tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9618060263240387102024-03-05T16:21:42.128+00:00Leaving the Grey RoomThis is a blog about Surviving Childhood AbuseMalcolmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16750431202226062206noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961806026324038710.post-55607249062423944372011-02-17T22:58:00.001+00:002011-02-18T16:20:49.071+00:00We have movedI have made the decision to move this blog.<br />
<br />
This project means a great deal to those of us involved with it and I'm concerned that we could suffer the same fate as Micky and other bloggers on this platform.<br />
<br />
The new address is <a style="font-weight:bold;"href="http://malcolmrichard.wordpress.com/">http://malcolmrichard.wordpress.com/</a> and I very much hope you'll visit us there and also that those of you who have us in your blogrolls will update that information.<br />
<br />
Micky and I look forward to talking to you at our new home.<br />
<br />
Love<br />
MalcolmMalcolmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16750431202226062206noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961806026324038710.post-69468572235531229392011-02-17T19:15:00.001+00:002011-02-17T19:16:06.366+00:00Man held in Torbay child sex abuse inquiry<img align="right" src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/51299000/jpg/_51299744_abuse_still.jpg" style="display: inline; float: right;" />Police investigating alleged sexual abuse of young people in a Devon resort have arrested a 19-year-old man. <br />
<br />
Officers told a news conference in Torbay the alleged abuse involved children aged 12 and upwards and 20 children had been interviewed. <br />
<br />
Police said the offences include indecent assault and rape over two to three years and the victims were known to the offenders. <br />
<br />
They said there could be more arrests in the fast-moving investigation. <br />
<br />
Det Insp Simon Snell said: "Children are completely safe to walk the streets of Torbay. They are not being grabbed off the streets." <br />
<br />
Fifty officers are investigating the abuse allegations. <br />
<br />
The arrested man, from the Torbay area, is being held at Torquay police station. <br />
<br />
Det Insp Simon Snell of Devon and Cornwall Police says children in Torbay are safe to walk the streets <br />
<br />
Each offence had taken place in the Torbay area and none had taken place in a school. <br />
<br />
The offences came to light after agencies involved in child care alerted police. <br />
<br />
Eight social workers are supporting the children who have been interviewed. No children have been taken into care, although two were already in care. <br />
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Det Insp Snell said: "We are looking at other people and other arrests may follow in the coming days and weeks. <br />
<br />
"The abuse could have been taking place over two or three years." <br />
<br />
A letter designed to reassure parents has been sent to those with children attending secondary schools in the Torbay and Teignbridge areas. <br />
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A teacher at one secondary school in the area, who declined to be named, said: "We've spoken to a couple of parents who phoned in this morning, but that was because they hadn't received the letter, which they have now. <br />
<br />
"We'll reassure any parents that need reassuring and provide all the support we can." <br />
<br />
Thanks to <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-12493528" target="_blank">BBC News</a> for this story.Malcolmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16750431202226062206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961806026324038710.post-57734729223798322072011-02-15T00:19:00.000+00:002011-02-15T00:19:06.167+00:00Calling graphic artistsIs there anyone out there who can help me out with a small artistic challenge?<br />
<br />
<br />
You may have noticed that the header image has disappeared from this blog; somehow it seems to have been caught up in the recent Google blog nuking events. This would seem to be an ideal time to create a new header image that gets across the ethos of Leaving The Grey Room.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately I have absolutely no skill in the area of graphic design and while I have several ideas I'm completely incapable of translating them into reality.<br />
<br />
If anybody could help me with this I'd be very grateful.Malcolmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16750431202226062206noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961806026324038710.post-28752035648393591882011-02-14T13:32:00.000+00:002011-02-14T13:32:33.802+00:00Breaking the cycleI think it's time to get some debate going here. With counselling (assuming it survives budget cuts) getting nearer I find my thoughts turning increasingly towards the events of my childhood and adolescence. This isn't an entirely bad thing as long as I don't get 'out of my depth'.<br />
<br />
One of the mitigating factors often put before a court when a child abuser is brought to trial is that he or she suffered similar or worse abuse themselves in their childhood. Now, I try to be fair minded and I can see that certain behavioural patterns can be reinforced by childhood experience but I find it hard to quell a surge of anger every time I hear this plea. I'm not a saint and I don't presume to judge but my personal journey demonstrates that the chain can be broken.<br />
<br />
When I was in Lower Sixth Form I expressed an interest in teaching as a career after getting my Music degree (that was the plan at the time). I already taught beginners classes in violin, that was considered an important part of my own development as a musician, and enjoyed the feeling that I was passing on some of my expertise to a new generation. There can't be a much more compelling reason to teach can there?<br />
<br />
One of my Masters arranged for me to spend one afternoon a week at a local primary school to gain some 'real' experience in teaching. Most of the time I'd be unsupervised (bear in mind that this was 1970) and he wanted me to discover if my trademark temper could be kept under control in a classroom situation. I had a different concern because the Headmaster of the primary school wanted me to help with swimming lessons and then supervise the boy's changing room afterwards.<br />
<br />
I thought about the implications a great deal in light of my personal experiences and decided that this would be my own 40 days and nights in the wilderness. I duly turned up for my first session and found myself trying to bring 15 or so naked 10 year olds under control and persuade them to get dried and dressed so education could commence. I was relieved and delighted when I realised that I had no desire to be anything other than their teacher; the one in charge.<br />
<br />
Sadly my plans got derailed by the ultimate collapse of my relationship with my parents and university didn't happen, neither did teaching; education's loss I'd venture to suggest. What I did bring from that experience was the knowledge that the cycle can be broken.<br />
<br />
Being abused does <i>not </i>have to make you an abuser.<br />
<br />
Would anybody like to add their thoughts?Malcolmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16750431202226062206noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961806026324038710.post-77508222949185969212011-02-11T13:31:00.001+00:002011-02-11T13:31:38.590+00:00Common sense prevailing?Hi everyone. I'm really sorry for the rather extended absence but I found that I was spreading myself a bit thin with trying to catch up on my college workd after I'd been ill. The backlog has been cleared now so I can devote a portion of myself to other equally important matters.<br />
<br />
I'd like to briefly talk about an issue which is germane to the purpose of this blog but is also a potential emotional and political minefield. It has been announced that the rules governing CRB checks for all people coming into contact with children for whatever reason are to be relaxed.<br />
<br />
You may, or indeed may not, be surprised to learn that I'm completely in favour of this relaxation. While I believe that all people who intend to work with children on a regular basis should be rigorously checked I think it's nonsensical that people such as visiting authors and one-off speakers should have to go through this rigmarole.<br />
<br />
At both primary and grammar school we had many visting speakers and one feature of those special events was that they were attended by all the staff whose pupils were in the hall rather than in the form room. Even without the staff present a speaker at grammar school who had nefarious intentions would have needed to molest at least 30 children simultaneously; quite often it would be the whole of the lower school in the hall which was just under 200 children. I don't want to be flippant about such a serious issue but the scenario is surpassingly silly. <br />
<br />
Obviously I wouldn't want to see a return to the<i> laissez faire</i> attitude of my childhood when a teenager was able to abuse me for three years within the confines of a tiny, remote village with nobody apparently suspecting a thing. Conversely I would hate to see children denied the opportunity to meet fine authors such as Phillip Pullman because he finds the idea of the CRB check insulting so decides not to offer his services.<br />
<br />
Let's be clear about something. I don't believe that there is any greater incidence of child abuse than there has ever been. That we are more aware of the problem is clear and the apparent increase in offences is far more likely to be an increase in reporting and prosecution. This is a good thing!<br />
<br />
Children need to be able to be children and that will always present a certain level of risk, be that the risk of falling out of a tree or into a river, or anything else. What is needed is a way to make children more aware of the real risks without making them scared of everything. Sadly I don't see a world where child abuse will stop but the risks can be minimised with a considered approach.<br />
<br />
Above all, I'm talking to you parents, teachers and others who live and work with children, we must listen to children when they tell us that bad things are happening to them. When I was a child it was assumed that a child was lying unless there was concrete evidence to support a claim. Let's make sure <i>that </i>world goes forever.<br />
<br />
