of telephone calls and letters disputing the decision. He threatened to involve the Prince of Wales.
The CPO was contacted by a number of senior establishment figures who supported Ball’s resistance, including a member of the House of Lords and a senior cleric.
Ball’s connections with Pritchard and Cotton are well – evidenced. An account of Ball abusing a 13 year old boy in the presence of Pritchard and Cotton led to one of the charges which he did not admit when imprisoned. This connection and others prompt a consideration of whether Ball’s activities extended to involvement in some sort of organised abuse.
…there had been an organised “ring” of abusive priests. However some felt that there had been particular issues relating to the Chichester diocese, where the conditions were right for “like minded” people to come together.
There has been public speculation that the response of the Church (and of public authorities) to the allegations against Peter Ball, his caution and his subsequent requests to return to active public ministry, was improperly influenced by Ball’s connections with prominent and influential figures, and that he was able to use those
connections to obtain preferential treatment by the Church (as well as by public authorities). There is no doubt that Ball did have such connections. There is also evidence that he sought to use his connections to his advantage in his dealings with the Church authorities. For example, in a letter to Lord Carey in August 1998 he said “I get more and more invitations….to let you know some of them I have spoken to 400 voluntary workers in Eastbourne with the Lord Lieutenant…I am shortly to preach to the Grenadier Guards in their Chapel; preach at Wellington College, confirm at Radley College and next year preach at Dartmouth to what looks like a full turn out of the Royal Family “.
Ball clearly intimates on many occasions, to Lord Carey and others, that he enjoys the status of confidant of the Prince of Wales. He ensured that Lord Carey was aware that he corresponded with the Prince (see paragraph 3.7.17 above) and that he visited Highgrove House. There are frequent references in Ball’s letters to Lord Carey and others to his attending royal functions and to meeting members of the Royal Family.
The CPS has publicly stated that it had neither received nor seen any correspondence from a member of the Royal Family when Ball was under investigation in 1992/93. It has disclosed in slightly redacted form eleven supportive letters received at that time from other prominent people in society. Those people were Lord Carey (as discussed above) , another former Archbishop of Canterbury
–Lord Donald Coggan, one diocesan bishop, two MPs, two public
school headmasters, one former headmaster, senior staff members from another public school and Lord Justice Lloyd.
6.1.6
Lord Lloyd continued to support Ball after his caution.
In late 1994 Ball was considering trying to persuade the police or the DPP that the handling of his case had been flawed because publicity had prevented his mounting a proper defence. Lord Lloyd
reminded Ball that he had admitted the offence by accepting the caution.
6.1.7
Lord Lloyd subsequently went to see Bishop Sargeant who had by then succeeded Bishop Yates as Bishop at Lambeth. According to
Bishop Sargeant’s note of the meeting, Lord Lloyd disagreed with the policy of barring Ball from public ministry, and was suggesting a way in which that might be reversed. Bishop Sargeant’s notes
describe this as an ‘old boy arrangement’ , where a ‘powerful group of friends (were)…coming to Peter’s aid’.
Ball’s links with public schools
6.2.1
We have noted the links between Ball and public schools, and have been reminded by a number of survivors of the extent to which Ball had connections with such schools. We have found specific references to ministry in seventeen public schools. He was a governor of at least one school for many years and that school has
confirmed that he had unsupervised contact with pupils there
after he had been cautioned . He continued to have links with that school until at least 2007.
6.2.2
Ball’s connections with schools often arose from his personal relationships with the heads of those schools. Some of them championed his cause when he was under investigation in 1992/93, and continued to support him publicly following his resignation.
6.2.3
In the course of this review we contacted every school with which Ball is known to have had any connection. None has reported any concerns about his conduct.
6.2.4
However we know of instances where troubled teenagers from
some of these schools were directed towards Ball for advice and help. That is what happened to one of the complainants whose letter to the Church was not passed to police in 1992.
This boy was subjected to an improper approach from Ball. We have heard directly from one man who, at the age of 15, was seen on school premises by Ball and asked to masturbate in front of him. That man had also contacted the Church about this in 1992.
We now know of five public schools whose pupils were abused by Ball.
6.2.5
We have not seen evidence of Ball abusing boys in school after his caution. But one of the first ways in which he sought to rest
ore his good standing was by re-establishing links with schools. There seems to have been no coherence in the Church’s control over such activities. We have seen that in 1996 Lord Carey agreed
to Ball carrying out priestly duties in schools. Some years later he raised concerns about Ball’s presence in schools, apparently forgetting that he had already sanctioned this. There is evidence that Ball then sustained his connections with some public schools for many years–he himself claimed to have been involved
with between 20 and 25 schools after he had been cautioned.
Church knew about allegations before Cornish preacher went on to abuse boys, investigation reveals
The diocese failed to investigate the accusations against Jeremy Dowling
25 MAY 2018
Dowling became such an important and valued worker and volunteer during a 40-year association with the diocese that a special service of thanks was given in his honour when he retired in 2009
A leading figure in the Church of England in Cornwall went on to commit child sex offences for several years after allegations about his behaviour with young boys were raised with the diocese and not acted upon, an official investigation has revealed.
The diocese failed to investigate the accusations against Jeremy Dowling, a lay preacher, allowing him to rise to influential positions including communications officer to the bishop, an independent review for the church concludes.
The report, released today, says there were “historic failings” within the diocese in dealing with the allegations, first raised in 1972. There was “ongoing knowledge” of the situation among senior figures in the diocese “well into the 1980s” with references to “a big fat file” on Dowling.
After the first allegations of Dowling abusing boys at a North Cornwall school where he taught were dropped by the Director of Public Prosecutions – because of a lack of corroborative evidence – the then Bishop of Truro Maurice Key wrote: “I suppose the problem will now be to find him some other work”.
Dowling became such an important and valued worker and volunteer during a 40-year association with the diocese that a special service of thanks was given in his honour when he retired in 2009.
In 2015 he was jailed for seven years after pleading guilty at Truro Crown Court to 15 charges of sexually abusing boys under 16.
In 2016 he was jailed for an additional eight years after being found guilty of six further charges of indecently assaulting a boy between 1973 and 1977. Those offences happened when he befriended the boy while a lay preacher at a church in Budehaven – and took place after concerns were first raised with the diocese.
The report’s author said the lack of action by the diocese allowed Dowling to gain credibility and authority.
“Because they didn’t take it any further it enabled Jeremy Dowling to reach a position where he made up his own rules, and his position within the church lent him credibility and authority,” said Dr Andy Thompson, an academic, magistrate and member of the Diocesan Council.
The Bishop of St Germans, Rt Revd Dr Chris Goldsmith, apologised for the lack of action and the suffering that resulted.
The diocese failed to investigate the accusations against Jeremy Dowling, a lay preacher, allowing him to rise to influential positions including communications officer to the bishop, an independent review for the church concludes.
The report, released on Friday (May 25), says there were “historic failings” within the diocese in dealing with the allegations, first raised in 1972. There was “ongoing knowledge” of the situation among senior figures in the diocese “well into the 1980s” with references to “a big fat file” on Dowling.
Dowling became such an important and valued worker and volunteer during a 40-year association with the diocese that a special service of thanks was given in his honour when he retired in 2009.
In 2015 he was jailed for seven years after pleading guilty at Truro Crown Court to 15 charges of sexually abusing boys under 16.
In 2016 he was jailed for an additional eight years after being found guilty of six further charges of indecently assaulting a boy between 1973 and 1977. Those offences happened when he befriended the boy while a lay preacher at a church in Budehaven – and took place after concerns were first raised with the diocese.
One of the leaders who was named in the report was Michael Ball, 86, who was Bishop of Truro from 1990 to 1997. The Right Reverend Ball told the diocese he had been informed of the allegations about Dowling but had not seen any need to take action as there had not been a prosecution.
His identical twin, Peter Ball, the former Bishop of Lewes and Gloucester who boasted of links to royalty, 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.
His sentence came 22 years after the abuse first surfaced. He eventually admitted misconduct in a public office and two counts of indecent assault. The court heard how Peter Ball had convinced some of his victims to strip naked to pray and even suggested they submit to beatings between 1977 and 1992.
The first of his victims to come forward took his own life in 2012 after hearing Sussex Police had reopened the case.
There were fears Peter Ball may have taken the place of his twin, who was Bishop of Truro in the Nineties, and therefore duped congregations in other parts of the UK.
The Diocese of Truro was understood to be looking into the evidence that Peter Ball conducted services in Cornwall.
Last year the brothers decided they wanted to become Catholics so they could live in anonimity. Peter Ball asked to join the Roman Catholic Diocese of Clifton in Bristol and both said they wanted to switch faith from the Church of England so they could “live and worship in anonymity” within the Catholic Church.
Former Bishop of Truro was Michael Ball, twin brother of convicted paedophile/friend of the royal family and Jimmy Savile – Bishop Peter Ball.
Jeremy Dowling
The Right Reverend Michael Ball – Bishop of Truro from 1990-97 – told the diocese he had been informed of the allegations but had not seen any need to take action as there had not been a prosecution.
A RECENT service at Truro Cathedral paid tribute to the work of Jeremy Dowling, the Diocese of Truro’s Communications Officer, who steps down at the end of December after more than 25 years in post. He has lived in the Bude area for more than 40 years.
On a wet and windswept evening, a congregation made up from clergy and people from across the diocese enjoyed a service that included readings, hymns and a sermon given by the former Bishop of Truro, Bishop Bill Ind. Also present were the current Bishop of Truro, The Rt Rev Tim Thornton, the Dean of Truro, The Very Rev Dr Christopher Hardwick, both Archdeacons and Mr Martin Follett, the Diocesan Registrar.
During his sermon, Bishop Bill paid tribute not only to the work that Jeremy undertook as Communications Officer but also his very substantial other work for the Diocese including nearly 40 years as a Reader,
seventeen years as Chairman of the House of Laity of the Diocesan Synod, one of the first people to be made Lay Canons of the Cathedral, a member of the General Synod for 27 years, as well as sitting at one time or another on virtually every Board and Committee of the Diocese.
He said, “Jeremy’s media and broadcasting skills are second to none.”
His experience and expertise in the television broadcast area was particularly noted, especially the background work he was able to do which led to programmes such as the very successful and popular BBC series ’Seaside Parish’ featuring Boscastle and the surrounding parishes, which enjoyed weekly audiences if over three million, ’Island Parish’ featuring the Isles of Scilly and ’The Monastery.’
Summing up, Bishop Bill said: “He has been a critical friend, someone who has told me the truth as he sees it. He has made me and indeed others both laugh and think and for both these things and much else I remain profoundly grateful. The Diocese owes him an enormous amount and so indeed do I and a host of others.”
Jeremy Dowling has lived in the Bude area of North Cornwall for more than forty years, with thirty years spent in the parish of St Gennys, and he is Chair of Governors of Budehaven Community School.
In his thanks and response to Bishop Bill, Jeremy noted how the communications role had changed greatly with much more emphasis today on electronic media. He acknowledged with gratitude the work of the local press and media, recognising its essential vitality and the key role it played in championing issues which were important for the church and for society.
“We have enjoyed excellent relations with the westcountry media” he said “and it has been a privilege to work with local journalists and broadcasters.”
He concluded by saying: “In my view, the strength of the Church remains in the local community. There is a lot going on. And the thread which runs through most of the stories is undeniably positive. They chronicle a vigorous, interesting, dynamic, eccentric and imaginative life in the church in Cornwall. Long may it
continue.”
After refreshments, a large bouquet was presented by Bishop Tim to Daphne Dowling in recognition of her support for her husband, and Jeremy was presented with a substantial cheque from parishes and individuals in the Diocese
BIG SOCIETY: Pictured above, with Prime Minister David Cameron and North Cornwall MP Dan Rogerson, are Co-founder of Community Action Through Sport (CATS) and volunteer Denise Jane May, CATS trustee and volunteer Jeremy Dowling, CATS Project Development Manager Karen Hemmings, CATS Project Development Assistant Louise Anne Harris and CATS trustee and volunteer Sharon Caroline Marshall.
Ex Truro Diocese worker Jeremy Dowling sexually abused boys
5 June 2015
An ex-Diocese of Truro press officer has admitted sexually abusing boys over a period of more than 10 years.
Jeremy Dowling, 76, carried out the assaults on five children, aged between 12 and 15, from 1959 to 1971.
Truro Crown Court heard Dowling abused the boys at sporting events and in toilets while working as a teacher in Devon.
The Bishop of Truro described Dowling’s offences as “deeply shocking” and said his thoughts were with the victims.
Sentencing was adjourned until July 10 for a pre-sentence report to be prepared.
Dowling, of Church Path, Bude, retired from the Diocese of Truro in 2009 after 25 years of service.
‘Damaging impact’
He pleaded guilty to 13 counts of indecent assault on boys aged 12 to 15 and two counts of indecency with a child.
The court heard one assault was carried out on a boy at a cricket match. Others took place in an attic, in storage rooms at a sporting pavilion and in outside toilets.
The Right Reverend Tim Thornton, Bishop of Truro, said many people would have known Dowling as a reader at St Michael’s Church and St Genny’s Church in Bude and as a member of the Diocesan and General Synods.
Bishop Thornton said: “Offences like this will have a damaging and lasting impact on people’s lives.
Former Cornwall preacher Jeremy Dowling ‘assaulted boy’
The assaults happened when Jeremy Dowling was a lay preacher at two churches in the Bude area of Cornwall, Truro Crown Court was told.
Mr Dowling met the boy when he was 10 through church activities and “took him under his wing”.
He has denied six counts of indecent assault on a child and two counts of gross indecency with a child.
The assaults happened in the 1970s before Mr Dowling became a press spokesman for the Diocese of Truro, the court heard.
‘Long time ago’
Jo Martin, prosecuting, said some of the assaults took place at Mr Dowling’s house after the boy had been invited for dinner and on one occasion he was taken to a church on the north coast.
She said Mr Dowling took him up a tower and showed him the view, then took him to a room and assaulted him.
The alleged victim did not tell anyone when he was a child but later, when he was married, told his wife about the assaults.
He said when his wife rang up Mr Dowling, accusing him of being a paedophile, Mr Dowling replied “that was a long time ago”.
He said he eventually went to the police after reading in news reports that Mr Dowling had admitted abusing five boys when he was a teacher at a private school in the 1960s.
Mr Dowling is currently serving a jail term for those offences.
A RECENT service at Truro Cathedral paid tribute to the work of Jeremy Dowling, the Diocese of Truro’s Communications Officer, who steps down at the end of December after more than 25 years in post. He has lived in the Bude area for more than 40 years.
On a wet and windswept evening, a congregation made up from clergy and people from across the diocese enjoyed a service that included readings, hymns and a sermon given by the former Bishop of Truro, Bishop Bill Ind. Also present were the current Bishop of Truro, The Rt Rev Tim Thornton, the Dean of Truro, The Very Rev Dr Christopher Hardwick, both Archdeacons and Mr Martin Follett, the Diocesan Registrar.
During his sermon, Bishop Bill paid tribute not only to the work that Jeremy undertook as Communications Officer but also his very substantial other work for the Diocese including nearly 40 years as a Reader,
seventeen years as Chairman of the House of Laity of the Diocesan Synod, one of the first people to be made Lay Canons of the Cathedral, a member of the General Synod for 27 years, as well as sitting at one time or another on virtually every Board and Committee of the Diocese.
He said, “Jeremy’s media and broadcasting skills are second to none.”
His experience and expertise in the television broadcast area was particularly noted, especially the background work he was able to do which led to programmes such as the very successful and popular BBC series ’Seaside Parish’ featuring Boscastle and the surrounding parishes, which enjoyed weekly audiences if over three million, ’Island Parish’ featuring the Isles of Scilly and ’The Monastery.’
Summing up, Bishop Bill said: “He has been a critical friend, someone who has told me the truth as he sees it. He has made me and indeed others both laugh and think and for both these things and much else I remain profoundly grateful. The Diocese owes him an enormous amount and so indeed do I and a host of others.”
Jeremy Dowling has lived in the Bude area of North Cornwall for more than forty years, with thirty years spent in the parish of St Gennys, and he is Chair of Governors of Budehaven Community School.
In his thanks and response to Bishop Bill, Jeremy noted how the communications role had changed greatly with much more emphasis today on electronic media. He acknowledged with gratitude the work of the local press and media, recognising its essential vitality and the key role it played in championing issues which were important for the church and for society.
“We have enjoyed excellent relations with the westcountry media” he said “and it has been a privilege to work with local journalists and broadcasters.”
He concluded by saying: “In my view, the strength of the Church remains in the local community. There is a lot going on. And the thread which runs through most of the stories is undeniably positive. They chronicle a vigorous, interesting, dynamic, eccentric and imaginative life in the church in Cornwall. Long may it
continue.”
After refreshments, a large bouquet was presented by Bishop Tim to Daphne Dowling in recognition of her support for her husband, and Jeremy was presented with a substantial cheque from parishes and individuals in the Diocese
18 October 1977
The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Donald Coggan at St Paul’s Cathedral in London with The Rt Rev Peter Ball, right, who was consecrated Suffragan Bishop of Lewes.
The new bishop is the former Prior of the Community of the Glorious Ascension, whose mother house is at Cleeve Priory, Watchet, Somerset.
Archbishop Doogan defended paedophile Bishop Ball and also came to the defense of another paedophile church leader and friend of the royal family –
Patrick Nigel Geoffrey Gilbert
This church sex pervert abuses lad and doesn’t go to prison 1993
(15.06.93)
Patrick Gilbert, friend of royalty, top church official,
Athenaeum Club (chairman executive committee 1985-1989)
alun
The Athenaeum Club in Pall Mall was where Cardinal Hume introduced Savile … and where Terry Woods, Proctor’s lover, was a member.
Testimonials to Gilbert included one from former Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Donald Coggan
charity – Promoting Christian Knowledge
Patrick Gilbert often met the Queen, who is patron of the SPCK, at Palace garden parties.
He also discusses the charity’s affairs with Princess Alexandra’s husband Sir Angus Ogilvy, one of its governors.
Questions over churchman’s charity trip: Andrew Brown reports on a leading Anglican’s visit to South Africa with a homosexual friend
4 December 1992
THE MOST powerful layman in the Church of England took his homosexual companion around South Africa on a trip for an Anglican charity, the Independent has learnt. He later repaid to the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge the extra costs involved.
The bills, showing the two men shared a room on the trip in 1990, were approved by Patrick Gilbert, the society’s then managing director, who resigned suddenly last year and is now facing charges of indecent assault.
The Rev Sir Derek Pattinson, as he now is, was secretary-general of the Church of England’s General Synod for 18 years, until 1990, when he was knighted on retirement and embarked on training for ordination.
He was also chairman of the executive committee at the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge, a 300-year-old missionary society and publishing house, currently being investigated by the Charity Commissioners after revelations about the extravagance of Mr Gilbert, its last managing director.
Sir Derek set off on a prolonged fact-finding trip around southern Africa at SPCK’s expense in the autumn of 1990, while he was still secretary-general of the Synod.
In Johannesburg he was joined, by pre-arrangement, by Barnaby Miln, a homosexual activist who had been the one of the youngest Justices of the Peace in England.
For most of the years when Sir Derek, 62, was training for the priesthood, he lived with Mr Miln in a flat in Westminster owned by the Diocese of London.
Dr Graham Leonard, the traditionalist who has now announced he plans to leave the Church of England in protest against women priests, was then Bishop of London. He agreed to Sir Derek’s ordination without the customary investigation of his suitability by the Church’s Advisory Council on Ministry.
‘It’s perfectly true that (Sir Derek) never went to a selection conference, because technically he was the employer of the staff who were arranging it,’ Dr Leonard said.
Mr Miln claims that Dr Leonard knew the set-up. ‘The Daily Mail chap, Tony Doran, had got through the outer door on the morning of the deaconing and accused (Sir Derek) to his face of being a homosexual. And Derek sent him away,’ he said.
‘The telephone then started ringing, and Graham Leonard decided to go ahead . . . The organist was told to play full blast, should there be a protest; and at the private do afterwards. Graham Leonard came up to me and said: ‘I did you a favour, Barnaby.’ ‘
Dr Leonard attended a packed General Synod debate in 1987 when Sir Derek was on the platform and Mr Miln, then a lay member, announced that he was a homosexual.
The Synod went on to pass by an overwhelming majority, a motion condemning ‘homosexual genital activity’.
Before Sir Derek could become a priest, Dr Leonard retired, and was replaced by the Rt Rev David Hope, the former bishop of Wakefield. He compelled Sir Derek to return to the theological college at Mirfield, Yorkshire, for an extra term, which he had hoped to skip. But he did ordain him.
Dr Hope said: ‘I knew that they were sharing rooms or a flat. But it was put to me that Barnaby Miln was looking after Derek, caring for or about him. I would presume that their domestic arrangements were satisfactory and wholesome because I was not told otherwise.’
Sir Derek serves as a curate in St Gabriel’s, Warwick Square, central London, whose rector is David Skeogh. Mr Skeogh, a ‘high’ Anglo-Catholic, is a former schoolteacher who served as Dr Leonard’s domestic chaplain both in Truro and London.
While Sir Derek was away at Mirfield last spring Mr Miln began a relationship with David O’Reilly, a young Irishman. He had previously been attracted to a handsome Australian teacher, whose athletic interests led him to take up an exercise programme, which resulted in a knee injury.
Mr Miln said he was due for a cartilage operation at the end of March and ‘needed somebody to get me around. And Derek was due back from Mirfield for the ordination and so forth. So we needed somebody to drive us around.’
David O’Reilly was Mr Miln’s chauffeur and lover from April until he died in mysterious circumstances behind King’s Cross railway station, north London, on 6 August this year.
On 20 May, for reasons which are still unclear, two police cars pulled over Mr Miln’s car as Mr O’Reilly was driving him along the Westway in London. The two men were taken separately to police stations, and interrogated for six hours. The car was searched, but nothing unusual was found except some leaflets promoting the Anglican Centre in Rome.
Mr O’Reilly introduced Mr Miln to hard drugs very soon after their relationship began. Mr Miln said that in very little time he was spending hundreds of pounds a week on heroin and cocaine.
On 6 August, Mr Miln’s 45th birthday, Mr O’Reilly drove him to King’s Cross. He parked there, left Mr Miln in the car, and went to buy some cocaine. What happened next is unclear. Mr Miln believes it was murder: the Crown Prosecution Service found no case to answer, when police passed on papers of the case. In any case, Mr O’Reilly fell, or was pushed, under the wheels of a lorry and died.
Sir Derek collected Mr Miln from the police station where he had been questioned for hours by officers wanting to know why he was in the car and what Mr O’Reilly had been doing. He denied everything, but admitted on two separate occasions afterwards that Mr O’Reilly had in fact been buying cocaine for him.
The relationship between Sir Derek and Mr Miln deteriorated, though the two men continued to live together.
Since Mr Gilbert’s forced retirement last year from the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge, the new managing director, Paul Chandler, has completely revised its financial controls. He said yesterday that none of the society’s travel budget came from contributions made by the public.
Sir Derek, when challenged over the allegations, replied that he had paid by cheque for Mr Miln’s share of the hotel bills in South Africa immediately after his return. But he could not produce a record of this.
He has disappeared and cannot be contacted. Dr Hope has ordered him to take medical leave for six weeks, and will review his position at the end of that time.
Sir Derek Pattinson and Barnaby Miln JP photographed in 1986. Sir Derek is wearing the insignia of Master of the Worshipful Company of Parish Clerks.
PTTINSON – a Freemason and a member of the Athenaeum Club and the Savile Club.[1] He became a Freeman of the City of London in 1973 and was a member of the Woolmen’s Company and of the Parish Clerks’ Company, of which he was Master 1986/7.
Patrick Nigel Geoffrey Gilbert, religious organization administrator. Decorated Lord of Manor of Cantley Netherall, Norfolk, Order of St. Vladimir; recipient awards for civic and professional service
Gilbert, Patrick Nigel Geoffrey was born on May 12, 1934. Son of Geoffrey and Evelyn (Miller) Devon.
Educated, Cranleigh School, Merton College, Oxford. Doctor of Letters (honorary), Columbia Pacific University, 1982.
Lecturer further education South Berks College, 1959-1962. Personal assistant to Sir Edward Hulton, 1962-1964. With Oxford University Press, 1964-1969, managing director in Westinghouse group, 1970.
General secretary Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, London, 1971-1992. Consultant Three Georges Development Company, 1994-1997, Saga Travel, 1994-1998
Membership
Board directors Surrey Building Society, 1988-1993. Chairman Camden Arts Council, 1970-1974, vice president, 1974-1990. Steward Artists’ General Benevolent Institution, 1971-1993.
Trustee Overseas Bishoprics Fund, 1971-1992, Richards Trust, 1971-1992, Buxton Trust, 1973-1992, chairman, 1983-1992. Trustee World Association Christian Communications, 1975-1987. Governor, vice-chairman St. Martins in Fields School, 1971-1972.
Fellow Corporation of Saints Mary and Nicholas-Woodard Schools), 1972-1992, trustee, corporation executive, 1981-1992. Chairman board trustees, honorary treasurer Art Workers Guild, 1976-1986. Chairman, founder National Association Local Arts Council, 1976-1980, vice president, 1980-1993.
Governor body SPCK Australia, 1977-1992, New Zealand, 1988-1992, India, 1971-1992. Governor Ellesmere College, Shropshire, 1978-1987, St. Michael’s School, Petworth, 1978-1988, Roehampton Institute Higher Education, 1978-1992, Pusey House, Oxford, Contemporary Dance Trust, 1981-1990. Active All Saints Educational Trustee, chairman finance and investment committee, 1978-1992.
Active Partnership for World Mission, 1979-1992, Church Public Committee, 1980-1984, Executive Anglican Consultative Council Research Project, 1982-1984, Court of City University, 1987-1993. Board directors SPCK, United States, 1983-1992. Chairman academy disciplinary appeals tribunal Roehampton Institute, 1983-1989, chairman audit committee, 1989-1992.
Chairman Concord Multicultural Arts Trust, 1980-1989. Trustee Dancers Resettlement Fund, chairman finance committee, 1982-1990, Dancers Resettlement Trust, 1987-1990. Member Greater London Arts Association (honorary life, chairman 1980-1984), Master Worshipful Company of Woolmen, Publications Association (council member 1990-1992), Athenaeum Club (chairman executive committee 1985-1989), Nikaean Club (chairman 1984-1992)
Adopted – parents: Geoffrey Devon and Evelyn (Miller) Devon
When I was Chairman of the Athenaeum Club Executive, the Secretary and I had a run-in with the Westminster EHO. He said there was a … in his own club. Yours sincerely, PATRICK GILBERT P.O. Box 118, Udon Thani 41000, Thailand …
Patrick Nigel Geoffrey Gilbert: Testimonials to Gilbert included one from former Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Donald Coggan
Patrick Nigel Geoffrey Gilbert Obituary
Published in The Times on Dec. 3, 2009
Patrick Nigel Geoffrey Gilbert.
A Memorial Service conducted by the Bishop of Guildford will be held at St Magnus the Martyr Church, Lower Thames Street, London…
Bishop of Guildford in 2009 was Christopher Hill
Hill – a member of th Athenaeum Club and he served as the Clerk of the Closet in the Ecclesiastical Household of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom from 2005 to 2014.
From 1987 to 1996 he was a chaplain to Elizabeth II.
MR PATRICK NIGEL GEOFFREY GILBERT is a Retired General Secretary Of The S P C K from London. This person was born in May 1934, which was over 83 years ago. MR PATRICK NIGEL GEOFFREY GILBERT is British and resident in United Kingdom. This company officer is, or was, associated with at least 6 company roles.
Their most recent appointment, in our records, was to COLLEGE OF ALL SAINTS FOUNDATION (THE) on 1992-05-22, from which they resigned on 1992-08-31.
The Holy Trinity Church in Marylebone, Westminster, built specifically to celebrate the defeat of Napoleon, hasn’t been used as a place of worship since the 30’s, but that didn’t stop artist Paul Fryer from making a religious statement by hanging this terrifying statue of Satan inside.
The piece, titled “Lucifer (Morningstar)” is a wax sculpture depicting the devil snared in a set of power lines.
In 1937 Penguin moved out to Harmondsworth, and the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK), an Anglican missionary organization, moved in. It was their headquarters until 2006, when they relocated to Tufton Street, Westminster (they have since moved again to Pimlico); the church is currently used as an Events space operated by One Events and known as One Marylebone.
The Church can’t be allowed to carry on marking its own homework
25 Jun 2017
The Church concealed evidence of criminality and colluded to protect an abusive bishop. Only external oversight will guarantee that church safeguarding practices comply with secular standards, argues Richard Scorer.
With the publication of the Gibb report the Church of England has finally admitted what Ball’s victims have long believed – that senior figures in the church, in particular former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey, concealed evidence of Ball’s criminality and colluded to protect him. Where do we go from here?
At the heart of the Ball scandal, as I explained on this site in July last year, is that in early 1993, when Ball was under police investigation for a single offence, against a young man called Neil Todd, Lambeth Palace was aware of no fewer than 6 other allegations against Ball, but failed to pass these to the police. Worse still, in full knowledge of these other allegations, Carey wrote to the police to tell them that the Todd allegation was “most unrepresentative” of Ball’s behaviour.
When I raised the spectre of cover up at a hearing of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) in March 2016, Lord Carey told the media that he had “no knowledge of the matters” I was referring to. But the Gibb report now lays bare Carey’s intimate involvement in the maneouvres by which Ball escaped justice for a further 22 years, and concludes that Carey’s failure to pass evidence to the police “must give rise to a perception of deliberate concealment”.
Self-evidently, the Ball case involves more than a “perception” of concealment; it involves concealment, pure and simple, so one wonders whether Gibb’s wording here was softened during the process of “Maxwellisation”, by which those criticised in a report are given the opportunity, pre-publication, to challenge the report’s conclusions. Of course, the church’s “Abuse of Faith”, as Gibb calls it, went well beyond concealment. Even after Ball’s caution and resignation in 1993, senior church leaders denigrated his victims. They allowed Ball to regain much of his standing within the Church, and many of his preaching privileges. They allowed him to carry out priestly duties in schools. Knowing full well that he was the subject of multiple allegations of sex abuse, they sought to rehabilitate him. And then under Rowan Williams, Carey’s successor, progress in tackling sex abuse generally within the Church was “lamentably slow”.
An unavoidable question is whether, in concealing evidence of Ball’s criminality, senior figures in the Church of England, including Carey, may have committed criminal offences, the most obvious one being misconduct in public office. The Ball case itself established that a Church of England bishop is a public official. Misconduct in public office is defined as “a public officer wilfully neglecting to perform his duty and/or wilfully misconducting himself to such a degree as to amount to an abuse of the public’s trust in the office holder, without reasonable excuse or justification”. Plainly, there is a case to answer.
Some will say that police resources are better spent on contemporary challenges than on prosecuting failings which occurred over 20 years ago. But this would be to ignore the gravity of what occurred, and its long lasting consequences, which included the suicide of Neil Todd, who over two decades was vilified by the Church as a liar and a gold-digger. According to Gibb, Carey decided that Ball was “basically innocent”. The Archbishop of Canterbury decided, in other words, that he was entitled to act as judge and jury and substitute his own view for that of the criminal courts. But the law is not just for little people; it applies to Archbishops as well. So the question of criminal offences has to be addressed.
What of the wider implications of the report? In its forensic analysis of the factual detail of this tawdry cover up, Gibb is a pretty strong piece of work. In its analysis of the church culture which led to this scandal, and especially in terms of recommendations for change, the report is much weaker.
On religious culture, and the manifold ways in which it can be misused by abusers, the report certainly makes a number of pertinent observations. It notes that Ball’s abuse was “charged with religious intensity” and that in committing his offences Ball “exploited the significance of ritual, particularly in the Anglo-Catholic tradition”. For Ball religious rites became “a mask for abuse, and theology was used as a way of justifying abuse”. The evil of what he did was “compounded by his message that this made the victims more special and more holy”.
Gibb also acknowledges that religious communities of the type established by Ball, which purport to offer support and spiritual guidance, are peculiarly likely to attract vulnerable people who may be troubled and seeking direction, and for that same reason are also likely to attract perpetrators who seek to use the respect and faith attaching to religion as a cover for abuse. As Gibb notes, such communities are also often closed communities, lacking the external oversight so crucial for preventing abuse.
Finally, Gibb reiterates that in Christian organisations abusers can sometimes be protected from accountability by a distorted concept of forgiveness. All these points are well made, and help to explain why it is that although many secular institutions have also suffered from abuse scandals, religious institutions seem to be particularly susceptible to such scandals and ill-equipped to confront them. However, in my view the report fails to acknowledge something even darker in the Church of England – a culture of bullying and intimidation of against those who speak out. This culture has been powerfully described by Rev Graham Sawyer, a Ball survivor who is also a Church of England vicar, and who has experienced the church’s treatment of whistleblowers at first hand. For the public, who increasingly tend to regard the Church of England as slightly ridiculous but largely benign, this aspect of the church’s culture may come as a surprise, but it certainly exists, even if it is hidden under a veneer of English politeness.
In terms of proposals for change, the report’s 12 recommendations are astonishingly anodyne, and seem to be grounded in an assumption that all is now basically well with safeguarding practice in the Church, although also buried in the report is an acknowledgement that diocesan safeguarding work has often been inadequately resourced.
Most extraordinary, however, is the absence of any insistence that abuse allegations be reported to external authorities under a mandatory reporting regime. This is the obvious and undeniable lesson from Ball – the Church of England cannot be allowed to carry on marking its own homework. Of course, Gibb may be assuming, as I also find many journalists now do, that reporting of allegations to external authorities is already the norm. But because child abuse often takes many years, even decades, to come to light, and given the history now exposed, we cannot presume this with any confidence. The main lesson of Gibb, although the report does not say so, is that only external oversight will guarantee that church safeguarding practices comply with secular standards. We need mandatory reporting.
Richard Scorer is a solicitor who acts for some of Peter Ball’s victims, and is an NSS council member. You can follow him on Twitter @richard_scorer. The views expressed in our blogs are those of the author and may not necessarily represent the views of the NSS.
Television parson Reverend Simon Phipps checking a script before recording an episode of the show ‘About Religion’, circa 1955.
Rev Simon Phipps of the Chichester diocese (close friend and confidant to Princess Margaret) and Rev Mark Kiddle (deputy priest to Queen Elizabeth)
Pervert vicar who was convicted of sexually abusing a 15-year-old boy then quietly moved to another parish was offered an honour by the Queen
Reverend Mark Kiddle was given a 15-month suspended sentence in 1985
The vicar admitted indecently a boy aged 15 at St Andrew’s church, Lincolnshire
In 1993, Kiddle was promoted by the Queen to be part of her Chapel Royal
31 October 2018
The Queen honoured a pervert vicarwho had been convicted of abusing a child by offering him a place in her Chapel Royal, it has been revealed.
Reverend Mark Kiddle was given a 15-month suspended sentence in 1985 after admitting two offences of indecent assault.
His victim claimed he abused him up to twenty times.
But instead of being defrocked for abusing the 15-year-old boy he was instead moved to another parish.
Just eight years later, in 1993, Kiddle was promoted by the Queen to be part of her Chapel Royal.
A public notice in the London Gazette announced: ‘The Queen has been graciously pleased to appoint the Reverend Mark Brydges Kiddle, to be a Deputy Priest in Ordinary to Her Majesty.’
Now, for the first time, the vicar’s victim has spoken out about the culture of ‘protecting and promoting’ convicted child abusers in the church.
Mark Kiddle was handed a suspended sentence for the abuse of a 15-year-old boy but was later given an honour by the Queen
The man, now in his 50s, said: ‘I think the Queen would be disgusted to find out about his past.’
‘The church has protected the guilty and let the innocent be abused. I’m angry that the person who did this to me was just moved to another diocese.
‘He was protected and promoted and I don’t think the church even now acts equitably.’
The abuse happened when Kiddle was vicar at St Andrew’s in Kirton-in-Lindsey in Lincolnshire.
His victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, says he was groomed by Kiddle who molested him ’18-20 times over a two-year period’ including when he was at his most vulnerable, following the death of a close family member.
He said: ‘I suppose when I was younger I was naïve, I thought he was just being kind.
‘He would take me on trips, he would give me alcohol and it got to the stage where I would stay over at the vicarage quite regularly.
‘We always slept in the same room and he would always sleep naked. It was a big old building and he said it was haunted but that ghosts couldn’t see you if you had nothing on.
‘I can’t say exactly when the abuse started. I completely blocked it out. I never told anyone, not even my parents.’
The abuse continued for two years but eventually a parishioner who suspected Kiddle of inappropriate behaviour tipped off police.
He was prosecuted at Grimsby Crown Court and in his defence the then Bishop of Lincoln, Simon Phipps, described Kiddle in court as an ‘extremely diligent, imaginative and energetic priest’.
Kiddle received two 15-month sentences to run concurrently, suspended for two years and was moved to another parish.
He was eventually posted to St Clement’s Church, Eastcheap in the City of London.
The 84-year-old, who is now retired from the church, is understood to have later declined the Queen’s honorary role in the Chapel Royal
His victim has launched legal action against the Church of England over the abuse he suffered.
The abuse happened when Kiddle was vicar at St Andrew’s in Kirton-in-Lindsey (pictured)
His solicitor, Richard Scorer, at Slater and Gordon, said: ‘Kiddle waged a calculated campaign of abuse against a vulnerable young boy and even exploited tragic family circumstances to his own advantage so he could continue to satiate his own sick desires.
‘It is reprehensible that someone who was convicted of such a crime should be allowed to continue working in the church and in a role which presumably gave him unfettered access to other youngsters.’
A spokesman for the Diocese of London said Kiddle was not paid by the Church of England and had a limited at two churches.
He said: ‘From 2002, he was barred from all ministry. Under today’s procedures, anyone convicted of such offence would immediately be removed from their role and barred from ministry.