Thank you.Malcolmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16750431202226062206noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961806026324038710.post-25856521185709643722011-02-01T17:29:00.001+00:002011-02-01T17:29:03.155+00:00UK: Muslim cleric assaulted boys at Stoke on Trent mosque<div id="story_continues_2" style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"></span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zuBpzlQcyGw/TUhCDZmtlXI/AAAAAAAAHtw/8Uc6f_d2n2M/s1600/1-aaMohammedHanifKhan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zuBpzlQcyGw/TUhCDZmtlXI/AAAAAAAAHtw/8Uc6f_d2n2M/s200/1-aaMohammedHanifKhan.jpg" width="136" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Mohammed Hanif Khan</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="introduction" id="story_continues_1" style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">A Muslim cleric has been found guilty of sexually assaulting two boys at a mosque in Stoke-on-Trent.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Mohammed Hanif Khan, 42, had denied charges of rape, attempted rape and sexual activity with a child.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">A jury at Nottingham Crown Court found Khan, of Owler Lane, Sheffield, guilty of two counts of rape and one of sexual activity with a child.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">The offences took place at the mosque on Capper Street between July and October 2009.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Khan has been remanded into custody and will be sentenced at a later date.</div><span class="cross-head" style="color: #505050; display: block; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.231em; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">Religious education</span><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">The jury could not reach verdicts on other charges against the imam and were discharged from doing so.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Nottingham Crown Court heard Khan was imam of the mosque, where he led prayers and delivered religious education lessons to boys at evening classes.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Prosecutor Tariq Bin Shakoor had told the court one of the boys claimed in police interviews that he was singled out by Khan after evening prayer on several occasions.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">He was assaulted in areas of the mosque not covered by CCTV, Mr Shakoor said.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">The other boy was assaulted when he was an overnight guest at Khan's house, the jury heard.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">In his defence, Khan said he had a close relationship with the boys because he tried to help them with their unruly behaviour.</div><span class="cross-head" style="color: #505050; display: block; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.231em; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">'Exploited trust'</span><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">His lawyer, Robert Woodcock QC, asked him who had invited him to get involved in the families' business and he said it was mainly the boys' mothers.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Don Knapper, district crown prosecutor, said it was a case of abuse of young boys by a man who they and their families trusted.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">"Khan was in a position of trust and exploited the access he was afforded as their teacher to abuse the boys," he said,</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">After the verdict, Det Insp Tim Martin from Staffordshire Police said it had been a thorough inquiry, and he realised the case had been cause for some "understandable concern" in the community.</div><div><i>There are other links to this story at <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-12335032">BBC News.</a></i></div><div><br />
</div><div>..</div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961806026324038710.post-90624257855983160912011-02-01T10:29:00.000+00:002011-02-01T10:29:19.142+00:00Former Catholic Priest on trial for raping two young boys.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zuBpzlQcyGw/TUffs9q6kYI/AAAAAAAAHto/2K9iN3kDdqU/s1600/1-agarymercure.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zuBpzlQcyGw/TUffs9q6kYI/AAAAAAAAHto/2K9iN3kDdqU/s1600/1-agarymercure.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">(former Rev.)</span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">Gary Mercure</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><br />
Who has pleaded innocent<br />
and has not yet been found guilty.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;"></span><br />
<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"></span></div><h5 class="byline" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.92em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font: normal normal normal 1em/normal Arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="name" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">By Bob Gardinier Staff Writer</span></h5><br />
<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- Opening arguments in the trial of a former Roman Catholic priest charged with raping two boys will be postponed until Thursday because of the looming snowstorm.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Ten jurors were selected Monday for <a href="http://www.timesunion.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=local&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Gary+Mercure%22" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #08478d; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Gary Mercure</a>'s trial in Berkshire County Court, officials said. Jury selection will continue Tuesday.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">But even if a complete panel is selected Tuesday, officials said, opening arguments won't be held until after Wednesday, when the storm is expected to end.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Mercure, 62, faces three counts of rape of a child with force and one count of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, according to the office of District Attorney <a href="http://www.timesunion.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=local&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22David+F.+Capeless%22" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #08478d; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">David F. Capeless</a>.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Mercure, who served in two Troy parishes, was indicted in October 2008 on charges that he raped a boy in the Great Barrington, Mass., area in the fall of 1986 and another boy in New Ashford, Mass., in February 1989.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The alleged victims, who were from New York parishes and traveled to Massachusetts with Mercure, are now 34 and 35 years old, officials said.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Albany diocese received allegations of sexual abuse against Mercure in January 2008, said<a href="http://www.timesunion.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=local&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Ken+Goldfarb%22" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #08478d; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ken Goldfarb</a>, spokesman for the diocese. From January until August 2008, Mercure was on administrative leave and was prohibited from all active ministry. He had been serving at the Sacred Heart and St. William parishes in Troy.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Following the diocese's investigation, Mercure was permanently removed from ministry in August 2008, Goldfarb said.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In New York state, Mercure was accused of but never charged with sexually assaulting several boys in Albany and Warren counties. The diocese investigated an incident relating to "misconduct with a minor" involving Mercure while he was at St. Teresa of Avila parish in Albany in the mid-1980s, authorities have said.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The statute of limitations for bringing criminal charges against Mercure in New York had already expired by the time the accusations were made. Massachusetts has a longer statute of limitations for such charges.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Mercure was ordained in 1975 and served as a priest at St. Mary's in Clinton Heights, St. Mary's Parish in Glens Falls, Our Lady of the Annunciation Parish in Queensbury, St. Teresa of Avila Parish in Albany and Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in Latham.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>from </i><a href="http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Snow-delays-testimony-at-trial-of-priest-accused-987421.php"><i>The Times Union </i></a><i>, Albany, New York.</i></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961806026324038710.post-25019829374661386982011-01-12T16:56:00.000+00:002011-01-12T16:56:56.384+00:00Social Worker censured over child's injuries and death<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"></span><br />
<div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"></span></div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"></span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zuBpzlQcyGw/TS3c_fM-sfI/AAAAAAAAHpg/u5wRcj5GED4/s1600/1-aaathechildwhodied.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zuBpzlQcyGw/TS3c_fM-sfI/AAAAAAAAHpg/u5wRcj5GED4/s320/1-aaathechildwhodied.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><b>Sanam Navsarka -<br />
murdered</b></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="introduction" id="story_continues_1" style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">A social worker in West Yorkshire, UK who failed to pass on information about the abuse of a toddler a week before she was murdered has been found guilty of misconduct.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Judyth Kenworthy was warned that two-year-old Sanam Navsarka had a bruise on her head and had been locked in a cupboard - but did not act.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">The General Social Care Council is to decide what sanction she will face.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Sanam, of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, was murdered in May 2008 by her mother's partner.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">She had more than 100 injuries.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><strong style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px;">'Extremely busy'</strong></div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Mrs Kenworthy, a former family placement officer at Kirklees Council, had denied being told about the cupboard incident but a General Social Care Council committee found this to be untrue, following a hearing in London.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Mrs Kenworthy had admitted failing to pass on warning about the bruise on the child's head, saying she had been "extremely busy" at the time.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">She had also agreed that no measures were taken to safeguard Sanam as a result of her actions and admitted withholding information when she gave a statement to police.</div><br />