‘The Church has made significant changes in its approach to safeguarding since the 1980s, but we recognise that more needs to be done to ensure a safe culture, where abuse has no place, and where survivors of abuse can flourish.’
A Palace spokesperson said Kiddle never took up the honorary position and was never active in the Royal household.
Vicar Kiddle admitted indecently assaulted a boy aged 15.
Simon Wilton Phipps
Bishop of Lincoln Simon Phipps tells court indecent assault vicar Mark Brydges Kiddle to be given another parish. He had been “an extremely diligent, imaginative and energetic priest”.
The Rt Rev Simon Phipps
Confidant of Princess Margaret
Bishop of Lincoln Rev Simon Phipps – Bishop of Lincoln from 1974 to 1986
His father, a naval officer, had been appointed to the Royal Victorian Order.
Simon hipps and the Princess (Margaret) were close friends, having met frequently through his father’s position as a Gentleman Usher to King George VI.
Captain William Duncan Phipps VIII (1856 to 1925 United Kingdom)
William Duncan Phipps VIII (b.1882) was a distant cousin of Sargent, and he is listed at some length in ‘Epes Sargent of Gloucester (Massachusetts) and his Descendants’, Boston 1923, pp. 70-1. Sargent painted the American mother Jessie Percy Butler Duncan VII, wife of William Phipps, an Englishman, in a stunning portrait of 1884 that belonged to Joyce Grenfell (also a Phipps).
William the son was educated at Eton and on HMS Britannia and during the Great War served on the Iron Duke under Jellicoe and later under Beatty.
He got his own command in 1917 on HMS Pagasus. He married Pamela Ross in 1917 and had two sons, one of whom, Simon William it is believed became Bishop of Lincoln, and who was a great friend of Princess Margaret
Simon Phipps was educated at Eton and, while still a young subaltern, was picked out by the then Queen Elizabeth (now the Queen Mother) as a suitable escort for her younger daughter, Princess Margaret. He went on, in 1968, to be appointed Suffragan Bishop of Horsham, and, in 1974, to become Bishop of Lincoln.
He became a star turn in the Footlights review, and, in 1949, was elected the club’s president. His amateur theatricals appealed to Princess Margaret, herself no mean mimic, and, on one memorable visit to Balmoral, he was roped in to play charades by the then Queen Elizabeth, the future bishop being obliged to march around ahead of King George VI carrying an umbrella in imitation of a crozier.
After training for the ministry at Westcott House, Cambridge, Phipps was ordained in 1950, and served his title as assistant curate at Huddersfield parish church. In 1953, he was invited back to Trinity College as chaplain. This was the year when Princess Margaret fell in love with the divorcé Peter Townsend, and it was to Phipps that, during the next three years, while struggling with her conscience and the constitutional issues, the princess turned for spiritual advice. At one time, they were in almost daily contact.
Later, he became godfather to her son, Lord Linley, after her marriage to Anthony Armstrong-Jones.
While still at Trinity College, Phipps also forged, with Mervyn Stockwood, one of his warmest episcopal friendships. He and his wife, Mary, remained loyal and loving friends to the future Bishop of Southwark throughout his lonely years in retirement.
He also became involved in a row with a retired Guards colonel over the sale of some church land, and in 1980 his thoughts in the Diocesan Letter on the subject of homosexuality caused widespread shock.
May 23, 1968 – Alamogordo Daily News from Alamogordo, New Mexico
In 1965, Phipps was made an honorary canon of Coventry, and three years later, with Princess Margaret in the congregation at Southwark Cathedral, he was consecrated as Suffragan Bishop of Horsham.
It was in 1973, while still in the Chichester diocese, aged 52 and seemingly a confirmed bachelor, that Phipps surprised and delighted his friends by getting married. His wife, Mary Welch, was a daughter of Sir Charles Palmer, of the biscuit manufacturers, Huntley & Palmer, the widow of a clergyman, and a practising psychiatrist.
He retired to his wife’s enchanting Sussex home, with views to Chanctonbury Ring, being invited, most unusually, to act as an honorary assistant bishop in two dioceses, Southwark and Chichester.
Simon Wilton Phipps, clergyman, born July 6 1921; died January 29 2001
Following the war, having read History at Trinity, he studied for the priesthood at Westcott House, Cambridge. A talented writer of lyrics, he was President of Footlights in 1949.
In 1953, after a short spell as a curate in Huddersfield, Phipps was appointed Chaplain at Trinity. That appointment was followed by ten years at Coventry as an Industrial Chaplain, during which time he lived in a small council flat on a new housing estate. The modesty of his surroundings did not prevent him fromentertaining his long-time friend, Princess Margaret, “to the great interest of his neighbours”.[1]
Not long after his ordination, when he was chaplain of Trinity College, Cambridge, his gifts were put at the service of Princess Margaret during the crisis that arose out of her relationship with the divorced Group Captain Peter Townsend. Phipps and the Princess were close friends, having met frequently through his father’s position as a Gentleman Usher to King George VI.
He often accompanied her to hunt balls and other social events, and it was sometimes suggested that they were involved romantically, but this was never the case, and his role was always that of counsellor.
His wife Mary, whom he married in 1973 and who predeceased him, was a psychiatrist and the widow of James Welch, a former Head of Religious Broadcasting at the BBC.
Included in the group were: The Lord Bishop of Lincoln (Rt. Rev. Simon Phipps), Mrs. Phipps, the Dean of Lincoln (V. Rev. The Hon. O. W. Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes), the leader of the Lincoln City Council (Cclr. Mrs. Bates) and officers of the Central Council.
The Lord Bishop of Lincoln (Guild Patron) said it gave him very great pleasure to be present at the gathering of so many bellringers from different parts of the country and he wished them well in their deliberations at their Conference next day.
In 1985 a vicar from Kirton in Lindsey, Humberside, pleaded guilty to the indecent assault and gross indecency of a 15 year old boy.
Despite his guilty plea for a heinous crime, the Bishop of Lincoln, the Right Rev Simon Phipps, described Mark Brydges Kiddle as “an extremely diligent, imaginative and energetic priest” and told the court that Kiddle would eventually be given another parish.
This is a typical example of how the church has always dealt with it’s nonce clergy. They simply move them on as if that will somehow rehabilitate them and stop them reoffending. We know full well from Anthony McSweeney’s example that it doesn’t work like that. A paedophile is a paedophile is a paedophile, it doesn’t matter what surroundings you put them in, and if you’ve ever seen the film ‘Spotlight‘ it reinforces this issue.
Kiddle Timeline:
1963-66: St Luke, Scarborough – Curate
1966-71: St Savior’s, Walthamstow – Curate
1971-76: St Bede, Nelson, Lancs – Vicar
1976-79: Perry Common, Birmingham – Vicar
1979-84: Grayingham, Lincs – Rector
1979-84: Kirton, Lincs – Vicar
1979-84: Manton, Lincs – Rector
1980: Lived in Warwick
1985: Pleaded guilty to abusing a 15 year old boy.
1985-91: St Botolph, Aldgate w H Trin Minories, London – Honorary Curate
1991-08: St Clement’s, Eastcheap w St Martin Orgar (used by a number of charities) – Honorary Curate
1991: Kiddle can be found at St Bartholemew The Great in Smithfields, London EC1, and in December of that same year he became involved in a charity called ‘Foundation for Public Service Interpreting‘ based near the Barbican in London, finishing as a Trustee. It claimed to be ‘specialists in providing a interpretation service to the public sector’.
He also became company secretary/director to LL Shell Ltd until 1996.
June 1993: Rev Kiddle seemed to bag himself a cushy number. According to church appointments listed in The Independent, he was made ‘Deputy Priest in Ordinary to HM The Queen‘. However, there is no mention of this within Crockford’s Directory.
2000: He was at St Bride’s, EC4 – Fleet Street.
2003: He becomes company secretary for ‘Beyond Mind Ltd‘ which claimed to be some sort of further education outfit and ‘specialist medical services‘. It was eventually struck off in 2015.
5 Feb 2015: He becomes a director for Michael Voysey Theatre Ltd. Interestingly, according to company information sites, the name of this company was originally ‘Love Tag Greetings Ltd’ from 2014-2015. Voysey worked for the BBC writing dramas for a number of years. He died in 1984.
Rt Rev Simon Wilton Phipps:
Born in 1921, Phipps was a former Coldstream Guard who spent time as Aide-Du-Camp for his uncle who was General in India, Phipps was originally the chaplain of Trinity College, Cambridge where he became President of Footlights, before taking holy orders.
In 1970 he caused controversy after expressing his views on homosexuality. He spoke in the House of Lords and General Synod, and also became a support/counsellor to Princess Margaret during her divorce from Captain Peter Townsend, often accompanying her to social occasions such as balls and hunts etc. They had known each other for many years owing to the fact his father was usher to King George VI.
Article on ‘Princess Margaret’s Favourite Men’ (Phipps on right)
1965-68: Honorary Canon of Coventry Cathedral.
1968-75: Suffragan Bishop of Horsham, Sussex (Chichester diocese).
1973: Married his wife, Mary, who was widowed following the death of her husband, James Welch, former head of religious broadcasting at the BBC. The service was in Chichester.
1975-1986 he became Bishop of Lincolnshire.
1977: His home was burgled and a number of paintings were stolen.
1986: Assistant Bishop of Chichester
1986: Assistant Bishop of Southwark
He lived in Shipley, Sussex during his retirement, where he became an honorary assistant bishop and pastor to clergymen throughout the country until his death in 2001.
Lincolnshire and the General Synod:
In 2016, a man named David came forward to speak out about the abuse he suffered at the hands of Gordon Dawson, a landed farmer and well-connected member of society, who lived at Dalby House in Lincolnshire.
David at Dalby House
David recounts horrific incidents of abuse at the hands of Dawson, both in Lincolnshire and on weekend trips to London, where he was taken by Dawson to Dolphin Square and meetings of the General Synod.
In the evenings Dawson would take him to restaurants – most frequently to Motcombs, an upscale establishment in Belgravia – where a table of men would be waiting.
“He would tell me there were people there [at the table] who had big military careers, people from the church – he would say that some are from the Synod – and then [also] MPs. There always seemed to be a parliament connection. They’d always be talking about something that had come up that day in the House [of Commons].” David would be introduced to them but, still only 15, would never be told their names.
“He [Dawson] was very cut and dried about that. He would say, ‘You need to stop asking so many questions. You just need to remember these people are really important and you need to not tell anyone about this.’”
As they ate, Dawson would give David red wine, he says.
“Sometimes at the dinners there was someone else my age,” he says – boys accompanying other men there. They wouldn’t be sat together.
When David eventually reported his abuse, Dawson was tipped off by the police that he was about to be arrested and he subsequently committed suicide by shooting himself with one of his own guns.
Dawson was a director of Lincoln Diocesan Trust + Board of Finance Ltd (which also bought + sold real estate). Not sure for how long this has been the case, the Lincoln Diocesan Registry address is 1 The Sanctuary SW1 which is a walkable distance, a few mins away from Dolphin Sq
Dawson left the Trust in ’92, 10 years after meeting D, so those ‘meetings’ in London, could have been related to his ‘work’ at the Trust.. Property at Dolphin Sq may have been related to the Trust and their cronies in some way, being the Limited company dealt with property.
Historic child abuse panel member: “I was silenced by Theresa May’s advisors to ensure she became PM”
Sharon Evans, a former journalist and the founder of Dot Com Children’s Foundation, said that the panel were “promised the child abuse inquiry would be open”, but after a short while she saw that it was ‘so obvious that everything was about the control and suppression of information” and that the supposedly independent inquiry had absolutely “no independence’.
Ms Evans claimed that the contracts panel members were made to sign by the Home Office were used to stop them from speaking openly about “very serious allegations about very public figures” – allegations which she says were taken back to the inquiry leaders, but ‘nothing was being done about” them.
Twitter photo of James Saville (CSA Inquiry PR man)
Odd ? Coincidence ?
The Mail reported that a James Saville is representing one of the CSA Inquiry panel members, Sharon Evans and claiming to be working with the Home Office and that this person tried to dissuade The Mail from uncovering the truth about Fiona Woolf’s appointment as chair of the inquiry.
A Mail on Sunday journalist trying to uncover the truth about Fiona Woolf’s appointment to the child abuse inquiry received unwarranted threats from a PR man claiming to be working with the Home Office.
This newspaper was warned it would be reported to the new press complaints watchdog for simply arranging an interview with another panel member who could shed light on the controversy.
The threat was made by James Saville, a spokesman for Sharon Evans, a third person on the abuse inquiry. She runs a charity which includes Strictly Come Dancing star Kristina Rihanoff and Tony Blair’s daughter Kathryn among its trustees.
After a reporter had agreed last week to meet abuse survivor Graham Wilmer, who is on the inquiry panel, Mr Saville rang the journalist five minutes before the agreed interview time to say it had been called off.
But what is in a name ? There can’t really be any connection between this James Saville and the serial paedophile Sir Jimmy Savile…
Could there ?
Journalist James Saville with Paedophile Sir Jimmy Savile.
I just wonder if this James Saville currently undertaking PR work for a CSA Inquiry member and working with the Home Office is the same James Saville, a journalist, who wrote this glowing tribute to the beknighted child abuser on his death.
Warning: Get your sick bag ready.
Jimmy Savile dead: Sir Jim fixed it for me – a tribute by James Saville (No Relation)
He was one of the most colourful, eccentric and brilliant celebrities in history – and someone I’m proud to say turned out to be a friend.
I first met him when working as a local reporter for the Bucks Herald while he was doing charity work at Stoke Mandeville Hospital.
And when he found out there was a journalist with the same name as him, his eyes lit up like Christmas.
He grabbed me round the arm, hoiked me towards him, stuck a big fat cigar in my face… and the image was plastered embarrassingly on the front page of that week’s edition.
It is the same James Saville (friend of Jimmy Savile) who it a spokesperson for a panel member on the CSA Inquiry and supposedly working with the Home Office.
Savile used threats of links with IRA to silence enemies and victims
By Daily Mail Reporter
PUBLISHED: 23:13, 20 October 2012 | UPDATED: 10:17, 22 October 2012Reporter James Saville recalled the time he met the star in 2000, who he said was ‘raging’ over the death of a friend and demanding details of anyone involved so he could on his friends in the IRA to ‘get them done’.http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti…se-school.html
In reference to James Saville’s own Mirror tribute to Vile (posted in full a few posts earlier)…
Quote:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news…sir-jim-276277
By Mirror.co.uk
29 Oct 2011 17:01Jimmy Savile dead: Sir Jim fixed it for me –a tribute by James Saville (No Relation)I first met him when working as a local reporter for the Bucks Herald while he was doing charity work at Stoke Mandeville Hospital….He also once told me that if I ever got in any trouble, then he knew “some very bad people who should be able to put whoever it is in hospital”.
Okay, so we have established that it was yourself, James Saville, who first met Vile in 2000 while working at the Bucks Herald.
12 years ago = 2000.
‘Our journalist’ = James Saville
Written by James Saville
Clearly one and the same person.
Quote:
contd…Savile was a volunteer helper at nearby Stoke Mandeville Hospital and was upset about the death of a local figure who he had known for several years.
There was a rumour the man had died after being mugged in the street.
The TV bigshot demanded the names of the thugs responsible.
We have omitted the name of the deceased out of respect for his family.
Arrogant Savile summoned our journalist to his office and raged: “I want you to tell me what happened with **** *****. If you hear that someone has done this then I want you to tell me who straight away.
“I want to know names and I can have them waking up in hospital with every bone in their body broken.
“If someone has done this to **** ***** that makes them my enemy. And you don’t want to be my enemy.”
When asked to explain he then made his boasts of his IRA connections. Savile added: “You don’t get blessed by the Pope for nothing.”
Again;
Our journalist = James Saville.
In this 2012 article [also posted in full a few posts ago, as well as originally on the thread a year ago] James refers to himself as our journalist. This is a trick. Remember James is NEWS EDITOR, so if he says ‘our reporter’ he gives the impression that he is protecting the name and integrity of one of his reporters, which is an editor’s job; he is in fact covering for himself.
Why?
Well, James tells us himself.
Quote:
[2011]
On the plus side, he became the best contact I could wish for, almost using me as a way to get his wacky latest projects or views on the local health services[relating to Stoke Mandeville? – WH] into the press.He even put a good word in for me with a national newspaper reporter, to start me on the way to Fleet Street.
So you voluntarily allowed yourself to be used as a patsy.
And SaVile buttered you up at the Bucks Herald, and then he got you into the Mirror/Sunday People?
And you allowed yourself to be his mouthpiece despite
Quote:
[2011]
I was often unsure whether some of the weird and wonderful things he would come out with were fact or fiction.
James Saville was at the Bucks Herald in 2000 when Vile promised him his big break, getting him into Fleet Street, in return for easy access to free column inches in the red top press (Sunday Mirror/Sunday People). On the suspicious death of Vile’s friend in/around Aylesbury James Saville was summoned to Vile’s office, presumably Vile would be aware that often the press would know the identity of suspects with their dealings with the Police but be unable to publish for legal reasons.
So despite having enough points to form an investigative vector, already knowing Savile’s threats about IRA links (made to the journalist himself) and being aware of the Theroux docu where Vile off-guardedly spoke about beating people up in the basement of his nightclub, James Saville never thought anything of it, but happily plodded along, thankful to Vile for the leg up and mindful that he owes Savile, being voluntarily HOODWINKED.
He fondly remembers him.
Quote:
Long live Sir Jim.
Did he not also think about how easily Vile got him a post in Fleet Street, where did that connection come from?
Quote:
Originally Posted by wakingthedead
Do we know where this “James Saville” is now???
According to some he is Head of News at the Sunday Mirror:
Although his Twitter says he is
Head of News at The Sunday People.
http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/node/49559
Senior editorial shake-up at Mirror and People
Andrew Pugh 27 June 2012
Sunday Mirror news editor James Saville becomes head of content at the People.
So I suppose the Sunday People and the Sunday Mirror are basically the same thing. link
Theresa May ‘s close friend Damian Green
Mr Green, who was appointed Secretary for Work and Pensions by Mrs May has been an MP for 20 years and has known the Theresa May for around 40 years.
(his) friendships across the spectrum of the party, including Andrew Lansley, Tim Collins, David Willetts and even John Bercow.
invited to join John Major’s policy unit, specialising in the affairs of the Department for National Heritage, the precursor to today’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Theresa May’s university matriculation photo taken while she was at St Hugh’s College in 1974 with Alicia Collinson
Theresa May …her close friend Alicia Collinson – is an eminent barrister, married to Damian Green, whom Mrs May promoted to the Cabinet as Work and Pensions Secretary.
May and Green go back a long way, to the Oxford days in the 1970s when his girlfriend, (now wife) Alicia Collinson, was then Theresa Brasier’s tutorial partner.
Alicia and Mrs May studid geography together at St Hugh’s College, sharing the same tutor.
Friends recall that for the first two years of undergraduate life, Mrs May had “many male friends but nobody who was special”.
She was part of a high-flying set that also included Alan Duncan, the former international development minister, and Damian Green, who answered to Mrs May when a Home Office minister and who is married to Miss Collinson.
The address linked to former Police Minister Damian Green was apparently used from a computer in Parliament in 2007 to register with the cheaters’ site
The address linked to former Police Minister Damian Green was apparently used from a computer in Parliament in 2007 to register with the cheaters’ site.
Whoever enrolled with Ashley Madison typed in the maiden name of Mr Green’s mum – Lyons – for the security question and appealed for a woman who “aches for good sex”.
Last night Mr Green, 59, said he had never used the notorious website.
He added he could not remember whether the aol.com address was his.
The Mayor of London Boris Johnson Policing Minister Damien Green and Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howes
Thousands of pornographic images on Damian Green’s computer, says detective
Pressure grows on Theresa May’s deputy amid further pornography revelations from former Scotland Yard detective
1 Dec 2017
Pressure is mounting on Theresa May’s effective deputy, Damian Green, after a detective who examined his computer said it contained thousands of pornographic images.
The former Scotland Yard officer Neil Lewis said the internet history on the device, which was seized in 2008 while Green was an opposition spokesman, showed pornography had been viewed extensively.
Lewis, who retired from the Metropolitan police in 2014, claimed the device contained thousands of thumbnail images of legal pornography.
In his first broadcast interview about the investigation, Lewis was asked by the BBC how he could be sure it was Green, now the first secretary of state, who accessed the images. He said: “The computer was in Mr Green’s office, on his desk, logged in, his account, his name.
“In between browsing pornography, he was sending emails from his account, his personal account, reading documents … it was ridiculous to suggest anybody else could have done it.”
Lewis said he was shocked by what he found: “The shocking thing as I was viewing it, I noticed a lot of pornography – thumbnails, which indicated web browsing. There was a lot of them. I was surprised to see that on a parliament computer. I had to take a step back because I wasn’t expecting that.”
He said the images were not extreme, as earlier reports claimed, and featured no images of children or sexual abuse.
Green is the subject of a cabinet office inquiry by its head of propriety and ethics, Sue Gray, into allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards a young Conservative activist, Kate Maltby.
Green’s office would not be drawn on Lewis’s claims. In a statement, it said: “It would be inappropriate for Mr Green to comment on these allegations while the cabinet office investigation is ongoing, however, from the outset he has been very clear that he never watched or downloaded pornography on the computers seized from his office.
“He maintains his innocence of these charges and awaits the outcome of the investigation.”
Labour’s Jess Phillips, the chair of parliament’s women and equalities committee, said Green should resign if pornography was found on his computer.
“If what is being said, which I hope is being submitted to the proper investigation, is believed to be true on the balance of probabilities, then yes it does change things and Damian Green cannot stay in his position,” she said.
“The pressure is mounting on him. There is no illegality but would you be fired if you looked at pornography on your work computer? The problem for me in all of this is how people use their power to not live by the same rules that everybody else has to.”
She conceded that Lewis may have be wrong in publicising confidential information about Green, but she added: “Both people can be in the wrong and there still has to be a case to answer.”
The Conservative MP Andrew Mitchell accused Lewis and Quick of trying of blacken the name of his friend.
He told Today: “Mr Green has been absolutely emphatic repeatedly that he never downloaded nor viewed this material. And I think that Mr Green is entitled to be believed. You are not guilty until proven so in this country. I think the hounding of Mr Green over information which everyone is clear was entirely legal, and which he has emphatically denied either downloading or viewing his completely wrong.”
Mitchell, who lost a libel case against the Sun newspaper over a report that he called a police officers “fucking plebs”, added: “Nine years later, after a pretty contentious raid of a senior politicians office, entirely legal information is now leaked to blacken the name of a serving cabinet minister. And I think that is wrong.”
He added: “The police need to explain why there was any record kept of entirely legal activity. He [Lewis] says he is doing it to back up his friend Bob Quick. I don’t think it is proper for retired police officers to behave in this way. I don’t think it is giving Mr Green natural justice.”
Lewis said he had not been contacted by Gray, but the cabinet office was aware of his role in examining Green’s computers.
The search of Green’s computer was made when he was shadow immigration minister, as part of Operation Miser, an investigation into Home Office leaks.
Lewis said: “When I left the police I kept one notebook and that was the notebook for Operation Miser, because that was the case that I was uncomfortable with.”
Lewis said he was motivated to come forward when he read Green denying claims by his superior, Bob Quick, the former Metropolitan police assistant commissioner, who told the Sunday Times that pornography had been found on the politician’s computer.
“His outright denial of that was quite amazing followed by his criticism of Bob Quick,” Lewis said.
He added: “I contacted Bob Quick to offer my support.”
Asked if it was possible for anyone else to access Green’s machine, Lewis said: “It was so extensive, whoever had done it would have had to push Mr Green to one side to say ‘get out, I’m using your computer’.”
He also dismissed a suggestion that a mistake could have been made. Lewis said: “I was the one who seized it from Portcullis House. I was the one who examined it, photographed it. I deal with computer forensics. That’s what I do, I produce digital evidence to court in relation to terrorists at the Old Bailey.”
The senior Labour MP Hillary Benn said the cabinet office should examine Lewis’s claims, but he stopped short of calling for his resignation.
Benn told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We are all waiting for the outcome of it and clearly it should look at all available evidence in reaching a decision. All evidence that is relevant to the inquiry should be considered by the cabinet office. There is a process and we should let it do its work.”
Sophie Walker, leader of the Women’s Equality party, accused Conservative politicians of double standards by defending Green after staying silent about allegation of sexual harassment, calling their backing for the minister “extraordinary”.
Sophie WalkerVerified account@SophieRunning
Extraordinary story of @DamianGreen even more extraordinary that colleagues will defend him to the hilt, but were silent or dismissive when their female colleagues spoke of sexual harassment in Westminster.
What was originally known as the Zambia and Overseas Group became the World Mission Group in 1996, and incorporated the two separate Sub-Groups: the Zambia Sub-Group and the World Mission & Development Sub-Group. In 2017 the Zambia Sub-group became the Zambia Champions group.
The link grew and prospered with regular exchange visits by priests, doctors, school staff, students, diocesan staff and members of congregations. Visits to Zambia have been made by Bishop Nigel McCulloch, Bishop Jim Thompson, Bishop Peter Price, Bishop Andrew Radford, Bishop Peter Maurice, Bishop Peter Hancock and Assistant Bishop John Neale.
DISCLAIMER: THE POSTING OF STORIES, COMMNTARIES, REPORTS, DOCUMENTS AND LINKS (EMBEDDED OR OTHERWISE) ON THIS SITE DOES NOT IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM, IMPLIED OR OTHERWISE, NECESSARILY EXPRESS OR SUGGEST ENDORSEMENT OR SUPPORT OF ANY OF SUCH POSTED MATERIAL OR PARTS THEREIN.
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
Feb 25 2109
The hearings have become a case study exposing the many systemic obstacles to safeguarding of pupils in the English Benedictine Order (EBO) and the wider Catholic Church, in no small measure as a direct result of control imposed by the Vatican.
Extent of abuse
Serious abuse of pupils that was not reported to the civil authorities has been found in every EBO school in England and the outlying one at Fort Augustus, remote in the Scottish highlands. Fort Augustus has since been closed, having been described in a BBC documentary as a “‘dumping ground’ for problem clergy who had confessed to abusing children“.
Abuse reported to the Ealing Inquiry included “excessive physical chastisement – sometimes apparently for sexual gratification, grooming; fondling of genitalia; anal penetration; and rape”.
Lawyers believed that “since World War II… hundreds of boys were molested at St Benedict’s”. “Monks had been behaving this way at the school for 60 consecutive years to 2010. … [I]t was part of the culture”. Given this and the Inquiry alone learning of 66 allegations, it is plausible that thousands have been abused there since the foundation in 1902 of the school dubbed “one of Britain’s most notorious dens of paedophilia“.
Notably, “at Ealing, the sexual abuse was perpetrated by those at the very top of the organisation”, for many decades. This meant abuse could be perpetrated with impunity which also “turned St Benedict’s into a honeypot for other [abusers]”.
The Vatican Bank withheld the address of Soper on the run from the police. Tellingly, that he had provided it to the bank suggests Soper’s total confidence it would not be divulged, i.e. total confidence the Vatican would defy requests by European police to identify an absconder. That adds to the Vatican’s shameless record as a haven for those fleeing justice.
The latest conviction, once more of a senior master, is Dr Peter Allott, jailed in 2016 for possessing nearly 400 obscene images of children (found in the school but not of Ealing pupils) and class A drugs to which he had become addicted. He was deputy headmaster and had been teaching there since 2004. Allott’s conviction makes it rather harder to claim that such abuse is solely a historic problem.
Most telling of all was that until recently, the school fought shamelessly with all its tenacity to retain the ability not to report abuse complaints to civil authorities where parents or pupils did not wish to do so.
A lawyer testified that “on the very same day, you have a survivor of the kind of abuse on which the report focused being threatened by a member of [headteacher] Cleugh’s staff in the street near the school”. He quoted the survivor: “While I was being interviewed, a car appeared and mounted the pavement, narrowly missing the cameraman. The doors flew open and a man I subsequently learned was a teacher at St Benedict’s leapt out, accompanied by a shaven-headed security thug, and started ranting and raving about trespassing on school property [which it was not].” The inquiry learned that a complaint to Mr Cleugh about this did not even elicit an explanation, far less an apology.
Ealing Abbey abbot resigns over failure to investigate child abuse allegations
8 Feb 2019
The abbot of Ealing Abbey has resigned over a failure to investigate child sexual abuse allegations at a London school amid an escalating diplomatic row prompted by the papal nuncio’s reluctance to cooperate with a public inquiry.
The independent inquiry into child sexual abuse (IICSA) was informed on Friday that Dom Martin Shipperlee, who had been abbot since 2000 and taught at St Benedict’s School in west London, had given up his responsibilities.
His abrupt departure comes immediately after he appeared before the inquiry, answering questions about how he handled allegations of sexual abuse against monks and teachers at the school dating back decades.
Two senior monks and teachers, Andrew Soper and David Pearce, were jailed for a series of offences against pupils at the school. Soper, who was found guilty of 19 rapes and sexual offences at St Benedict’s, fled to Kosovo at one stage in an attempt to escape justice.
The public inquiry has written to the pope’s representative in Britain, the archbishop Edward Adams, asking him to disclose details of his handling of complaints about Catholic schools in England and Wales and specifically relating to investigations at Ealing Abbey and St Benedict’s school.
The papal nuncio has so far failed to comply and declined to comment about the requests. David Enright, a solicitor at the law firm Howe and Co who represents 18 victims of abuse by Catholic priests and monks, who are taking part in IICSA, has written to Theresa May asking her to expel Adams if he does not comply.
In a statement to the Guardian, the Foreign Office confirmed it was investigating the papal nuncio’s position. A spokesperson said: “The government takes the issue of child protection extremely seriously. We fully support the IICSA inquiry and are looking into this matter further.”
The inquiry was told on Thursday that the nuncio was consulting with his superiors in Rome. Downing Street has not yet commented on the diplomatic standoff.
Shipperlee’s resignation was announced at the child sexual abuse inquiry on Friday by Dom Christopher Jamison, the head of the Benedictine Order in England. “This morning I received a letter from Abbot Martin Shipperlee offering me his resignation with immediate effect as abbot of Ealing,” he said.
Dom Martin Shipperlee faced questioning over handling of sexual abuse claims at school
Head of Catholic order failed to tell police of sexual abuse at London school
Abbot ‘did not know’ if findings at Benedictine school were relevant, national inquiry told
23 Feb 2017
The head of one of the country’s most powerful Catholic orders was made aware of sex abuse allegations dating back to the 1970s at one of its schools but did not alert the authorities – contrary to the recommendations of a church commission on which he sat.
The wide-ranging Independent Inquiry Into Child Sexual Abuse has been shown a handwritten document compiled by Abbot Richard Yeo, who as president of the Benedictines conducted an inquiry at St Benedict’s School in Ealing, west London, in June 2010 following reports that there had been widespread abuse of pupils by teachers and monks.
The year before Yeo’s visit, Father David Pearce, the former head of the junior school, had been jailed for eight years – reduced to five on appeal –after being found guilty of abusing five boys over a 36-year period.
According to notes Yeo took when he visited St Benedict’s, and which will soon be uploaded on to the inquiry’s website, many at the school had been concerned about Pearce decades before he was jailed. Yeo’s notes state: “Mid 70s knew David engaged in dubious activities.” Another monk told him: “Knew since I was junior school head there was something wrong. Graffiti ‘Fr David is bent’.” A third said he was aware of rumours of abuse when he arrived 25 years ago, and expressed disbelief that a former abbot claimed to Yeo he “never knew anything about it”.
The Catholic church’s failure to confront systemic clerical sexual abuse was acknowledged last week at an unprecedented summit on the issue opened by Pope Francis, attended by 180 bishops and cardinals. “The holy people of God are watching and expect not just simple and obvious condemnations, but efficient and concrete measures to be established,” he warned.
Yeo, who stood down as president of the Benedictines in 2017, told the inquiry he did not pass his 2010 notes on to the police because Pearce had already been jailed and that he did not know if they had any evidential value.
But Richard Scorer, specialist abuse lawyer at Slater & Gordon, who is representing several of the victims at the school, and referred to Yeo’s note in a blogpost, said it was not for the abbot to determine what was relevant to the inquiry. He described Yeo’s failure to share his notes with the police as remarkable given that he had been a member of the 2007 Cumberlege commission, the Catholic church’s review of its child safeguarding policies in England and Wales.
“The Cumberlege commission report from 2007 is clear that ‘all allegations of abuse are required to be reported to the statutory authorities who must decide whether a statutory investigation is required,’” Scorer said. “Yeo was a member of this commission, yet when allegations of abuse came into his possession in 2010 he failed to follow the Cumberlege commission’s own rules and report them to the statutory authorities. This demonstrates yet again that senior figures in the Catholic church are happy to ignore the church’s own rules when it suits them and self-policing in the Catholic church always fails.”
Jonathan West, the father of a former pupil, who was instrumental in raising concerns, said repeated failure to investigate abuse at the school highlighted the need for mandatory reporting, which would require all staff working with children to report concerns about the welfare of a child to the local authority.
“Mandatory reporting would make it almost impossible for a long-running situation such as occurred at St Benedict’s to happen,” West said. “First, there will inevitably be a greater climate of awareness making reporting more likely. And second, no head teacher is going to risk being prosecuted for suppressing a report of somebody else abusing. These two factors will make it extremely dangerous for abusers to operate in schools. They won’t dare. Abuse will be prevented as a result.”
The inquiry has heard that there were numerous warning signs which should have triggered intervention.
Katherine Ravenscroft, a drama teacher, said that when she joined the school in 1990, “it was spoken about quite freely among the boys in the school that Father David Pearce would oversee swimming while they were in the junior school and that he would line the boys up naked after swimming to feel them in order to check that they were dry”.
Ravenscroft told the inquiry in a statement now published on its website that there were also rumours about Abbot Laurence Soper – who was convicted in 2017 of 19 charges of rape and other sexual offences against 10 boys at the school.
Ravenscroft raised her concerns with police the same year. When she told the new headmaster, Christopher Cleugh, that she wished she had reported the concerns about Pearce earlier, she said he responded: “You can rest assured he will seek absolution for his sins.”
Ravenscroft said it seemed child protection at the school was not taken seriously until its deputy head master, Peter Allott, was sentenced in 2016. “It still seemed as if things were being brushed to one side,” she said in her statement.
Penny Jones, a deputy director of the independent education and school governance division in the Department for Education, said in 2010 ministers were alarmed to learn monks who had committed sexual offences were still living in Ealing Abbey next to the school. “We lacked the powers necessary to require the abbot to remove monks who had offended from the abbey, as the power to remove monks fell [outside] DfE’s jurisdiction,” Jones told the inquiry.
Who knew about the abuse at St Benedict’s? The entire Catholic Church
Feb 17 2019
At the child sexual abuse inquiry Stephen Bleach sees the truth emerge about the school where he and other boys were harmed. And it hits him: the instinct to shield paedophiles was endemic
Earlier this month the inquiry spent five days examining the appalling record of child abuse at Ealing Abbey, west London, and the school it ran, St Benedict’s — where I was a pupil in the 1970s.
One thing that became clear at the @InquiryCSA hearing was how outsiders with concerns were frozen out and ignored (and even accused of anti-Catholic motives) while commissioning advice from people (like Lord Carlile) who said what they wanted to hear, that all is well now.
Had Carlile been right in saying that, there wouldn’t have been so much still to be discovered in the inquiry hearing and there would have been no need for the Abbot (who commissioned Carlile) to resign before the hearing had even finished.
Catholic Abbot RESIGNS after he admits didn’t report priest jailed for child sex offence
THE Abbot of a Benedictine abbey has resigned after it emerged he withheld an allegation of abuse from police about a priest who was later jailed for child sex offences committed while teaching at a leading Catholic school.
Abbot Shipperlee stated in his resignation letter: “My administration of safeguarding as has been serially revealed, has been of an insufficient standard.”
To which Abbot Jamieson said: “In light of this I have accepted his resignation.”
David Pearce and Laurence Soper, two Benedictine monks from the abbey who taught at the £16,845-a-year school, were jailed in 2009 and 2017 for historic child abuse offences.
Abbot Shipperlee last week admitted to the IICSA he failed to report a claim of abuse against Soper to the police when informed of it in 2001.
Laurence Soper was jailed for 18 years at the Old Bailey in December 2017
He said: “Because I simply did not believe that this was possible.
“I was outraged that such an accusation could be made against someone of whom I – well, it did not occur to me that it was possible that this sort of thing could happen.”
Reacting to news of his resignaiton, Mr O’Donnell, representing Jonathan West, said: “Under the circumstances, it seems sensible to us that Abbot Shipperlee has tended his resignation, but we do ask the question whether this would have happened if he had not given evidence to the Inquiry.”
“In the current era, can parents really trust Catholic organisations to take care of their children.”
In October 2009, Pearce, a former junior school head master at St Benedict’s, was jailed for eight years for abuse at the school from 1972 to 1992, as well as one offence in 2007.
Soper, the former Abbot, was jailed for 18 years at the Old Bailey in December 2017 after being on the run for five years.
He was arrested in Kosovo and extradited to the UK, where he was convicted of 19 counts of child sex abuse.
In a witness statement to the inquiry last Thursday, Abbot Shipperlee said he was unaware of receiving any complaints against Laurence Soper between 1980 and 2001.
During today’s inquiry, Imran Khan QC on behalf of G2, said: “It has taken a great deal of courage and resilience for victims and survivors who have clearly been traumatised for sharing their accounts with us.”
While Alan Collins representing G1 and G3 to G6 said: ”If there is no change, the risk of child abuse in Catholic organisations will continue.”
When speaking about lessons learnt, Abbot Jamieson told the inquiry: “The need to stop being self referential, moving beyond that, I want know what is it about the Catholic culture that seems to have facilitated a culture of abuse.”
“It is clear that the Vatican Bank were facilitating Soper’s flight from justice and failed to hand over information which would have assisted the police in locating him… this gives the lie to the Pope’s claims to want to root out abusers in the church”.