<div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Detailing why her actions amounted to misconduct, the committee said: "The registrant was not trustworthy in her dealings with the police, concealing relevant information in a criminal investigation."</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">It added: "She did not communicate the information given to her to anyone within social services, nor was she accurate and straightforward in her dealings with the police.The committee said Mrs Kenworthy should not have dismissed a concern about a child without investigation.</div><br />
<div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">"The registrant put others at risk and such behaviour undermines public trust and confidence in the social care services.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">"The registrant's practices did not meet the standards required of a social worker.</div><span class="cross-head" style="color: #505050; display: block; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.231em; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">Shattered leg</span><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">"At the very least she did not work in a safe and effective way. The public expects social care workers to be trustworthy and to work to relevant standards.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">"Confidence in the social care services would be undermined if they do not."</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Sanam died after being beaten over four weeks and was found with fractures to all her limbs. A metal pole was used to shatter one of her legs.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Hand prints and bloodstains were found inside cupboards, where she had been put as a punishment.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Her mother Zahbeena Navsarka, 21, was jailed for nine years for manslaughter. Her mother's partner Subhan Anwar, 21, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 23 years for her murder.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><i>Thanks to <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bradford-west-yorkshire-12174813">BBC News</a> for this report.</i></div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><i>..</i></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961806026324038710.post-51507540315136798922011-01-10T17:17:00.000+00:002011-01-10T17:17:17.214+00:00'Paedophile Ringleaders' jailed<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"></span><br />
<div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"></span></div><div id="story_continues_2" style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zuBpzlQcyGw/TSs-faEQlfI/AAAAAAAAHpI/ESqAWtizMrc/s1600/1-aaguilty-angela-allen-vanessa-george-and-colin-blanchard_EMjKA_16105.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zuBpzlQcyGw/TSs-faEQlfI/AAAAAAAAHpI/ESqAWtizMrc/s200/1-aaguilty-angela-allen-vanessa-george-and-colin-blanchard_EMjKA_16105.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="introduction" id="story_continues_1" style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Bristol, UK.</div><div class="introduction" id="story_continues_1" style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">The leader of a paedophile ring which sexually abused young children and shared the images has been jailed.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Colin Blanchard, 40, of Rochdale, admitted a string of sex offences. He received an indeterminate sentence, and must spend at least nine years in jail.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Two women were also sentenced. Tracy Lyons, 41, of Portsmouth, was jailed for seven years and Tracy Dawber, 44, of Southport, for four years.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Plymouth nursery worker Vanessa George, 40, was jailed in 2009.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">She received an indeterminate sentence, as did the fifth member of the ring, 40-year-old Angela Allen, of Nottingham. They were given minimum terms of seven years and five years respectively.</div><span class="cross-head" style="color: #505050; display: block; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.231em; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">'Svengali-like influence'</span><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Mr Justice Royce, sitting at Bristol Crown Court, said Blanchard was guilty of "breathtaking depravity", and described him as "warped, wicked, dangerous and devious".</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">He told the three defendants: "This case involving the three of you, together with Vanessa George and Angela Allen, has caused widespread revulsion and disbelief.</div><br />
<div id="story_continues_2" style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">"Your influence Colin Blanchard, described this morning as Svengali-like, over four separate women so they engaged in sexual abuse of children in such tender years, is frightening.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">"It is more extraordinary when one appreciates you never actually met three of them face to face.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">"It is beyond the ken of decent people how any of you could stoop as disgustingly low as you did."</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Prosecutors described five defendants as being involved in "one of the most sickening paedophile rings this country has seen".</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Blanchard, an father-of-two, met the women over the internet and convinced them to sexually assault young children and send him the images.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">The ring was broken when a colleague of Blanchard found child sex abuse images on his computer in June 2009 and called police.</div><span class="cross-head" style="color: #505050; display: block; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.231em; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">'Dim woman'</span><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">The net closed in on the others when detectives identified George, Lyons, Dawber and Allen as being the other members.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">George - who was described as being obsessed with Blanchard - abused young children at Little Ted's nursery in Plymouth.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Ex-prostitute Allen and mother-of-nine Lyons also assaulted youngsters to please Blanchard, an IT consultant. The two women were in regular contact on Facebook.</div><br />
<div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Dawber had a face-to-face relationship with Blanchard after meeting him on Facebook. She sexually assaulted a child and allowed Blanchard to take pictures of the abuse on his mobile phone.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Blanchard admitted taking indecent photographs of children, distribution of an indecent image and sexual assault of a child under the age of 13. He had previously admitted 19 other sex abuse charges.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Dawber, a former care worker and grandmother, was convicted in October of sexual assault, arrangement or commission of a child sex offence and five offences of permitting an indecent image to be taken.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Lyons admitted assault of a child by penetration, sexual assault of a child under 13, causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity and three offences of distributing indecent photographs of a child.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Greville Davis, for Blanchard, said his client was a "broken man" who had been diagnosed by a psychiatrist as suffering from bipolar disorder.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Stephen Smyth, representing Lyons, said Blanchard had a "Svengali" hold over his client, who was a "dim woman".</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><i>Thanks to <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-12143586">BBC News</a>.</i></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961806026324038710.post-69254073724954408012011-01-07T17:17:00.000+00:002011-01-07T17:17:51.208+00:00Girls drugged for underage sex<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zuBpzlQcyGw/TSdJ5zpmDOI/AAAAAAAAHoc/35kiXryzH_8/s1600/1-aaDSdebbiepratt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zuBpzlQcyGw/TSdJ5zpmDOI/AAAAAAAAHoc/35kiXryzH_8/s200/1-aaDSdebbiepratt.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">Detective Supt.<br />