Catholic Abbot didn’t report abuse allegation against priest jailed for child sex offences
THE Abbot of a Benedictine abbey withheld an allegation of abuse from police about a priest who was later jailed for child sex offences committed while teaching at a leading Catholic school, an inquiry heard this week.
Feb 8, 2019
Abbot Martin Shipperlee
Abbot Martin Shipperlee of Ealing Abbey was head of St Benedict’s Junior School in West London from 1993 to 2000. David Pearce and Laurence Soper, two Benedictine monks from the abbey who taught at the £16,845-a-year school, were jailed in 2009 and 2017 for historic child abuse offences. Two ex-teachers who taught at the school at the time of the sex-abuse allegations described the institution then as “a bit like the mafia”.
Abbot Shipperlee admitted to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) he failed to report an allega
tion of abuse against Soper to the police child protection team when informed of it in 2001.
He said: “Because I simply did not believe that this was possible.
“I was outraged that such an accusation could be made against someone of whom I – well, it did not occur to me that it was possible that this sort of thing could happen.”
In October 2009, Pearce, a former junior school head master at St Benedict’s, was jailed for eight years for abuse at the school from 1972 to 1992, as well as one offence in 2007.
Soper, the former Abbot, was jailed for 18 years at the Old Bailey in December 2017 after being on the run for five years.
He was arrested in Kosovo and extradited to the UK, where he was convicted of 19 counts of child sex abuse.
In a witness statement to the inquiry on Thursday, Abbot Shipperlee said he was unaware of receiving any complaints against Laurence Soper between 1980 and 2001.
The inquiry heard a statement from a mother, whose four-year-old son was going to St Benedict’s junior school around 1997, saying a staff member had warned her about both Soper a
She wrote: “A senior member of the office staff approached me and told me not to leave my son, who would have been four at the time, on his own in the office at any time when Father David or Abbot Laurence were there.
“The person then told me that the child would be safer because they preferred boys with blond hair and blue eyes.
“The person then told me that Father David had been moved from the junior school to keep him away from the younger boys.”
In October 2001, the Archdiocese of Westminster wrote to Abbot Shipperlee with a victim’s claim of abuse by Soper.
David Pearce and Laurence Soper taught at St Benedicts School when the abuse took place (Image: NC)
A further letter in December, 2001 from the Archdiocese to Abbot Shiperlee said “the serious claim against Abbot Laurence Soper should be reported to the child protection team at Ealing Police Station”.
Inquiry counsel Riel Karmuy-Jones, QC, asked Abbot Shipperlee why he still had not informed the police despite being advised to do so.
He replied he was “convinced in my own mind it must be a spurious claim”.
Ms Karmuy-Jones said: “You took the view that your opinion of the situation had more weight than the opinion of the Diocese of Westminster?”
Abbot Shipperlee said: “Yes. I was wrong.”
Ms Karmuy-Jones replied: “Is that how you have approached safeguarding during your time?”
Abbot Shipperlee said: “No, you can see plenty of times when I have not done that, but you do have to make the judgment yourself.”
Despite not telling the police, Abbot Shipperlee went on to warn Bassingbourn Barracks – where Soper acted as chaplain in the army training regiment in 2002 – about the allegation.
In 2004, another allegation of rape and corporal punishment was made against Soper from the 1970s.
Abbot Shipperlee admitted not asking for a risk assessment about Soper as he “didn’t think it necessary”.
On Wednesday, the inquiry heard statements from two ex-teachers who described St Benedict’s at the time of the abuse allegations as “a bit like the mafia”.
One teacher said in a statement “if anybody complained or said anything about Pearce, Laurence Soper would protect him and to complain meant putting your job on the line.
“There had been a number of complaints against Pearce.”
Laurence Soper went on the run in Kosovo but was arrested in 2016 and extradited to UK (Image: NC)
A senior accounts assistant, who worked from 1995 to 2005, said she was warned by St Benedict’s head master, Dr Dachs after complaining about Pearce’s behaviour.
In a statement, she said: “On most Friday afternoons when I was on my own in the office, Father David would bring two or three boys to his office.
“He would shut the door and cover the glass window in the door with paper so that nobody could see into the office.
“I can’t remember how old they were, but they were not from the junior school, so would have been 11 or older.
“I was concerned about this so I contacted the headmaster, Dr Dachs. He told me, ‘If you know what’s good for you, keep your head down and do your job’.
“A short time later, I was talking to Abbot Laurence and I mentioned my concerns to him.
“He told me not to worry because the allegations against Father David were unfounded.
“I said that he was still around boys and Abbot Laurence said that Father David ‘just liked little boys’.
“I asked why Father David had been moved from the junior school and he said because he was ‘a sick man’.”
Abbot Shipperlee also told the panel he “did nothing” despite hearing Pearce had “a preference for blond children”.
The inquiry heard Pearce is now living in a flat and has his rent paid by Ealing Abbey through “charitable funds”.
The IICSA is the largest ever Government inquiry and is expected to last until at least 2020.
It is looking at 13 different investigations, including the Catholic Church.
The witness concludes his evidence by giving a short statement. “Since WW2 we reckon that hundreds of boys were molested at St Benedict’s. If this country had mandatory reporting like the legislation currently in draft, hundreds of those wouldn’t have been abused.”
@Richard_Scorer
V clear from evidence at @inquiryCSA that Abbot of Ealing (Shipperlee) delayed in providing crucial information to police which wd have assisted in apprehending paedophile priest Laurence Soper, who had fled to Kosovo. Shows how hollow are Catholic Church “apologies” to victims
Also revealed in @inquiryCSA today – a “lack of appetite” on part of Vatican to assist with apprehension of paedophile priest Soper. Vatican Bank had his secret address in Kosovo #EBCHearing
Jonathan West@JonathanWest:
One of the Ealing monks was also chaplain of another local catholic independent school, St Augustine’s Priory School for Girls.
Even after this monk had to resign as a trustee & governor of St Benedict’s and was placed on “restricted ministry” because of allegations of abuse, he remained chaplain & governor of St A for some months.
Was St Augustine’s aware of this? How is a school chaplaincy consistent with restricted ministry of a monk put in place because of concerns for the safety of children?
There is the fact that Lord Carlile’s review made no new recommendations concerning safeguarding at the school. he merely repeated recommendations previously made by the ISI and a previous review commissioned by the Abbey
Why? Did Carlile think safeguarding was now adequate? If so on the basis of what knowledge or expertise in the subject did he reach that conclusion?
In 2009 when all this first started coming to light, St Benedict’s school safeguarding policy was one long excuse for never reporting anything to anybody. Why did it get into that state, and why did it take years to reform it so that all concerns are reported to the authorities?
CourtNewsUK@CourtNewsUK
Soper is unrepentant and claims he has suffered a ‘serious miscarriage of justice’.
Ex-priest Laurence Soper jailed for sexually abusing boys
21 Dec 2017
An ex-Catholic priest who abused boys at a London school in the 1970s and 1980s has been jailed for 18 years.
Laurence Soper, 74, fled to Kosovo with £182,000 from the Vatican bank in a bid to avoid prosecution for abusing boys at the independent St Benedict’s School, in Ealing, where he taught.
He was extradited to face 19 charges of indecent and serious sexual assault against 10 former pupils.
He is the fourth man to be convicted of molesting children at the school.
Sentencing, Judge Anthony Bate said Soper’s conduct was “the most appalling breach of trust” and he had “subverted the rules of the Benedictine order and teachings of the Catholic Church”.
He said the former abbot and headmaster’s life would now be “overshadowed by the proven catalogue of vile abuse”.
Prosecutor Gillian Etherton QC told how the victims were subjected to “sadistic” beatings by Soper for “fake reasons” and on many occasions “with what can only have been a sexual motive”.
The “reasons” included kicking a football in the wrong direction, failing to use double margins and using the wrong staircase.
St Benedict’s apologised unreservedly for the “serious wrongs of the past”.
Soper’s victims, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were supported by relatives in court when he was sentenced earlier.
One victim suffered from nightmares and flashbacks after the abuse, but chose not to come forward out of fear of more beating, the jury heard during the trial.
Five convicted child sex offenders at one school. That is too many for it to be a coincidence. In time, those in charge of the abbey and the school will have to account for their failure to protect the children in their care. They will have to do so in public under oath, questioned by lawyers at the Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse (IICSA). They have been required to provide copies of all relevant documents to the public inquiry. It wouldn’t surprise me if they have already started rehearsing their answers.
One thing that the monks of Ealing will have to explain is how they not only harboured several criminal paedophiles within their ranks, but actually managed to elect a prolific child abuser as their leader. Laurence Soper was of course Abbot of Ealing from 1991 to 2000.
From the 1950s until well into this century, a succession of paedophiles and sadists were in positions of authority over young boys at St Benedict’s. They enjoyed themselves to the full.
Soper is the fifth teacher from the school to be convicted on charges relating to child abuse. Serious complaints have been made about others. The school was run by the Benedictine monks of Ealing Abbey.
Britain’s Benedictines have an extraordinary record of founding schools and then abusing the children who attend them.
A day after Soper’s conviction it was revealed that Aidan Bellenger, a former abbot of Downside Abbey in Somerset, believed that his three predecessors had tolerated child abuse and had sheltered “perverse and criminal” paedophiles at Downside School.
The week before, the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse heard of beatings and sexual assault on boys as young as six at Ampleforth in North Yorkshire. It has become a bit of a tradition.
I agree, sometimes superiors can be abusers as well. The monks of Ealing Abbey managed to elect an abuser as their Abbot. Fr Laurence Soper will be sentenced on Thursday after being convicted last week of 19 child abuse charges.
Downside head ‘may have burnt evidence of sexual abuse’
16 DEC 2017
Five years ago, the headmaster of a leading public school made trips with a loaded wheelbarrow to a distant part of its grounds, where he made a bonfire. Consumed in its flames were staff files dating back to the early 1980s.
Father Leo Maidlow Davis destroyed files
Father Leo Maidlow Davis, 63, is today the senior monk at Downside Abbey. In 2012 he was in charge of its neighbouring boarding school. The fire may have destroyed evidence of child sexual abuse. The monk was one of the senior Benedictines who gave evidence during three weeks of hearings that ended yesterday at the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse.
Their focus was two fee-paying schools, Downside, in Somerset, and Ampleforth College in North Yorkshire, chosen by the inquiry as a case study in its wider investigation into the Catholic church. Sworn testimony came from monks, former pupils, lay staff, police officers and safeguarding experts. No school bonfire could cleanse the sins they revealed.
In his opening statement a lawyer representing abuse survivors warned of the “beguiling charm” of lauded schools in beautiful surroundings, where robed monks invited and received a high degree of trust. Such institutions promised “a Harry Potter world” that hid, in the words of a former Downside abbot, a “heart of darkness”.
At Ampleforth, about 40 monks and teachers have been accused of sexually abusing children since the 1960s. When police investigated sex offences at Downside in 2010, it emerged that “historic allegations and concerns” had been raised about 16 of its 23 monks.
The inquiry heard of a locked basement room at Downside, used by monks to watch personal videos. It learnt of brown envelopes containing allegations against monks that were locked in the abbot’s safe. Victims described childhood ordeals. Naked boys were taken into monks’ beds. Some were abused so often that it became routine. It was a world in which paedophiles flourished.
That there were child sex crimes at boarding schools is no secret. What shocked observers were the measures taken by Benedictine leaders to protect child abusers. From the Children Act 1989 onwards, the “paramountcy principle” has been central to safeguarding: the welfare of a child must be the primary consideration. The inquiry heard that when a Benedictine was accused of sex abuse it was often the monk’s welfare that took priority.
Each Benedictine monastery is self-governing, headed by an abbot who, within its grounds, holds the place of Christ. Father Timothy Wright, abbot of Ampleforth from 1997 to 2005, wrote in a letter in 2003 that for monastic brethren the abbot was a “trusted confidante”. Father Timothy’s relationship with police and social services was described by his successor, Father Cuthbert Madden, as “very uneasy, if not profoundly secretive”.
Father Charles Fitzgerald-Lombard, abbot of Downside from 1990 to 1998, was asked to whom the abbot was answerable. “Apart from the Almighty, not a lot,” he said, explaining that abbots since medieval times have enjoyed “more or less the status of bishops within their own territory”, which was “a sort of exempt enclave”.
Father Charles, 76, was among three Downside abbots accused by Father Aidan Bellenger, in a private letter, of tolerating child abuse. Father Aidan, abbot from 2006 to 2014, said his predecessors “protected and encouraged” paedophile monks.
Wrongdoers at both schools, including Father Anselm Hurt, brother of the late actor John Hurt, were quietly moved between Benedictine monasteries and parishes.
Reference was made to instructions from Rome to destroy documents that were damaging to priests. Father Leo insisted that his decision to make a bonfire of Downside’s staff files was prompted by a desire to “get rid of unnecessary old material”. He accepted that the files should, under safeguarding requirements, have been kept for 70 years, conceding that he may have unintentionally destroyed information about child abuse.
Richard Scorer, a child abuse lawyer at Slater and Gordon who represents 29 survivors of Benedictine abuse, said the hearings exposed an organisation “pervaded by casual disregard for the most basic norms of child protection”.
The inquiry is due to produce an interim report next year.
Ampleforth in Charity Commission takeover amid concerns of its management of sex abuse allegations
3 April 2018
Ampleforth Abbey has been stripped of responsibility for pupil welfare by the Charity Commission amid concerns about its management of sex abuse allegations.
The Commission has removed responsibility for safeguarding matters from trustees at the prestigious boarding school as it said it had not improved its policies enough since an inquiry into the charity following allegations of sexual abuse was launched in 2016.
It said it had taken action “as a result of continued concerns about the extent to which current safeguarding risks to pupils at the schools run by the charities are being adequately managed”.
Ampleforth Abbey runs a 200-year-old religious community on the same site as Ampleforth College in Yorkshire, which is run by the St Laurence Education Trust. St Laurence also runs prep school St Martin’s Ampleforth, which announced its closure earlier this year.
Last year the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse heard that allegations of sexual abuse had been made against 40 monks and teachers who had previously lived or worked at the Catholic boarding school and religious community.
Emma Moody, a specialist charity lawyer at Womble Bond Dickinson, has now been appointed as interim manager of both charities.
Child abuse ‘tolerated’ and ‘indirectly encouraged’ by former Downside Abbey abbots
12 December 2017
‘The heart of darkness in the [Downside] community is the issue of child abuse, which was tolerated by all my predecessors as abbot’
Downside Abbey “tolerated” and “indirectly encouraged” child abuse by protecting monks who sexually abused children, a former abbot has claimed.
Aidan Bellenger, who retired as Abbot in 2014, accused his three predecessors of tolerating child abuse in letters read to the inquiry. He also alleged that the Somerset monastery still harbours paedophiles, raising questions about the behaviour of three monks.
The letters were also sent to the chairman of the Abbey’s board of governors, Father Leo Maidlow Davis last year. The current headmaster, Dr James Whitehead, told the inquiry he was shown the letters in August 2017.
“It is a very serious concern that he’s raising here, potentially, that these abbots may have actually encouraged paedophilia,” he told the inquiry.
Their contents were disclosed on the eighth day of a three-week hearing on the English Benedictine Congregation as part of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA).
“At the heart of darkness in the [Downside] community is the issue of child abuse, which was tolerated by all my predecessors as abbot,” wrote Bellenger.
Richard Yeo (left)
Father Richard Yeo
Among the former abbots named by Bellenger, is Father Richard Yeo, abbot from 1998 until 2006. Bellenger said he “should have known better” and accused him of trying to protect two monks, Father Richard White (known as Father Nicholas) and Father Desmond O’Keefe, who were subsequently jailed for sexual offences. White was sentenced to five years in prison in 2012 for sexually assaulting boys in the 1980s. O’Keefe was jailed in 2004 for downloading more than12,000 pornographic images of children from the Internet.
“Neither was penitent. Both were protected and indirectly encouraged by their abbots, John [Roberts], Charles [Fitzgerald-Lombard] and Richard [Yeo],” he added.
The letters also describe a monk, who is still at Downside, to be guilty of “perverse and criminal” activities. Two others, he said, were “open to allegations of paedophilia.”
The IICSA hearing on the English Benedictine Congregation is expected to conclude on Friday
At about the time Yeo was elected Abbot of Downside in 1998, White was permitted to return from Fort Augustus. White continued to live at Downside until his arrest in 2010. For eight of the twelve intervening years, Yeo was his Abbot.
Of course, as Abbot, Yeo had access to the records of his predecessors. So he would have been fully aware of the abuse that White had admitted to before being kicked north, and it is for this reason that White was kept on “restricted ministry”.
So Yeo must be regarded as a long-term participant in the cover-up of abuse. He said in the that the cover-up “is unacceptable, I’m not defending that.” But he joined in that unacceptable action.
More extraordinary evidence at @InquiryCSA : Richard Yeo, until recently President of the Benedictines, admits that during his Presidency sex offenders were knowingly appointed as school governors and had input into safeguarding
Dom Richard Yeo is asked about F65 who is alleged to have abused a boy of 16. F65 thereafter became a Governor, and F77 a Trustee.
Another revelation at @InquiryCSA today: Richard Yeo, until recently President of the Benedictines, appointed a known sex abuser as his secretary. Unclear what access this man might have had to sensitive files.
Former HK Governor Lord Chris Patten is George Pell’s spin doctor
LORD PATTEN OF BARNES is Cardinal George Pell’s covert personal media advisor, head of his “black ops” propaganda unit and chief strategist of damage control.
Independent Australia has been informed that Patten owes Pell his job and felt obliged to respond to Pell’s plea for help after a series of public relations blunders and manoeuvres scripted in Rome and Australia backfired on the increasingly beleaguered Cardinal.
Further, IA is aware that some Vatican and Australian communications personnel have become increasingly disaffected with what they interpret as Pell’s disingenuous conduct, and his continuing lack of duty of care and compassion for victims/survivors.
As well, there is also some antipathy between Pell’s Roman staff and the office of the Archdiocese of Sydney whom, we are told, are getting fed up with being on call 24/7 and acceding to the demands of the autocratic Pell and his various acolytes.
Pell apparently still treats Sydney HQ as his own turf.
PATTEN RECRUITED BY PELL FOR HOLY SEE
In July 2014, the erudite and personable Patten was made president of the Vatican’s extensive media and communications divisions, charged with overhauling all print and electronic matters and to usher the Vatican into the digital age.
Much to the ire of many, Patten was recruited in a phone call “out of the blue” by George Pell, but why was the Prefect of the Secretariat of the Economy now lording it over the Vatican’s communications unit and hiring staff, and overruling incumbent administrators ?
On the surface, Patten’s appointment was ostensibly to cut costs but it was enough to ruffle the feathers of angels.
In response to an earlier report on the Vatican’s media and communications by consultants McKinsey & Company – famous for their Anil Kumar and Rajat K.Gupta insider trader scandals – to overhaul media, Patten was eventually appointed and now oversees a committee that includes former Singapore Finance Minister, George Yeo.
Mmmh! Rock and Soper both had strong ties to both Chris Patten and the Balkans.
Ealing2
Chris Patten & Laurence (Andrew) Soper born within a year of each other, were students at St Benedict’s at the same time. They go way back…
Ealing3
Laurence Soper was the former Chaplain at Harrow School from 1981 to 1991. Harrow, Sedbergh and Durham schools were all raided in the late 1990s during a nationwide investigation into an alleged paedophile network of teachers at six leading public schools.
Ealing4
Former Harrow School headmaster Ian Beer said Ball was “almost saintly” and had shown a “remarkable influence for the good with the young”. Ian Beer sent boys from all three schools he worked in (Harrow, Lancing and Ellesmere) to Peter Ball.
Ealing5
According to Headmaster Ian Beer, in his letter of support for the paedophile Peter Ball, pupils flocked to Ball for confidential help and advice. Harrow hosted young people from Bishop Peter Ball’s scheme in Sussex Ian Beer was an old chum of Denis Thatcher.
Ealing6
Richard Yeo, until recently President of the Benedictines, admitted that during his Presidency sex offenders were knowingly appointed as school governors and had input into safeguarding!
Ealing7
Father Yeo was a member of the Cumberlege Commission into protecting children in the Catholic Church. He was Abbot of Downside from 1998 to 2006 having been secretary to the Abbot Primate of the international Benedictine Confederation.
Ealing8
And, wait for it, Vice Chair of Cumberlege was the broken chair Theresa May tried to put in charge of IICSA, the woman who loved the church so dearly she would always put it before victims, the one and only Sloshed Butler:
Ealing9
And, of course, Bishop Ball wouldn’t be a ‘proper’ paedophile if he weren’t connected to the PaedoProtector General …
Ealing10
In fact, Bishop Bollox was a founder member of the Thatcher Foundation set up by the former prime minister. Say no more!
Ealing11
IICSA has now ascertained that Richard Yeo appointed a known sex abuser as his secretary. They certainly keep it in the family!
St Benedict’s school Ealing
Another victim said he believed Maestri wasrunning a paedophile ring at the school.
‘When I speak of a paedophile ring, [I say] that there were school masters, lay or clerical, who were or have been convicted of the sexual abuse of children,’ he explained.
‘Therefore it’s reasonable to believe that something like a paedophile ring was operating at St Benedict’s school.
‘I believe that the Benedictine Order should answer for the serial abuse that has gone on in its educational establishments for the last few decades.’
The conviction comes a year after the school’s former deputy head Peter Allott was jailed for child pornography’
His defence barrister Jane Humphryes, QC, suggested his accusers were bitter ‘professional victims’ and fantasists and told one he was determined to ‘squash’ St Benedict’s and become a core participant in the IICSA.
Soper has been expelled from the monastery of St Benedict of Ealing for ‘scandalous behaviour’ but is still a priest.
Alexis Jay, will propose that no evidence be called about decades of abuse of pupils at Ealing Abbey and its adjoining independent school, St Benedict’.
Patrick Rock found guilty of having child abuse images on his computer was an aide to Chris Patten
London priest who fled to Kosovo found guilty of abusing schoolboys
Andrew Soper convicted of sexually abusing pupils at St Benedict’s school in Ealing during 1970s and 80s
6 December 2017
A former abbot who fled to Kosovo to escape justice has been convicted of abusing 10 boys at a Catholic-run school in London during the 1970s and 80s.
Andrew Soper, 74, formerly known as Father Laurence Soper, was found guilty of 19 charges of rape and other sexual offences after a lengthy trial at the Old Bailey.
Soper sexually abused pupils while he was master in charge of discipline at St Benedict’s school in Ealing, west London. He would assault them after subjecting them to corporal punishment using a cane.
The first victim contacted police in 2004 after Soper left his role as abbot of Ealing Abbey and moved to the Benedictine order’s headquarters in Rome.
The former pupil was initially told by officers there was insufficient evidence.
Soper was later interviewed at Heathrow police station in 2010 and subsequently fled to Kosovo while on police bail the following year.
He was arrested at Luton airport in August 2016 after being deported by the Kosovan authorities and returned to the UK.
Tetteh Turkson, a senior Crown Prosecution Service lawyer involved in the case, said: “Soper used his position as a teacher and as a priest to abuse children for his own sexual gratification.
“He compounded this by trying to evade justice and fleeing to Kosovo in order to go into hiding. The victims’ bravery in coming forward and giving evidence has seen him convicted of these serious offences.”
A statement on behalf of the fee-paying independent school was issued by Alex Carlile QC after the conviction. He said: “St Benedict’s school is deeply concerned for, and distressed by, the ordeals faced by the victims of Laurence Soper, who have lived with the pain of his activities for so long.
“The school apologises unreservedly for the serious wrongs of the past. The school regrets that Soper did not have the courage to plead guilty.
“The result has been that innocent victims, whom he abused when they were boys in the school, were compelled to give evidence. They were subjected to cross-examination about matters in relation to which they were both helpless and innocent.
“The fact that these matters took place many years ago does not mitigate the pain and injustice endured by them.” The statement said the school was now “a completely different institution”.
Lord Carlile added: “The tough lessons of the past have been learned, and the errors and crimes of the past are in the daily consciousness and conscience of the school management … St Benedict’s cannot and will never forget Soper’s crimes. Nevertheless they are proud of the school as it now is, and as confident as ever they can be that everything is being done to ensure that such events cannot recur.”
The school, which charges fees of about £5,000 a term, counts the former Conservative chair Lord Patten and entertainer Julian Clary among its alumni.
Gillian Etherton QC, who led the prosecution, told the court victims were subjected to sadistic beatings by Soper for “fake reasons”.
They included kicking a football “in the wrong direction”, “failing to use double margins”, and “using the wrong staircase”, leading to a caning and a sexual assault, she said.
“It is the prosecution case that ‘punishments’ as described by the complainants in this case were carried out by Soper in entirely inappropriate ways and circumstances and, on many occasions, with what can only have been sexual motive,” Etherton added.
Many of his victims have experienced flashbacks and nightmares. During the trial Soper denied using the cane as a ruse to abuse boys.
The judge, Anthony Bate, remanded Soper in custody to be sentenced on 19 December. He was convicted of two counts of buggery, two counts of indecency with a child and 15 counts of indecent assault.
A “sadistic” monk who was head of a top Catholic school was convicted yesterday of molesting ten pupils in a campaign of abuse during the 1970s and 1980s that was exposed by The Times.
Andrew Soper, known as Father Laurence, is thought to be the most senior Catholic priest to be convicted of sex crimes in the UK. He withdrew £182,000 from his Vatican bank account and fled to Kosovo to avoid prosecution for attacking boys at St Benedict’s School in Ealing, west London.
Soper, the former abbot of Ealing Abbey, which adjoins the school, spent five years abroad before he was extradited. A jury at the Old Bailey deliberated for 14 hours before finding him guilty of 19 charges of indecent assault and buggery between 1975 and 1982.
Soper, 74, who is likely to die in jail, is the fourth staff member of St Benedict’s to be convicted of indecent assault and the school apologised unreservedly last night for the “serious wrongs of the past”.
The 60-year history of abuse at the school was exposed by The Times and a report by an independent barrister concluded in 2011 that there had been a “lengthy and cumulative failure” by monks to protect children in their care.
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) will hold hearings into one of the worst scandals to afflict the Catholic church in Britain.
The first of Soper’s victims to come forward last night told of his relief that justice had finally been served. The man, who came forward in 2004 but was initially told by police there was insufficient evidence, told The Times: “He will never see outside a cell again and that is where he deserves to be. He ruined my life . . . finally I am free.”
Soper was headmaster and senior priest at the school. A series of accusations were made against him after he resigned as abbot in 2000 and went to live at the Benedictine headquarters at the Collegio Sant’Anselmo, Rome. He returned to Britain to be interviewed by police about the claims in 2004, 2009 and 2010, and was allowed to go back to Rome on bail until 2011. Seven days before he was due to attend a police station in the UK, he flew to Kosovo. He was highly regarded as a scholar in the Vatican and his views on the Catholic church were widely sought. Soper has been expelled from the monastery of St Benedict at Ealing but is still a priest.
The Old Bailey was told that he got a sexual thrill from caning young boys and “cunningly” used corporal punishment as an excuse to pull down their trousers. He pulled up his robes to rape one 12-year-old pupil over a desk in his office and warned the boy he could be expelled if he ever told his parents. Detective Superintendent Ang Scott, from the Metropolitan Police, said that Soper was a “manipulative” offender who used his position to carry out “punishments” with a sexual motive.
His ten victims, who have since been plagued by mental health problems, were initially afraid to speak out because their families viewed Catholic priests with “deep respect”. Judge Anthony Bate remanded Soper in custody to be sentenced on December 19.
Soper is the latest in a string of men to face allegations relating to their work at St Benedict’s, which counts Lord Patten of Barnes, the former Conservative chairman, and Julian Clary, the entertainer, among its alumni.
In 2009, Father David Pearce, 75, nicknamed the “devil in a dog collar”, was jailed after he admitted 11 charges of indecent assault dating back to 1975. Between 2003 and 2009, John Maestri, 78, of Chatham in Kent, admitted five indecent assaults against children at St Benedict’s in the 1970s and 1980s and was jailed. In 2010, John Skelton was convicted of indecent assaults against two complainants said to have occurred in 1983 at St Benedict’s.
Father Anthony Gee (the former headmaster of St Benedict’s) faced accusations of abuse, but no further action was taken although civil action was brought against him, jurors were told.
The former pupil said that in his final O level year he told the headmaster, Father Anthony Gee, that he did not want to stay at the school for his A levels, explaining: “I do not want to be taught by perverts masquerading as teachers.”
He said Father Gee became angry at his criticism of “good teachers and good holy men” and “threatened me with eternal hell fire and damnation”.
The headmaster threatened to “destroy” the reputation of his grandfather and his father within the church and wider society,” he claimed.
Few of these recent news articles mention St Benedict’s, paedophile deputy head Peter Allott
The judge: ‘It was at the drug parties that you became aware of, and addicted to, indecent images of children. I use the phrase of a paedophile ring, that’s precisely what that was.
…blew £600 a week on paedophile drug parties is jailed for horrific stash of porn images featuring children as young as two
Cardinal Hume and a former Downside Abbey headmaster ‘did nothing at all’ after paraplegic woman informed them of alleged sex abuse, national inquiry told
In 1985, the witness visited Cardinal Basil Hume in Archbishop’s House in London and told him about the alleged abuse
Cardinal Basil Hume and a former Downside Abbey headmaster “did nothing at all” after a paraplegic woman informed them that she had been sexually abused by a Benedictine monk from the Abbey over several years, the national inquiry into child abuse has heard.
On the eighth day of a three-week hearing on the English Benedictine Congregation as part of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), the inquiry heard from a witness allegedly abused by a chaplain from Downside Abbey in Somerset.
The witness told the inquiry that she had met the chaplain – referred to as F80 – on a pilgrimage at Lourdes in 1984 when she was 17 years old. She was confined to a wheel-chair and told the inquiry that at that time she felt “suicidal.”
In a statement read to the inquiry, the witness described how, over the following two years, F80 visited her in her parent’s home where he sexually abused her.
“F80 groomed and manipulated me and my emotions and used my fear of others to keep my silence,” she said.
In early 1985, the witness visited Cardinal Basil Hume in Archbishop’s House in London and told him about the alleged abuse.
The witness said Cardinal Hume was “very concerned that I was so distressed” and suggested she talk to the headmaster of Downside Abbey, Father Dom Philip Jebb.
The witness explained to the inquiry that she had told Father Philip who she said was “very sorry and very sympathetic” but that he remained convinced that the alleged abuser should not know that he – Father Philip – knew about the abuse.
The witness said she spoke to Father Philip about the abuse “again and again and again.”
“It was like being passed backwards and forwards between Basil Hume and Philip Jebb,” she told the inquiry.
“I believe that Basil Hume and Father Philip Jebb had a conversation about what was going on,” she added.
Cardinal Hume visited the alleged abuser at one stage and told him to stop, the witness said. However, after a short period the abuse continued.
The witness told the inquiry she went back to Cardinal Hume and told him the abuse was continuing. Again Cardinal Hume told her to approach the headmaster: “and backwards and forwards I went,” she said.
The witness told the inquiry she continued to see Cardinal Hume about the alleged abuse up until he died in 1999.
In June 2007, the witness approached the then Abbot, Aidan Bellenger, and told him about the abuse. F80 was still teaching at the school. Abbot Aidan confronted F80, but did not take any action, the witness told the inquiry.
Eventually in 2010, Abbot Aidan approached Clifton Diocese’s safeguarding team, after which police became involved in the case, the witness told the inquiry.
On the opening day of the IICSA inquiry, a spokeswoman from Downside Abbey made a statement on behalf of the Abbey expressing regret for past abuses.
Kate Gallafent QC, for the English Benedictine Congregation, said that as the number of children abused had become apparent, there had been a sense of shame and “intense sadness at the anguish caused to so many people”.
Child abuse ‘was encouraged by school’s abbots’ at Downside Abbey, Somerset
Downside Abbey monks sheltered child sex offenders, a former abott says
A renowned Roman Catholic school hid a “heart of darkness” in which monks who sexually abused children were protected and indirectly encouraged by their superiors, its former abbot has claimed.
Aidan Bellenger accused his three predecessors at Downside Abbey of tolerating child abuse. He also alleged that the monastery in Somerset, which owns and runs an adjoining public school, still sheltered paedophiles.
Father Richard Yeo was accused by Aidan Bellenger of hiding abuse
One monk who is still at Downside was said by the former abbot to be guilty of “perverse and criminal” activities; two more were “open to allegations of paedophilia”. Another monk, who is no longer at the monastery, was accused of “monstrous” behaviour, including “the rape case”.
Among the former abbots said by Dr Bellenger to have sheltered child sex offenders between 1974 and 2006 is Father Richard Yeo, until recently Britain’s most senior Benedictine monk.
Father Richard, Downside abbot from 1998 to 2006, stood down as abbot president of the English Benedictine Congregation in August.
The claims about the monastery were made in letters sent last year by Dr Bellenger to Father Leo Maidlow Davis, the school’s present chairman of governors. Their contents were disclosed yesterday at the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, which is investigating past offences at Downside and another leading Benedictine school, Ampleforth College in North Yorkshire.
James Whitehead criticised the governance of Downside, where he is headmaster
The inquiry also heard damning criticism of the Benedictine “culture of monastic superiority” from James Whitehead, Downside’s headmaster.
Alumni of the school, which has 380 pupils and where annual boarding fees are £32,700, have included the journalist Auberon Waugh, the Mad Men actor Jared Harris and the former England rugby player Simon Halliday.
In his letters Dr Bellenger, the monastery’s abbot for eight years until 2014, referred to Father Richard White, known as Father Nicholas, who was jailed for five years in 2012 for gross indecency and indecent assault against pupils in the 1980s. He also mentioned Father Dunstan O’Keefe, who was convicted of performing a sex act in a car outside a primary school, and later jailed for possession of child abuse images.
Dr Aidan Bellenger
Dr Bellenger wrote: “At the heart of darkness in the [Downside] community is the issue of child abuse which was tolerated by all my predecessors as abbot.” He said he was “particularly concerned that Richard [Yeo], who should have known better, attempted to protect Nicholas and Dunstan when he should have been protecting their victims”. He added: “Neither was penitent. Both were protected and indirectly encouraged by their abbots, John [Roberts], Charles [Fitzgerald-Lombard] and Richard [Yeo].”
The inquiry was told that Father Leo did not reveal the existence of the letters until August this year, when he informed Dr Whitehead.
Dr Whitehead, who is due to leave Downside next year, said that the allegations potentially raised “very serious concerns that those abbots may have actually encouraged paedophilia”. He criticised the Benedictines’ “ineffectiveness of governance”, saying that a “fundamental problem” was that “members of the monastic community aren’t accountable to anyone unless they commit a criminal offence”.
The inquiry has been told that the “abbeys and schools are proud of the tradition of academic excellence and spiritual values” that they offer. It was also told that the Benedictine congregation “expresses profound shame that any child has been the victim of sexual abuse whilst in the care of the schools connected with its abbeys”.
Abbots at £32,000-a-year Roman Catholic School ‘encouraged monks to abuse children while staff there are STILL sheltering paedophiles’
Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse is examining abuse in schools
Letters from former abbot of catholic school tell of his concerns about abuse
In a letter last year, he said he feared the school was still sheltering a paedophile
Inquiry heard claims member of staff at school abused girl in a wheelchair
8 December 2017
A Catholic school attached to a monastery sheltered child sex offenders and tolerated abuse, its former abbot claimed.
Downside Abbey in Somerset is being examined by Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse after two of its monks were jailed for child sex offences.
Letters from the abbey’s former abbot, Aidan Bellenger, have now revealed his fears that ‘the issue of child abuse was tolerated by all my predecessors as abbot’.
In a letter sent last year, he said of two monks who had been imprisoned over abuse: ‘Neither was penitent. Both were protected (and implicitly) encouraged by their abbots.’
He said of two other monks: ‘[They] avoided trial, but their offences (more than allegations) remain on record.’
His letter including a warning that a monk who still lives at Downside had taken part in ‘perverse and criminal’ activities.
Two others he said ‘were open to allegations of “paedophilia”‘, adding: ‘Small fry perhaps but in outside perceptions they would be in trouble.’
He warned: ‘More “historic” cases will emerge’, listing five other names, which have been redacted by the inquiry.
Earlier this week, the inquiry heard from a woman who said she was abused by a member of the staff at the school in the 1980s, when she was a wheelchair- bound teenager.
Two monks from the Abbey have previously been jailed for child sex offences.
Monk Richard White, 66, was handed a five-year sentence in 2012 after abusing two boys more than two decades ago, including a 12-year-old he paid 50p to hush up.
His court hearing was told that, instead of contacting the police after allegations were raised, the then abbot of the monastery simply stopped White from teaching younger students.
In 2004, Desmond O’Keefe, another former priest from the abbey, was jailed for downloading 12,000 children sex abuse images.
Dr Bellenger, who was abbot for eight years until 2014, has previously apologised to all former pupils affected by abuse.
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) is currently examining the prevalence of paedophilia among Benedictine monks and failures to protect young people.
It is focusing on offenders who targeted children at two famous Catholic public schools, Ampleforth in North Yorkshire and Downside in Somerset, over many decades.
But although numerous inquiries have exposed the problem of child abuse within church institutions and a string of offenders have been convicted, safety concerns are said to remain.
Counsel to the inquiry Riel Karmy-Jones QC told a hearing last month the recorded allegations ‘go back many years… and they continue into the present day’.
She added: ‘In considering the evidence and assessing the extent of abuse, it must be remembered that we have to rely on that which has been reported, and the extent and accuracy with which those reports have been recorded, if at all.
‘In that time we have moved from scant records, little more than a handwritten notes on scraps of paper being kept, to electronic records. So some of the records that remain are old and illegible, some incomplete, some lost or destroyed.’
Andrew Soper trial: Jury deliberating case of abbot accused of abusing boys at Ealing school
The jury is out after a two-month trial into alleged sexual abuse at St Benedict’s School, Ealing
30 Nov 2017
A former abbot at Ealing Abbey accused of abusing boys while working at a school in Ealing is awaiting the verdict in his trial at the Old Bailey.
Andrew Soper was headmaster and senior priest at St Benedict’s School, a fee-paying independent school in Ealing, and he stands accused of abusing 10 boys there during the 1970s and 80s.
Now aged 74, Mr Soper denies 19 offences of indecent assault and buggery against the boys, who claim they were subjected to sexual touching and beatings with a cane.
Prosecutors said the school had a history of “both violence and sexual abuse” by the adults in charge, describing it as “sadly prevalent”.
A former pupil accused the school of covering up covering up “serial abuse” by teachers and priests over the past six decades in his testimony.
Jurors heard Father David Pearce, a former headmaster at the school, and John Maestri, a former maths teacher, have previously been prosecuted for child abuse crimes there.
A pupil told the court that he believed Maestri ran a paedophile ring at the school, but defence lawyer Jane Humphreys QC accused the man of concocting the stories to get back at school masters who had caned him.
“You say Mr Soper caned you and other masters did as well. You said that you want to bring the Benedictine order to its knees,” said the barrister.
The victims, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said the beatings were given for “fake reasons” such as kicking a football “in the wrong direction”, “failing to use double margins” and “using the staircase”, the Old Bailey heard.
During his defence, Mr Soper told jurors incidents had been interpreted in a “sexual way” against a “tsunami of media attention as I am named fairly frequently”.
The abbot was extradited from Kosovo for the trial after he fled there from Rome upon learning he was the subject of a Metropolitan Police investigation in 2011.
Explaining why he fled, he blamed “stupidity and cowardice” and told the jury that his life had been ruined by the allegations.
The jury retired to consider the verdicts on Thursday morning following a two-month trial.
Andrew Soper trial: Accused tells jury caning at Ealing school was ‘interpreted in a sexual way’
Former Ealing abbot Andrew Soper claims victims interpreted caning incidents at St Benedict’s school in a “sexual way”
23 NOV 2017
An Ealing priest has blamed a “tsunami” of media attention for almost identical accounts of boys he is accused of sexually abusing at a fee-paying Catholic school.
Former abbot Andrew Soper, 74, allegedly molested 10 pupils during his time as headmaster and senior priest at St Benedict’s School in Ealing in the 1970s and 80s.
Prosecutor Gillian Etherton QC quizzed the defendant on the “extraordinary” similarities between some of the alleged victims’ stories during his trial at the Old Bailey on Wednesday (November 22).
They claimed Soper “searched them for a book under the ruse of patting to touch their bottom” and offered three strokes of the cane instead of six “severe lashes” if they took their trousers and pants down.
The defendant accepted he had checked boys for “padding” and had changed his account to police on “calmer recollection” of events of some 30 years ago.
But he denied bargaining over the cane, saying: “I never gave that sort of an option because I would never give a boy six strokes of the cane, that’s far too much.
“I normally gave two or three.”
He told jurors incidents had been interpreted in a “sexual way” against a “tsunami of media attention as I am named fairly frequently”.
He cited a “backdrop of heavy media attention for the last 10 years” including a blog and “victim” discussion group, documentaries on Channel 4, Channel 5, Panorama, and news articles naming him and the school.
He said: “Against all that you have then got money, of course, which is a great incentive and the more elaborate the story, the more money you get.”
He went on: “I think, if I’m right, that seven out of 10 complainants left St Benedict’s before they completed their education for various reasons and none of them seem to have had, understandably, any love for the school.
“Also I’m associated in the media and public with a number of people who have been accused, and in some cases pleaded guilty, to child abuse in a relatively small school within the same time.”
He denies the 19 alleged offences of indecent assault, indecency with a child, and buggery allegedly committed against 10 boys.
Why is the Charles Howeson trial getting so much more media coverage, than the Laurence Soper trial?
CASES OF INTEREST AT THE OLD BAILEY ON THURSDAY NOVEMBER 17
Court 7 at 10am Trial Continues in the case of Andrew Soper, a Catholic priest, who has denied sexually abusing 10 boys at a west London school in the 1970s and 80s.
Soper very protected – Minimal coverage of Soper’s trial:
Priests were ‘part of a paedophile network’
19 Oct 2017
A child abuse victim claims a paedophile ring was operating at a Roman Catholic school where a former monk allegedly sexually assaulted schoolboys, a court heard. St Benedict’s School in Ealing, west London, has covered up ‘serial abuse’ by teachers and priests over the past six decades, according to one of Father Andrew Soper’s former pupils. Soper, 74, a former abbot of Ealing Abbey in west London, is on trial at the Old Bailey accused of a string of sex…
THREE Stacey was very close to Peter Righton. Stacey, formerly a vicar, was based in Maidstone, where Righton also lived for a time.
FOUR They cemented their friendship via Social Work Today and were on a steering ctte to train those working with disturbed young people.
FIVE Also in this group of 6 were John Rea Price, Director of Islington for 19 years while every one of its kids’ homes was run by paedos.
SIX When Liz Davies blew the whistle on Islington, Rea Price quickly legged it to become CEO of NCB, also based in Islington.
SEVEN Also close to Righton and Stacey was Chris Andrews, Chair of BASW and another force within SWT alongside Margaret Claire Jervis.
Read here how Andrews rushed to the defence of paedophile Peter Righton:
Chris Andrews, of BASW, described Righton at the time of his arrest as follows: He [Righton] is a highly respected figure within the residential field, particularly working with highly disturbed children. He is very much concerned with therapeutic work in child care’ (cited in Burden and Rose, ‘Porn Squad quiz Child Care Expert’).
EIGHT Margaret Claire Jervis went on to become Barbara Hewson’s close friend and fellow activist in the false allegations campaign.
NINE When Righton was arrested in 1992, Chris Andrews, who spoke for BASW, was one of the first to jump to Righton’s defence.
Andrew Soper trial: Alleged child abuse victim claims paedophile ring operated from Ealing Catholic school
The former pupil of Father Andrew Soper accused St Benedict’s School of covering up “serial abuse”
On Thursday (October 19), a former pupil of Father Andrew Soper accused St Benedict’s school of covering up “serial abuse” by teachers and priests over the past six decades.
Soper, a 74-year-old former abbott of Ealing Abbey, is on trial at the Old Bailey accused of a string of sex offences – including buggery and indecent assault against 10 schoolboys.
Prosecutors claim sexual abuse and violence against children was widespread at the Roman Catholic school from the 1960s to the 1990s.
Jurors heard Father David Pearce, a former headmaster at the school, and John Maestri, a former maths teacher, have previously been prosecuted for child abuse there.
The court heard from one complainant, who accused Soper of indecently assaulting him twice, who said he believes Maestri ran a paedophile ring at the school.
‘The Benedictine Order should answer for the serial abuse’
The complainant replied: “I believe that the Benedictine Order should answer for the serial abuse that has gone on in its educational establishments for the last few decades.
Laurence Soper, 74, the abbot of Ealing Abbey from 1991-2000, was headmaster and senior priest at St Benedict’s School in Ealing, west London.
Former pupil allegedly abused by Ealing priest denies being a ‘professional victim’
The witness was called a fantasist after claiming he was raped and indecently assaulted by Andrew Soper
A former west London pupil – who won a £135,000 settlement after claiming he was sexually abused by a school priest – was accused of being a fantasist on Monday (October 16).
The alleged victim first came forward after claiming he was raped and indecently assaulted by Andrew Soper, 74, at St Benedict’s School in Ealing in the 1970s.
Roman Catholic priest, 74, ‘withdrew £182,000 from his Vatican bank account and went on the run in Albania after being accused of sexually abusing schoolchildren’
Father Laurence Soper, 74, was a former abbot of Ealing Abbey in west London
Soper then skipped bail and flew to Kosovo when he was accused of sex offences
It is claimed the Catholic priest caned pupils to give himself a thrill at the school
A Roman Catholic priest withdrew £182,000 from his Vatican bank account and went on the run in Albania after he was accused of sexually abusing schoolchildren in the 1970s and 1980s, a court heard.
Father Laurence Soper, 74, a former abbot of Ealing Abbey in west London, skipped bail and flew to Kosovo when he was accused of sex offences including buggery and indecent assault on boys under 16, it is said.
Prosecutors say the abuse took place between September 1972 and July 1983 while Soper was headmaster at St Benedict’s School in Ealing.
Soper caned pupils to give himself a thrill at the school, where sexual abuse and violence was allegedly widespread, it is claimed.
One of his alleged victims said children ‘had been targeted by predators and assaulted’ at St Benedict’s and accused the school of a ‘serial cover up’.
A series of accusations were made against Soper after he resigned as abbot and went to live at the Benedictine headquarters at Collegio Sant’Anselmo in Rome, Italy, in 2000.
He flew to the UK to be interviewed by police about the claims in July 2004, June 2009 and September 2010, and was allowed to return to Rome on police bail until 11 March 2011.
But seven days before he was due to attend a police station in the UK, he flew to Kosovo, Albania, with 204,000 euros withdrawn from his Vatican bank account, jurors were told.
Soper, who was then working as general treasurer of the International Benedictine Confederation, claimed he had been paid to study a mystical strand of Islam in the Balkans, the Old Bailey heard.
Gillian Etherton QC, prosecuting, said: ‘As a result of the defendant failing to attend his re-bailed date attempts were made by the police and authorities to locate him.
‘After five-and-a-half years of being wanted by police the defendant was located in Kosovo.
‘A European Arrest warrant was issued for Andrew Soper’s extradition. Eventually the authorities deported the defendant.
‘The defendant was arrested for these offences at Luton Airport coming off a flight from Kosovo on 21 August 2016.
‘He was cautioned and replied: “I vigorously deny these allegations.”‘
She added: ‘You will hear that the defendant is a meticulous man who analyses and plans most things.
‘The prosecution say he carefully organised his leaving of Rome. It was his clear intention to fall below police radar.’
Soper has since been expelled from the monatsery of St Benedict of Ealing for ‘scandalous behvaiour’ but is still a priest, the court heard.
He has been charged with 19 alleged sex offences relating to 10 complainants, including buggery and indecency with a child.
According to charges, he indecently assaulted one boy on a school cycling holiday and anally raped him twice on other occasions.
Soper, who was in charge of discipline at St Benedict’s School while he taught there, is also accused of using caning as ‘a method to rouse and to gain sexual gratification’.
The defendant, described as ‘manipulative’, ‘perverted’ and ‘sadistic’ by various complainants, allegedly kept canes, a cat-o-nine tails whip and a leather strap in his desk.
One former pupil said he was ‘the scariest of the monks there’.
‘He was a disciplinarian and never smiled,’ added the complainant.
Jurors heard the former pupils were told to pull their trousers down while Soper punished them in his headmaster’s room for ‘false reasons’ such as kicking a football in the wrong direction.
The boys were left feeling ‘dirty and ashamed’ after the incidents – but just one of the 10 alleged victims told his parents what had happened.
He claimed his parents, who have since died, didn’t tell the police because ‘priests were much respected’.
Ms Etherton said: ‘A priest or a monk is a person to look up to and hold in deep respect, not someone to challenge or confront.
‘A young boy’s word against that of a priest – you may think it’s little wonder that most of the complainants at the time said nothing.’
One former pupil was paid £135,000 to settle a sex abuse claim against Soper out of court in 2010, while another one was paid £5,900 after launching a civil claim, the Old Bailey was told.
Former headmaster father David Pearce and former maths teacher John Maestri have previously been prosecuted for child abuse at the school, jurors heard.
The court heard that several of the complainants came forward after reading about allegations of sexual abuse at the school on the internet.
Soper, formerly of Peja, Kosovo, denies two counts of buggery, one count of indecency with a child, 10 counts of indecent assault on boys under 16 and six counts of indecent assault on boys under 18.
Court 7 at 10.30am New trial of Andrew Soper, an ex-Roman Catholic priest has denied sexually abusing 10 boys at a west London school in the 1970s and 80s.
Mandate Now@mandatenowDespite not featuring in Court Listings, the Trial of Soper commences in Court 7 of the Old Bailey at 10.30 today.
Former abbot to stand trial for abusing 10 schoolboys
10Aug2017
Ealing
A former Roman Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing 10 schoolboys in the 1970s and 1980s will stand trial in October. Father Laurence Soper, 73, a former abbot of Ealing Abbey in west London, is charged with 18 sex offences including buggery and indecent assault on boys under 16. They are said to have occurred at St Benedict’s School in Ealing, where he taught first as a priest before being promoted to abbot.
Child abuse inquiry set to drop investigation into Ealing Abbey monks
May 30 2017
Lawyers will propose next week that no evidence be called about decades of abuse of pupils at Ealing Abbey and its adjoining independent school, St Benedict’sTimes Newspapers Ltd
An investigation into one of the worst scandals to afflict the Catholic Church in Britain is set to be dropped from the public inquiry into child abuse.
Next week lawyers for Alexis Jay, chairwoman of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), will propose that no evidence be called about decades of abuse of pupils at Ealing Abbey and its adjoining independent school, St Benedict’s.
Victims were furious and accused Professor Jay of backtracking on her previous promise not to reduce the scope of the inquiry. They said the move undermined the credibility of the inquiry, which has lost three chairwomen, cost more than £20 million and shown little tangible progress since it was set up by Theresa May in 2014.
Andrew Johnson has been appointed as Headmaster of St Benedict’s School, Ealing. Andrew has been the Headmaster of Stonyhurst College in Lancashire since September 2006, and has succeeded Chris Cleugh who retired in September.
Andrew studied Modern Languages at Bristol University, having attended Skinners School in Tunbridge Wells.
Several former priests and teachers at the Jesuit-run Stonyhurst College in the Ribble Valley were investigated over sex abuse allegations in the late 90s
Father James Chaning-Pearce, who taught maths and physics there, was convicted of molesting four boys and jailed for five years in 1997.
And Father John James Pearson was later jailed for two years after admitting to more than 20 indecency charges at Preston Crown Court, also relating to Stonyhurst.
Fr “Jock”George Earle, accused of abuse as Headmaster of Stonyhurst, yet he went on to lead the Jesuits’ British Province…
British priest wanted on child sex charges should not be extradited – Kosovo court
A former priest wanted on child sex abuse charges from the 1970s and 1980s should not be extradited to Britain because the crimes were committed too long ago, a court in Kosovo ruled on Monday.
Soper will remain in custody and the prosecutor has three days to appeal the ruling, she said.
This is the second time authorities in Kosovo have rejected the extradition request. In June, a court in Pristina rejected the request, seeking more documents from British authorities.
A judge in Kosovo has blocked the extradition to Britain of former abbot of St Benedict’s Laurence Soper accused of child abuse.
A Kosovan court blocked the move because under Kosovan law the child abuse allegations against him – some of which date back to the 1970s – had expired.
In 2010, Laurence Soper was arrested and questioned in Italy, where he was living at the time, after an alleged victim approached police claiming he had abused him.
When British police summoned him again for questioning in 2011 he did not return, sparking what became a five-year Europe-wide manhunt before he was eventually found and arrested in the Kosovan city of Peja earlier this year.
The Times understands that Soper has travelled around the region on his British passport and made 22 trips to Macedonia since 2011.It raises questions over why he was not arrested there, because Macedonia is a member of Europol.
In 2010, when Mr Soper was living in Italy, a complainant in his 40s reported historical claims of abuse to police. Mr Soper was arrested and questioned, and allowed to keep his passport and return to Rome, where he lived at Collegio Sant’Anselmo, the order’s headquarters. He vanished the next year when he was asked to answer bail in London.
Wanted monk Soper had travelled to Balkans freely
A runaway former abbot arrested in Kosovo over child sex offences had been travelling freely around the Balkans on his British passport, his landlord said last night.
Laurence Soper, a senior Roman Catholic cleric, had travelled to Macedonia and Albaniadespite jumping police bail and evading a European arrest warrant, it was claimed.
Justice Lowell Goddard has said that the English Benedictine Congregation would be one of the first institutions to be investigated by the national child abuse inquiry
“The first case study will examine the English Benedictine Congregation which has been the subject of numerous allegations of child sexual abuse, including at schools run by the Congregation. The Inquiry will examine the relationship between Orders such as the Benedictines and the Catholic Church in England and Wales and consider how that relationship impacts on child protection. In this way the Inquiry will evaluate whether any failings identified within the English Benedictine Congregation, and within any other case studies identified as part of the investigation, are representative of wider failings within the Catholic Church.”
Chris Patten/ St Benedict’s child abuse paedophile ring/ Patrick Rock/ Balkans/Vatican
Laurence Soper is the former abbot of Ealing Abbey. He taught at St Benedict’s (where Chris Patten is patron) for 12 years
The Metropolitan police had sought to bring back Laurence Soper, a senior cleric in the Roman Catholic Church, when he was found in the Balkans,in the eastern town of Peja, after a five-year manhunt.
Neighbours told a reporter that Soper, 72, had lived in the town for some years, did not have a job and had said he was writing a book.
“Kosovo is the unrecognised break-away Serbian state which was at the centre of the bombing campaign that generated huge numbers of orphans. This bombing campaign … destroyed many families in Bosnia and Herzegovina…
The resulting micro states in the Kosovo-Bosnia-Albanian region are now the hotbeds of child trafficking syndicates who have wealthy customers in the Vatican to the West and Czech and Polish pedo traders in the North West.”
Soper taught at St Benedict’s from 1972 to 1984 and was abbot at Ealing for nine years until 2000.
He was one of the most powerful figures in the Benedictine order, the oldest Catholic monastic order, and also served as chaplain at Harrow School from 1981 to 1991and as a visiting chaplain at Feltham young offender institution.
Allegations: Feltham Young Offenders Institution where Fr Soper was chaplain 1988-2000
There have been complaints about abuse of inmates at Feltham, and Ealing Abbey subsequently confirmed that the police interviewed Soper at the time in connection with those complaints. link
Soper retired as Abbot in 2000 and immediately moved to the Benedictine headquarters at Collegio Sant’Anselmo in Rome where he became general treasurer of the International Benedictine Confederation in 2002 until his disappearance in 2011.
Sant’Anselmo in Rome.
Laurence Soper was bursar of Sant’Anselmo and treasurer of the worldwide Benedictine
Confederation,
(Until 2013, the age of consent in the Vatican was 12 years old.)
Beside the visible swimming pool for the students is the headquarters of the Knights of Malta
His friends say that Laurence Soper also worked at the Vatican Bank.
From Laundering To Profiteering, A Multitude Of Sins At The Vatican Bank
For decades, the Catholic Church has been dogged by scandals involving money. Vatican City — a sovereign state — controls its own finances through the Vatican Bank. It developed as a cross between the Federal Reserve and an offshore bank.
The Vatican Bank – one of the top banks in the world for money laundering
Child abuse case monk in secret trip to Vatican while on the run
26 November 2011
Fr Laurence, known as ‘St Benedict’s banker after hiding in Montenegro on the Adriatic coast – where the European Arrest Warrant is not valid – he secretly returned to the Vatican to empty his account.
(Harrow,Sedbergh and Durham schools,all raided in the late 1990s during a nationwide investigation into an alleged paedophile network of teachers at six leading public schools. )
Assistant Master (Modern Languages) 1980-; House Master of Elmfield 1995- 2007; University Liaison Master 1992-95. University of Toronto (1stclass French & German).
At Harrow in 2003, Lady Diana’s nephew George McCorquodale was punished by housemaster Dr James Holland for bullying
George and Emily McCorquodale are children of Neil Edmund McCorquodale and his wife, née Lady Sarah SpencerLady Sarah, whose godmother was the Queen Mother, was a prosecution witness and had to answer questions about the gifts to Diana’s godchildren and about the “rape tape” – alleged to have contained allegations made by former servant George Smith of a male rape in the royal household.
EMILY’S illness is the family’s second blow in less than a month after her brother was disciplined for bullying at school. George, 18, is to be excluded from end of term celebrations at Harrow as a punishment for taunting a fellow pupil.
But the teenager has been allowed to stay on to take his exams.
George, who bears a striking resemblance to close friend Prince Harry, will leave the pounds 19,500 a year school after next Saturday’s Speech Day, traditionally attended by all the school’s pupils. Sources at Harrow said George carried out a relentless campaign of abuse against the other pupil who eventually reported him to his family.
They went to housemaster Dr James Holland, who took action.
While not excusing George’s behaviour, sources suggested he has been deeply affected by his sister’s illness and publicity surrounding his family during the Paul Burrell trial. One said: “Obviously all the other pupils were aware of it and it did not help his behaviour.
“There was some emotional impact and that was reflected in how he behaved towards other pupils.”
Harrow’s headmaster Barnaby Lennon denied George had been expelled. He said: “I’m not prepared to discuss the disciplinary record of any individual pupil.
Harrow is one of Britain’s oldest public schools and has educated six Prime Ministers including Winston Churchill.
Grandfather of bully George McCorquodale – Lord Alastair McCorquodale- was a governor at Harrow school up untilhis death (2009). His son Neil married Lady Sarah Spencer
Harrow School & convicted paedophile rev Peter Ball
Jimmy Savile and Prince Charles’ very close friendship with sex abuse bishop Peter Ball
Prince Charles Provided Free House To Bishop Arrested in UK Child Abuse Probe
Charles was a ‘loyal friend’, Bishop said
The UK’s spiraling child-abuse scandal has already reached Prince Charles once – he was a good friend of the children’s TV presenter Jimmy Savile who was a predatory paedophile – and now the prince’s judgment is being called into question again, after it emerged that a retired Church of England bishop arrested by police investigating historic allegations of child sex abuse was given a free house to live in by Charles after the bishop resigned in disgrace having received a police caution for committing acts of gross indecency.
Ball said : ‘He [Prince Charles] has been wonderfully kind and allowed me to have a Duchy house. The prince is a loyal friend.’
‘I have immense admiration for him. He has been through horrific times and is a great person.‘
Establishment figures who helped paedophile bishop Peter Ball avoid prosecution for sex abuse revealed
Harrow School’s relationship with convicted paedophile friend of Prince Charles, the Rev Peter Ball:
Former Harrow School headmaster Ian Beer said Ball was “almost saintly” and had shown a “remarkable influence for the good with the young”.
Ian Beer sent boys from all three schools he worked in (Harrow, Lancing and Ellesmere) to Peter Ball
According to Headmaster Ian Beer, in his letter of support for the paedophile Peter Ball, pupils flocked to Peter Ball for confidential help and advice
Harrow hosted young people from Bishop Peter Ball’s scheme in Sussex
Ian Beer recommended that Peter Ball be made governor
Ian Beer was an old chum of Denis Thatcher
At Denis Thatcher’s Funeral : a poem was read by Sir Denis’s old rugby chum, former-head of Harrow, Ian Beer
Ian Beer attended a Christmas Eve party w/Thatcher & Jimmy Savile at Chequers:
1982Dec 24 Fr
Archive (Thatcher MSS)
MT Engagement Diary
1340 To Chequers
1830-2000 Small drinks party
Guest List
Carringtons, Tim Smith, Ian Beer (Headmaster of Harrow), Station Commander of RAF Halton, Jimmy Savile, Mr. Hooker, Davids, Hamiltons, Nicholsons, Alison Ward:
On 3 July 1997 he was found guilty of taking cash for questions from Al Fayed, along with Neil Hamilton
Harrow: In 1974 an IRA bomb exploded at one of the masters’ flats, and in the same year an arsonist set fire to one of the houses, The Grove. The offender, one of the boys in the house, was tried in 1975 at the Old Bailey, where he produced evidence of “card and beer sessions” and claimed to have been the victim of homosexual “attack”.
Ian David Stafford Beer Headmaster at Harrow School 1981–1991
Ian Beer of Harrow speaking about Rev Peter Ball:
Andrew Charles Kingsdon Soper, also known as Father Laurence, was born in Hendon, Middlesex, on September 17 1943, to Alan Kingsdon Soper and Anne, maiden name Morris. His Penzance-born father married his mother in Cardiff in 1936.
He was a distant cousin of the socialist and Methodist peer Lord Donald Soper.
Among the prominent Methodists associated with the Kingsway Hall wasDonald Soper, who was Superintendent Minister at the West London Mission from 1936 until his retirement in 1978.
Father Laurence Soper briefly worked for Barclays Bank before entering the monastery in 1964. He taught at St Benedict’s from 1973-83, and became bursar between 1975-1991. He was elected Ruling Abbot from 1991-2000, but quit Britain in 2001 for Rome.
EducationSt Benedict’s Sch Ealing, St Benet’s Hall Oxford, Collegio Sant Anselmo Rome (STL, STD), St Mary’s Coll Twickenham (PGCE)
Books & PublicationsThe Thoughts of Jesus Christ (1970), T H Green as Theologian (1972)
Recreationswalking
The Rt Rev Laurence Soper, OSB
CareerBarclays Bank 1960-64; entered monastery Ealing 1964; ordained: deacon (Assisi) 1969, priest 1970; St Benedict’s Sch Ealing: teacher 1973-83, bursar 1975-91, prior 1984-91, ruling abbot 1991-2000; titular abbot St Albans 2000-; episcopal vicar for Religious in Archdiocese of Westminster Western Area 1995-2000; delg to Gen Chapter (sec) 1985 and 1989; pt/t chaplain Harrow Sch 1981-91, visiting chaplain Feltham YOI 1988-2000; chm Union of Monastic Superiors 1995-99, gen treas Int Benedictine Confedn 2002-; Freeman City of Norcia Italy; FRSA 1975
A review by Lord Carlile QC (considered a whitewash, especially as it was commissioned by the school’s trustees) into decades of paedophile activity at St Benedict’s school, a Catholic school attached to the abbey, published in 2011, listed 21 abuse cases starting in 1970.
Soper was named as one of five clergy wanted for questioning in relation to paedophile activity involving pupils.
The inquiry at the school was prompted after a former headteacher, Father David Pearce, was convicted of abusing five boys. He was jailed for eight years in 2009 for the abuse over 36 years. Four of the victims were under 14.
Father David Pearce
Lord Carlile’s report says that as a result of the reforms being put in place, he believes that St Benedict’s is now an “excellent place” for boys and girls to be “educated in safety”.
In addition to Father David Pearce, two former teachers at St. Benedict’s (John Maestri and Stephen Skelton) have been convicted of sexual abuse of pupils, and the school’s deputy headmaster Peter Allott was arrested in late 2015. He subsequently pleaded guilty to possessing, making and distributing child abuse images and was sentenced to 33 months in jail.
In 1982 a Middle-School Master called John Maestri disappeared weeks before he was due to replace Dom Laurence Soper as Master of the Middle School.
“It emerged many years later that the parent of the victim had complained to Abbot Francis that she would report John Maestri to the Police if he were allowed to take up the post as Master of the Middle School. He then disappeared.
Maestri has been before Isleworth Crown Court on three occasions. All of them for sexual offences against boys under the age of 14, all of them pupils at St. Benedict’s School, and all the offences relate to his time teaching at the school. In all three cases he pleaded guilty to the charges.
Maestri went on to teach at another school after he left St. Benedict’s.
…The obvious inference is that Maestri was asked to leave quietly to avoid publicity, and that part of the deal involved giving him a good reference that made no mention of the real reason for his departure.
I wonder how many times something like this has happened at the school.
But the most ironic and even tragic thing is that Maestri’s position as junior school headteacher subsequently went to – Father David Pearce.
It was a very strange failure of judgment that caused the Abbot to appoint two paedophile abusers in quick succession as junior school headteacher
Peter William Allott, who was the deputy head at St Benedict’sCatholic Independent Day School, pleaded guilty to possessing, showing and making indecent images of children, one offence of possessing extreme pornography and possession of class A drugs
Allott admitted possessing 25 ‘grossly offensive’ images on a hard drive and sharing the images with other offenders
Allott, 36 was arrested by officers from the National Crime Agency’s CEOP Command, acting on intelligence was received that an individual had been using video conferencing facilities to share indecent images of children with others around the UK.
The judge said:
“I use the phrase of a paedophile ring, that’s precisely what that was.”
Allott was associated with a man whose online chat name was “London Paedo”.
He added that he shared images on Zoom and had image capture software to save pictures when others sent them to him.
Some of the material featured children as young as 2 years old.
“He was alarmed by some of it. He said he was surprised some of them were still alive.”
There’s a pattern here. The abuse is widespread. The perpetrators often seem to have been made headmaster of the middle school at some point in their career. The abuse was common knowledge – to both boys and teachers. And nothing was done, because the authority of the church was behind the abusers. They were monks and priests as well as teachers. Sometimes senior monks – headmaster or even Abbot
Paedophile Peter Allott left for a year in 2011 to work as a research associate for a project on the Prime Minister David Cameron’s “Big Society” initiative and Catholic social teaching at CambridgeUniversity.
Chris Patten is linked with paedophile- infested St Benedict’s as patron. Peter Allott of St Benedict’s was convicted of making indecent images of underage children
Chris Patten is linked to Patrick Rock, a paedophile also convicted and making indecent images of underage children (Patrick Rock was Patten’s former adviser on the West Balkans)
Patrick Rock moved to Brussels and worked for Chris Patten (European Commissioner) …Patten preceded by Leon Brittan
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
2011 David Cameron brought Patrick Rock back into Downing Street appointing him deputy head of the influential No 10 policy unit. The same year Peter Allott was chosen to work on David Cameron’s Big Initiative Policy Project
Was Peter Rock involved?
2011: In recent years, Laurence Soper frequently took himself off on sudden short holidays to Morocco, Tunisia, Albania and Montenegro.
Tony Blair sent Patten to Brussels. Patten was there from 1999 – 2004
link
Patrick Rock admitted downloading the pictures of young Czech girls while staying at the Pinehurst hotel and golf club in the US
He admitted downloading images of 20 young girls.
Youngest victim would have been 8 yrs old.
Commenting in the Telegraph, Joan Smith pointed out that his youngest victim, now 10, would have been even younger 2 years ago when the offences were committed and that his government duties had included devising policies to make the internet safer for children. Smith expressed astonishment that Rock would not spend a single night in prison and says upper class status protected him
SOFT JUSTICE Patrick Rock, 65, was found guilty of five counts of making indecent images of children
Patrick Rock, David Cameron’s former aide who was spared jail over indecent pictures of children was given softer sentence because of judge’s blunder
The 65-year-old also served under Margaret Thatcher and worked on child abuse policy when he was arrested
23rd January 2017,
A FORMER aide to David Cameron convicted of having indecent pictures of children was given a slashed sentence because of a judge’s mistake.
Patrick Rock was given just a two-year conditional discharge after downloading images of half-naked girls in sexual poses – some as young as ten – to his iPad.
Under David Cameron, Rock was deputy head of Home Affairs policy unit with responsibility for co-ordinating the government’s response to child abuse images online.
The Oxford graduate also served under Margaret Thatcher as political correspondence secretary.
The minimum period should have been five years, but the mistake Judge Alistair McCreath made in June was not spotted until it was too late.
Judge McCreath only became aware of the “error” in October when he received a letter from the Met Police’s solicitor – but it was after the eight-week deadline to make any changes.
Today, Judge McCreath told Southwark Crown Court: “The position, crystal clear as it was, is now doubly crystal clear. There is nothing that I can do.
Rock served under David Cameron and worked in the Home Affairs policy unit on its response to child abuse
“It has always been the duty of the prosecution to inform the court of its powers to sentence and in the event of the court making an error in its powers of sentencing it is the for the prosecution to inform the court so it can remedy it.
“When an error is made it has to be brought to the attention of the court within eight weeks, this order was made on June 2, the first I heard of it was when a letter was sent from the Met Commissioner solicitors dated October 10.
“I recognise that was unlawful but this error was not brought to my attention in time within the generous eight weeks allowed.
“I have no power to do anything about this because the time has now passed in which I could exercise these powers.
“In these circumstances this application to vary the order has to be refused.”
He said the police lawyer “has fairly acknowledged error on the part of the prosecution at the time of sentence”.
On the possibility of amending the order, he added: “I have no power to do so and I am bound to refuse (this application).”
Rock, 65, of Fulham, south-west London, faced 20 charges of making indecent images of a child in August 2013 and was convicted of five counts.
He was cleared of three and the jury was unable to reach verdicts on the other 12, which were left to lie on file.
Rock was told he must register as a sex offender for the duration of the two years and was also banned from using a device with the internet unless it can retain his browsing history – and must allow police to inspect his history.
Sentencing him, Judge McCreath had told him: “The punishment for you is the loss of your reputation and your very public humiliation.”
Judge McCreath gave Rock a two-year conditional discharge on each count to run concurrently and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Yet a letter from the Met Commissioner’s office dated October 10 last year indicated the discharge should have been for five years, as that is the statutory minimum.
The Crown Prosecution Service indicted it may apply to the Court of Appeal to have the order amended.
Cameron Aide Guilty of Downloading Child Porn; but Did Policy Chief Delete Indecent Images on Second Computer?
Daily Mail (London), June 2, 2016
It can now be revealed that he may have hid other incriminating evidence before his arrest in February 2014. Rock is believed to have wiped a computer after a tip-off from his sister that the FBI had seized his iPad containing the images. It had been found by builders at his mother’s home in North Carolina shortly after her death.
Investigators believe his sister, who lives in America, emailed him about the search. …prompted Rock to erase the memory on a second tablet he had with him in the UK.
British MP Jo Cox gave her first child a Bosniak name and had ties to Srebrenica.
Slain UK MP Took Close Interest in Bosnia
…took a passionate interest in the Balkans, Sudan and Syria, visiting Srebrenica and running a camp for orphans from the eastern Bosnian town,where Bosnian Serbs massacred about 8,000 Bosniak Muslims in 1995.
As well as giving her first-born child a Bosniak name, Lejla, she referred regularly to past tragic events in Bosnia – and Kosovo – in parliamentary speeches urging Britain’s Conservative government to intervene more forcefully in the Syrian civil war.
2. (C) Patrick Rock, External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten’s cabinet adviser on Balkans issues, pointed to the 30 June EU statement offering full support for Ashdown’s actions in Bosnia earlier in the day and stressing the need for full cooperation with the Tribunal. Regarding visa bans, Rock thought that it was possible that the EU would follow the U.S. and add additional names recommended by Ashdown. He was firm, however, in saying that the EU was not able to freeze assets of ICTY indictee support networks, which he attributed to legal issues in some member states. Although the presidency country could not change member-state law, Rock did feel that the Dutch might be able to take a more active approach and encouraged our raising the issue with them. Rock said that the EU’s Western Balkans Working Group (COWEB) would almost certainly consider the demarche at its next meeting and remarked that the UK “could often be helpful.”
Patrick Rock comes from a Catholic family and was schooled by Jesuits
Rock’s headmaster, Fr George Hughes Earle, was a protected Jesuit paedophile
Fr “Jock”George Earle, accused of abuse as Headmaster of Stonyhurst, yet he went on to lead the Jesuits’ British Province…
Young Jock joined the RAF, and served as an Intelligence officer in India and Burma.
On returning to Britain Earle worked briefly for the Ministry of Defence, then read Modern History at Balliol College, Oxford,
Fr George Earle, headmaster of Stonyhurst from 1964 to 1971, and later provincial of the Society of Jesus in Britain – The judge at his trial concluded that three charges of indecent assault against one boy dating back to 1971 had to be dropped because of an agreement that was made at the time between the solicitor representing the boy’s parents and the Jesuits’ solicitors
After stepping down from Stonyhurst, Earle became an assistant to the Provincial for Education; he also became co-editor of The Way, the Jesuit journal of Ignatian spirituality. For three years he was Rector of St Aloysius’s College, Glasgow (Fr. George Earle. 1978 – 1981), with overall responsibility for the Jesuit parish and school. To the further surprise of many members of the Society, he was chosen to head the Jesuits’ English province, which was renamed the British province at his instigation.
One of his special concerns was the Society’s South African region, but he was not pleased when it was suggested that this was because he was preparing a comfortable billet for when he had completed his six years in office.
After a sabbatical, Earle assisted the South African bishops’ conference with the training of priests, and proved a popular retreat giver. When the allegations about his headmastership emerged, Earle returned to Britain, later joining the staff of the Jesuit Refugee Service at Osterley, Middlesex, helping asylum seekers.
Chris Patten attends a mass with newly appointed cardinals held by Pope Francis at St Peter’s
Chris Patten to take up media adviser role to Pope Francis
Former Conservative MP takes up new role only two months after dramatically quitting as chairman of BBC Trust due to heart problems
09 Jul 2014
He most recently was head of the organisation that oversaw the BBC, enduring three turbulent years as Britain’s public broadcaster battled a series of scandals.
He stood down in May after heart surgery, saying he needed to reduce the range of roles he undertook.
Why, then, would he undertake such a significant role?
Jimmy Savile: BBC boss Lord Patten rejects call for independent investigation …
Daily Mail
Chris Patten accused of a cover-up on BBC Savile probe
Jimmy Savile photographed in the library at Fort Augustus Catholic school
Sexual predator Jimmy Savile was regular visitor to Catholic school at centre of abuse scandal
FORMER BBC presenter was frequently invited to Fort Augustus Abbey by Benedictine Order monks.
Disgraced Cardinal Keith O’Brien, a good friend of Savile’s, was also a regular visitor at the school.
The revelations of Savile’s visits to the school came as it emerged that many more pupils have stepped forward to claim they, too, were victims of monk teachers.
Savile spent much of his time in the Highlands even before buying a cottage in Glencoe in 1998, which was just over an hour’s drive from Fort Augustus.
Fort Augustus was used as a “dumping ground” for problem clergy who had confessed to abusing children.
O’Brien, who was forced to leave Scotland earlier this year after being forced to admit to inappropriate sexual behaviour, was guest of honour at the school’s old boys’ dinner last year.
The pair met when O’Brien was priest at St Patrick’s Church in Kilsyth, Stirlingshire, in 1971.
Savile was a regular visitor because his mother Agnes was friends with O’Brien’s colleague, Fr Denis O’Connell.
Five men claimed on the Sins Of Our Fathers documentary that they were raped or sexually abused by Father Aidan Duggan, an Australian monk who taught at Carlekemp and Fort Augustus between 1953 and 1974.