<b>Debbie Platt</b></span><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="introduction" id="story_continues_1" style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">The ringleaders of a gang which groomed and abused teenage girls in Derby, England have been given indeterminate jail terms.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Mohammed Liaqat, 28, and Abid Saddique, 27, were found guilty at a trial in November of charges including rape.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">At Nottingham Crown Court, Saddique was jailed for at least 11 years and Liaqat for a minimum of eight.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Many of the gang's victims were given alcohol or drugs before being forced to have sex in cars, rented houses or hotels across the Midlands.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Six other men have already been sentenced for their part in the abuse.</div><span class="cross-head" style="color: #505050; display: block; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.231em; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">'Sexual predators'</span><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">A seventh man was cleared of sex charges but pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Derbyshire Police Det Supt Debbie Platt said the two men were "sexual predators" who were looking for sexual gratification.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">She praised the victims for coming forward and said that "without their bravery we would not have seen the outcome we saw today".</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Liaqat, of Briar Lea Close, Sinfin, was found guilty of one count of rape, two of sexual assault, aiding and abetting rape, affray and four counts of sexual activity with a child.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Saddique, of Northumberland Street, Normanton, was convicted of four counts of rape as well as two counts of false imprisonment, two of sexual assault, three charges of sexual activity with a child, perverting the course of justice and aiding and abetting rape.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">There were 26 girls involved in the case, with the youngest 12 and the oldest 18.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Derbyshire Police said the girls were from a variety of backgrounds and urged all parents to be aware of the risks of sexual exploitation.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">A report published after the gang was convicted said there were "missed opportunities" by agencies to help the girls.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><i>More from <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-12137400">BBC News</a></i></div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><br />
</div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961806026324038710.post-65130631430881541992011-01-06T16:20:00.000+00:002011-01-06T16:20:45.970+00:00Nursery worker arrested in UK on suspicion of sexual abuse<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zuBpzlQcyGw/TSXq4aOZ4uI/AAAAAAAAHoQ/5nONCnKWHeU/s1600/1-aaNechellsnursery_060111_ex_sat_vox_gvs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zuBpzlQcyGw/TSXq4aOZ4uI/AAAAAAAAHoQ/5nONCnKWHeU/s200/1-aaNechellsnursery_060111_ex_sat_vox_gvs.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="introduction" style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">A male nursery worker from Birmingham (England) has been arrested on suspicion of the sexual abuse of a child.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Officers arrested the 20-year-old man at his home in Nechells in the early hours of Wednesday.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">A number of items, including a computer, were seized and are currently being examined by specialist investigators, police said.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">The man is an assistant at Little Stars Nursery in Nechells. Parents are being contacted by police.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">The nursery, which currently has 55 children attending and 14 members of staff, has been closed, a police spokesman added.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">A telephone line for parents has been opened with specialist staff on hand to offer advice and support. The number is: 0121 675 4806.</div><span class="cross-head" style="color: #505050; display: block; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.231em; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">'Victim identified'</span><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Assistant Chief Constable Anil Patani said: "The investigation is in its very early stages; however we believe that we have identified one victim who we believe attends the nursery.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">"The family of this child have been told and police are supporting them at this very difficult time."</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">A joint investigation is being carried out by the force and Birmingham City Council's children's services.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Police said a meeting would be held for parents with children registered at the nursery where senior officers and council officials would provide an update on the investigation.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Mr Patani added: "West Midlands Police and Birmingham City Council do not underestimate the significance this news has on parents and the local community."</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">The nursery was issued with an improvement notice by Ofsted in August after an unannounced inspection revealed it did not have an effective safeguarding children procedure.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">It was given a good rating after a subsequent inspection in November.</div><span class="cross-head" style="color: #505050; display: block; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.231em; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">'Keep parents informed'</span><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Ofsted said the nursery "supports children who speak English as an additional language".</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">The facility is also open to children with learning difficulties and disabilities.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">In a statement Ofsted said it was aware of the investigation and was working closely with the police and the local authority to assist and consider what action needs to be taken.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">"We fully understand how worrying this situation is for parents but it would be inappropriate to make any further comment at this stage of the police investigation.'</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Birmingham City Council said it was also working closely with West Midlands Police and would continue to keep parents informed.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">"We've set up a helpline with specialist staff to offer help and advice," the spokesman added.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">The nursery is not run by the local authority.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><i>We have reproduced this story from the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-12127899">BBC News</a> website, with thanks.</i></div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><i>..</i></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961806026324038710.post-38222574386080715282010-12-15T16:41:00.002+00:002010-12-15T16:43:02.347+00:00"I never abused her" but the Court has found differently.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"></span><br />
<div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"></span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zuBpzlQcyGw/TQju1N6DQdI/AAAAAAAAHl8/du1Ne6T9RBw/s1600/1-aa_50314805_smith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zuBpzlQcyGw/TQju1N6DQdI/AAAAAAAAHl8/du1Ne6T9RBw/s200/1-aa_50314805_smith.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Martin Smith<br />
</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Picture from BBC News</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="introduction" id="story_continues_1" style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">A man whose partner is accused of murdering their two children has been found guilty of child sex abuse.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Martin Smith, 45, of Carlisle, had denied 11 counts of rape, attempted rape and indecent assault on his victim, who is now in her 20s.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">But he was found guilty of the charges at Manchester Crown Court on Wednesday.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">His partner, Lianne Smith, 44, is accused of killing their children Rebecca, five, and Daniel, 11 months, in a Spanish resort in May.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Smith, originally from North Shields, used hypnosis and violence to groom and sexually abuse the girl, the court heard.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Giving evidence via video link from Spain where she is being held in custody, Lianne Smith said she had never had any concerns about her partner of 18 years.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">She said they had left the UK to "protect" their daughter Rebecca after social workers had "threatened" to take her away.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">"We left to protect Becky, so... sorry, we left to protect her from Staffordshire Social Services," she said "and in particular to protect her from the social workers, who had a mission to take our daughter off us. They had already made that threat on the telephone, they retracted that in front of our lawyer, but they made that threat."</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Smith, who appeared on television as a medium three years ago on the Living channel's Most Haunted programme, was warned by the judge that a long custodial sentence was inevitable.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">He was remanded in custody for reports, and will be sentenced in February.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Speaking after the trial, Det Insp Kim Filton from Cumbria Police praised the bravery of the victim.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">She said: "The impact this prolonged abuse has had on the victim is immeasurable, but the bravery she has shown and the trust she has put in us from the outset has been tremendous.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">"Her strength has been brought to this point today and I hope this result will help her to move on and begin to put the past behind her."</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><i>From the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-11997914">BBC website</a></i></div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><br />
</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">/</div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961806026324038710.post-40989533877586890072010-12-14T17:39:00.000+00:002010-12-14T17:39:02.296+00:00This is not a pleasant post to write but in the interests of complete honesty I believe that it needs to be written.<br />
<br />
As you know I had an an assessment session with the counselling service last week and at the time was both relieved and happy that things were finally on course. Unfortunately the euphoria proved to be a little premature.<br />
<br />
I'm used to dealing with persistent, unpleasant memories; they're part of my life and aren't going away. However I usually only have to deal with one slice of history at a time. I hadn't allowed for the fact that in the space of an hour I detailed the whole list of events covering the 15 years between the ages of 3 and 18.<br />
<br />
It was like watching an out of control slide show and I was left completely helpless in the face of so much horror. Seeing yourself as a cowering toddler, an abuse victim, being bullied and then suffering at the hands of your stepfather is not something I'd recommend to anybody.<br />
<br />
With the help of my superb GP and the Exeter Crisis Management Team I've got things under control again and now have access to help, should I need it, at any time from people who have access to the full story. Just knowing that the help is available makes an enormous difference.<br />
<br />
I'm still certain that counselling is the right course and now I know what I'm dealing with I hope I can control things a little more.<br />
<br />
Sorry this couldn't be a more uplifting post.Malcolmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16750431202226062206noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961806026324038710.post-37639798685094939102010-12-09T17:10:00.000+00:002010-12-09T17:10:01.357+00:00A British boy of 12 has killed himself.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zuBpzlQcyGw/TQEM1vDAuvI/AAAAAAAAHk0/wMSnRtTpQyc/s1600/1-aaarticle-1337107-0C67256A000005DC-937_233x573.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zuBpzlQcyGw/TQEM1vDAuvI/AAAAAAAAHk0/wMSnRtTpQyc/s320/1-aaarticle-1337107-0C67256A000005DC-937_233x573.jpg" width="130" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Bradley Wiseman</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A schoolboy hanged himself after playground bullies terrorised him for the way he talked, it is claimed.<br />
<br />
Bradley Wiseman, 12, who it is claimed was being targeted because of his well-spoken voice, was found at his home on Monday.<br />
<br />
Hundreds of friends have now blasted bullies on an online memorial page who are said to have tormented Bradley at his school in Edlington, South Yorkshire.<br />
<br />
Shelly-Louise Hindley wrote on Facebook: 'Hope their guilt follows them always and they realise the severity of what they have caused. . . Rip bradly lovee.'<br />
<br />
Anthony Rushton added: 'You don't deserve this, no one does. Its an awful shock to everyone, we have all been hurt by this.'<br />
<br />
Since the tragedy earlier this week, neighbours have rallied round to help the boy's 37-year-old mother.<br />
<br />
One neighbour said: 'We're all here for her. He was a lovely lad, so polite. It is completely out of character, he never would have done it if he wasn't being bullied at school.<br />
<br />
'They bullied him because he talked politely, he was very well spoken, you wouldn't have known he came from round here.<br />
<br />
'He was a lovely kid and it is so sad what has happened. We are all devastated.'<br />
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Rugby -mad Bradley attended Sir Thomas Wharton Community College and played on the wing for Doncaster Rugby Union Football Club's Under-12s.<br />
<br />
His coach John Wills said: 'He was a lot of fun. There was no evidence of him being bullied at rugby practice or during games.<br />
<br />
'He loved rugby and would come along with his mum and brother and sister.<br />
<br />
'Bradley was really popular with all the other boys.'<br />
<br />
Mary McCorry, headteacher at Sir Thomas Wharton Community College, said: 'Bradley had settled into school well and there have been no reports of bullying or any problems that we are aware of.<br />
<br />
'On behalf of everyone at Sir Thomas Wharton, we are deeply saddened to hear of the sudden death of one of our pupils.<br />
<br />
'Bradley was a bright and popular boy and will be very much missed at school. Our thoughts, prayers and condolences are with his family at this difficult time.'<br />
<br />
An investigation by South Yorkshire Police has been started following the grim discovery at 4.30pm on Monday.<br />
<br />
A spokesman said officers were not treating the death as suspicious.</span></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span><i><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1337107/Boy-12-hangs-bullied-talking-politely.html">From the Daily Mail, with thanks.</a></i></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span>//</span></span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961806026324038710.post-15735331540821357782010-12-08T17:52:00.000+00:002010-12-08T17:52:22.213+00:00First steps on a long roadThings have finally started moving on the counselling front so I thought I'd post a brief update.<br />
<br />
Yesterday morning I had a preliminary consultation with one of the psychologists running the counselling programme for adult male survivors of childhood sexual abuse. My local health authority has only been working in this area for 2 years and this is actually the first fully planned programme.<br />
<br />
The programme proper won't actually start until March next year and it will be group based. In the past I've resisted any attempts to bring me into group therapy because nobody was making any effort to ensure that participants were "like minded", there was a tendency to just lump everybody suffering from emotional problems into an homogenised group.<br />
<br />
That isn't intended to disparage anybody suffering from depression for any reason whatsoever. The point is that suffering childhood abuse brings its own unique emotional issues and, as I've said more than once in the past, only those who were abused as children have the faintest idea what it's really like.<br />
<br />
Perhaps the most startling revelation was that I won't be the oldest person in the group by a considerable margin. One of the people I'll be meeting next March is 10 years older than me and has recently, like me taken the decision to finally face the past. One of the key traits of abuse survivors is effectively denying our past and getting on with life, albeit somewhat ineptly.<br />
<br />
There were a couple of other things that we discussed yesterday which I'll put into a follow-up post. Hopefully they'll spark some discussion.Malcolmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16750431202226062206noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961806026324038710.post-85435861900504688082010-12-02T17:43:00.001+00:002010-12-03T07:57:10.373+00:00Life for boy's abuser and murderer<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zuBpzlQcyGw/TPfZ2oYVTqI/AAAAAAAAHjo/RJaHQf36zTU/s1600/01_50269882_50267476.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zuBpzlQcyGw/TPfZ2oYVTqI/AAAAAAAAHjo/RJaHQf36zTU/s200/01_50269882_50267476.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><b>Darren Newton</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="introduction" id="story_continues_1" style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">A man who murdered his girlfriend's 15-month-old son after months of filming himself abusing the little boy has been jailed for life.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Darren Newton, of Earby in Lancashire, England had denied killing Charlie Hunt but admitted 12 counts of cruelty. The baby died of head injuries in November 2009.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">The prosecution at Manchester Crown Court said Newton, 32, took videos on his phone for "pleasure".</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">He must serve a minimum term of 24 years before applying for parole.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">The jury took 40 minutes to find the factory worker guilty of murder and one count of child cruelty. They cleared him of another charge of child cruelty.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Newton named the video clips "crying, no toys in pen, ahhhh", "squeezing toe in cot", "two minutes of pain" and "shivering no water".</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">The latter was taken on a November night when Charlie was naked in an empty bath.</div><span class="cross-head" style="color: #505050; display: block; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.231em; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">'Futile death'</span><br />
<div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">In one graphic clip, titled "Happy slap", which was filmed two weeks before Charlie died, Newton was seen to slap the child 13 times on the head as he screamed and cried.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Jailing him, Justice Stephen Irwin ordered that the video clips be preserved so the parole board could watch them before he is eventually considered for release.</div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"></span><br />
<div id="story_continues_2" style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">He told him: "It was spiteful and cruel behaviour. It was also inexplicable to any normal way of thinking.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">"It was a series of repeated acts of cruelty for no obvious motive other than the wish to be cruel.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">"Anyone who watches the video clips of some of what you did - and I'm convinced you recorded only some of what you did - will genuinely struggle to understand why you came to do this.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">"Eventually you killed him. It was a futile and wasteful death of an innocent toddler."</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><i>This report is from BBC News. There is more </i><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-11901584"><i>here.</i></a></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961806026324038710.post-60116996524433287382010-12-01T16:39:00.000+00:002010-12-01T16:39:24.448+00:00Welsh boys' homes: Abuse Report recommendations under review<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"></span><br />