A 61-year-old man from Glasgow has told the BBC he was sexually abused on a football trip to Manchester United in the late 1960s.
James, who wants to keep his anonymity, believes he was “trafficked” to English football clubs by the Marist Brothers, a Catholic order which ran his school.
He said he was repeatedly abused by the brothers at his primary school.
In a statement, Manchester United said it had found no information relating to the Marist Brothers in its review.
The Old Trafford club looked into historical abuse as part of the English FA’s inquiry, led by barrister Clive Sheldon QC.
It is looking at the way clubs or the FA dealt with concerns over child sex abuse between 1970 and 2005.
Initiation ceremony
However, James said he thought his abuse happened on a trip in 1969, when he was 12 or 13.
James told the BBC he was in a group of “elite” young footballers who were selected by his school to take part in a tournament in Manchester.
The boys were taken to Old Trafford and the club’s training ground, where they played matches and toured the stadium, the boot room and directors’ offices.
James said he had visions of becoming a Manchester United player like his heroes George Best and Bobby Charlton but he said he was taken from the hostel where the boys were staying and sexually abused.
He said he did not know who abused him but he was taken outside as part of an “initiation ceremony”.
“It was non-consensual sex,” he said.
“Adult and a child.”
James said he did not know if other young footballers were also abused.
“None of us ever spoke about it,” he said.
According to James, he was not aware at the time that it was abuse.
It was portrayed as part of the “football journey” of going down to the club and possibly becoming a professional footballer.
He said: “I believe I was forced to do it because of my previous experience. I thought there was no escape, I had to take the action.”
His previous abuse was at the hands of the Marist Brothers who ran his primary school, the Sacred Heart Primary School in the east end of Glasgow.
James said he was regularly beaten around the lower body by branches with thorns, belts or by hand for not knowing the answers to questions about the Mass.
He told the BBC he would soil himself when he was beaten and his sister would be sent for to take him out of class.
Grooming process
“That then led to an increase in the abuse which began by befriending you, telling you that you weren’t a bad person, you were a good person,” he said.
“All part of the grooming process, then on to sitting on the knee,.
“Then, after the beatings, removing the clothing to make sure there were no marks.
“And then other sexual activity.”
The beatings stopped when James moved to high School.
But a more sinister form of abuse began, he said.
James said he was sent to the former Fort Augustus Abbey Roman Catholic boarding school
He was also sent to Pluscarden Abbey. Both were run by the Benedictine order.
He said he was abused by monks there.
James said he was also abused when his football team were sent to English football clubs.
“I realise now I was trafficked,” he said.
“I didn’t realise that at the time.
“But there is a link between the abuse in the primary school – the Marist Brothers.
“A link to the Marist Brothers sending me to Fort Augustus and Pluscarden to the Benedictines and the Marist Brothers then sending me to the football clubs.”
He said: “My understanding was these clubs were more or less looking at us for potentially signing for the clubs.
“The type of player I was playing football with went on to be professional football players, to be professional football managers and professional coaches at the highest level in the Scottish Football Association.”
Internal investigation
Manchester United said: “We have no knowledge or records of any allegations of this nature.
“However, If we are provided with further details and they allege involvement of anyone connected with the club, we will of course investigate further and involve all appropriate authorities.”
The Marist Brothers no longer run schools in Scotland but they maintain a house in Glasgow.
In a statement the order’s lawyers said it took all allegations against it seriously, and referred them to police and an internal investigation.
It said: “The allegations in question were investigated by the police, and the Scottish Catholic Safeguarding Service confirmed our clients have done all that is possible regarding the allegations made.”
“James wants the public to know about the scandal of the historic trafficking of children round the UK.
“He wants more survivors of sexual abuse to come forward so that the perpetrators of this abuse and the institutions that protected them are held to account and we will continue to support him as he campaigns to achieve this.”
Priest, Father Paul Moore , convicted 20 years after first confessing
14 March 2018
Moore was sent to Fort Augustus after allegedly admitting child abuse to the bishop
An 82-year-old Catholic priest who confessed to his bishop more than 20 years ago that he had abused young boys has finally been convicted.
Father Paul Moore has been found guilty of sexually abusing three children and a student priest in crimes spanning more than 20 years.
One of his victims was just five years old.
A BBC Scotland investigation reported five years ago that Moore had admitted in 1996 that he had abused more than one boy years earlier, and it was initially covered up by the bishop.
The then Bishop of Galloway, Maurice Taylor, did not contact the authorities about the priest’s confession until eight months later. Instead, he sent him to a treatment centre in Toronto.
Bishop Taylor removed the priest from his parish in Prestwick, Ayrshire, and later sent him to Fort Augustus Abbey in the Highlands, which was run by Benedictine monks.
The attached school was by this time closed, but the abbey remained open. That is where Moore joined monk Richard White – who was also a self-confessed paedophile, later jailed for five years for child abuse.
The 2013 BBC documentary Sins of Our Fathers told how Moore was still living in a house which was purchased by the church.
Bishop Taylor said Moore had told him about actions that “occurred years previously”, and that the priest was removed from the pastoral ministry after the admission.
The bishop said: “The initial advice I was given was that since no allegations had been made against Moore but that he had made personal admission to me, I didn’t need to inform the authorities.”
The bishop said he arranged a meeting with the procurator fiscal in Kilmarnock in November 1996.
He said: “The Crown Office informed us in 1999 that they had decided not to proceed with any action but the case remained open.”
It was only when the victims came forward after the BBC documentary that the criminal case was brought.
n 2013, the BBC revealed claims by a former altar boy that he had been abused by Moore.
Two years later, Paul Smyth waived his anonymity to speak to a follow-up investigation.
He said: “I just want people to know the truth, I’m not running away any more.”
Mr Smyth told the BBC how he’d been sexually assaulted on Irvine beach when he was 11.
He eventually told the police what happened in 1997, the year after Moore apparently admitted the abuse to Bishop Taylor.
n 2013, the BBC revealed claims by a former altar boy that he had been abused by Moore.
Two years later, Paul Smyth waived his anonymity to speak to a follow-up investigation.
He said: “I just want people to know the truth, I’m not running away any more.”
Mr Smyth told the BBC how he’d been sexually assaulted on Irvine beach when he was 11.
He eventually told the police what happened in 1997, the year after Moore apparently admitted the abuse to Bishop Taylor.
Also in the 2015 follow-up, the BBC revealed a second man, another former altar server and now in his late 40s, was abused by Moore for several years as a teenager in Ayrshire.
The investigation obtained a copy of a £10,000 cheque given to the man by Moore in 2009.
Moore denied the cheque was “hush money” and says it was meant as a loan.
Moore being shown the cheque by Mark Daly
When confronted, Moore denied that he had confessed any child abuse to Bishop Taylor.
He accepted he was aware the man had made allegations against him, and was asked if he accepted that a payment to an alleged victim may look like “hush money”.
He responded: “Sure, it looks now, I realise that now in these times but it’s not that, it wasn’t hush money.
“In the Bible it says lend without hope of getting things back… as far as I’m concerned he can keep it.”
Asked if the two men were lying about the abuse claims, Moore said: “No, they’re not lying. They think that’s what it is. But it’s not.”
Some of the abuse was alleged to have taken place at St Mark’s Primary School in Irvine
The court case also heard from another man, now in his 40s, who told how Moore sexually assaulted him at St Mark’s primary school in Irvine in 1976.
Nowadays that crime would have been classed as rape.
Another man told of an occasion when he was abused at Irvine’s Magnum Centre when he was still a child.
Moore was ordained in 1960 and served in six different parishes in the south west of Scotland before retirement.
In 1995, he abused a student priest and around the same time he was found to have repeatedly stared at the bodies of young boys in Prestwick swimming pool.
Soon after this he made his confession to the bishop.
Bishop Taylor was told of the abuse in 1996
Bishop Taylor, who is now 92, appeared in court and said Moore had admitted to him in 1996 that he had a desire to abuse minors and he knew it was wrong.
He spoke of abusing boys while they slept and others at a swimming pool.
The bishop was shown personnel records he had taken in 1996 when Moore asked to see him.
He told the bishop he had sexual involvement with two males who had been underage at the time.
Fury at sex abuse inquiry snub: Ex pupils ‘devastated’ by bombshell U-turn
May 15 2017
VICTIMS who claim they suffered horrific sexual abuse at a Scots school have been snubbed by an official inquiry – despite being backed by the PM who said they helped set it up.
When she was Home Secretary, Theresa May wrote to a former pupil of Fort Augustus Abbey school to thank him for his “invaluable” help setting up the English Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse in 2015.
But the evidence of former Scottish pupils like him who attended that infamous boarding school is now unlikely to be heard at the powerful inquiry in London.
Last week, Fort Augustus Abbey was left off the list of schools to be examined by the IICSA later this year.
The snub has prompted fury among those who claim their lives were ruined by what they experienced at the boarding school.
Last night one victim told The Sunday Post: “This has come out of the blue. We’ve been waiting a long time for the inquiry.
“The effect is devastating on our mental health. There have been a number of suicides by ex-pupils because of the abuse.”
He said former pupils are very upset at the bombshell development, especially given Prime Minister May’s earlier support.
In 2015, Theresa May wrote to one of Fort Augustus’s ex-pupils following a number of meetings between the pair where they discussed the alleged abuse he suffered.
Having set up the inquiry less than two weeks previously, she wrote: “With your help we have now established an inquiry to get to the truth about what child sexual abuse occurred in institutions across the UK and why nothing was done.”
But those words now seem empty, after lawyers for Fort Augustus Abbey pupils were contacted last week to reveal the shock evidence reversal.
Fort Augustus Abbey – which was run by an order of English monks – is at the centre of allegations of physical and sexual abuse spanning 30 years.
The exclusive Highlands school shut for good in 1993 but horrific allegations about the way pupils were treated emerged in 2013.
Last year, the English Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse announced those claims would be examined – despite the school being in Scotland.
There is a Scottish inquiry set up to probe similar issues north of the border called the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry.
But campaigners say the English inquiry has been given more clout to take action, which is why ex-pupils from Fort Augustus lobbied to be included in it.
A spokeswoman for the IICSA said the institutions to be examined were still not set in stone – despite the new proposals.
She said: “No decisions of any sort have been made about the matters to be considered at the hearing.”
at centre of sexual abuse allegations resigns from university post
Father Francis Davidson has been accused of failing to act on reports during time at Fort Augustus Abbey School in Highlands.
15 AUG 2013
A FORMER headmaster of a boarding school at the centre of sexual abuse allegations has resigned from a role at Oxford University.
Father Francis Davidson has been accused of failing to act on reports during his time at the Catholic Fort Augustus Abbey School in the Highlands in the 1970s.
He has quit as monastic superior of the Benedictine college St Benet’s Hall, where he was responsible for the welfare of student monks at the university.
Alleged victims who attended the Abbey school told a BBC Scotland investigation that they were molested and beaten by monks over a period of three decades from the 1950s.
It has also been claimed that abuse was carried out at Carlekemp, its feeder school in East Lothian. Both schools are now closed.
FORT AUGUSTUS ABBEY (Photo: Peter Jolly)
Police are investigating the allegations.
One former pupil told the BBC that he told Fr Davidson personally of the abuse but the monks remained in the Abbey. Fr Davidson is the only surviving headmaster of the school.
In a statement issued to the BBC, Fr Davidson offered his sympathies to former pupils for any historic abuse and said he was “shocked and saddened” to hear of the allegations.
He added: “I do not recall them being reported to me during my time as headmaster of Fort Augustus Abbey School.
“As investigations into matters at Fort Augustus Abbey School and Carlekemp Priory School are ongoing, I have stepped aside from my role as religious superior at St. Benet’s Hall.”
Earlier this month, one of Scotland’s most senior Catholics apologised to former pupils amid the claims.
Hugh Gilbert, the Bishop of Aberdeen, said: “It is a most bitter, shaming and distressing thing that in this former Abbey School a small number of baptised, consecrated and ordained Christian men physically or sexually abused those in their care.”
Anne Houston, chief executive of charity CHILDREN 1ST, said: “The focus here must always remain on what’s best for those who were abused in the past and what will make a positive difference to them; that and helping protect children now and in future by taking steps to minimise the risk of this ever happening again.
“It is crucial that the church fully and openly co-operates with the ongoing police investigation and passes on any and all relevant information it may have relating to any allegations of abuse at these schools.”
The name had come up in conversation at IHT’s cottage when JDS (Headmaster John Shippen) and IHT were discussing Mr. Slater, who had been a CH Housemaster and formerly a monk at Ampleforth.
Ampleforth Abbey in North Yorkshire is accused of being a “honeypot” for offenders
Forty monks and teachers have been accused of sexually abusing boys at a leading Roman Catholic school that allegedly became a “honeypot” for offenders, it was revealed yesterday.
Reports of child sex offences at Ampleforth College in North Yorkshire were disclosed yesterday at a public hearing of an inquiry into the handling of abuse allegations by the Catholic church.
As a case study, the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse (IICSA) is examining safeguarding policies at two fee-paying boarding schools run by the English Benedictine Congregation — Ampleforth, and Downside in Somerset. Riel Karmy-Jones, QC, counsel to the inquiry, said that it would consider the prevalence of child abuse within the Catholic church and the extent to which Catholic culture “has or does inhibit the proper investigation and prevention” of such crimes.
Since 1996 three monks and two lay teachers at Ampleforth have been convicted of sex offences against pupils, but Ms Karmy-Jones said that the inquiry had been notified of multiple allegations against about 40 monks and teachers.
In an opening statement on behalf of 29 abuse survivors Richard Scorer, a specialist abuse lawyer at Slater and Gordon, the law firm, said that the “temptation to cover up” such crimes was “particularly acute in institutions associated with the Roman Catholic Church”. He said: “Where reputation is key to an organisation’s existence, there is likely to be an almost overwhelming desire to find some way of avoiding the bad publicity associated with child sex abuse.” Shared awareness among child abusers that their misconduct would be covered up, or dealt with in-house, explained why “some institutions become honeypots where multiple offenders operate”.
Mr Scorer urged the inquiry to consider recommending a change in the law to make failure to report abuse a criminal offence.
On behalf of 14 victims and survivors, David Enright said that it was “very difficult to explain” to a non-Catholic “the power and depth of influence the Catholic church exerts over its members. The abusers were not only men in positions of trust; they were seen by the abused, and their families, as spokesmen for the God they worship. It is hard to imagine a greater hold that a child abuser could have over his victim.”
Matthias Kelly, QC, counsel for Ampleforth, said that the school and the abbey wanted “to apologise for the hurt, injury, distress and damage done to those who were abused as a result of our failings”. He said that the school’s policy today was one of “full, transparent and immediate co-operation with the statutory agencies”.
For Downside and the English Benedictine Congregation, Kate Gallafent, QC, said that the Catholic church was committed to giving the inquiry “its full co-operation. The congregation expresses profound shame that any child has been the victim of sexual abuse whilst in the care of the schools connected with its abbeys.”
Former pupils tell inquiry of sexual abuse by priests at Ampleforth College
Boys as young as six allegedly beaten and sexually assaulted at Roman Catholic school in Yorkshire, inquiry into child abuse hears
29 Nov 2017
Priests at a leading Roman Catholic school abused boys as young as six, including beatings and sexual assaults, the national inquiry into child abuse has heard.
Former pupils at Ampleforth College in North Yorkshire gave evidence to a hearing in London on Wednesday, and written statements by other former pupils were read.
Many of the allegations centred on two priests, Piers Grant-Ferris who was jailed for two years in 2006 for 20 counts of indecent assault on boys in his care, and another priest referred to as RCF4.
One witness who spent 11 years at Ampleforth College and its preparatory school Gilling Castle from 1965 to 1976, said RCF4 had treated him “disgracefully”. “He was physically violent from the outset… I was physically and psychologically abused,” he told the hearing. RCF4 had been “nasty, cruel and physically violent towards me”.
In his second year, when the witness was eight years old, he said Grant-Ferris would walk behind boys sitting at long refectory tables for meals and select children for beatings. “If he stopped behind you and tapped you, then you knew it was you. If he stopped behind someone else and tapped them, one thing that disturbs me to this day is the feeling of relief that it wasn’t going to be me,” he said.
Once he was beaten in the chapel confessional by the priest after being told to take off his clothes. “It was always with his hands … and his hands would always linger on one’s bare bottom after each smack.”
On another occasion, the witness said Grant-Ferris told him to undress and lie face down on the priest’s bed. “He proceeded to take my temperature rectally. I didn’t even know people could have their temperatures taken rectally, I’d only ever had a thermometer put in my mouth. I begged him not to do it, because I didn’t know what was happening, but he continued anyway. I think technically that was a form of rape.”
Grant-Ferris, the son of a Tory peer, was “the full authority figure” the witness told the hearing. At the school, there were “sexual overtones and currents all the time”, he added.
After he left school, the witness suffered a “total psychological collapse” which lasted seven or eight years. “I wasn’t able to do anything, I couldn’t function.”
He said he believed that Basil Hume, who was abbot of Ampleforth Abbey for 13 years until appointed archbishop of Westminster in 1976, had been aware of abuse at the schools. “I have no doubt he knew exactly what was going on at the time.”
Another witness, who was sent to Gilling Castle at the age of six, told the hearing that he and other boys would cry under their blankets at night as monks wearing long black robes patrolled the dormitories. Grant-Ferris was known as “Pervy Piers” among the children, he said.
According to yet another statement, Grant-Ferris was “handsome and aristocratic” with a perpetual mood of excitement.
This witness also described how another teacher had put his hand down the boy’s trousers “to check my breathing” when he was auditioning for the choir. As a result of his experiences, he said: “I became a very quiet child who didn’t talk to people much.”
The inquiry also heard from a female former pupil at Ampleforth College, who left the school in 2010. She said that a music teacher, Dara De-Cogan, had sexually abused her over a period of years. De-Cogan was jailed for 28 months earlier this year pleading guilty to 10 charges of engaging in sexual activity while in a position of trust.
The witness said that he had groomed her from the age of 13, and his abuse resulted in her self-harming. “I thought I deserved to be punished somehow for what I was doing … [self-harming] gave me a sense of numbness.”
On some occasions, De-Cogan gave her marks out of 10 for oral sex, she said. “He would comment on it as if it was a piece of homework.”
Child protection procedures at Ampleforth were “very poor”, she said. Because of earlier convictions of monks, the college had an “obsessive emphasis on the completion of paperwork, but common sense and looking at what was in front of their faces – that went by the wayside.”
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse began a three-week hearing on Monday focusing on the Benedictine schools of Ampleforth and Downside. In some cases, abusers were permitted to stay in their posts and allowed to have contact with children and other vulnerable individuals, the hearing was told earlier this week.
Former pupils tell inquiry of sexual abuse by priests at Ampleforth College
Boys as young as six allegedly beaten and sexually assaulted at Roman Catholic school in Yorkshire, inquiry into child abuse hears
29 Nov 2017
Priests at a leading Roman Catholic school abused boys as young as six, including beatings and sexual assaults, the national inquiry into child abuse has heard.
Former pupils at Ampleforth College in North Yorkshire gave evidence to a hearing in London on Wednesday, and written statements by other former pupils were read.
Many of the allegations centred on two priests, Piers Grant-Ferris who was jailed for two years in 2006 for 20 counts of indecent assault on boys in his care, and another priest referred to as RCF4.
One witness who spent 11 years at Ampleforth College and its preparatory school Gilling Castle from 1965 to 1976, said RCF4 had treated him “disgracefully”. “He was physically violent from the outset… I was physically and psychologically abused,” he told the hearing. RCF4 had been “nasty, cruel and physically violent towards me”.
In his second year, when the witness was eight years old, he said Grant-Ferris would walk behind boys sitting at long refectory tables for meals and select children for beatings. “If he stopped behind you and tapped you, then you knew it was you. If he stopped behind someone else and tapped them, one thing that disturbs me to this day is the feeling of relief that it wasn’t going to be me,” he said.
Once he was beaten in the chapel confessional by the priest after being told to take off his clothes. “It was always with his hands … and his hands would always linger on one’s bare bottom after each smack.”
On another occasion, the witness said Grant-Ferris told him to undress and lie face down on the priest’s bed. “He proceeded to take my temperature rectally. I didn’t even know people could have their temperatures taken rectally, I’d only ever had a thermometer put in my mouth. I begged him not to do it, because I didn’t know what was happening, but he continued anyway. I think technically that was a form of rape.”
Grant-Ferris, the son of a Tory peer, was “the full authority figure” the witness told the hearing. At the school, there were “sexual overtones and currents all the time”, he added.
After he left school, the witness suffered a “total psychological collapse” which lasted seven or eight years. “I wasn’t able to do anything, I couldn’t function.”
He said he believed that Basil Hume, who was abbot of Ampleforth Abbey for 13 years until appointed archbishop of Westminster in 1976, had been aware of abuse at the schools. “I have no doubt he knew exactly what was going on at the time.”
Another witness, who was sent to Gilling Castle at the age of six, told the hearing that he and other boys would cry under their blankets at night as monks wearing long black robes patrolled the dormitories. Grant-Ferris was known as “Pervy Piers” among the children, he said.
According to yet another statement, Grant-Ferris was “handsome and aristocratic” with a perpetual mood of excitement.
This witness also described how another teacher had put his hand down the boy’s trousers “to check my breathing” when he was auditioning for the choir. As a result of his experiences, he said: “I became a very quiet child who didn’t talk to people much.”
The inquiry also heard from a female former pupil at Ampleforth College, who left the school in 2010. She said that a music teacher, Dara De-Cogan, had sexually abused her over a period of years. De-Cogan was jailed for 28 months earlier this year pleading guilty to 10 charges of engaging in sexual activity while in a position of trust.
The witness said that he had groomed her from the age of 13, and his abuse resulted in her self-harming. “I thought I deserved to be punished somehow for what I was doing … [self-harming] gave me a sense of numbness.”
On some occasions, De-Cogan gave her marks out of 10 for oral sex, she said. “He would comment on it as if it was a piece of homework.”
Child protection procedures at Ampleforth were “very poor”, she said. Because of earlier convictions of monks, the college had an “obsessive emphasis on the completion of paperwork, but common sense and looking at what was in front of their faces – that went by the wayside.”
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse began a three-week hearing on Monday focusing on the Benedictine schools of Ampleforth and Downside. In some cases, abusers were permitted to stay in their posts and allowed to have contact with children and other vulnerable individuals, the hearing was told earlier this week.
Top public school suspends child sex charges teacher
3 Mar 2017
THE head of music at a prestigious private school has been suspended following allegations he sexually assaulted a pupil three decades ago.
Sean Ambrose Farrell, 49, denied two charges of indecent assault and two charges of gross indecency when he appeared before York magistrates last week.
All four offences are alleged to have been committed against a child aged under 14 at the time at Ampleforth College’s junior school.
Farrell, of Riddings Road, Ilkley, was released on bail on condition that he has no unsupervised contact with children aged under 16.
He has been removed from his post at Wellington College, in Berkshire – which counts the late actor Sir Christopher Lee and Will Young among its alumni – several months ago after North Yorkshire Police launched an investigation.
A Wellington College spokesman said: “In line with our safeguarding procedures, Wellington suspended the member of staff concerned and excluded him from the school site as soon as it was made aware that the police were investigating these accusations.”
Monk ‘who ran sex club involving young boys’ at country’s top Catholic School ‘remained in his job for eight years after allegations were first made’
Apr 5 2017
Father Jeremy Sierla allegedly ran ‘sex club’ for boys at Ampleforth College
He remained at Catholic school for eight years after allegations first made
Police told he would make pupils perform sex acts in their pyjamas
Investigation began in 2004 but no charges were ever brought against him
Detectives spoke to more than a dozen young men who attended the school’s Junior House between 1990 and 1993 when Father Jeremy was housemaster.
Some recalled the monk whipping boys’ bottoms with his habit, encouraging the pupils to tie him up, showering naked with them and putting his hands under their duvets, the Times reported.
Photos and video clips – none indecent – of Ampleforth pupils were found on Father Jeremy’s computer, including one of a 12-year-old boy holding a rose in his mouth.
Father Sierla, 59, lived and worked at £30,000-a-year college, pictured, until 2012, despite accusations first being made against him eight years previously
The investigation was triggered when the same boy, in his early 20s by 2004, made allegations to police about abuse he claimed Father Jeremy had subjected him to.
The monk was not charged after prosecutors ruled there was insufficient evidence against him, and the CPS said the case file was destroyed years ago, the Times reported.
Father Jeremy continued to work in the abbey shop from 2004 to 2012 and posed for photographs to promote Ampleforth’s own brand Abbey Beer.
A music teacher, Dara de Cogan, who joined Ampleforth in 2004 was jailed last week for sexually abusing a female student during violin lessons.
Dara de Cogan, 58, received a 28-month sentence and will be on the sex offenders register for a decade.
A school spokesman said that Father Jeremy’s continued presence at Ampleforth was approved at a meeting of safeguarding professionals in 2004 and that his case was reviewed again in 2007 by an independent safeguarding commission.
It took a further five years before the Department for Education (DfE)told Ampleforth he should not be allowed on school grounds.
TheDfE said that it was unable to discuss individual cases but stressed it was ‘paramount that children are protected at school and that there are robust safeguards in place’.
It added: ‘Where schools fail to meet standards, we will not hesitate to take action.’
Monk accused of Fort Augustus Abbey abuse arrested in Sydney
23 January 2017
A former Catholic monk accused of child abuse at a Scottish school has been arrested in Australia.
Father Denis “Chrysostom” Alexander was one of several monks accused of abusing boys at the former Fort Augustus Abbey boarding school in the Highlands.
The BBC has learned he has been remanded in custody in Sydney pending his extradition back to Scotland to face trial.
The Crown Office here said it would not comment on legal matters elsewhere.
Father Alexander has always denied the allegations.
In 2013, he was confronted by BBC Scotland in Sydney as part of a documentary which prompted a major police investigation.
Now, three and a half years after that programme, that investigation has taken a significant turn with the former Benedictine monk’s arrest.
He will face a further hearing on Wednesday at the local court in New South Wales, where it will emerge if he will oppose the extradition or not. He will also be entitled to apply for bail.
One of Father Alexander’s accusers, Hugh Kennedy, has previously spoken of his frustration at the length of time it has taken the Scottish authorities to request the extradition of the former monk who is now 80.
One other former Fort Augustus monk is due to face trial in Scotland soon for a series assaults, whilst a further seven cases remain under consideration by the Crown Office in Scotland.
Fr Alexander was returned by the Catholic Church to Australia in 1979, after allegations of abuse were made by another Fort Augustus Abbey pupil, who the BBC has also spoken to.
No report to the police was made, and no warnings were provided about his alleged offending behaviour, to the Church in Australia where Fr Alexander continued as a priest for a further 20 years or more.
He was stripped of his priestly faculties in 2013 after the BBC programme.
Cardinal George Pell accused of sexually abusing two choirboys, book claims
Vatican’s financial chief, who has always denied wrongdoing, faces fresh allegations of abuse, relating to his time as archbishop of Melbourne
Cardinal George Pell, Australia’s most senior Catholic, is accused of abusing two boys at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne in the 1990s
New allegations of child abuse are being levelled against Cardinal George Pell, the Vatican’s financial chief and the most senior figure in the Australian Catholic church.
Fairfax Media has reported claims contained in a new book, Cardinal: The Rise and Fall of George Pell, that he sexually abused two choirboys at St Patrick’s cathedral after becoming archbishop of Melbourne in the 1990s.
The author Louise Milligan first flagged these claims on the ABC’s 7.30 Report in July last year. But according to Fairfax Milligan’s book, to be released on Monday, contains details of the accusations that have not been made public before.
After the 7.30 Report Pell accused the ABC of conducting a “scandalous smear campaign.”
Cardinal Pell’s office issued a statement on Saturday saying the cardinal had “not been notified by the Victorian Office of Public Prosecutions or Victoria police of the status of their investigations, which have been underway since at least February 2016.”
“Cardinal Pell will not seek to interfere in the course of justice by responding to the allegations made by Melbourne University Press (publisher of Milligan’s book) and media outlets today, other than to restate that any allegations of child abuse made against him are completely false,” the statement said.
“He repeats his vehement and consistent denials of any and all such accusations, and stands by all the evidence he has given to the royal commission.”
The boys, students at St Kevin’s College, sang in the cathedral choir and were allegedly abused by the archbishop in a room somewhere in the precincts of the cathedral. They left the choir and the school shortly afterwards.
Milligan claims one of the choirboys died of a drug overdose in 2014. His mother was subsequently told by the second boy that they had been abused by Pell when they were teenagers at the cathedral.
Milligan writes that both spoke to the Sano taskforce established to investigate allegations that emerged during a parliamentary inquiry in Victoria and the later royal commission into child abuse.
Pell has now been accused of abusing boys at three stages of his career: as a seminarian, a priest and as archbishop of Melbourne.
He has denied all these allegations on a number of occasions. No charges have ever been laid against him in relation to them. The cardinal, prefect of the secretariat for the economy at the Vatican, has stated that he willingly co-operated with the detectives of the Victoria police when they interviewed him in Rome in October last year.
Sano has also investigated allegations that as a young priest Pell abused boys in the swimming pool of his hometown Ballarat. Pell also denies these allegations.
Milligan writes that Pell and his defenders have been able to “bat off or gloss over” the swimming pool allegations by casting them as “horseplay or a bit of rough and tumble … The story of [the choirboys] has no such ambiguity. If these allegations are true, they point to utter, sinful hypocrisy.”
Citing ill health, Pell declined to return to Australia to give evidence to the royal commission in person last year and instead gave evidence by videolink from Rome. In February this year the Australian senate called on the cardinal to return home “to assist the Victorian police and office of public prosecutions with their investigation into these matters.”
Pell dismissed the parliamentary resolution as “an interference on the part of the Senate in the due process of the Victoria Police investigation.”
Ballarat in Western Victoria became an epidemic of clerical paedophilia in the late 20th century. The dark tragedy affects thousands of lives to this day. It is widely acknowledged the Catholic Church protected its worst offenders and moved them on to prey on new unsuspecting communities. But how could offending on this scale have failed to draw the attention of local authorities? Who was protecting whom?
Cardinal George Pell ‘to be CHARGED over child sex abuse allegations’ sending shockwaves through the Catholic Church
Cardinal Pell is not just Australia’s most senior cleric, he is one of the highest-ranking officials in the Catholic world.
For two decades, he has been a frontline figure in the Church’s debate over controversial issues such as homosexuality, Aids and stem cell research.
He has also handled the Church’s official response to allegations of sexual abuse within its Australian ranks during a series of inquiries.
He gave evidence via video link to a Royal Commission into abuse last year.
It is hard to overstate, therefore, the significance of the decision to press charges against him.
When he returns to face those charges in an Australian court, every second will be scrutinised not just by the Australian press, but by members of Catholic congregations across the globe.
Cardinal George Pell will reportedly be summoned to Australia by police
The summons is believed to be related to a child sex abuse investigation
Authorities are expected to announce the possible charges this morning
28 June 2017
Cardinal George Pell is expected to be charged over child sex abuse allegations.
It is understood Cardinal George Pell will be summonsed to Australia from Rome in relation to a child sex investigation by Victoria police.
The summons will be issued today to the 76-year-old head of finances for the Vatican, according to The Australian.
Authorities are expected to provide additional details on the investigation and possible charges this morning.
It is not clear whether the cardinal will return home from Europe or if he will be extradited to face the charges.
Cardinal George Pell is expected to be charged over child sex abuse allegations (pictured eating in Italy)
Cardinal Pell will be summoned to Australia from Rome in relation to a child sex investigation by Victoria police
Cardinal Pell appeared via video-link for a public hearing of Australia’s national child-abuse Royal Commission in early 2015.
When he was asked to fly to Australia to appear in person, he declined, citing health problems.
The Cardinal was interviewed by three detectives from the taskforce in Rome in October 2016, who updated the evidence.
He has strongly denied the allegations of abuse.
The Office of Public Prosecutions submitted a second brief of evidence on Cardinal Pell to the police last month, according to The Herald Sun.
The summary said charges could be laid against Pell based on the evidence but that it was up to the to decide if they wanted to or not.
The Sano taskforce, which investigates allegations of sexual abuse, has been investigating Cardinal Pell since 2016
Police could be powerless to make Cardinal Pell return to Australia because he is so high up in the Vatican that he has diplomatic immunity.
Cardinal Pell was appointed to the Vatican’s Secretariat of Economy in 2014, the third highest ranked position within the church.
His high ranking grants him diplomatic immunity in Australia, meaning he cannot be forced to attend court or provide information, according to legal experts.
New South Wales state parliament member David Shoebridge told the Newcastle Herald in May that Australia had an extradition treaty with Italy, but it did not include the Vatican.
‘[Australia] hasn’t managed in 44 years to get one in place with the tiny pretend nation-state of the Vatican that exists wholly within Rome,’ he said.
‘This is why George Pell can’t be forced back to face questioning.’
Victoria Police will not comment on reports Cardinal George Pell is to be charged by summons over historic child sex abuse allegations.
More protected paedophiles – Thaddeus Kotik of Caldey Island
Another protected Benedictine paedophile – Thaddeus Kotik of Caldey Island
Prince Charles HRH The Prince of Wales meets monks Father Robert, Brother Gabriel, and Acting Abbot Father Daniel during his visit to Caldey Island in 1997
HRH The Prince of Wales meets Mrs Veronica Cattini as she works in the Post Office on Caldey Island today (Saturday). Photo Barry Batchelor/PA. July 26, 1997
Priest jailed for child abuse images lived on scandal-hit Caldey Island
Exclusive: revelations mean that four men convicted or accused of sexual offences against children lived or stayed on tiny monastic Welsh island
Father John Shannon, who was subsequently caught on the mainland with pictures of children as young as nine, lived on the island off the Welsh coast for nine months. Photograph: Archant Cambs/Archant
A priest who was jailed for downloading hundreds of pictures of child sexual abuse is the latest offender to be identified as having close links with the monastic island of Caldey, which is at the centre of a growing scandal.
Father John Shannon, who was subsequently caught on the mainland with pictures of children as young as nine, lived on the island off the Welsh coast for nine months.
The revelation means that four men convicted or accused of sexual offences against children have now been identified as having lived or stayed on Caldey and will increase pressure for an inquiry.
The abbot, Daniel van Santvoort, has confirmed that Shannon, lived on the island in 2008 and 2009.
Shortly afterwards, in 2010, police found 740 indecent images of children on a computer that he had downloaded while working as a lecturer at a Catholic seminary in county Durham. Three of the images were “level five” – of the most serious nature – and 75 were level four.
Shannon’s barrister argued at his client’s sentencing hearing that he had never had a chance to explore his sexuality and viewing the images became a compulsion.
Van Santvoort told the Guardian that Shannon took on the role of priest on a trial basis in 2008 with the abbey’s approval after islanders asked for the parish church of St David’s to be re-opened.
“[Shannon] came with good references and took up residence in a cottage. During this period it was evident the role of a parish priest was not viable and he left the island within nine months of his arrival, in 2009,” the abbot said.
“We understand that some time later, whilst working on the mainland elsewhere in the UK, he was investigated by the police for offences committed on the mainland after he had left the island and was subsequently convicted.
“That inquiry did not involve any allegations of offences committed on the island and the police did not conduct any inquiries on the island in respect of this person. We understand therefore that he had no criminal convictions when he came to the island nor when he left.”
While Shannon was living on the island, Ashton was hiding from police there. Ashton was wanted after police found 5,000 images of child sexual abuse on his computer and in 2011 was found on Caldey , where he had been living under an assumed identity for seven years.
A whistleblower has told the Guardian that another convicted criminal, John Cronin, is suspected to have lived under an assumed name in a cottage owned by the monastery for a month in 2009.
The source said the man they believe to be Cronin left the island suddenly, taking keys to a property and owing money after he was recognised by a monastery employee from online photographs.
Cronin had allegedly requested through the abbey to stay at a monastery property on the island over winter.
However, Van Santvoort said the abbey did not know of Cronin’s alleged stay.
“We have no knowledge of this person whatsoever. The name is completely unfamiliar to us,” he said.
Thaddeus Kotik and two children on Caldey Island. Photograph: Supplied
Another six women and a man have since approached the Guardian alleging abuse by Kotik.
The Conservatives’ children’s spokesman in the Welsh assembly, Darren Millar, has called on the Welsh government to launch an investigation into Caldey Island.
and also on Caldey island – paedophile Paul Ashton who was in charge of their internet – found with 5000 images
Sex offender hid in Caldey Island abbey for seven years
24 Nov 2017
Paul Ashton was found while on the run after his image was posted on a Crimestoppers Most Wanted list
A sex offender lived in the abbey on Caldey Island for seven years while on the run from police until he was found in 2011, taken back to the mainland and jailed.
Paul Ashton lived among the Cistercian monks on the private island off the Pembrokeshire coast in south-west Wales as police searched for him after finding thousands of images of child abuse on his computer. Ashton was finally found after his image appeared on a Crimestoppers Most Wanted gallery.
The abbey has been keen to emphasise that the Kotik allegations are of a historical nature and no members of the current community were on the island at the time. But victims claim there is at least one monk still alive who knew Kotik and say the abbot himself knew Kotik from 1990, two years before the monk died in 1992.
The fact that Ashton, a suspected sex offender wanted by the police, was able to live at the abbey so recently and for so long will cause huge concern.
The current head of the abbey, Daniel van Santvoort, has been abbot since 1999.
Following the Guardian’s revelations about Kotik, whistle-blowers came forward to describe how Ashton lived on the island under the name Robert Judd.
Ashton had been arrested by police in West Sussex in 2004 when officers executed a warrant at his address in Bracklesham Bay. He was given bail while police examined his computers. Officers found more than 5,000 images of children but he had vanished when they returned.
At that time, a man in his 50s calling himself Robert appeared on Caldey. Whistleblowers said Ashton arrived on the island as a monastery guest in 2004 but stayed and moved in.