<div id="story_continues_2" style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zuBpzlQcyGw/TPZ45OgVMrI/AAAAAAAAHjM/E5JW6sJ0W9I/s1600/grey%252Croom%252Cwindow-279cbcd8ea461736b19a809c384f1edc_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zuBpzlQcyGw/TPZ45OgVMrI/AAAAAAAAHjM/E5JW6sJ0W9I/s200/grey%252Croom%252Cwindow-279cbcd8ea461736b19a809c384f1edc_m.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="introduction" id="story_continues_1" style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">"Open and honest" discussions are being held to see if lessons have been learned from a report into child abuse in north Wales care homes.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">The meeting involving health professionals and politicians comes on the 10th anniversary of the report.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">It focused on the wide scale abuse that took place in the care system from 1974.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Report author Sir Ronald Waterhouse is to see what progress has been made against his 72 recommendations.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">He was the chair of a tribunal which, over two years, heard evidence from 650 people who had been in care in north Wales since the 1970s.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Complaints were made to the inquiry about 40 homes in the old north Wales counties of Gwynedd and Clwyd, although most allegations centred on just seven.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><a href="http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4003097" style="color: #1f4f82; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px; text-decoration: none;">Lost in care</a>, a report of the tribunal of inquiry, was published in February 2000.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Delegates at the seminar at the Pierhead Building in Cardiff Bay include Wales' Children's Commissioner Keith Towler, whose predecessor was the first children's commissioner in the UK to be appointed as a direct result of Lost in Care.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">He said: "I think it is timely a decade on for us to revisit those recommendations with the chair of the inquiry and with others to see whether we've moved on in our care for these vulnerable children.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">"I'm looking forward to having an open and honest discussion with professionals and politicians."</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Arranged by Voices from Care Cymru, an independent charity working with looked after children and whose patron is Sir Ronald, the seminar will also hear from Gwenda Thomas AM, Deputy Minister for Social Services.</div><br />
<div id="story_continues_2" style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Sir Ronald will speak with health and social work professionals about the lessons learned and analyse whether local authorities across Wales are now developing and implementing effective care plans for looked-after children.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">David Melding AM, chair of the Welsh assembly's all-party group on looked-after children and the sponsor for the event, said: "Lost in Care was a landmark report and it is timely to monitor the implementation of its recommendations from time to time.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">"There is no doubt that the central recommendation to establish a children's commissioner for Wales has had a huge impact on the work of the assembly in raising the profile of children's issues, especially those relating to the most vulnerable like looked after children."</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><i>This report is from </i><i><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-11884852">BBC News</a></i></div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: black; font-family: Times; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Lost in Care</b> - Report of the Tribunal of Inquiry into the Abuse of Children in Care in the Former County Council Areas of Gwynedd and Clwyd since 1974 is available to read </span></span><a href="http://tna.europarchive.org/20040216040105/http://www.doh.gov.uk/lostincare/20102a.htm">here</a></div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><i>The abuse which was at the heart of the original enquiry was a truly horrendous catalogue of disaster involving boys from a number of local authority run homes who were both abused (physically, sexually and emotionally I believe) in those homes AND by a number of people, including local Councillors, who would take a child out for a day or just a night in order to abuse that boy before returning him to the home.</i></div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><i>This episode was one of the seminal cases which changed the whole awareness of the abuse of children - and the institutional abuse of kids - which was almost endemic in many parts of England and Wales.</i></div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><i>/</i></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961806026324038710.post-4426881920467561962010-11-29T23:01:00.000+00:002010-11-29T23:01:00.733+00:00School sports<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zuBpzlQcyGw/TPQvHa7dShI/AAAAAAAAHig/rsRwSzUttzE/s1600/1-aa_50106920_kes_rex_304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zuBpzlQcyGw/TPQvHa7dShI/AAAAAAAAHig/rsRwSzUttzE/s320/1-aa_50106920_kes_rex_304.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">From the film KES</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="introduction" id="story_continues_1" style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">With funding changes to school sports planned, a shift to a more competitive ethos is mooted, but there is likely to be a bitter battle for the heart of PE.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">For many people PE encapsulates their unhappiest memories of school. They look back to blasted, windswept sports fields where shouting PE teachers in ill-fitting tracksuits marshalled unwilling pupils.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">The classic fictional depiction is the 1969 film Kes, where Brian Glover's Mr Sugden takes part in a football match as both player and referee, awards himself a penalty and then remonstrates with Billy Casper by knocking him into the mud with a wet football.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">It has that classic breeding ground for school social stigma - the picking of teams. An opportunity to further make life miserable for the group memorably referred to as the "wets, weirdos and fatties" in the sitcom, Red Dwarf.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">The popular perception is that something started to change in the culture of sports and physical education in schools in the 1970s. Activities that didn't alienate the unsporty started to chip away at the dominance of competitive team sport.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"></span></div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">But now there is to be a shift back towards competitive sport. The government is ending the ring-fencing of £162m of funding for School Sport Partnerships, which promoted co-operation in sport and PE provision between schools, as well as inter-school competitions.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Opponents say this will lead to money being used to plug gaps elsewhere in school budgets, but the government is instead focusing on its plans for Olympics-style competitions for schools.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">But what everybody does agree on is the importance of PE. Adults may look back ruefully to being made to exercise in their underpants or do punishment laps of a field, but few would dispute the long-term benefits.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">"Getting the regular habit of exercise ingrained controls weight later on in life," says Dr Andy Franklyn-Miller, a consultant in sports medicine.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">This week his representative body, the British Association of Sport and Exercise Medicine, is to call for a health-focused segment to be incorporated into PE lessons.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><strong style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px;">Forged sick notes</strong></div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">But it's not just about obesity, Dr Franklyn-Miller says. Getting used to exercise helps avoid injuries later in life. Even basic routines like improving balance can be vital to developing children.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Educational consultant Sue Palmer, author of Toxic Childhood, has seen children arriving in primary school with difficulties with basic movement.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"></span></div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-rendering: auto;">Comedian John O'Farrell has unpleasant memories from life at his all-boys school.</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zuBpzlQcyGw/TPQvTe-ZOzI/AAAAAAAAHik/o8UcIGnTraY/s1600/1-aaa_50125008_run.304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zuBpzlQcyGw/TPQvTe-ZOzI/AAAAAAAAHik/o8UcIGnTraY/s320/1-aaa_50125008_run.304.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">The dreaded Cross-Country run<br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">"They have really poor physical skills and physical strength. They are coming through 'floppy' because of [early years spent] staring at screens." It puts even more of an onus on PE teachers. And they have to make their subject fun. While you might be able to force children to learn something from academic lessons, a string of early Kes-style experiences might make some shun sport in adult life.</span></div></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">"My school didn't do football, so I was forced to do rugby. I was small and skinny... was thrown the wet, muddy ball and everyone tried to jump on my head."</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Passing the ball immediately, even to the opposition, was O'Farrell's solution. He then tried basketball, but as a late-developer did not like playing in the "skins" team, without shirts.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">"I tried to shoot for the hoop without revealing my bald, pre-pubescent armpits. The teacher would say 'shoot, O'Farrell, shoot… no, not underarm'."</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">O'Farrell started forging sick-notes from his mother and soon developed a cottage industry performing the same service for other boys.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Former headteacher Roger Hurn, author of 101 Dance Ideas, goes into schools to encourage the use of dance. He says children can be put off sport by bad experiences, as he was by a strict, rugby-mad PE teacher.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><strong style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px;">Danger</strong></div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">"I never played rugby again, the experience under that teacher was so horrible. I won't even watch it. It has a negative effect."</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Modern PE is aimed at avoiding the above scenarios. A plethora of options have sprung up in recent years.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">A recent government <a href="http://www.education.gov.uk/research/programmeofresearch/index.cfm?type=5&x=99&y=16" style="color: #1f4f82; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px; text-decoration: none;">study</a> found 37% of schools offered cheerleading. At a fifth of schools a child can learn yoga. Individual sports like boxing are on the rise, but traditional team games like rugby, hockey and netball are in decline.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"></span></div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Peripatetic practitioner William Allen, author of Games, Ideas and Activities for Primary PE, will try anything to get children's enthusiasm flaring. Street dance, <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/golf/get_involved/4226822.stm" style="color: #1f4f82; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px; text-decoration: none;">tri-golf</a> and American football are among the activities he uses.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">"PE is now a gateway to doing things outside school," says Mr Allen.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">But an older generation of PE teachers also remember great things being done in schools. Now retired, Ray Twentyman taught PE for more than four decades before retiring last year and focusing on coaching young athletes.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Starting out in the 60s at a school in Liverpool, he recalls excellent provision of football, rugby, cross country, tennis, athletics, and volleyball, among others.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">"It was unusually good, but there were lots of other good schools," he says.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><strong style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px;">Cautious mindset</strong></div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">But by the 1980s PE teaching was becoming more prescribed, with the National Curriculum meaning many boxes had to be ticked.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">"You did six-week blocks of a sport. I defy anybody to learn a game properly in six weeks," says Mr Twentyman.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Teachers also have a more cautious mindset.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">"I liked kids to get stuck in. I think today, if it's raining or windy, they won't go out and play," he says.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"></span></div><div id="story_continues_3" style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">His colleague Chris Sproat, now also retired, was disappointed at the limits the evolving health and safety culture imposed. Instead of just taking a group of children for a run outside school premises, forms had to be diligently filled.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Both teachers and children might want things to be a little freer.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">"There are kids who like structured sport, but for the ones who don't we need to be more creative about encouraging them to be physically active," says Tim Gill, author of No Fear: Growing Up in a Risk Averse Society.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">"That might mean introducing more fun, more choice and maybe a little bit of danger."</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">But whatever happens, the place of the brutal Mr Sugdens is hopefully gone. With funding cuts to school sports planned, a shift to a more competitive ethos is mooted, but there is likely to be a bitter battle for the heart of PE.</div><div class="comment-introduction" style="color: #505050; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><div class="introduction" style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Below is a selection of your memories - good and bad - of PE</div></div><div class="comment" style="border-top-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; clear: both; color: #505050; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; padding-top: 16px;"><blockquote style="color: #505050; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="clear: left; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">"I hated PE and our bullying, abusive secondary school PE teachers succeeded in convincing me that I was a fat, talentless no-hoper who just wasn't cut out for any sort of physical activity. (In reality, I wasn't, but as almost the smallest child in the class I certainly wasn't going to make a great impression at any of the school team sports). It was exactly the opposite of what a physical education should aim to achieve, and it's taken me twenty years to fully appreciate the importance of regular exercise and gain enough fitness to pursue it. Competitive sports can offer kids opportunity and a life-long healthy activity and I'm all for that, but the likes of aerobics, dance and martial arts can also achieve essential fitness gains and are more accessible after leaving school than, for example, netball. If we focused on the desired outcome - a generation of fit, healthy kids - then it would be easy to devise a menu of options to suit all tastes and talents. Of course, the inevitable cuts in funding won't help."</span></div></blockquote><br />
<i>From the </i><i><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11814633">BBC </a></i><br />
<br />
<i>Of course if you've read my Story (above) then you'll know why I've posted this story which started about the current round of spending cuts but finished up reminding me of just how oppressive and abusive school PE used to so often be. I hope it's changed - but you can see from this that the wounds are still very raw.</i><br />
<br />
/</div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961806026324038710.post-38068354863578723412010-11-28T13:50:00.001+00:002010-11-28T16:14:30.670+00:00Red Balloon (UK) is for kids who are bullied.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 16px;"></span><br />
<h2 style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.0625em; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zuBpzlQcyGw/TPJdp5VV3rI/AAAAAAAAHiI/PTL4N27w9VU/s1600/1-aaabout1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zuBpzlQcyGw/TPJdp5VV3rI/AAAAAAAAHiI/PTL4N27w9VU/s1600/1-aaabout1.jpg" /></a></h2><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.9375em; line-height: 1.3em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 15px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 15px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The aim of Red Balloons is the recovery of bullied children.</div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.9375em; line-height: 1.3em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 15px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 15px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">We provide an 'intensive care' full-time education for children aged between 9 and 18 who are unable to go to school because they have been severely bullied. At least half of the students we take have attempted or seriously considered suicide.</div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.9375em; line-height: 1.3em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 15px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 15px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">We promise the students whom we accept a safe environment with clear boundaries for behaviour, and an individual full-time academic, pastoral and therapeutic programme.</div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.9375em; line-height: 1.3em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 15px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 15px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Once the students have regained their confidence and are able to cope academically and socially, we support them in their return to mainstream school, their entry to further education or to employment.<br />
<br />
<i>Their website has details of the Centres they run and those they are planning, together with more details and opportunities to donate towards their work.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>If you can watch the programme about Bullying linked in our sidebar (it's on BBC iPlayer and so may not be available in some countries) - but that is about the work of the Red Ballon Centre in London and features several 12 to 14 year old who have been victims of bullying and who are trying to overcome their traumas.</i></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.9375em; line-height: 1.3em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 15px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 15px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>More information from </i><a href="http://www.redballoonlearner.co.uk/"><i>Red Balloon Learner Centres</i></a><br />
<br />
<br />
/.</div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961806026324038710.post-75201818889555382492010-11-27T17:53:00.000+00:002010-11-27T17:53:14.263+00:00Bill targets homophobic and trans. bullying in UK schools<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zuBpzlQcyGw/TPFEE0t4rXI/AAAAAAAAHiA/AuRz6sf3Zeg/s1600/1-aaaStGeorge%2527sschool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zuBpzlQcyGw/TPFEE0t4rXI/AAAAAAAAHiA/AuRz6sf3Zeg/s200/1-aaaStGeorge%2527sschool.jpg" width="175" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">St. George's School<br />