“When Robert arrived, he offered to help and made himself indispensable,” a whistleblower said. “He operated the island’s satellite internet and phone system, managed online accommodation bookings and the accounts and worked in the mail room. He put himself in an ideal position.”
They said that “Robert” changed his phone number frequently, encrypted his emails and never left the island.
In May 2011, “Robert” further aroused the suspicion of the whistleblower by emailing him that he had “met another family” that included two young boys on the island and had invited them to his private quarters in the monastery.
Curious and worried, the whistleblower began investigating Ashton and discovered that a man called James Robert Judd was named as a director of a cleaning company called St Martins of Caldey, according to Companies House records.
The whistleblower carried on investigating. “ I just knew in my gut that something was wrong,” they said. Eventually an image appearing to be Robert was found on the Crimestoppers site. It named him as Paul Ashton.
“One evening we had a phone call telling us to look at a website and there [Robert] was, on the most wanted list,” he said. “I saved and printed the photo, showed it to the abbot and asked him who it was. He said: ‘That’s Robert of course.’ I asked if he was absolutely sure and he said: ‘Yes without a doubt’.”
Whistleblowers have passed on photographs they took of plainclothes police officers escorting Ashton to the boat Caldey Island II beside the island on 6 July 2011.
At Chichester crown court on 1 March, Ashton admitted possessing more than 5,000 indecent images of children and was jailed for 30 months. The court was told he was found after an anonymous call was made to the Crimestoppers charity.
It heard that South Wales police arrested him in relation to the Sussex inquiry – and said that more computer equipment containing further images were found on his Caldey Island computers.
Speaking after Ashton’s conviction, DC David Midgley, of West Sussex CID, said: “Credit must go to the anonymous informant to Crimestoppers who became suspicious and rang in. Thanks to their actions, Ashton was finally brought to justice after spending nearly eight years in hiding.
“In each image, a child was a victim of crime. The length of the sentence shows how the justice system will punish those who download indecent images of children.”
The Guardian has sought comment from van Santvoort who is believed to be in France but has not yet received a reply.
Six women sued the abbey over the allegations against Kotik and another seven women have now come forward to the Guardian since the article exposed the offender last Saturday. The victims have welcomed calls for an inquiry into the protection of child sex offenders on the island.
On Sunday 9th September 2007 the statue was blessed and dedicated in a moving ceremony conducted jointly by the Catholic Archbishop of Cardiff, Peter Smith, and by Bishop Dominic Walker of Monmouth, Church in Wales. A very large crowd gathered for the occasion, in the region of 800 people.
Dominic Edward William Murray Walker OGS DL (born 28 June 1948) is a retired Anglican bishop. He was a canon and prebendary of Chichester Cathedral.
Dame Alun Roberts@ciabaudo
Dominic Walker was one of Ball’s biggest supporters and he named POWELL, ABSE and WHITELAW as abusers.
Enoch Powell accused of satanic sex abuse:
The Right Rev Butler was given the politicians’ names by Dominic Walker, former Bishop of Monmouth, who heard the allegations when he was a vicar counselling in the 1980s.
Mr Walker told senior clerics that Abse was named by three abuse survivors whom he counselled when he was a vicar in Brighton in the 1980s.
He also passed on the names of two former Conservative cabinet ministers, who have not yet been publicly linked to the scandal. Mr Walker was questioned by the Right Rev Butler after the discovery of a book from 1991 in which he described counselling sessions with adult survivors.
Dominic Walker, the former Bishop of Monmouth, has told senior clerics that Abse was named by three alleged adult survivors of abuse whom he counselled when he was vicar of Brighton in the 1980s.
When bishops start taking spiritual matters seriously, revival must surely be just around the corner! While Graham Dow (Carlisle), recently liberated from the confines of Rose Castle, emerged to find the cause of Foot and Mouth in a large cursing stone ball, the Bishop of Oxford and all his workers have been far from idle in sniffing out Old Nick.
Oxford football club got in ‘Bomber’ Harries to exorcise the place from a gypsy curse. Those of a certain age will know that Harries has the country’s best-known expert on these matters in his team, the Bishop of Reading, Edward Walker. ‘Dominic’, as he is known since his days in the Bishops Ball’s hand-knitted Community of the Glorious Ascension, told us all about his psychic speciality in a glorious Technicolor spread in… wait for it… SAGA magazine!
True soccer psychics will know that Oxford United is really haunted by the ghost of its former owner – triple agent and part-time fraud, Robert Maxwell. They never recovered from his time in charge.
Dominic Edward William Murray Walker OGS DL (born 28 June 1948) is a retired Anglican bishop.[1] He was the Bishop of Reading, an area bishop, from 1997 to 2002 and Bishop of Monmouth from 2003 to 2013.
Walker was the second child to a Welsh mother and English father. He was brought up on Dartmoor. [2] He was educated at Plymouth College[3] King’s College London, Heythrop College in London and the University of Wales.
Ordained ministry
Walker was ordained priest in 1972.[4] He began his ministry with a curacy at St Faith’s Southwark[5] after which he was domestic chaplain to the Bishop of Southwark,[6] rector of Newington St Mary, Team Rector of St Peter, St Nicholas & the Chapel Royal Brighton, Rural Dean of Brighton and a canon and prebendary of Chichester Cathedral.
Walker never married and became a member of the Oratory of the Good Shepherd. He served as father superior from 1990 to 1996.[4]
Walker was appointed Bishop of Reading, an area bishop in the Diocese of Oxford, in 1997.[4] He then became a diocesan bishop as the Bishop of Monmouth in the Church in Wales in 2003, succeeding Rowan Williams who had become the Archbishop of Canterbury in the Church of England.
Walker’s last episcopal seat was at Newport Cathedral. At the end of 2012, it was announced that he intended to retire, which he did on 30 June 2013.[7] In retirement he is an honorary assistant bishop in the Diocese of Swansea and Brecon.[4]
Paranormal and exorcisms
Walker is an expert on the paranormal and has published many articles on the topic. He is a trained exorcist[12] and has said that during his 35 years of ordained ministry he has performed “countless acts of deliverance along with six exorcisms”.[12]
In an August 2015 article, which concentrated on the death of Morgan Freeman’s step-granddaughter, Walker rejected the use of violence when performing an exorcism.[13] He argued that an exorcism is the command of the mouth.[clarification needed]
Present
In 2015 the British tabloid press published articles saying that Walker had reported Leo Abse, George Thomas and Enoch Powell to the police as suspected paedophiles.[14] He said that “A number of survivors independently gave the name of a particular MP being involved … I don’t believe there was any collusion in their stories.”[15] Walker went on to tell senior clerics that Abse was named by three abuse survivors whom he had counselled when a vicar in Brighton in the 1980s.
Upon retirement, Walker became a “humble monk”.[16] He has since settled in Monmouth and continues to deliver conference papers and lectures. He lectured in July 2015 at the University of Warwick.[17]
The belief of social workers that children in Nottingham who were sexually abused were also forced to take part in ritual practices connected with Satanism has now been supported by the director of the city’s social services department. In a report issued last week, Mr David White said that “on the basis of the children’s testimony it would be unwise not to accept the possibility that there were ritualistic elements to this case”. Nottingham Police strongly reject the suggestion that ritual practices played any part in the Broxtowe child abuse case, in which ten adults were jailed in February 1989 for offences of incest, indecent assault and cruelty against 23 children in the extended family; a view which Mr White originally shared.
The case became controversial when some of the children, who had been made wards of court after being sexually abused, started to describe experiences of a bizarre nature of which foster parents and social workers had no previous knowledge. They talked, among other things, of being burnt by sticks, of animals sacrificed and of drinking the blood, of witchcraft parties and even of other children being killed. A report commissioned by Mr White and the chief constable of Nottinghamshire, which appeared in December 1989, concluded that there was no evidence of Satanic abuse. It criticised the work of social workers concerned in the case who, it suggested, had unwittingly encouraged children to believe in and allege bizarre abuse.
The new report, which was expected to be approved on Wednesday by Nottinghamshire social services committee, follows intense media interest in the case and the disruption of working relationships between the police and social workers in the city. It praises the work of the specialist group of social workers concerned, and says that “the disclosures made by the children are unlikely to have been created in their minds by the social workers or foster parents”. Having read the diaries of the children involved, Mr White now supports the social workers’ view that even if the children had not suffered each incident physically they were made to believe that they had.
Mr White argues that the case is of national significance in that it challenges the conventional wisdom about how children should be listened to and how matters can be dealt with which are beyond existing knowledge. Mr White’s recommendations include the setting up of a joint police and social service body to review practices and procedures in the field of child protection; and the establishment by the Department of Health of a nationally co-ordinated research programme to monitor the problem and offer guidance.
Social workers in Manchester, who also had been criticised for encouraging children to make up stories of ritual abuse, were defended recently by the Anglican Bishop of Manchester, Stanley BoothClibborn (The Tablet, 6 October). Allegations of ritual abuse have also been made in Rochdale. Canon Dominic Walker, co-chairman of the Christian Deliverance Study Group, which trains Anglican and some Catholic exorcists, told The Tablet that the Churches are concerned and are holding meetings with social workers, police and psychiatrists. “People are fairly convinced that something is going on“, he said, “and that it is not just an invention of fundamentalism. What is not clear is whether it is a new development of Satanism or whether the people involved are paedophiles who are adding Satanic ritual to their practices.”
The secretary to the Committee for Social Welfare of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, Mgr Michael Connelly, noted however that no evidence had been produced of ritual practices associated with child abuse. Only one diocese has informed him of such a case.
Caldey Island: Sex offender evaded justice at abbey
March 2012
A fugitive child sex offender fled to a Pembrokeshire island’s abbey to evade justice and remained there for seven years, it has been revealed.
Paul Ashton, from Sussex, went on the run in 2004 charged with possessing indecent images of children.
When he was discovered at Caldey Island in 2011, more indecent images were found on his computer in the monastery.
He was arrested and brought to justice after a visitor recognised him from a Crimestoppers “Most Wanted” list.
The revelation comes after it emerged six women have been paid compensation by Caldey Abbey after they were abused by a monk on Caldey Island in the 1970s and 1980s.
Since that information came to light last week, a further five women have come forward accusing Father Thaddeus Kotik of abusing them.
Allegations were made to the abbey in 1990 but complaints were not passed on to police.
Dyfed Powys Police was eventually made aware of the allegations in 2014 but could not prosecute Kotik as he died in 1992.
The current abbot, Brother Daniel van Santvoort, has apologised the complaints were not referred to police sooner.
Ashton is understood to have arrived on Caldey Island as a guest in 2004, but stayed and moved into the clock tower which overlooks the island.
He was provided with accommodation and food by the monks, who knew him by his alias Robert Judd.
A source said: “When Robert arrived he offered to help and made himself indispensable.
“He operated the island’s satellite internet and phone system, managed online accommodation bookings and the accounts and worked in the mail room.
“He put himself in an ideal position.”
Ashton had absconded from his home in Bracklesham Bay, West Sussex after Sussex Police executed a search warrant and confiscated computers in 2004.
In July 2011, an anonymous call was made to Crimestoppers by someone who had seen Ashton’s face on its “Most Wanted” list, and he was arrested on the island.
Sussex Police said: “They recognised the picture as a man working in south Wales but under a different name… police were informed and local officers swiftly arrested him in relation to the Sussex inquiry.
“More computer equipment containing further images was also found.”
Ashton, then aged 59, pleaded guilty at Chichester Crown Court to possessing more than 5,000 indecent images of children on his computers, hard drives and USB sticks.
He was jailed for 30 months in March 2012 and was placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.
Wanted paedophile hid in Welsh island monastery for seven years while on the run from police
25 Nov 2017
He aroused suspicion in 2011 when he emailed a whistleblower saying that he had ‘met another family’, including two young boys on Caldey Island and had invited them to his private quarters in the monastery.
Ashton was escorted off the island by plain-clothed police officers on July 6 2011.
Appearing at Chichester Crown Court on March 1, he admitted possessing more than 5,000 indecent images of children and was jailed for 30 months.
The court heard that South Wales Police arrested Ashton in relation to Sussex Police’s inquiry and said more computer equipment containing indecent images was found on Caldey Island.
A 59-year-old man found with more than 5,000 indecent images of children has been jailed after almost eight years in hiding.
Paul Ashton, from Sussex, but of no fixed address, fled the area after he was arrested in 2004.
Ashton was only caught following a tip-off after he was featured on the Crimestoppers Most Wanted list.
He was discovered living in South Wales under an assumed name.
He has now been jailed for 30 months.
Ashton was initially arrested in 2004 after Sussex Police raided his home in Bracklesham Bay and recovered computer equipment.
He was arrested and bailed while officers analysed the hard drive.
His address was searched again a few months later with more computer equipment seized.
Police said all the computers contained numerous indecent images on the hard drive and USB sticks.
Indecent pictures
However, Ashton fled his home and did not answer bail. He was only traced in July last year after someone spotted his photo on the Most Wanted list.
South Wales Police were told and he was arrested, when more computer equipment with further indecent pictures of children was found.
He pleaded guilty at Chichester Crown Court to possessing more than 5,000 indecent images at a hearing on Thursday (March 1).
DC David Midgley, of West Sussex CID, said: “This case highlights how an individual’s criminality will catch up with them – whether it’s weeks, months or years later.
“Credit must go to the anonymous informant to Crimestoppers who became suspicious and rang in. Thanks to their actions, Ashton was finally brought to justice after spending nearly eight years in hiding.
“Ashton recognises that in each image, a child was a victim of crime.
“The length of the sentence shows how the justice system will punish those who download indecent images of children.”
Ashton was also given a Sexual Offences Prevention Order and will sign the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.
Paddy Lyons has written a book about the four years he spent inside Caldey Island’s monastery.
when back in Britain as a 26-year-old, despite a new girlfriend and a three-year traineeship with Unilever in Birkenhead.
“I thought I had to try this lifestyle out because it had never gone away and though I first tried the hermit lifestyle of the Carthusian Order I ended up on Caldey Island,” said Mr Lyons, now 74.
He has since been a social worker, a Financial Times journalist, a press officer for what is now the charity Action For Children,has got married to wife Elsie and raised five children in Barnet
Government IT expert is caught with child porn stash… but why did Downing Street keep it secret for six months?
2 August 2014
Not Patrick Rock – Sebastian Crump
Worked for the Cabinet Office – he received promotion at Cabinet Office while he was being investigated
He has spent a decade working in technology and communications for Government offices, including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Central Office of Information
He was arrested in January – Patrick Rock was arrested in February
Crump landed a government job after working as a children’s charity website manager, Action for Children, which helps support vulnerable and neglected children, between 1998 and 1999.
Father Paul Satori came to me first; his attitude was totally different from the priest who I had first gone for counseling. He was very understanding and gentle; his concern was that homosexuality was still a criminal offense in the United Kingdom.
The meeting with my parent’s local doctor lasted for about an hour, I was told a lot of young men went through a period in their teenage years of confusion about sexuality and, with the right treatment, I would soon be a normal heterosexual man.
Two days later, against my will and to my horror, I was sectioned in a psychiatric hospital and forced to undergo electric shock treatment. I was kept in a private ward in the psychiatric hospital for three months while I underwent a series of shock treatments. After leaving the hospital, feeling very confused and lonely, Father Satori arranged for me to go on retreat for two weeks at the Caldey Island monastery before returning to university.
Revealed: monk who abused children on ‘crime free’ Caldey Island for decades
17 November 2017
Abuse by a monk who preyed on girls on a tiny island off the coast of Wales was covered up in the 70s and 80s
Kotik offended against the six girls between 1972 and1987, though the women believe there may be many more victims, over many more years.
A former soldier who fought in the Free Polish army during the second world war, Kotik moved to the island in 1947, joined the strict Cistercian order and was ordained a priest in 1956. He lived on the island until his death in 1992. It appears he was never questioned by police and that they were not informed until 2014.
In the late 80s, when she and her family were residents of the island, Emily, then five years old, told the then Abbot Robert O’Brien – who died in 2009 – about Kotik assaulting her. The abbot ordered Kotik to stay inside the monastery enclosure, but Kotik regularly escaped from the monastery grounds and continued to abuse children.
Abbot Robert O’Brien
The girls reported the offences to the principal of their school, St Phillip’s Christian College in Newcastle, New South Wales in the late 1980s. According to Charlotte the deputy principal Richard Rule, who now runs a child care centre, prayed for the students and told them they “didn’t need to talk of this again because God has forgiven everyone”.
Also in 2014, Charlotte emailed the current abbot of Caldey Abbey, Brother Daniel van Santvoort, seeking an acknowledgment of the crimes committed against her and her sister. “The effect that this abuse has had on me has been quietly catastrophic,” she wrote.
No secret
But it wasn’t the first time van Santvoort had heard allegations against Kotik. In a response to Charlotte he wrote: “I have heard occasionally about this serious matter as regards Fr Thaddeus”.
Van Santvoort told her the monastery knew about the monk’s offences and that he had been reprimanded and banned from contact with islanders and visitors in the 1980s, but had not been reported to police. “I am fully aware now of this terrible criminal offence and Fr Thaddeus should have there and then been handed over to the police – something that never happened.”
The island was bought by Anglican benedictine monks in 1906 and it was this group that built the monastery and abbey which sits in the centre of the island.
Now it is home to about 40 residents and a group of about 18 Cistercian monks.
Caldey Island: police investigate second man over sexual abuse claims
Separate investigation comes after it was revealed that Cistercian monk allegedly abused at least 11 girls in 1970s and 80s
Detectives are investigating a second man over accusations of sexual abuse on Caldey Island after it was revealed that a Cistercian monk allegedly abused at least 11 girls in the 1970s and 80s.
Police said the alleged assault took place at about the same time, and the accused was visiting the island off Tenby in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales.
Officers refused to give further details because they said it would jeopardise the investigation, but said he was not a member of the abbey or abbey staff.
The Guardian reported on Friday that six women claimed they were abused as children by Father Thaddeus Kotik.
Since then, it has emerged that five others allegedly suffered abuse, and earlier this week, the head of Caldey Abbey issued an apology acknowledging that allegations of serious child sexual abuse made against Kotik should have been passed on to police.
Dyfed-Powys police are aware of allegations by eight women – the six original complainants and two more who have since come forward. A spokesperson said: “Following the recent media reporting of sexual abuse at Caldey Island, police received two further reports of non-recent sexual abuse.
“They relate to offences committed during the same time period (between 1977 and 1987) and with the same named perpetrator, Thaddeus Kotik. These crimes have been recorded and officers are in contact with the victims during the investigation and to offer specialist support.
“Police have also received one further report of a sexual assault by another male at Caldey Island around the same timeframe. The report has been made by one of the original six victims.
“This is being investigated separately to the Caldey Island abuse and concerns a man who was visiting Caldey Island at the time and no longer lives there. No further information can be released at present as it would jeopardise the investigation.”
Simon Thomas, a Plaid Cymru AM, said: “What is most troubling about this case is that the victims of sexual assault felt that they were not able to make a complaint at the time, and that complaints made were not dealt with properly. As a result the perpetrator was never brought to justice and children grew up bearing the weight of being a victim of these terrible crimes.
“Caldey Island is a landmark on the Welsh coast, and children and tourists visit there every day to learn about the abbey’s history. It’s important that people can visit there with confidence. ”
But journalist Amanda Gearing, who has spoken to victims, said three more women now claim to have been sexually assaulted by Kotik.
One woman who reported her case to police on Monday told the Guardian she broke down and was unable to sleep for 36 hours after reading about Kotik’s abuse of others.
She said her abuse was “low level compared with others” but it happened when she was sat next to Kotik on a bench.
“He put his hand up my top. Then his hand went up my back and under my arms. I squirmed away from him and walked away. I didn’t go near him after that,” she said.
Another woman told the Guardian she and her two sisters were abused by Kotik, but claimed there was pressure by both the church and family for victims to “shut up”.
Kotik befriended families who regularly visited the island. After gaining the trust of parents he would babysit the children and sexually abuse them, court papers have suggested.
There are fears there could be more victims and calls have been made for an independent inquiry by the Minister and Clergy Sexual Abuse Survivors group.
Inquiry calls into abuse complaints on Caldey Island
21 Nov 2017
There are calls for an independent inquiry into allegations of historical sexual abuse at an abbey on Caldey Island off Pembrokeshire.
It’s understood six women were paid compensation following claims against a monk – Thaddeus Kotik in the 70s and 80s. But it’s feared there could be more potential victims.
Police say they did receive reports of historic sexual abuse but could not proceed with a prosecution because the monk died in 1992.
Now a support group, Minister and Clergy Sexual Abuse Survivors, says an independent investigation should take place and the abbey should apologise.
Six women have received an out of court settlement, after claims they were abused by the monk Father Thaddeus Kotik when they visited the island as children in the 1970s and 80s.
Three of them shared their experiences with Australian journalist Amanda Gearing:
The effect of the abuse on these women has been particularly severe – partly because of the threats made against them which separated them from their parents.
The offender told them that if the children reported what was happening their parents would not want them anymore and would leave them on the island with him
– Journalist Amanda Gearing
It is claimed Brother Thaddeus Kotik groomed, and sexually assaulted the children of families staying on the island and although they spoke out at the time, no formal action was taken.
It wasn’t until almost thirty years later the crimes were brought to the attention of the police. By that time, Kotik had been dead for two decades.
Dyfed-Powys Police told ITV News that “Appropriate professional support was offered and the matter was drawn to a close.”
Dyfed-Powys Police can confirm that in 2014 and 2016 it received reports of non-recent sexual abuse that occurred at Caldey Island with the named offender being the deceased Thaddeus Kotik.
These reports were recorded as crimes and victims contacted by police. During the investigation, information was obtained to confirm that the perpetrator was deceased and therefore a prosecution was not possible.
Dyfed-Powys Police always encourages anyone who has suffered abuse to come forward and report it by calling 101.
– Dyfed Powys Police
The Children’s Commissioner for Wales, Sally Holland, says although action should be taken, it’s too early to call for an enquiry.
“I’ve been in contact with the National Catholic Safeguarding Advice Service and also have written directly to the abbey on Caldey Island to seek reassurance that they are following the Catholic churches national safeguarding policies and procedures on child protection.”
The victims believe they’re not alone. and that Kotik – who lived on the island for 45 years – abused others.
ITV News has contacted Caldey Abbey for comment but has not yet had a response.
Married chief constable used police force credit card to entertain his mistress – and skipped meetings to see her
Terry Grange, a married father of three, retired from his post after 30 years’ service, at Dyfed-Powys Police last November after the woman made a series of damaging allegations.
She said that they had exchanged ‘politically insensitive’ and ‘sexually explicit’ emails between his force computer system and her account.
Yesterday, the IPCC upheld all four of the
allegations it investigated. Last month, the Crown Prosecution Service decided there was insufficient evidence to prosecute Mr Grange, 57, for misconduct in a public office or obtaining monies by deception.
He will not face a police misconduct inquiry because he is retired.
Grange had regular dealings with the Government as spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers on child protection and the management of sex offenders.
Caldey Abbey apology over handling of monk sex abuse claims
22 Nov 2017
An abbey at the centre of child sexual abuse allegations has apologised that claims against one of its monks were not passed to police.
Eleven women allege Father Thaddeus Kotik abused them on Caldey Island, Pembrokeshire, in the 1970s and 1980s.
A letter shows Kotik’s abuse was reported to abbot Brother Robert O’Brien in 1990, but not to police.
Caldey Abbey said they should have been reported, adding: “This clearly did not happen and we apologise.”
In a statement, current abbot Brother Daniel van Santvoort said: “It was with great sadness and regret that we heard allegations of historical sexual abuse involving Father Thaddeus who died in 1992.
“Any allegations of child abuse should be reported to the appropriate authorities and investigated. This clearly did not happen and we apologise.”
Brother Daniel said at the time the incidents were alleged to have taken place, the present Caldey Abbey Community was not on the island, which exacerbated the difficulties of the claims.
He said he knew nothing of the allegations when he first came to the island in 1990, or when he later became abbot in 1999, but said he forwarded the matter to police and the abbey’s solicitors in 2014 when he was contacted by a claimant.\
Brother Daniel said: “I acted at every step with compassion and empathy, and expressed my regret and sorrow at any such abuse. I flew to Australia to meet two claimants expressly to apologise.”
He continued: “I am truly sorry that my predecessors did not report allegations to the police and I am sorry that as an abbey, it has taken so long to compensate for these claims.
“Caldey Abbey has worked to ensure this can never be repeated. We now have robust child protection procedures in place on the island including a child protection coordinator.”
“As abbot, I very much regret any harm caused to any layperson as a result of the actions of one of my community, and strive to ensure that every visitor to Caldey enjoys only peace, comfort and the feeling of wellbeing,” he added.
Brother Daniel said the abbey was working with Children’s Commissioner for Wales, however Sally Holland has denied that is the case.
She has advised anyone with concerns to contact police or the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, the Truth Project, so allegations can be considered.
Brother Daniel added the abbey would fully cooperate with its inquiry and any other investigation.
THE LEADING CATHOLIC SCHOOL WITH A ‘TERRIBLE LEGACY’
St Benedict’s reputation as one of the UK’s leading Catholic schools has been blighted by a ‘terrible legacy’ of sex abuse by paedophile priests.
Soper is one of seven senior figures either convicted or accused of preying on pupils at the £15,000-a-year private school during the last 25 years.
Former headmaster Christopher Cleugh admitted the school ‘could have, and should have, done more’ to protect victims following a damning 2011 inquiry which concluded that Ealing Abbey monks had to lose their control of the school.
TIMELINE OF ALLEGATIONS AND CONVICTIONS:
1992: The junior school’s former headmaster Father David Pearce is accused of sexually abusing a boy, but police take no further action.
2001: Former abbot Rev Dom Martin Shipperlee receives complaint about Pearce and makes police aware of it.
2003: Former middle school master John Maestri admits three counts of indecent assault against two pupils between 1980 and 1984.
2005: Maestri pleads guilty to another count of indecent assault relating to a sex attack in 1982.
2006: The High Court awards damages to one of Pearce’s victims.
2007: Rev Shipperlee allows Pearce to return to Ealing Abbey as bursar. Pearce sexually assaults a child within months.
2007: Father Stanislaus Hobbs, part of St Benedict’s middle school staff between 1969-1984, stands trial for one count of indecent assault in 1984 but is cleared by a jury.
2008: Former middle school headmaster Father Anthony Gee is accused of caning a boy on his bare buttocks but no further action is taken.
2009: Father David Pearce is charged with 22 counts of indecent assault against six boys between 1975 and 2007 – prosecutors accepted his guilty pleas to 11 of the charges.
2009: Maestri admits one count of indecent assault between 1979 and 1981.
2010: Father Gregory Chillman is accused of one indecent assault between 1975-76, but no further action was taken.
2010: Two female pupils at another school complain about Father Chillman’s ‘inappropriate’ behaviour in 2004 and he is later put on restricted ministry and barred from access to children.
2010: St Benedict’s teacher John Skelton is convicted of indecent assaults against two pupils in 1983.
2011: Pearce is charged with four counts of indecent assault against another boy between 1977 and 1978, but he was cleared following a trial.
2011: Maestri is charged with three counts of indecent assault against another former pupil but is cleared by a jury.
2011: Former headmaster Christopher Cleugh apologises for ‘terrible legacy’ of sex abuse following damning inquiry by Lord Carlile.
2011: Father Andrew Soper withdraws £182,000 from his Vatican bank account and flies to Albania while on bail for sex offences against pupils.
2016: Deputy head of St Benedict’s Peter Allott, 37, is jailed for ‘getting hooked on child pornography’ and taking part in chemsex ‘paedophile sex parties’
2017: Soper convicted of 19 sex attacks on pupils at St Benedict’s in the 1970s and 1980s following an Old Bailey trial.
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Headteachers from some of the country’s top private schools wrote in support of Ball including Ian Beer, former head of Harrow. Lancing College and Ellesmere College
Ellesmere College 2011
The buzz and chatter in Big School on Saturday evening was palpable, the occasion was a very special dinner to celebrate the 80th Birthday of past Headmaster, Mr Ian Beer CBE. Members of the College Common Room and old boys gathered with great excitement, as many had not been back to the school since the 1960’s.
Ian was a very young Headmaster when, in 1961, he became Head at Ellesmere at just 29 years old
Beer was a young headmaster at Ellesmere College when he met Ball. Ball was setting up the Community for the Glorious Ascension pigsty in Stroud.
It was Ian Beer who asked the Bishop of Shrewesbury if Peter Ball could be elected a Governor.
Ball governed several schools since, as well as becoming a Chaplain to the Headmasters’ Conference for a period of time.
In 1993, when he wrote this letter of support for Peter Ball, Ian Beer had known Peter Ball for 32 years :
“On several occasions in all the three schools that I led I was faced with having to help (*redacted*) sharing in the monastic life so that he could help them. On each occasion the boy returned to school and resumed normal school life…”
And Beer says, “At Harrow, we hosted a group of the young Christians involved in the Bishop’s scheme in Sussex.”
Ian David Stafford Beer, (left) was an old chum of Denis Thatcher and Beer read a poem at Denis Thatcher’s Funeral
Dame Alun Roberts@ciabaudo
If he didn’t know, he’s hardly fit to be King …
Richard Scorer: My clients accept the PoW has many interactions with Church of England clergy. However our clients do not accept that he claims he was not aware that a caution means an acceptance of guilt.
Scorer claims senior leaders in the Church knew of Peter Ball’s offending but Lambeth Palace did not hand over letters to police:http://ow.ly/M5yK30l4wJe
Mr William Chapman: There’s a reluctance to trust the secular authorities to handle the matter and a willingness to forgive and reintegrate Peter Ball, no matter what he’d done
Elizabeth Hall, Nat Safeguarding Advisor, recommending a further review of Peter Ball information which should involve trying to find all files/documents
Both Michael Ball and brother Peter Ball were not shy about using the name of the Prince of Wales to seek to influence others. Bishop Michael Ball wrote to Lord Carey in Dec 1992 saying that his brother was receiving support from 2 Cabinet Ministers and Prince Charles Peter Ball often mention their friendship.
On 8 March 1993 Peter Ball received a caution for one count of gross indecency against Neil Todd. He resigned immediately. Peter Ball alleged to the Church of England shortly that he either did not wish to resign, and accepted a caution to avoid a trial.
“This Inquiry has been provided with details of allegations made by a total of 32 individuals. These all relate to an alleged abuse of power by Peter Ball for the purposes of his sexual gratification.”
The former Bishop of Lewes, Peter Ball was convicted of two offences of indecent assault, and an offence of misconduct
Peter Ball admitted when pleading guilty that he received sexual gratification from the deliberate manipulation of vulnerable young men, that the contact was consistent with grooming and that he abused his position as a Bishop in the Church of England
In January 1996, Ball was permitted by Archbishop Carey to preach at a particular public school and, to conduct confirmations at other specific schools later on in that year
(1) Why he was permitted to return to ministry in this fashion? (2) Why did no-one think to carry out some kind of risk assessment? (3) Whether or not senior clergy simply thought that Peter Ball’s pleas of innocence should be believed?
“I really appreciate your sympathetic understanding in preventing a scandal with a trial which would have affected the Royal family and establishments in this crucial time of turmoil within the Church of England.” Bishop Kemp comments on a 1990s investigation into Peter Ball
A risk assessment carried out by the Church in 2009 identified that Peter Ball could be identified as a sexual predator given the length and scale of his offending
Prince Charles gives evidence to inquiry into Peter Ball
The Prince of Wales says he was aware that Peter Ball, who lived in Aller, near Langport, had been given a police caution, but claims he did not realise it amounted to an admission of guilt.
Details of Prince Charles’s relationship with Ball will be revealed at an inquiry into the case on Friday.
The next in line to the throne had “decades of correspondence” with Ball and occasionally sent him “small gifts of money”, according to the draft copy of his statement to the inquiry, The Times has reported.
The statement will add that Ball confided in him in 2009 that he had been involved in an “indiscretion” years previously, which he blamed on a person with a grudge.
Margaret Thatcher and Jimmy Savile at Christmas time… one of many spent together
Christmas Eve 1982 Party at Chequers
1982 Dec 24 Fr
Archive (Thatcher MSS)
MT Engagement Diary
1340 To Chequers
1830-2000 Small drinks party
Guest List
Carringtons, Tim Smith, Ian Beer (Headmaster of Harrow), Station Commander of RAF Halton, Jimmy Savile, Mr. Hooker, Davids, Hamiltons, Nicholsons, Alison Ward:
Background on some of the guests:
Lord Peter Carrington
(Considering the time frame and roles in government -“The Carringtons” referred to on the guest list are likely the Peter Carringtons)
Peter Carrington served 4 years as Secretary General of NATO. He served under four prime ministers, McMillan, Home, Heath and Thatcher. He also chaired Bilderberg for several years in the late 1990s.
Carrington was Foreign Secretary in 1982 when the Falkland Islands were invaded by Argentina
As it happens, Jimmy Savile declared that he had been in Margaret Thatcher’s company on Sunday 2nd May 1982:
Whilst walking together, on receipt of a note her face had turned ashen. Jimmy Savile had looked at her with concern “What is the matter, Margaret”, he said. ” The Belgrano has been sunk”, was her reply.
A lifelong friend of the McWhirter twins, Ross and Norris. In 1959, he co-founded Britain’s first fund-raising consultancy Hooker, Craigmyle & Co (now Craigmyle) with his friend Justin Shaw who is the son of the late Thomas Shaw, 3rd Baron Craigmyle.
Michael Hooker was an early pioneer in the art of charity fund- raising.
In an earlier age and time he would have been described as a confirmed bachelor
In recent years, however, his existence was frequently enlivened by a succession of handsome young men friends, including at one time a budding pop singer
Hooker worked briefly as a schoolmaster in Britain and South Africa.
Hooker spent two years with the British Council ( before taking up a post in 1947 as a prep-school master at St John’s in Johannesburg)
From 1956 to 1957 he learned about fund-raising while working for the American Wells Organisation in Britain and New Zealand.
Conservative politicians were regular guests at his table, along with churchmen, academics and headmasters – and, as often as not, a rehabilitated young offender to act as waiter.
(“Confirmed bachelor”) Hooker was a fount of good advice to parents privately seeking information on the best education for their children and he tirelessly gave of his own time and money to favourite good causes including Aids charities, the NSPCC and the Police Convalescence and Rehabilitation Trust.
When his friend and fellow old Marlburian Ross McWhirter was murdered by the IRA in 1975 he became one of the chief founders of a special trust, set up in McWhirter’s name
A founding governor since 1991 of Newton Prep, the London preparatory school in Battersea for intellectually gifted children…
he also remained dedicated to the cause of the Anglican Church. An appointment, in 1952, to the London Diocesan Board of Education, happily combined the two great driving interests of his life – education and religion.
“The Hamiltons” are listed on Thatcher’s party guest list
(Again, given the time frame and roles played in government, it is likely to be Archie Hamilton and his wife)
Archie Hamilton
Above DAVID DAVIS MP and SIR ARCHIE HAMILTON (right) at a dinner attended by the Conservative leader Michael Howard and David Davis and David Cameron held at the Banqueting Hall, Whitehall, London in 2005
Archibald Gavin Hamilton, Baron Hamilton Of Epsom was a whip for 4 yrs and PPS to Thatcher
John lived in Surrey for many years and was Lord Lieutenant from 1973 until 1986. He served in the Coldstream Guards during the Second World War and was awarded the MC;
He was also a Lord in Waiting to the present Queen.
More recently in the news…2014
Margaret Thatcher was told about alleged sex parties with under-age boys held by one of her closest aides claims her former personal bodyguard.
Margaret Thatcher ‘Told Of Sir Peter Morrison Paedophile Claims’ But Promoted Him Anyway
Former bodyguard John Strevens (left) claims he told Margaret Thatcher and her private secretary Archie Hamilton about rumours surrounding her close aide Peter Morrison (right) before he was promoted to be deputy chairman of the Tory party
Top policeman Strevens passed on information to Lady Thatcher and her private secretary Archie Hamilton at a meeting in Downing Street that one of her senior aides was suspected of holding sex parties for underage boys
Mr Strevens spent years by Mrs Thatcher’s side – he worked as Mrs Thatcher’s personal bodyguard, said that he passed on allegations about her confidant Sir Peter Morrison.
He said that Lady Thatcher appointed Sir Peter deputy party chairman of the Conservatives despite learning of the rumours.
Strevens said that he “immediately” passed on the information to Lady Thatcher and her private secretary Archie Hamilton at a meeting in Downing Street.
“She listened to what he said and that was it.
“A senior officer in Chester had told me there were rumours going around about under-age boys – one aged 15 – attending sex parties at a house there belonging to Peter Morrison,” he said.
“After we returned to No10 I asked to go and see her immediately. It was unusual for me to do that, so they would have know it was something serious.
Top Policeman: “I told them exactly what had been said about Peter.Archie took notes and they thanked me for coming.”
“There was no proof but the officer I spoke to was certain and said local press knew a lot more.“
Responding to the claims, Hamilton said that he remembered that the officer had been at No10 but could not recall any mention of under-age boys.
“I don’t remember him saying they were under-age,” he said. “There may have been but the point he was making to her was that there were only men involved.
Tory grandee Lord Tebbit has previously stated that he confronted Sir Peter over the allegations
Former Conservative MP Edwina Currie also described him as a ‘noted pederast’ with a liking for young boys.
Margaret Thatcher, “open secret” pederast Leon Brittan and noted pederast Sir Peter Morrison on holiday in Islay, Aug 1979
Three Conservative Cabinet Ministers on four separate occasions (in various combinations) told me between 1982 and 1985 that Brittan’s paedophilia bent was “an open secret” among senior Tories. They had nothing to gain in saying this, and no motive to influence me: I was a very peripheral communications supplier doing advertising work for the Central Office of Information (the COI) – later abolished by the Camerlot Coalition and transferred to the Cabinet Office. In truth, the subject was a matter for amusement and gossip rather than smear.
For example, one high-profile Minister at the time remarked, “Leon isn’t interested in sex with anything over three feet tall” – a crack I took to be an accusation of bestiality until the civil servant involved in the project set me straight. I was told later (at a private dinner) that Margaret Thatcher banished the Peer to the EC when his proclivities were confirmed to her by the security services.
Now today the Telegraph has a piece confirming that ‘Newly uncovered files show former MI5 director general Sir Antony Duff wrote to the then Cabinet Secretary Sir Robert Armstrong in 1986 over claims made by two sources about the MP….’; the Telegraph doesn’t directly mention Brittan at that point, but his name heads a paragraph shortly afterwards. Following a further conversation this morning, I have no doubt whatsoever that first, Leon Brittan is the name in the documents quoted; and second, they have not suddenly ‘been uncovered’.
The papers were suppressed because Nick Clegg had been given a job working for Brittan in the EC, and Cameron later hired the former Home Secretary as a temporary trade secretary in 2010. (Given that the PM hired the greatly cloud-covered Baron Green for the permanent post in the end, we can see that – as with Andy Coulson – David Cameron’s reference-checking has never crept above slapdash).
On the guest list – Alison Ward, Thatcher’s secretary
She is a Deputy Lieutenant of Hampshire, and is patron or trustee of a number of local and national charities and organisations.
Alison Ward, now Lady Wakeham MBE DL had been involved in arranging a vacation for Thatcher at Peter Morrison’s home in Islay…
1979 Mar 14 We
Archive (Thatcher MSS)
No.10:Alison Ward letter to Peter Morrison MP (invitation to holiday with your family on Islay)
[MT’s “need for a proper holiday”] [released 2010]
^ Margaret Thatcher, Leon Brittan and Sir Peter Morrison on holiday in Islay, Aug 1979
^ 1978
Thatcher spent summer holidays in Islay with Peter Morrison and Leon Brittan and
Christmas/New Year holidays with “Jim’ll Fix-it”, Jimmy Savile
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
Alison Ward/Lady Wakeham is married to a “fixer”, John Wakeham, Baron Wakeham,
Prince Philip, Lord Wakeham, Paul Turnock
John Wakeham, Baron Wakeham, PC, DL (born 22 June 1932) is a British businessman and Conservative Party politician, and former Chancellor of Brunel University.
Lord Wakeham with Prince Charles and Prince William
As Chief Whip in the most turbulent Thatcher years, he could be seen padding through the corridors of the Commons with a difficult rebel Tory MP for a quiet word over a whisky in the leather chairs and fug of the smoking room.
He is proud of being called the ultimate Whitehall “fixer”, and Lady Thatcher made good use of his abilities.Skilled with an iron fist in a velvet glove, he handled all the big problems that beset her Government, from advice on whether Cecil Parkinson should return to office after the scandal of his love child, to the privatisation of the energy industry.
His first wife, Roberta, was killed in the Brighton hotel bombing in October 1984 and he was trapped in rubble for seven hours, suffering serious crush injuries to his legs. The couple had two children. Wakeham married his secretary, Alison Ward MBE in 1985
…the ultimate accolade as a Whitehall operator came when he was appointed by Tony Blair to chair a review of the House of Lords.
Lord Wakeham and Prince Charles
It was in another role, as chairman of the Press Complaints Commission from which he stepped down last week, that Lord Wakeham was able to show his prowess as a fixer, defusing the continuing battles between the tabloids and Buckingham Palace, placing a restraining hand on editors here, holding back politicians there from legislation to impose new privacy laws on the press.
Last year, on the PCC’s 10th anniversary, an A-list cast – headed by Prince Charles, Camilla Parker Bowles and Prince William – of PCC complainants were invited to a party at London’s Somerset House. The event was a real publicity coup; more importantly, it seemed to vindicate Lord Wakeham’s strategy for handling the tricky relationship between a hungry press and a publicity
The great fixer, always treading a fine line between Fleet Street, St James’s Palace and Downing Street, had tried to protect the rich and the famous from intrusions into their privacy while allowing newspapers to report on their lives. He did not please all the people all the time. Last week Charles Moore, editor of the Daily Telegraph, said it was time for a “new era” at the PCC, accusing the body of having a “collusive” relationship with some newspapers. According to The Spectator’s media commentator, “the PCC is as frightened of upsetting the Prime Minister as some newspapers are of writing about Lord Wakeham.”
Lord Wakeham, 69, lists yachting among his private pleasures. He has a small cruising yacht, and is a member of the Royal Yacht Squadron.
As a non-executive director and a member of Enron’s auditing committee, paid a reported £80,000 a year, Lord Wakeham was meant to ensure that the company’s accountants were happy with the way that it was reporting to Wall Street.
Kids Company founder and trustees may face action amid Insolvency Service probe
April 24 2017
Kids Company was founded by Camila Batmanghelidjh
The founder and former trustees of the collapsed charity Kids Company could be banned from holding company directorships.
The youth organisation folded amid a storm of controversy in August 2015 – just days after receiving a £3 million Government grant in a final bid to keep it afloat.
Kids Company received more than £42 million of Whitehall funding between 1996 and 2015, thanks in part to founder Camila Batmanghelidjh winning favour with former prime minister David Cameron.
The Insolvency Service is investigating the financial circumstances of the charity and is allegedly bringing disqualification proceedings against Ms Batmanghelidjh.
Former trustees of the collapsed charity, including ex-BBC creative director Alan Yentob and Richard Handover, previously a boss of WH Smith, may also face sanctions.
The trustees, who also include Sunetra Atkinson, Erica Bolton, Francesca Robinson, Jane Tyler and Andrew Webster, responded to the “unconfirmed reports” in a joint statement.
Mustard heir, Mr Colman, and his wife Susan, a former spiritual director of the defunct charity KidsCompany funded pervert John Smyth QC for nearly 30 years
Mr Colman was an Eton contemporary of the Most Rev Justin Welby, while his father, Sir Michael, oversaw the Church’s investment portfolio between 1993 and 1999, holding the post of First Church Estates Commissioner. He was subsequently awarded the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Cross of St Augustine.
A catastrophic charity collapse. Two inquires that hit the buffers. As a musical lampoons the fiasco… Will Kids Company Camila and her BBC stooge EVER face the music?
Stage production depicts the hugely publisised fall of Kids Company charity
Comes two years after the controversial charity met its demise amid allegations
Inquiries are ongoing but there is not indication of when they might conclude
Camila Batmanghelidjh’s autobiography, due out this year, is similarly delayed
3 July 2017
Alan Yentob, BBC creative director, throws up his arms in despair. His rich baritone trembles with bathos as he sings: ‘Michael Gove even said it was an inspirational charity!’
The audience titters. The line does not have the lyricism of a Rodgers and Hammerstein, but it is genuinely funny.
And true. The real Mr Yentob — rather than the actor playing him in this stage production — really did say, rather than sing, it.
Just like the BBC bigwig himself, who became embroiled in the scandal surrounding the collapse of the Kids Company charity of which he was chairman, there is something more than a little unconventional about this new musical being previewed in London last week.
First, there is the title: ‘The Public Administration And Constitutional Affairs Select Committee Takes Oral Evidence On Whitehall’s Relationship With Kids Company.’
Then there are the lyrics, taken verbatim from the Hansard transcript of the testimony given by two witnesses who appeared before that committee of MPs on October 15, 2015.
One was Mr Yentob. The other was enigmatic charity supremo Camila Batmanghelidjh, once known as ‘the angel of Camberwell’.
The pair had been summoned to the Commons to explain how Kids Company, the charity of which Ms Batmanghelidjh was founder and CEO, had gone bust amid allegations of financial irregularity and sexual abuse, having received almost £50 million of public money.
That was almost two years ago. And while the musical is opening this week, the public still awaits a definitive official explanation of the charity’s controversial modus operandi and dramatic demise.
The select committee had no powers to act on its own damning findings of an ‘extraordinary catalogue of failures’. Two statutory bodies that do have such powers — the Charity Commission and the Insolvency Service — were supposed to deliver their own reports on Kids Company last autumn. They did not.
Both bodies say inquiries are ‘ongoing’ but there is no indication as to when they might end. Ms Batmanghelidjh’s autobiography, due out late last year, is similarly delayed.
And so the extraordinary saga rumbles on.
The woman at the centre of it all, 54-year-old Camila, keeps, in contrast to her life before the scandal, a low profile these days.
On a rare outing last summer, she was photographed as she went to lunch with representatives of a foreign government ‘which is having to deal with a lot of young refugees’ at the Michelin-starred Pied a Terre restaurant.
Ms Batmanghelidjh says she is continuing to help many Kids Company children, with the financial backing of donors who stayed loyal.
Kids Company rented a £4,000-a-month Grade II-listed art-deco mansion in North London, in which a member of the finance department and one of Ms Batmanghelidjh’s PAs lived
While the Metropolitan Police found insufficient evidence to press any criminal charge, anecdotal evidence of institutional anarchy and excesses at Kids Company still has the power to shock.
Brown envelopes stuffed with cash were handed to troubled children as a matter of course. Twelve-year-old clients were given £150 trainers; others were flown first class to America. Some £50,000 alone was allegedly spent on taxis at the charity’s Christmas party.
Kids Company received £46 million from the UK taxpayer over 13 years, including £3 million days before it shut. Former Mayor of London Boris Johnson is pictured with Camila Batmanghelidjh London Evening Standard’s ‘1000: London’s Most Influential People’ in 2014
Flamboyant, Iranian-born Camila could charm the birds from the trees. Then prime minister David Cameron was said to be ‘mesmerised’ by her, while his wife Samantha was a backer, along with Prince Charles and a host of other A-list celebrities and City financiers.
Kids Company received £46 million from the UK taxpayer over 13 years, including £3 million days before it shut. Rock band Coldplay ploughed in a further £8 million from royalties.
Ms Batmanghelidjh claimed her charity had 36,000 young ‘clients’.
No doubt there was and remains a very real need for children from splintered families to be supported in Britain’s troubled inner cities.
But something within the organisation was not right. It needed only a small push for the already teetering edifice to collapse. That pressure came from an unlikely quarter.
Pensioner Joan Woolard was the catalyst to Kids Company’s spectacular downfall and remains one of Ms Batmanghelidjh’s fiercest critics.
Having heard the charity boss speak on Radio 4, Mrs Woolard was inspired to sell her home and donate the proceeds — more than £200,000 — to the Kids Company.
Doubts began when she asked how the money had been spent.
The answers were unsatisfactory. Her experience of spending some time at Kids Company offices alarmed her further — and she asked for her money back.
Hers was the first public voice of dissent against this fashionable and feted good cause. Ms Batmanghelidjh denied any wrongdoing.
But the money remained in Ms Batmanghelidjh’s hands. Kids Company needed it desperately.
Encouraged by Mrs Woolard’s public stand, whistle-blowers from inside the organisation began to come forward.
The unsubstantiated allegations of sexual abuse were the final straw.
In August 2015, the charity shut down, laying off scores of staff and abandoning thousands of children.
Some of the evidence subsequently given to the Commons select committee presented a shocking litany of financial chaos, rampant nepotism and very dubious methodology.
The committee concluded: ‘There appears to have been a catastrophic confluence of factors that have conspired to allow this charity to operate as it did, for as long as it did.’
Their report said the ‘approach of successive governments and ministers towards Kids Company has proved to be an improper way to conduct government business or handle public money’.
Alan Yentob had failed to restrain his ‘unaccountable and dominant’ CEO. His employer, the BBC, was also ‘accused of poor leadership for failing to take action against him when he tried to make suggestions about the BBC’s reporting of Kids Company’.
One of the committee’s witnesses, a high-ranking worker who was granted anonymity, gave a particularly damning insight into what Kids Company had become.
She said: ‘The charity was run by the CEO as her personal fiefdom, with no regard whatsoever for the financial implications. It was simply unsustainable to continue to take in anyone who asked for assistance and, in certain specific areas, ridiculous amounts of money were spent wantonly and inappropriately.’
Ms Batmanghelidjh had favourites among the youngsters she helped. ‘One group of young adults — many of them in their late 20s — were known throughout the organisation as “Camila’s kids” and inordinate amounts of money and resources were lavished on them; creating envy and resentment among others.’
But staff were also treated lavishly, the witness stated, and nepotism was rife. ‘Sasha and Jamie Handover (the children of former WH Smith boss Richard Handover, a trustee) were both employed at KC,’ the witness said.
‘The so-called “Operations Manager” — a sweet but totally inefficient woman who kept odd hours — turned out to be the mother of one of the IT chaps.
‘Magbule Mulla — who worked in the finance department — is the sister-in-law of Jeton (Tony) Cavolli, who was Camila’s driver.’
(While her Linked In page still describes her as ‘Assistant Accountant Kids Company’, Mrs Mulla was described by Ms Batmanghelidjh in one interview as ‘the woman who sews for me’.)
Ms Batmanghelidjh would eventually admit that her charity had paid for both of Mr Cavolli’s children to be put through private schools; one of them a boarding establishment where the chairman of governors was one Richard Handover (a trustee).
Mr Cavolli had been described by Ms Batmanghelidjh as a ‘therapist tasked with dealing with difficult young men and only had a car in order to go to their aid late at night’. But in the time she worked there, the witness only ‘heard him referred to as “Tony the Driver”.’
Some of the evidence subsequently given to the Commons select committee presented a shocking litany of financial chaos. Squatters are pictured at the former offices of Kids Company in Kenbury Street, Camberwell
It was ‘Tony the Driver’ who was pictured holding the car door open for Ms Batmanghelidjh prior to that lunch at Pied a Terre restaurant last summer.
He was not her chauffeur, she later explained. He was working as an Uber driver and had given her a lift as a ‘favour’.
A university academic whose role as an Ofsted inspector in South London alerted her to Kids Company more than 15 years ago had watched its progress with alarm.
‘The whole history of Kids Company is one of a failure of due diligence by local government, donor charities, the Tory Party, Prince Charles. They all failed. It is astounding,’ she told me.
Hers is only one of many critical voices. But there is an approaching counterblast. Approaching, but repeatedly delayed. Ms Batmanghelidjh’s autobiography was due to be published last autumn. Her ghost-writer is Tim Rayment.
In early 2015 he was sent by his newspaper to investigate Ms Batmanghelidjh. Now he is firmly in her camp.
One view is that Rayment fell under her spell; like so many financiers, pop stars, politicians and royals before him, he was ‘hypnotised’, one colleague said.
‘I want to give voice to someone who has been silenced,’ Mr Rayment told me last year, rather generously of someone who had the ear of royalty and prime ministers.
‘Have I been naïve? Have I been mesmerised?’ he asks. ‘The time to make that judgment is on publication.’
The fall-out has indeed been complex and messy for those involved. Last December, Mr Yentob stepped down as Creative Director of the BBC as a direct result of his involvement in the Kids Company collapse
Last night, a spokesman for Ms Batmanghelidjh’s publisher, Biteback, said she expected the book to appear in August. She explained: ‘We had initially hoped to do a very fast turnaround on this title, and therefore gave it a very ambitious publication date.
‘But it has turned out to be far more complex, both legally and in terms of the science involved, than we had first anticipated.’
The fall-out has indeed been complex and messy for those involved. Last December, Mr Yentob stepped down as Creative Director of the BBC as a direct result of his involvement in the Kids Company collapse.
Earlier this year, it was reported that the Insolvency Service had written to lawyers acting for Kids Company’s former board members to warn them it was minded to ban them from holding directorships.They included Ms Batmanghelidjh, Mr Yentob and Mr Handover. Which brings us back to the musical.
Flamboyant, Iranian-born Camila could charm the birds from the trees. Then prime minister David Cameron was said to be ‘mesmerised’ by her
‘Mr Yentob’ bewails the sudden denial of the public purse gold seam. He had mined it for years thanks to his contacts with David Cameron and the latter’s desire to give his Big Society slogan some substance and street cred.
Last night, a Charities Commission spokeswoman said: ‘When an inquiry is under way, we do not provide updates on when it is likely to conclude.
‘This is a high-profile case and when a report is available it will be posted online with full findings.’
An Insolvency Service spokesman said: ‘Our investigation into Kids Company remains ongoing. Each case has its own complexities and differences depending on the number of directors involved. There is no timescale for us to reach any conclusions. As such, it would not be appropriate for us to comment further at present.’
Miles Goslett, the journalist who first raised questions about Kids Company, in February 2015, is sceptical about the delay.
‘Both inquiries were set up the best part of two years ago and I was told privately last year they’d be published by Christmas 2016 at the latest,’ he said this week.
‘Even if these bodies are short on manpower, I’d have no difficulty believing that someone in Whitehall has taken the decision it would be politically sensible to keep them from public view for a while yet.’
Child Porn Raids on Public Schools; Four Teachers Quit
Daily Mail (London), September 20, 1996
AT LEAST three public schools have been raided by Scotland Yard detectives investigating claims of a paedophile ring
Videos, computer disks and books were seized from a master at Harrow School. And four teachers at two other schools have left their jobs.
Harrow head Nicholas Bomford defended his teacher last night
Nicholas Bomford and Queen Elizabeth Harrow head Nicholas Bomford defended his teacher last night, saying no charges were brought against the man, who was still in his post.
He said the matter had also been fully investigated by the London borough of Harrow’s child protection unit `but nothing of concern was discovered and it was decided no action was necessary.
`There was never any suggestion that anything happened within the school,’ he added. `As far as I’m concerned that is the end of the matter.’
The teacher’s solicitor said all the material taken from the master’s quarters at Harrow had been returned except for art photos which were still being studied.
`My client has stressed he is not a paedophile. I think he may be unfortunate in his friends,’ the solicitor added.
He said the teacher came to police attention following a Scotland Yard investigation into an alleged paedophile network involving public school teachers throughout Britain. It is understood his name appeared in address books seized during raids at other schools.
Schools raided: They included Hurstpierpoint College in West Sussex, where two teachers were raided in their homes by police.
Hurstpierpoint bursar Martin Sherwin said last night that one of the teachers was dismissed and the other resigned after being cautioned by police for possessing indecent material last February. He added: `No pupils were involved.’
Martin Sherwin BSc
Martin was educated at Hurstpierpoint College and Nottingham University. He spent 24 years in the oil industry and has extensive senior level experience in commercial and general management appointments both in the UK and overseas. Martin spent 14 years as an independent school Bursar at Hurstpierpoint College (1994 – 1997) and then Wellington College (1997 – 2007). A Governor of Milton Abbey School since 2008, Martin is also a Trustee of the School Fees Charitable Trust. He was previously Governor of an Academy school in Wiltshire and chairman of the National Schools Symphony Orchestra. He is married to Ruth and lives in Dorset. His three grown up sons were educated at Charterhouse, Hurstpierpoint College and Tonbridge.
The Harrow teacher was interviewed as part of a Scotland Yard investigation which began 18 months ago when a former teacher at Abberley Hall preparatory school in Hereford and Worcester alleged that an ex-colleague had admitted being in a public school paedophile ring.
Members allegedly swopped child pornography and organised tours to Third World countries, where they had sex with children.
Andrew Marsden-Smedley, Abberley Hall’s chairman of governors, said: `The matter never involved the school. One teacher was made redundant, another left through illness. I do not know the outcome of any police investigation.’
Scotland Yard said last night: `Our inquiries are continuing.’
ANDREW SADLER was linked to Peter Righton and Charles Napier in the child sex video ring (“Operation Fledgeling”). Andrew Sadler was accused of a sex act on a boy at Abberley Hall preparatory school in 1995, convicted of child rape in Romania in 2000 and convicted of child grooming in Britain in 2007.
A FORMER geography master at Harrow, one of Britain’s leading public schools, was found guilty yesterday of stealing more than pounds 36,000 from a school holiday fund.
Peter Jackson, 36, over-charged wealthy parents for a school expedition to Tanzania and Zanzibar that he had organised in July 1996.
Wood Green Crown Court, in north London, where Jackson will be sentenced on Friday,heard how had he spent “vast sums” on his own children’s private school fees and piano lessons, his mortgage, and renovations including a new thatched roof at his country cottage.
After the jury delivered unanimous guilty verdicts on 12 sample counts of theft and one of forgery between April 1995 and November 1996, Judge Leonard Gerber warned Jackson that prison was almost certainly the only option.
In his defence Jackson, of Charminster, Dorset, had argued that there was a “culture” at Harrow that allowed him and colleagues to operate as one-man travel companies, and profit for the time and effort involved in organising overseas expeditions.
Paedophile ring alleged at top public schools (19.09.96)
Evening Standard, 19th September 1996
by Eileen Fairweather
DETECTIVES from Scotland Yard’s paedophile and child pornography unit have raided six masters at leading public schools, including Harrow.
A number of videos, computer discs and books were taken from one teacher at the £13,000-a-year school.
His innocence was last night vigorously defended by the headmaster of Harrow School where he remains in his post. His solicitor confirmed the teacher had been questioned by Harrow police and Scotland Yard but not arrested.
The lawyer said all the material had been returned by police except a book of art photos, which is still being studied. “My client has stressed he is not a paedophile. I think he may be unfortunate in his friends.”
He confirmed that the teacher came to police attention as a result of a Scotland Yard investigation into an alleged paedophile network involving public school teachers throughout Britain.
His name figured in address books seized by police during earlier raids on staff at other top schools.
His solicitor said: “A couple of them are – or perhaps ‘were’ might be a better word – friends. One of them has disappeared, possibly abroad.” The lawyer could not name the men but it is believed they were teachers at Hurstpierpoint College in Sussex. Two were raided at their homes at the college.
Hurstpierpoint’s bursar, Martin Sherwin, last night confirmed the teachers were dismissed after police cautions for the possession of indecent material. “No pupils were involved in the material.”
The teacher at Harrow was visited later as part of a secret Scotland Yard investigation which began 18 months ago, when a former teacher at Abberley Hall preparatory school – angry after being made redundant – alleged a colleague still in his post had admitted he was involved in a paedophile ring spanning top schools.
The ring allegedly swopped child pornography and organised tours to Third World countries where they could safely indulge in sex with “rent boys”.
Abberley Hall’s headmaster John Walker confirmed that the school dismissed the teacher and passed on the information to police. But, he said: “Nothing came of it and there was never any suggestion that any pictures he might have looked at had anything to do with the school.”
Harrow’s headmaster Nicholas Bomford said no Harrow pupils were questioned either. “The police brought no charges, having inspected what they took from the teacher’s house,” he said.
“I’m perfectly satisfied that a full investigation took place and that nothing of an incrimination or a dangerous kind was found. The last thing I’d want is his name blackened.”
Mr Cartledge’s solicitor admitted however that police have not yet returned to Mr Cartledge a book of photographs showing young men from about age 16 upwards in “Greek and Roman poses”.
In 1996, video tapes were seized from the premises belonging to director of music Philip Cartledge at Harrow School, though Cartledge was not arrested or charged (Gary Jones, ‘Sex Cops seize Videos at Top School’, News of the World, May 12th, 1996)
New conductor Philip Cartledge with choir directors. The Churches Together Good Friday Evening Meditation in Words and Music will take place on March 29 at Buxton Methodist Church. Photo contributed.
1 February 2013
REHEARSALS are due to get underway for the ‘Churches Together Good Friday Evening Meditation in Words and Music’ on March 29, at 8pm. There will be a performance of John Stainer’s Crucifixion with reflective readings. Kate MacLean, secretary of the Churches Together Music Group, has handed over the conductors’ baton to Chapel-en-le-Frith musician Philip Cartledge. Rehearsals take place every Friday at Buxton Methodist Church
Philip Cartledge – Trustee and Treasurer of Friends of Buxton Festival
Formerly director of music at Harrow 1976 – 2000
Administrator of HIV Lighthouse charity
PHILIP CARTLEDGE I’ve recently been appointed Trustee and Treasurer of the Friends. Born and brought up in Chapel-en-le-Frith, I went to New Mills Grammar School and then to the Royal Academy of Music and London University. I was Director of Music Schools at Harrow School where I taught music from 1976 to 2000. Later I became Administrator of Lighthouse, South London, which is part of the HIV/AIDS charity, Terrence Higgins Trust. In 2006 I moved back to Chapel and have become involved with music-making in and around Buxton, including as singer and pianist with Susie and the Bad Habits. My big break came in 2013 when Michael Williams broke his leg and I stepped in to conduct the Puccini Gloria with Buxton Musical Society. An opera fan and a loyal supporter of the Buxton Festival right from the start, I’m already enjoying getting to know the other Trustees and am greatly looking forward to the closer relationship with the Festival and with the Friends that my new role afffords me.
Hurstpierpoint College, a boarding school in West Sussex whose alumni include TV presenter Jamie Theakston and former First Sea Lord and Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Michael Boyce.
……………………………
Police Investigate Public School Paedophile Ring’
The Times, 25 August 1996.
SCOTLAND YARD detectives are investigating allegations of a paedophile network involving teachers from some of Britain’s top public schools, writes Stephen Grey. The paedophile and child pornography unit is inquiring into a ring of private school staff who allegedly exchange information, boast of abusing youngsters and travel abroad together on “sex tours”. At least six teachers have been questioned and their homes raided as inquiries continue into the ring that has links to some of the most notorious paedophiles in Britain.
The paedophile unit has been assisted by detectives from forces around the country as well as social workers.
The inquiry began after a former teacher at Abberley Hall preparatory school in Herefordshire allegedly confessed to a colleague to being part of a huge network of paedophiles. Abberley Hall, which charges £2,500 a term for boarders, confirmed last week that both teachers were no longer on staff. The former teacher claimed that he had had sex with “hundreds and hundreds” of boys and named teachers at six other leading establishments. There was no suggestion that any abuse took place at the schools. Trips for the teachers to indulge in child abuse with “rent boys” have allegedly been organised to countries including the Philippines, Czech Republic, Romania, Albania, Thailand and even Bosnia.
“These people decided a few years ago it was no longer safe to talk openly of abusing kids in this country, but decided they were perfectly safe abroad. At home they content themselves with sick pictures of child abuse,” said one source.
Although full details cannot be revealed for legal reasons, the investigation has involved a series of police raids, including one at the home of a head of department at a prominent London public school, where pornography was removed.
Another raid took place at Hurstpierpoint College in Sussex.
Stephen Meek, headmaster confirmed that two staff had been dismissed after a police caution for the possession of indecent material. “It was nothing to do with pupils at the school,” he said.
(Mr Stephen Meek commenced as Principal of Geelong Grammar School on October 1, 2004.
Stephen was previously Headmaster of Hurstpierpoint College, in West Sussex, U.K., a co-educational Boarding and Day School for nine years.
Norman Jordan Smith –
Chaplain of Geelong C of E Grammar School
Norman Jordan Smith
1930 – 2012
After he was demobbed he worked for the West Sussex County Council in County Hall, Chichester. From 1952-57 he was Captain of the Cathedral Ringers.
Church of England accused of cover-up over abuse claims against chaplain at school attended by Prince Charles
Reverend Norman Smith, accused of raping a pupil at Geelong Grammar School, Australia, now faces further accusations
The Church of England has been accused of a cover-up over allegations that a chaplain at the Australian school attended by the Prince of Wales was a paedophile.
At the Australian royal commission into child abuse in September, the Reverend Norman Smith was accused of raping a pupil at Geelong Grammar School in the late 1960s.
Now a 68-year-old former churchwarden has come forward to say that the Church dismissed his earlier claims that he was abused by Mr Smith in Sussex in the early 1960s.
Alan Baker, from Gloucestershire, has also written to Prince Charles to ask if he can provide any information that would help his case for damages.
“I would like to know what the links were between Geelong and the Church of England and the Anglican Communion,” said Mr Baker.
“Was it a coincidence that Smith abused me and then moved to Australia and then abused a child in Australia and moved back to the UK to take up a position as a vicar? The Church of England has treated me disgracefully and dismissed my complaints even though they must have known about the Australian allegations.”
Mr Smith died in 2012 and an obituary stated “Norman would certainly have known him [Charles] and administered Communion to him”.
Geelong Grammar: Child Sexual Abuse Royal Commission report set to be tabled in parliament
February 13, 2017
SURVIVOR of abuse at Geelong Grammar School has slammed its trademark positive education program as “crap”, as the royal commission’s findings on the elite Corio school are set to be tabled in Parliament.
Libby O’Brien attended Geelong Grammar in the 1980s and said she hoped the commission’s report did not “get swept under the carpet”.
“There are so many more perpetrators out there,” she said, despite the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse having been in progress since 2013.
“The cover-ups were really frightening,” she said. “I just want to make sure (the royal commission finding) doesn’t go under the radar.”
Ms O’Brien said the decades-long fight for justice had been “an extremely painful process”. She and a group of survivors and friends covered Geelong Grammar’s gates with coloured ribbons in February of last year, transforming it into a “Loud Fence” symbolising those who were sexually abused and couldn’t be heard.
“I’m so sick of telling this story,” Ms O’Brien said. “I keep getting slapped in the face — it’s really, really hard.”
In a November, 2016, submission to the royal commission, counsel assisting David Lloyd said former Geelong Grammar principal John Lewis had failed to protect students under his care.
“Mr Lewis did not treat the issue of child sexual abuse seriously and preferred the reputation of the school to the interests and welfare of the students,” Mr Lloyd said.
A spokesman for Geelong Grammar said the school would be responding to the royal commission’s findings when they become available.
The school was at the heart of a debate in South Australian politics last weekend, when it emerged SA schools had forked out more than $620,000 for Geelong Grammar to teach educators from Adelaide’s northern suburbs how to “nurture and sustain positive relationships”. SA Opposition treasury spokesman Rob Lucas described the program as a “massive waste of taxpayers’ money”.
A spokesman for the SA Department for Communities and Social Inclusion said Geelong Grammar was “one of the world leaders in the adoption of positive education”.
Ms O’Brien said she was “pretty disgusted” that the school was profiting from a program espousing student wellbeing.
“It’s such crap,” she said.
She urged anyone with information on historical abuses to go to the authorities.
“Anyone who knew anything, just report it to police,” she said. “Every report counts.”
Commissioners are holding a public hearing on Catholic Church authorities until February 27. From March 6 they will hold hearings on Commonwealth and State governments, the Uniting Church, Anglican Church, Yeshivah Melbourne and Bondi, and Australian Christian churches and Pentecostal authorities.
Former Geelong Grammar principal John Lewis after giving evidence at the Royal Commission hearing in Melbourne in 2015.
Geelong Grammar principal failed to act on abuse: royal commission
February 14, 2017
Principals and senior staff at Geelong Grammar knew that teachers were accused of child abuse but failed to respond in the best interests of students, according to findings of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
The findings follow 13 former students telling public hearings in late 2015 that they were sexually abused by staff between 1956 and 1989, and describing a culture of cover-ups and negligence at the prestigious private school.
The royal commission found that John Lewis, who was principal from 1980-1994, allowed convicted paedophile Jonathan Harvey unsupervised access to students despite knowing that the former maths teacher was accused of abuse, including trying to have sex with a student.
Mr Lewis went on to become headmaster of Eton College, where he taught Prince William.
John Buckley was a teacher and housemaster at Geelong Grammar’s Glamorgan primary school campus in Toorak
Nicholas Sampson, who who was principal at Geelong in 2004 and is now the headmaster of prestigious Sydney school Cranbrook, received allegations about Harvey that dated back to the 1970s, but allowed Harvey to remain at the school on full pay for the remainder of that year.
He did not report Harvey to police or the teaching regulator, the Victorian Institute of Teaching, or make a record of the reasons for Harvey’s departure at the end of the school year.
The royal commission said Mr Sampson should have kept better records, but accepted that he was trying to act in the victim’s best interests and would now behave differently if faced with a similar situation.
It was also found that Geelong Grammar allowed a former teacher, BIM, to work at the school in the late 1990s, despite knowing the teacher was or may have been jailed for paedophilia.
The school “preferred its financial interests” to the victim’s best interests, in failing to tell a victim about the abuser’s employment history at the school, while the victim was seeking compensation, according to the royal commission.
In the late 1980s, a former headmaster at the school’s Highton campus, John Robert Bugg, forced a student known as BIW to leave the school, after the boy told other students that he had been sexually abused. Mr Bugg told the student to keep the matter secret, the royal commission found.
“In removing BIW from the school and not investigating the complaint, Mr Bugg failed to protect BIW’s interests and the interests of other students at Highton”, the royal commission report said.
Five former Geelong Grammar School staff members – Graham Leslie Dennis, John Hamilton Buckley, Stefan Van Vuuren, Philippe Trutmann and Jonathan Harvey – have been convicted of child sex offences.
The royal commission found that while the school has since introduced formal systems, policies and procedures to deal with child abuse (which they did not have before 1994) there is no system in place to ensure teachers are reporting allegations properly.
The school also keeps what is called the ‘K files’, which contain confidential information about staff or students which are stored separately to the general files to limit access.
Another raid took place at Hurstpierpoint College in Sussex.
Stephen Meek, headmaster confirmed that two staff had been dismissed after a police caution for the possession of indecent material. “It was nothing to do with pupils at the school,” he said.
The Harrow teacher was interviewed as part of a Scotland Yard investigation which began 18 months ago when a former teacher at Abberley Hall preparatory school in Hereford and Worcester alleged that an ex-colleague had admitted being in a public school paedophile ring.
ANDREW SADLER was linked to Peter Righton and Charles Napier in the child sex video ring (“Operation Fledgeling”).
Andrew Sadler was accused of a sex act on a boy at Abberley Hall preparatory school in 1995, convicted of child rape in Romania in 2000 and convicted of child grooming in Britain in 2007.
Other teachers also named include three masters at another leading public school, two masters at two famous preparatory schools in the home counties, and a choir school teacher. The teachers were said to exchange paedophile videos. When they feared police raids, they allegedly worked together to conceal material. “Many of these teachers will be secure in the knowledge that they will never be prosecuted,” said one police source.
Paedophile Information Exchange – PIE Members involved
Also named as allegedly linked to the network are Peter Righton, the former childcare expert exposed as a paedophile, and Charles Napier, a former treasurer of the Paedophile Information Exchange and a former staff member of the British Council in Cairo who was jailed last year for sex assaults on youngsters in London.
Peter Righton
Charles Napier and half-brother John Whittingdale
Napier was former treasurer of the Paedophile Information Exchange which campaigned in the 70s and 80s for what they called the age of ‘child love’ to be reduced to four.
He also has links to Peter Righton – one of Britain’s most high-profile paedophiles.
When police raided Righton’s house in Evesham, Worcestershire, in 1992 they found hardcore child abuse images from Amsterdam and a ‘quarter-century of correspondence’ between paedophiles in Britain and around the world.
The probe led police to the kitchen of a flat in south London where they found a letter from Napier, who was convicted in 1995 for sexually abusing a 14-year-old boy, boasting of his life in Cairo as a British Council teacher.
He boasted of easy access to young boys and how he could send obscene images back to Britain in diplomatic bags.
Mr Whittingdale refused to comment when contacted about the guilty pleas.
When his half-brother was charged, Mr Whittingdale said: “I am aware that my half-brother has been charged with an offence alleged to have occurred over 35 years ago.
“I have no knowledge of this, particularly as I had only just left school at that time.”
Adrian Stark previously taught at Hurstpierpoint School in West Sussex. Hurstpierpoint’s school chaplain, the Reverend Brian Boucher, and a junior science teacher, Trevor Jones, were sacked after being cautioned by police for possessing child pornography.
Body in sea thought to be child porn teacher
2 August 1997
A Body believed to be that of Adrian Stark, the public school teacher charged last week with possessing child pornography, was found in the sea yesterday near one of Britain’s most notorious suicide spots.
The car belonging to Mr Stark, the director of music at St John’s School, Leatherhead, had earlier been found abandoned on top of the 550ft cliffs at Beachy Head, near Eastbourne, Sussex.
Mr Stark, 33, had not been seen since Wednesday when he was charged by police and released on bail pending further inquiries.
The grim discovery followed a public appeal from Surrey police, who are carrying out the investigation into the pornography allegations, about the whereabouts of Mr Stark. Police had said they were concerned for his welfare.
Mr Stark, who was single, had been arrested after officers found pornographic material at a property in the Surrey school grounds, and was charged with three counts of possessing indecent photographs of children.
He joined the school in 1995 from Hurstpierpoint School in West Sussex.Hurstpierpoint hit the headlines last year when the school chaplain, the Reverend Brian Boucher, and a junior science teacher, Trevor Jones, were sacked after being cautioned by police for possessing child pornography.
Officers from Burgess Hill seized items from the men’s living quarters at the Sussex school after reportedly acting on a tip-off from police investigating a paedophile ring in Eastern Europe.
Yesterday a spokesman for Sussex Police said colleagues in Surrey had not asked for information about its inquiry into Hurstpierpoint College in 1995.
The spokesman said: “As far as I am aware, there was no suggestion at the time that any other persons were involved in that investigation.”
Governors of pounds 8,000-a-year St John’s, who suspended Mr Stark from his post on the day of his arrest, met yesterday morning. “We will be writing to all parents to update them of the situation,” said the bursar, Christopher Pelley. ”
St John’s School was founded in 1851 in north London to educate sons of the clergy, and moved to Leatherhead in 1872. St John’s has 395 boys, including 100 boarders, and 45 girls in its sixth form.
A SUICIDE last August pointed the way to a wide-ranging paedophile investigation that culminated yesterday with 15 raids involving eight police forces.
The body of public school master Adrian Stark, who disappeared after being charged with three counts of having indecent photographs of children, was pulled from the sea near Beachy Head in East Sussex a year after three public schools had been raided by Scotland Yard detectives investigating a paedophile ring.
But it later emerged that address books believed to have been seized by police at Stark’s home probably led detectives further in the direction of a paedophile network involving public school teachers across Britain.
Stark, director of music at St John’s School, Leatherhead, Surrey, had proved to be a gifted musician and talented teacher during his two years at the school, according to the bursar, Christopher Pelley.
He had come to the school in 1995 from Hurstpierpoint College, West Sussex, where the chaplain, and a science teacher, were cautioned by police last year for possession of indecent material. The Rev Brian Boucher, aged 57, and Trevor Jones, 44, left their jobs – although it was stressed at the time that none of the material was connected with pupils.
With police inquiries intensifying, a teacher from the Yehudi Menuhin school for gifted musicians was charged last month with child pornography offences.
By then, Scotland Yard’s Paedophile and Child Pornography Unit was investigating allegations of a network involving teachers from some of the country’s major public schools.
In August last year, with the inquiry in its infancy, at least six teachers had been questioned and their homes raided.
A month later it emerged that videos, computer discs and books had been seized from a master at Harrow School, although the head said the matter had been fully investigated by the child protection unit at the London Borough of Harrow and that “nothing of concern was discovered and it was decided that no action was necessary”.
The teacher’s solicitor said later: “My client has stressed he is not a paedophile. I think he may be unfortunate in his friends.”
Yesterday’s raids for the first time involved public schools in the north – the City of Durham, and Sedbergh, in Cumbria.
A Catholic priest from Durham, Father Adrian McLeish, was jailed a year ago after being convicted of sexual abuse and having pornographic material, much of it on computer discs.
(Fr Adrian McLeish, former parish priest of St Joseph’s, Gilesgate, in Durham had been found to own one of the world’s largest collections of Internet pornography, and to have abused four children. A paedophile priest says he preyed on children for four years AFTER his evil perversions were revealed to a senior member of the Catholic Church.linklink)
Swift moves were made yesterday to reassure anxious parents.
Sedbergh’s headmaster, Christopher Hirst, said in a statement: “I can confirm that the police have requested the school’s co-operation in certain inquiries they are conducting. It is the school’s policy to co-operate fully with the authorities at all times. As yet, we have not been made aware in detail of the reasons for the inquiries.”
But last night Dick Davison of the Independent Schools Information Service (ISIS) said that, although there were statutory checks which independent schools had to make on prospective teachers, they only identified people with established criminal track records.
“It is difficult to know what we can do short of searching every teacher’s home and computer system,” he said. “But this is a problem not only for independent schools, but state schools too and any organisation which attracts interest from those with a sexual interest in children, such as church choirs and cub and scout troops.”
He stressed that schools were obliged to check with the Department of Education’s list of persons deemed unsuitable to teach, to check with police criminal records and to obtain personal and professional references when appointing a new staff member.
Teachers’ unions were anxious yesterday to reassure parents that their children are safe in public schools, strongly denying that the checks used to vet potential teachers in independent schools are less stringent than those used in the state sector, while admitting that it was inevitable that some paedophiles would slip through the net.
Peter Smith, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, whose membership includes around 16,000 teachers at independent schools said: “Paedophiles with sexual obsessions will always be attracted to certain professional activities, but the checks upon teachers and intending teachers are very stringent indeed. Equally, whatever the outcome of this case, all the evidence is that paedophiles are brilliant at covering their tracks.”
David Hart, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said: “I think that the public can be reassured that children are safe in public schools. They have to check criminal records as well as ‘List 99’, listing all teachers banned from teaching for criminal offences. That’s as tough a check as you could wish for.”
But last night the launch of a pounds 250,000 campaign designed to dispel old -fashioned images of boarding schools was cancelled because of the adverse publicity generated by the police raids.
The Boarding Education Alliance (BEA), representing 170 schools and 45,000 pupils, was due to have been launched on Monday, providing parents with a “shop window” to help them choose schools.
The aim was to try to revamp the image of boarding schools, which has barely changed since the 1930s, putting Tom Brown “out to pasture”. But last night a spokeswoman said the launch would not now go ahead as it would be “inappropriate” at this time.
The problems faced by even the most diligent of schools were highlighted by the National Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children yesterday.
“Research suggests that people who do abuse children work their way into positions of authority and responsibility and trust and are well entrenched, often working in senior positions across many years,” said an NSPCC spokesman.
Detective Chief Inspector Jim Reynolds, who co-ordinated yesterday’s raids, agreed. “Obviously they (paedophiles) can’t make their activities legitimate, they have to conceal their activities at all times which makes it difficult for us.”
By chance, the raids come in the very week that the risks faced by children living away from home were highlighted by the publication of Sir William Utting’s disturbing report into children in care.
The investigation which preceded the report, his team concluded, “seemed at times a crash course in human (predominantly male) wickedness and in the fallibility of social institutions . . . The fact that the bad is only a tiny proportion of the whole should not obscure the fact that it tarnishes the lives of many children.”
The report concluded: “Abusers may be good at their jobs, winning respect, affection or fear from their colleagues and admiration from the parents whose children they corrupt. They are adept at avoiding detection and disciplinary or criminal charges – in which they are inadvertently assisted by the assumptions and values of our social institutions. They are very dangerous people.”
Now the officers from the forces who carried out yesterday’s raids – the Metropolitan police, Cumbria, Durham, Merseyside, West Mercia, Hampshire, Surrey and Wiltshire – have the task of examining the material seized.
Then they must decide whether, in the wake of the scandal of children in care – many of whom had come from some of the most under-privileged homes in the country – a second scandal exists which affects those who teach children from quite the other end of the spectrum.
November 22, 1997 national child pornography operation raid – Durham school
The raid was one of 15 carried out by police forces across Britain on Friday.
Police are also examining a large quantity of books, letters, computer equipment videos and other evidence of paedophile activity seized for fresh leads.
The National Confederation of Parent Teachers’ Associations added their voice to those calling for a better vetting system for teachers in independent schools as two private schools were raided by officers looking for child pornography.
Durham School was also searched. Computers, videos and documents were removed.
The operation was co-ordinated by the Paedophilia Unit at Scotland Yard, which has been investigating a suspected major paedophile ring distributing and producing child pornography.
Three teachers and one former teacher at independent schools and a customs officer are reported to be among those being investigated.
Sussex CofE School Chaplain Admits to involvement in child pornography ring
“The Chaplain of Hurstpierpoint College Sussex, a top public school, has been suspended after admitting being involved in an international child pornography ring. (Source: News of the world March 10th: 1996) “
In July 1997, Mark Williams-Thomas led an investigation into public school teacher Adrian Stark, who was charged with possessing child pornography. Stark committed suicide at Beachy Head, East Sussex days after his arrest.[6]
Revealed: Lady Thatcher’s FIVE attempts to secure knighthood for Jimmy Savile while her aides warned about his ‘lurid’ sex life. He was finally knighted in 1990, Lady Thatcher’s final year in office
Peter Ball abuse inquiry requests statement from Prince Charles
Wed 06 Jun 2018
By Press Association
The Prince of Wales has been asked to give a witness statement to a public inquiry about a paedophile bishop who was jailed after abusing young men.
Peter Ball was sentenced to 32 months in 2015 for a string of offences between the 1970s and 1990s, and the handling of allegations against him is now being examined by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA).
At a hearing on Wednesday, counsel to the inquiry Fiona Scolding QC said that statements had been requested from the prince and his principal private secretary.
According to a transcript posted on the inquiry website, she said: “We have also requested a witness statement from both His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales and his principal private secretary.
“The Prince’s solicitors have indicated their client’s willingness to assist us and have raised a number of important issues for us to consider.
“This has led to lengthy and complex discussions and we are currently considering the latest points they have raised. We hope to be able to provide an update to core participants on this in the next couple of weeks.”
Charles had exchanged a series of letters with Ball, the former Bishop of Gloucester, whose diocese covers Highgrove, the prince’s country home.
A spokesman for the prince told the Daily Mail last year that the correspondence contained nothing of relevance to the clergyman’s offending.
Lawyer Richard Scorer from Slater and Gordon, who is representing complainants at the IICSA, said: “It is imperative that the inquiry leaves no stone unturned in its efforts to establish how Peter Ball was able to evade justice for two decades.
“If this means calling Prince Charles and other prominent establishment figures as witnesses then the inquiry should do so without fear or favour.”
DISCLAIMER: THE POSTING OF STORIES, COMMENTARIES, REPORTS, DOCUMENTS AND LINKS (EMBEDDED OR OTHERWISE) ON THIS SITE DOES NOT IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM, IMPLIED OR OTHERWISE, NECESSARILY EXPRESS OR SUGGEST ENDORSEMENT OR SUPPORT OF ANY OF SUCH POSTED MATERIAL OR PARTS THEREIN.
Ball said : ‘He [Prince Charles] has been wonderfully kind and allowed me to have a Duchy house. The prince is a loyal friend.
‘I have immense admiration for him. He has been through horrific times and is a great person.‘
Dame Alun Roberts@ciabaudo
If he didn’t know, he’s hardly fit to be King …
Richard Scorer: My clients accept the PoW has many interactions with Church of England clergy. However our clients do not accept that he claims he was not aware that a caution means an acceptance of guilt.
Scorer claims senior leaders in the Church knew of Peter Ball’s offending but Lambeth Palace did not hand over letters to police:http://ow.ly/M5yK30l4wJe
Mr William Chapman: There’s a reluctance to trust the secular authorities to handle the matter and a willingness to forgive and reintegrate Peter Ball, no matter what he’d done
Elizabeth Hall, Nat Safeguarding Advisor, recommending a further review of Peter Ball information which should involve trying to find all files/documents
Both Michael Ball and brother Peter Ball were not shy about using the name of the Prince of Wales to seek to influence others. Bishop Michael Ball wrote to Lord Carey in Dec 1992 saying that his brother was receiving support from 2 Cabinet Ministers and Prince Charles Peter Ball often mention their friendship.
On 8 March 1993 Peter Ball received a caution for one count of gross indecency against Neil Todd. He resigned immediately. Peter Ball alleged to the Church of England shortly that he either did not wish to resign, and accepted a caution to avoid a trial.
“This Inquiry has been provided with details of allegations made by a total of 32 individuals. These all relate to an alleged abuse of power by Peter Ball for the purposes of his sexual gratification.”
The former Bishop of Lewes, Peter Ball was convicted of two offences of indecent assault, and an offence of misconduct
Peter Ball admitted when pleading guilty that he received sexual gratification from the deliberate manipulation of vulnerable young men, that the contact was consistent with grooming and that he abused his position as a Bishop in the Church of England
In January 1996, Ball was permitted by Archbishop Carey to preach at a particular public school and, to conduct confirmations at other specific schools later on in that year
(1) Why he was permitted to return to ministry in this fashion? (2) Why did no-one think to carry out some kind of risk assessment? (3) Whether or not senior clergy simply thought that Peter Ball’s pleas of innocence should be believed?
“I really appreciate your sympathetic understanding in preventing a scandal with a trial which would have affected the Royal family and establishments in this crucial time of turmoil within the Church of England.” Bishop Kemp comments on a 1990s investigation into Peter Ball
A risk assessment carried out by the Church in 2009 identified that Peter Ball could be identified as a sexual predator given the length and scale of his offending
Prince Charles gives evidence to inquiry into Peter Ball
The Prince of Wales says he was aware that Peter Ball, who lived in Aller, near Langport, had been given a police caution, but claims he did not realise it amounted to an admission of guilt.
Details of Prince Charles’s relationship with Ball will be revealed at an inquiry into the case on Friday.
The next in line to the throne had “decades of correspondence” with Ball and occasionally sent him “small gifts of money”, according to the draft copy of his statement to the inquiry, The Times has reported.
The statement will add that Ball confided in him in 2009 that he had been involved in an “indiscretion” years previously, which he blamed on a person with a grudge.
Peter Ball abuse inquiry requests statement from Prince Charles
Wed 06 Jun 2018
By Press Association
The Prince of Wales has been asked to give a witness statement to a public inquiry about a paedophile bishop who was jailed after abusing young men.
Peter Ball was sentenced to 32 months in 2015 for a string of offences between the 1970s and 1990s, and the handling of allegations against him is now being examined by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA).
At a hearing on Wednesday, counsel to the inquiry Fiona Scolding QC said that statements had been requested from the prince and his principal private secretary.
According to a transcript posted on the inquiry website, she said: “We have also requested a witness statement from both His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales and his principal private secretary.
“The Prince’s solicitors have indicated their client’s willingness to assist us and have raised a number of important issues for us to consider.
“This has led to lengthy and complex discussions and we are currently considering the latest points they have raised. We hope to be able to provide an update to core participants on this in the next couple of weeks.”
Charles had exchanged a series of letters with Ball, the former Bishop of Gloucester, whose diocese covers Highgrove, the prince’s country home.
A spokesman for the prince told the Daily Mail last year that the correspondence contained nothing of relevance to the clergyman’s offending.
Lawyer Richard Scorer from Slater and Gordon, who is representing complainants at the IICSA, said: “It is imperative that the inquiry leaves no stone unturned in its efforts to establish how Peter Ball was able to evade justice for two decades.
“If this means calling Prince Charles and other prominent establishment figures as witnesses then the inquiry should do so without fear or favour.”
Establishment figures who helped disgraced bishop Peter Ball avoid prosecution for sex abuse revealed
December 31, 2015
…they include
David Cameron’s late godfather then Tory MP of Lewes, Tim Rathbone, who gave Mr Cameron his first work experience in the House of Commons.
Mr Rathbone, wrote that he found it “literally inconceivable” that Ball would ever become involved with anyone in the way described.
Anthony John Leslie Lloyd, Baron Lloyd of Berwick, Kt, PC, DL (left)
Anthony Lloyd, who was a Lord Justice at the time, described Ball as a “saint” in one of more than 2,000 letters sent to the Crown Prosecution Service and Gloucestershire Police in his support from acquaintances.
“He is quite simply the most gentle, upright and saintly man I have ever met,” he wrote.
“If there is a latter day St Francis, then Peter Ball is him.”
In 1969 Lloyd was appointedAttorney-General to the Prince of Wales, serving until 1977.
made a Privy Counsellor
He held the office of Deputy Lieutenant (D.L.) of East Sussex in 1983.
Another Deputy Lord-Lieutenant for East Sussex from 1986 until 2000 was:
Lord Hampden, Anthony David Brand
Lord Hampden, Anthony David Brand and Peter Ball, were involved in the Derry Mainwaring Knight Satanist trial
Derry Knight told an astonishing story about his membership in a secret Satanic cult called the Sons of Lucifer
At the conclusion of the trial, Mr. Baker said he remained convinced that Mr. Knight was a genuine Satanist trying to break free, and not a swindler.
The biggest contributor was Mrs. Sainsbury, who wrote checks totaling $116,000. Next came the chief magistrate and former high sheriff of East Sussex, a wealthy farmer named Michael Warren, who is reported to have given nearly $80,000.
The local bishop, the Right Reverend Peter Ball, of Lewes, a monk of whom the judge said, “You may think he is a little unwordly,” also agrees. “Father Peter,”… endorsed Mr Baker’s fund-raising with a note saying it was “a very necessary battle against Satan”.
The parish priest in the village of Newick, the Rev. John Baker, organized a donors’ group to back Mr. Knight in his struggle and mobilized the support, among others, of Viscount Hampden, Viscount Brentford, the Earl of March and Mrs. Susan Sainsbury, the wife of a Conservative Member of Parliament. Their efforts won the support of the Anglican Bishop of Lewes, Peter Ball, a member of a small monastic order who shuns ecclesiastical vestments and worships in a converted pigsty. Group Contributed $313,000
The 35-day trial in Maidstone in neighboring Kent – in which more than 100 witnesses were heard, including the aristocrats who invested in the struggle for Mr. Knight’s soul and the call girls who benefited from their contributions – earned itself a prominent place in the annals of British crime and eccentricity.
Elizabeth Butler-Sloss is related to the Sainsbury family – The Hon. Sarah Sainsbury, daughter of John Davan Sainsbury, married to Hon. Robert Butler-Sloss, son of Elizabeth Butler-Sloss,
Tim Renton
Margaret Thatcher’s former Chief Whip Tim Renton MP said any criminal action against Ball was “far too great a punishment”.
Members of the same club – Alf Bates Club 1974
Jonathan Aitken, Tim Renton, Leon Brittan, Peter Morrison, Sir George Young, Alan Clark…
Aitken :
Aitken –
In 2001 the Purdews of Champneys (friends of Sir Jimmy Savile and Keith Vaz) briefly acquired Inglewood health hydro from agents of Saudi prince Mohammed bin Fahd. Inglewood had been the scene of allegations, published in the Guardian six years earlier, that then defence minister Jonathan Aitken, a director of the spa, had tried to arrange girls for a Saudi prince and his entourage.
The report led to the notorious libel action brought by Aitken ultimately culminating in his being sentenced to jail for perjury.
Former Tory MP Jonathan Aitken, once a director of Champneys Inglewood. He was accused by former employees of acting as a ‘pimp’ by requesting call girls, once for a sheikh and once for a group of Arabs.
And though Aitken met his future wife Lolicia at Inglewood, he also cheated on her with bondage prostitute Paula Strudwick, telling her to collect the right sort of birch branches from the woods outside the estate for sadomasochistic sex games. You’d have thought someone would have twigged what was going on.
Archbishop of Canterbury Donald Coggan and Peter Ball
Former Archbishop of Canterbury, Donald Coggan had ordained Ball in 1977 and said he held him in the “highest regard and respect”.
Queen Elizabeth II thanks the Archbishop of Canterbury, Donald Coggan, for leading her Silver Jubilee service at St Paul’s Cathedral. June 07, 1977
Headteachers from some of the country’s top private schools, including Lancing College and Radley College, Oxford, also wrote in his support.
James Woodhouse, headmaster of Lancing College and former head of Rugby School;
Ian Beer, former head of Harrow;
Richard Morgan, former head of Cheltenham College;
Reverends AJ Keep and NAT Menon, both chaplains at Cranleigh school
Lancing College – alma mater of the Peter Ball and his brother Michael Ball, Trevor Huddleston & Tom Driberg
Roy Whiting – killer of Sarah Payne – in the evenings he would spend his time doing up old cars at home. The most respectable sounding entry on his otherwise uninspiring CV would have been a spell at Lancing College, a leading independent school whose alumni include Evelyn Waugh and Sir Tim Rice.
But Whiting was never a pupil – all he did there was an out-of-hours paint-spraying course when he was 18.
It was also revealed that there had been “two thousand letters of support…including letters from cabinet ministers and Royal Family”.
The member of the Royal family was not named by Ball’s barrister.
Another who wrote in support of Peter Ball:
Peter Nott, Bishop of Norwich,
The Countess Sophie Rhys-Jones embraces Bishop Peter Nott, who was a close friend of her mum,
Sophie Rhys-Jones – One of her mum’s oldest friends- the former Bishop of Norwich Peter NottSophie’s father was a master at Sherborne School
The Queen With The Bishop Of Norwich, The Right Reverend Peter Nott For The Maundy Service. April 04, 1996
More on Sophie Rhys-Jones
“The red-faced wife of Prince Edward quit her own public-relations firm last night after it was revealed her partner hinted they could set up sex tours and gay parties for clients and use the royal family to boost business.
Her partner, Murray Harkin, also quit after a newspaper sting caught him admitting on tape that he enjoyed cocaine and could procure young men and arrange sex tours to the Far East for clients.
The firm can procure “nice boys” for clients. “How young does he like? Does he like Asian boys? . . . And how young?
Referring to Prince Edward’s sexuality, “There’s no smoke without fire.”
Sophie had created a ‘royals for hire’ storm
(She’s not the first of the queen’s daughter-in-laws to be have done this: Prince Andrew’s wife Sarah Ferguson)
Cash for access: Sarah Ferguson is caught on hidden camera during a sting in which she revealed she could organise a meeting with Prince Andrew for £500,000
Fergie took £15,000 from paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein at centre of claims Prince Andrew slept with under-age ‘sex slave’
Prince Edward’s wife was targeted by investigative reporter Mazher Mahmood worked on a tip-off via Max Clifford that her PR company was selling access to the royal family in 2001, the court heard.
In the News of the World ‘s transcripts, the countess appears to betray strong Tory sympathies, describing it as a ‘shame’ if William Hague loses the election.
(The marriage of Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones – guest list includes Prime Minister Tony Blair, Sir Andrew Lloyd Weber, William Hague, Billy Connolly and Stephen Fry)
The men discuss places to visit in Thailand, Harkin recommending some ‘really sleazy’ bars in Bangkok. The three then apparently turn to discussing rent boys, with Harkin confiding that ‘in India I gave someone like two weeks’ pay’.
Rebekah Brooks decided not to run the story and instead rang Buckingham Palace to make a deal.
An agreement was struck for an interview with Sophie in exchange for dumping the Fake Sheikh story.
Sophie’s family is descendant from King Henry II of France and she is a descendant of Edward III and several peers – according to one expert, she is the 11th cousin of her husband.
The Queen uniquely arranged for the public relations girl (before she was married) to have her own pass to enter Buckingham Palace. This enabled her to stay overnight in the royal apartments whenever she wished.
‘She is trusted and relied on by the Queen in a way I couldn’t say applied to the Duchess of Cambridge or the Duchess of Cornwall,’ says a royal aide. ‘She is like another daughter to Her Majesty, they are that close.’
Most significantly — as the Queen approaches her 90th birthday this spring — the closer she becomes to Sophie, the more she depends on her. ‘She talks to Sophie in the way she used to talk to Princess Margaret,’ says a palace aide.
…making sure that the Countess’s 84-year-old father, Christopher, is included on the invitation list to many Royal Family events — a gesture that doesn’t extend to the Middletons.
The Queen and the Countess also share a fascination with military history. Sophie loves listening to the Queen talk about great historical events, and the pair are sometimes gone for hours, poring over ancient documents in the Royal Archives, which are kept at Windsor Castle.
Peter Ball and his safe pair of hands – Elizabeth Butler-Sloss
Elizabeth Butler-Sloss
The Home Office has backed Baroness Butler-Sloss as the right person to lead an inquiry into allegations of historical child abuse, after claims about her over a previous review.
Phil Johnson, who was abused by Peter Ball at age 13, while a choirboy, claims she wanted to exclude some of his allegations against Peter Ball.
Mr Johnson’s claims add to pressure on Baroness Butler-Sloss, who was appointed by Home Secretary Theresa May to head a review of how allegations of abuse linked to public institutions in the 1970s, 80s and 90s were handled.
Church knew about allegations before Cornish preacher went on to abuse boys, investigation reveals
The diocese failed to investigate the accusations against Jeremy Dowling
25 MAY 2018
Dowling became such an important and valued worker and volunteer during a 40-year association with the diocese that a special service of thanks was given in his honour when he retired in 2009
A leading figure in the Church of England in Cornwall went on to commit child sex offences for several years after allegations about his behaviour with young boys were raised with the diocese and not acted upon, an official investigation has revealed.
The diocese failed to investigate the accusations against Jeremy Dowling, a lay preacher, allowing him to rise to influential positions including communications officer to the bishop, an independent review for the church concludes.
The report, released today, says there were “historic failings” within the diocese in dealing with the allegations, first raised in 1972. There was “ongoing knowledge” of the situation among senior figures in the diocese “well into the 1980s” with references to “a big fat file” on Dowling.
After the first allegations of Dowling abusing boys at a North Cornwall school where he taught were dropped by the Director of Public Prosecutions – because of a lack of corroborative evidence – the then Bishop of Truro Maurice Key wrote: “I suppose the problem will now be to find him some other work”.
Dowling became such an important and valued worker and volunteer during a 40-year association with the diocese that a special service of thanks was given in his honour when he retired in 2009.
In 2015 he was jailed for seven years after pleading guilty at Truro Crown Court to 15 charges of sexually abusing boys under 16.
In 2016 he was jailed for an additional eight years after being found guilty of six further charges of indecently assaulting a boy between 1973 and 1977. Those offences happened when he befriended the boy while a lay preacher at a church in Budehaven – and took place after concerns were first raised with the diocese.
The report’s author said the lack of action by the diocese allowed Dowling to gain credibility and authority.
“Because they didn’t take it any further it enabled Jeremy Dowling to reach a position where he made up his own rules, and his position within the church lent him credibility and authority,” said Dr Andy Thompson, an academic, magistrate and member of the Diocesan Council.
The Bishop of St Germans, Rt Revd Dr Chris Goldsmith, apologised for the lack of action and the suffering that resulted.
The diocese failed to investigate the accusations against Jeremy Dowling, a lay preacher, allowing him to rise to influential positions including communications officer to the bishop, an independent review for the church concludes.
The report, released on Friday (May 25), says there were “historic failings” within the diocese in dealing with the allegations, first raised in 1972. There was “ongoing knowledge” of the situation among senior figures in the diocese “well into the 1980s” with references to “a big fat file” on Dowling.
Dowling became such an important and valued worker and volunteer during a 40-year association with the diocese that a special service of thanks was given in his honour when he retired in 2009.
In 2015 he was jailed for seven years after pleading guilty at Truro Crown Court to 15 charges of sexually abusing boys under 16.
In 2016 he was jailed for an additional eight years after being found guilty of six further charges of indecently assaulting a boy between 1973 and 1977. Those offences happened when he befriended the boy while a lay preacher at a church in Budehaven – and took place after concerns were first raised with the diocese.
One of the leaders who was named in the report was Michael Ball, 86, who was Bishop of Truro from 1990 to 1997. The Right Reverend Ball told the diocese he had been informed of the allegations about Dowling but had not seen any need to take action as there had not been a prosecution.
His identical twin, Peter Ball, the former Bishop of Lewes and Gloucester who boasted of links to royalty, 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.
His sentence came 22 years after the abuse first surfaced. He eventually admitted misconduct in a public office and two counts of indecent assault. The court heard how Peter Ball had convinced some of his victims to strip naked to pray and even suggested they submit to beatings between 1977 and 1992.
The first of his victims to come forward took his own life in 2012 after hearing Sussex Police had reopened the case.
There were fears Peter Ball may have taken the place of his twin, who was Bishop of Truro in the Nineties, and therefore duped congregations in other parts of the UK.
The Diocese of Truro was understood to be looking into the evidence that Peter Ball conducted services in Cornwall.
Last year the brothers decided they wanted to become Catholics so they could live in anonimity. Peter Ball asked to join the Roman Catholic Diocese of Clifton in Bristol and both said they wanted to switch faith from the Church of England so they could “live and worship in anonymity” within the Catholic Church.
Former Bishop of Truro was Michael Ball, twin brother of convicted paedophile/friend of the royal family and Jimmy Savile – Bishop Peter Ball.
Jeremy Dowling
The Right Reverend Michael Ball – Bishop of Truro from 1990-97 – told the diocese he had been informed of the allegations but had not seen any need to take action as there had not been a prosecution.
A RECENT service at Truro Cathedral paid tribute to the work of Jeremy Dowling, the Diocese of Truro’s Communications Officer, who steps down at the end of December after more than 25 years in post. He has lived in the Bude area for more than 40 years.
On a wet and windswept evening, a congregation made up from clergy and people from across the diocese enjoyed a service that included readings, hymns and a sermon given by the former Bishop of Truro, Bishop Bill Ind. Also present were the current Bishop of Truro, The Rt Rev Tim Thornton, the Dean of Truro, The Very Rev Dr Christopher Hardwick, both Archdeacons and Mr Martin Follett, the Diocesan Registrar.
During his sermon, Bishop Bill paid tribute not only to the work that Jeremy undertook as Communications Officer but also his very substantial other work for the Diocese including nearly 40 years as a Reader,
seventeen years as Chairman of the House of Laity of the Diocesan Synod, one of the first people to be made Lay Canons of the Cathedral, a member of the General Synod for 27 years, as well as sitting at one time or another on virtually every Board and Committee of the Diocese.
He said, “Jeremy’s media and broadcasting skills are second to none.”
His experience and expertise in the television broadcast area was particularly noted, especially the background work he was able to do which led to programmes such as the very successful and popular BBC series ’Seaside Parish’ featuring Boscastle and the surrounding parishes, which enjoyed weekly audiences if over three million, ’Island Parish’ featuring the Isles of Scilly and ’The Monastery.’
Summing up, Bishop Bill said: “He has been a critical friend, someone who has told me the truth as he sees it. He has made me and indeed others both laugh and think and for both these things and much else I remain profoundly grateful. The Diocese owes him an enormous amount and so indeed do I and a host of others.”
Jeremy Dowling has lived in the Bude area of North Cornwall for more than forty years, with thirty years spent in the parish of St Gennys, and he is Chair of Governors of Budehaven Community School.
In his thanks and response to Bishop Bill, Jeremy noted how the communications role had changed greatly with much more emphasis today on electronic media. He acknowledged with gratitude the work of the local press and media, recognising its essential vitality and the key role it played in championing issues which were important for the church and for society.
“We have enjoyed excellent relations with the westcountry media” he said “and it has been a privilege to work with local journalists and broadcasters.”
He concluded by saying: “In my view, the strength of the Church remains in the local community. There is a lot going on. And the thread which runs through most of the stories is undeniably positive. They chronicle a vigorous, interesting, dynamic, eccentric and imaginative life in the church in Cornwall. Long may it
continue.”
After refreshments, a large bouquet was presented by Bishop Tim to Daphne Dowling in recognition of her support for her husband, and Jeremy was presented with a substantial cheque from parishes and individuals in the Diocese
Former Bishop of Truro Michael Ball and his paedophile ex-bishop twin Peter want to become Catholics so they can live in anonymity
8 DEC 2017
Peter Ball, the former Bishop of Lewes and Gloucester who boasted of links to royalty, has asked to join the Roman Catholic Diocese of Clifton in Bristol, a spokesman for the Church confirmed.
His identical twin brother Michael Ball, who was Bishop of Truro from 1990 to 1997, also sent an email to friends telling them of the idea.
From the email…”The events of the last years and rightly or wrongly the battering by the Church have totally wearied and reduced us.
“We will probably be joining the Roman Catholic Church soon.
…Michael Ball’s complaint of taking a “battering” from the Church was “flippant” and it was “disgusting” the pair were acting as though they were the victims.
A spokesman for the Roman Catholic diocese of Arundel and Brighton said: “We confirm that Peter Ball has been in contact with the Roman Catholic diocese of Clifton, in which diocese he now lives, expressing an interest in becoming a member of the Catholic Church.
“This matter is subject to discussions between Clifton diocese and the statutory authorities, who are the lead with regards to Peter Ball’s risk management in the community.
Disgraced paedophile former bishop Peter Ball with close friend Prince Charles
Peter Ball’s sentence came 22 years after the abuse first surfaced. He eventually admitted misconduct in a public office and two counts of indecent assault.
The court heard how Peter Ball had convinced some of his victims to strip naked to pray and even suggested they submit to beatings between 1977 and 1992.
The first of his victims to come forward took his own life in 2012 after hearing Sussex Police had reopened the case.
Former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey resigned as honorary assistant bishop in the Diocese of Oxford after the public inquiry into child sex abuse last year heard he delayed a “proper investigation” into Peter Ball’s crimes for two decades by failing to pass information to police.
There were fears Peter Ball may have taken the place of his twin, who was Bishop of Truro in the Nineties, and therefore duped congregations in other parts of the UK.
The Diocese of Truro was understood to be looking into the evidence that Peter Ball conducted services in Cornwall.
Now it has emerged the Archbishop of Canterbury’s headquarters received at least six letters from other alleged victims detailing “potentially criminal” and “totally inappropriate behaviour” by Peter Ball in the early 1990s but did not pass them on to police until years later.
“The Church appears to have resorted to staggering levels of deceit in order to prevent the true extent of Ball’s offending coming to light,” said Richard Scorer, a solicitor who is representing victims of Peter Ball.
Details of the letters, all sent to the Church between December 1992 and February 1993, reveal that Peter Ball encouraged victims to pray naked, perform sex acts in front of him and share his bed.
Anglican officials who reviewed the letters in 2009 suggested that, had such evidence been given to detectives in 1993, Peter Ball may have been convicted of serious sexual offences rather than merely cautioned.
But instead of being made public, the letters were kept in confidential files at Lambeth Palace.
It was not until 2012, after several internal inquiries, that the Church finally released documents to police.
An independent review is also currently under way into the way the Church of England responded to the case involving Peter Ball.
BIG SOCIETY: Pictured above, with Prime Minister David Cameron and North Cornwall MP Dan Rogerson, are Co-founder of Community Action Through Sport (CATS) and volunteer Denise Jane May, CATS trustee and volunteer Jeremy Dowling, CATS Project Development Manager Karen Hemmings, CATS Project Development Assistant Louise Anne Harris and CATS trustee and volunteer Sharon Caroline Marshall.
Ex Truro Diocese worker Jeremy Dowling sexually abused boys
5 June 2015
An ex-Diocese of Truro press officer has admitted sexually abusing boys over a period of more than 10 years.
Jeremy Dowling, 76, carried out the assaults on five children, aged between 12 and 15, from 1959 to 1971.
Truro Crown Court heard Dowling abused the boys at sporting events and in toilets while working as a teacher in Devon.
The Bishop of Truro described Dowling’s offences as “deeply shocking” and said his thoughts were with the victims.
Sentencing was adjourned until July 10 for a pre-sentence report to be prepared.
Dowling, of Church Path, Bude, retired from the Diocese of Truro in 2009 after 25 years of service.
‘Damaging impact’
He pleaded guilty to 13 counts of indecent assault on boys aged 12 to 15 and two counts of indecency with a child.
The court heard one assault was carried out on a boy at a cricket match. Others took place in an attic, in storage rooms at a sporting pavilion and in outside toilets.
The Right Reverend Tim Thornton, Bishop of Truro, said many people would have known Dowling as a reader at St Michael’s Church and St Genny’s Church in Bude and as a member of the Diocesan and General Synods.
Bishop Thornton said: “Offences like this will have a damaging and lasting impact on people’s lives.
Former Cornwall preacher Jeremy Dowling ‘assaulted boy’
The assaults happened when Jeremy Dowling was a lay preacher at two churches in the Bude area of Cornwall, Truro Crown Court was told.
Mr Dowling met the boy when he was 10 through church activities and “took him under his wing”.
He has denied six counts of indecent assault on a child and two counts of gross indecency with a child.
The assaults happened in the 1970s before Mr Dowling became a press spokesman for the Diocese of Truro, the court heard.
‘Long time ago’
Jo Martin, prosecuting, said some of the assaults took place at Mr Dowling’s house after the boy had been invited for dinner and on one occasion he was taken to a church on the north coast.
She said Mr Dowling took him up a tower and showed him the view, then took him to a room and assaulted him.
The alleged victim did not tell anyone when he was a child but later, when he was married, told his wife about the assaults.
He said when his wife rang up Mr Dowling, accusing him of being a paedophile, Mr Dowling replied “that was a long time ago”.
He said he eventually went to the police after reading in news reports that Mr Dowling had admitted abusing five boys when he was a teacher at a private school in the 1960s.
Mr Dowling is currently serving a jail term for those offences.
A RECENT service at Truro Cathedral paid tribute to the work of Jeremy Dowling, the Diocese of Truro’s Communications Officer, who steps down at the end of December after more than 25 years in post. He has lived in the Bude area for more than 40 years.
On a wet and windswept evening, a congregation made up from clergy and people from across the diocese enjoyed a service that included readings, hymns and a sermon given by the former Bishop of Truro, Bishop Bill Ind. Also present were the current Bishop of Truro, The Rt Rev Tim Thornton, the Dean of Truro, The Very Rev Dr Christopher Hardwick, both Archdeacons and Mr Martin Follett, the Diocesan Registrar.
During his sermon, Bishop Bill paid tribute not only to the work that Jeremy undertook as Communications Officer but also his very substantial other work for the Diocese including nearly 40 years as a Reader,
seventeen years as Chairman of the House of Laity of the Diocesan Synod, one of the first people to be made Lay Canons of the Cathedral, a member of the General Synod for 27 years, as well as sitting at one time or another on virtually every Board and Committee of the Diocese.
He said, “Jeremy’s media and broadcasting skills are second to none.”
His experience and expertise in the television broadcast area was particularly noted, especially the background work he was able to do which led to programmes such as the very successful and popular BBC series ’Seaside Parish’ featuring Boscastle and the surrounding parishes, which enjoyed weekly audiences if over three million, ’Island Parish’ featuring the Isles of Scilly and ’The Monastery.’
Summing up, Bishop Bill said: “He has been a critical friend, someone who has told me the truth as he sees it. He has made me and indeed others both laugh and think and for both these things and much else I remain profoundly grateful. The Diocese owes him an enormous amount and so indeed do I and a host of others.”
Jeremy Dowling has lived in the Bude area of North Cornwall for more than forty years, with thirty years spent in the parish of St Gennys, and he is Chair of Governors of Budehaven Community School.
In his thanks and response to Bishop Bill, Jeremy noted how the communications role had changed greatly with much more emphasis today on electronic media. He acknowledged with gratitude the work of the local press and media, recognising its essential vitality and the key role it played in championing issues which were important for the church and for society.
“We have enjoyed excellent relations with the westcountry media” he said “and it has been a privilege to work with local journalists and broadcasters.”
He concluded by saying: “In my view, the strength of the Church remains in the local community. There is a lot going on. And the thread which runs through most of the stories is undeniably positive. They chronicle a vigorous, interesting, dynamic, eccentric and imaginative life in the church in Cornwall. Long may it
continue.”
After refreshments, a large bouquet was presented by Bishop Tim to Daphne Dowling in recognition of her support for her husband, and Jeremy was presented with a substantial cheque from parishes and individuals in the Diocese
Anonymous said…
a pal of mine was studying at cheltenham college a few doors along from fred west, he said everyone knew about the sex parties, and when the music was going he could not sleep and would watch out the window, he saw social workers police all sorts going in, homosexual thursdays was packed out, taxis would bring young boys, from whre he could never find out bobby dobson
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goodnessandharmony 
Here is Sharon Evans Charity page,
http://dotcomcf.org/about-us/sharon-evans/
The video at the bottom reveals that the charity was originally set up by Tony Blair!
Already no independence..
The Vimeo site:
http://vimeo.com/user15764286/videos
Appears the charity had a “Strictly Come Dancing Gala evening” on the 16th Sept – supported by the bizarre “Red Square Project” –
https://www.facebook.com/RedSquarePR?fref=nf
If you follow links on FB page to Daily Mail site you can see it was attended by the Blairs.
Further down the Facebook page you see an invite, it’s hosted at “Mansion House” by kind permission of, wait
for it…
“the Rt. Hon. The Lord Mayor”