Hertfordshire</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.05em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Education secretary Michael Gove has said that the government will work with gay and anti-bullying charities to tackle homophobia in schools.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.05em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A white paper on education released yesterday said that homophobic bullying was on the rise and schools must take it seriously.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.05em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">It said two-thirds of lesbian, gay and bisexual pupils are bullied because of their sexuality, while straight students are often subjected to anti-gay abuse too.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.05em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The white paper added: “Schools should take incidents of prejudice-based bullying especially seriously. It is important that they educate children about the differences between different groups of people and create a culture of respect and understanding.”</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.05em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">It cited a Christian school in Hertfordshire, St George’s Church of England school, which claims to have seen “near elimination of overt homophobia” through staff training on how to tackle the issue.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.05em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The document says that the government will “reduce unnecessary prescription and bureaucracy” and ensure that headteachers “feel empowered to do what they think is right”.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.05em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Mr Gove said yesterday that “political leaders and all of society” must tackle the “growing prejudice” of anti-gay harassment in schools.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.05em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Responding to a question from out gay Tory MP Iain Stewart, he said: “Homophobic bullying is on the rise in our schools, and homophobic terms are increasingly used towards gay students and straight students in a way that seeks to undermine the tolerance that we have built up over the past 15 years.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.05em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“We therefore need to work with organisations such as Stonewall and the Anti-Bullying Alliance, and to shine the light on schools such as St George’s Church of England school, which has done a fantastic job in tackling homophobic bullying.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.05em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“This requires work not only by school leaders but by political leaders and all of society to tackle a growing prejudice that is scarring our tolerant society.”</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.05em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A Stonewall spokesman told PinkNews.co.uk: “We’re delighted that, after some years of discussion, both the nature of different families and homophobic bullying feature in the white paper.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.05em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“This is a hugely important step forward. We’ll continue to work with ministers, Ofsted and others until all schools are tackling the prejudice-based bullying which still blights the lives of too many young people.”</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.05em; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>from </i><a href="http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2010/11/25/gove-we-will-work-with-stonewall-to-tackle-growing-anti-gay-bullying/"><i>Pink News,</i></a><i> with thanks.</i></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961806026324038710.post-51380696484524749782010-11-26T15:46:00.000+00:002010-11-26T15:46:15.067+00:003rd man sentenced in Cornwall sex abuse case<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"></span><br />
<div class="introduction" id="story_continues_1" style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 16px;"></span></b></span></div><b><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"></span></div><div id="story_continues_2" style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"></span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zuBpzlQcyGw/TO_VvtvDe7I/AAAAAAAAHhw/ydKoQREd-iY/s1600/1-aaaagirl_violence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zuBpzlQcyGw/TO_VvtvDe7I/AAAAAAAAHhw/ydKoQREd-iY/s200/1-aaaagirl_violence.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">This picture is posed<br />
by an actress</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="introduction" id="story_continues_1" style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 16px;"></span></b></span></div><b><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; display: inline !important; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"></span></div><div id="story_continues_2" style="clear: left; color: #333333; display: inline !important; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"></span></div><div class="introduction" id="story_continues_1" style="clear: left; color: #333333; display: inline !important; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 16px;"></span></div><div class="introduction" id="story_continues_1" style="clear: left; color: #333333; display: inline !important; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">A third man involved in a paedophile ring which police say abused dozens of girls has been convicted of sex crimes.</div></b><b></b><b></b><br />
<div class="introduction" id="story_continues_1" style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 16px;"></span></div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">James Machin was found guilty at Truro Crown Court of 10 sex offences relating to girls under 13. Two others were convicted of sex abuse charges in 2008.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Police described the abuse by the men in the Camborne area, found in a three-year investigation, as "horrific". One victim was five years old.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Investigations began in December 2007 after concerns from a victim's parent.</div><span class="cross-head" style="color: #505050; display: block; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.231em; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">Victims given drugs</span><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Two girls were abused by the same three men, the court heard.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">John Barrett, 49, from the Camborne area, abused two girls, who were aged five and seven when the crimes first started, and passed them on to John Wrey to do the same.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Barrett was jailed for 14 years and 6 months in 2008 for 16 sexual offences.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Wrey, 55, from Hayle, who was arrested at the same time as Barrett, is serving a five-and-a-year sentence for his part in the abuse after he was also convicted in 2008.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">On Friday a jury decided, after two days of deliberations, that Machin was also guilty of similar sex offences against the girls which Barrett had passed on to him.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Machin, 54, from Falmouth, who had denied all 10 counts, has yet to be sentenced.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">The court was told Barrett and Machin took two young girls to a house at Flushing, near Falmouth, where they abused them.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">The girls were given cigarettes and sometimes had to sniff drugs during their ordeals.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Reporting restrictions on the investigation, named Operation Lakeland, have now been lifted.</div><br />
<div class="introduction" id="story_continues_1" style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><i>And the report continues . . .</i></div><div class="introduction" id="story_continues_1" style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">A major paedophile ring which abused about 30 young girls in Cornwall has been smashed by police.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">The trail of abuse can only be reported now, after Falmouth kitchen fitter James Machin, 54, was convicted at Truro Crown Court of a series of sexual offences.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">His conviction, along with those of John Barrett and John Wrey two years ago, is the conclusion of a three-year investigation by police.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Barrett, 49, a builder from Camborne, was jailed for 14 years in 2008, while 55-year-old Wrey, from Hayle, was sentenced to five-and-a-half years.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Earlier this month a fourth man, 46-year-old Alan Wills from Camborne, was convicted of sexual offences against children at Truro Crown Court.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Although no link was established between Wills and the others, two of the victims were abused by all four men.</div><br />
<div id="story_continues_2" style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">According to the investigating officer, the abuse has left a trail of mental scars which may never be healed.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Machin was introduced to the victims in 2005 by convicted paedophile Barrett, who had already been grooming and abusing them before passing them on to other men to do the same.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">The court heard Barrett and Machin took the young girls to an empty holiday cottage in Flushing near Falmouth that Machin had a key for.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">The victims, some as young as five, were repeatedly raped and abused, with the prosecution describing the offences as "abominable" and "depraved".</div><span class="cross-head" style="color: #505050; display: block; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.231em; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">'Never forget'</span><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Senior investigating officer Det Insp Simon Snell said: "We are talking about the rapes of very young children for a number of years.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">"The abuse has been really awful."</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Det Insp Snell believes the children, who are all undergoing counselling for their abuse, will never recover.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">He said: "I don't feel there is such a thing as closure.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">"They are all at different stages in their recovery from this awful traumatic situation.</div><br />
<div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">"Some of them may get over it, but my personal view is that it is something they will never forget for the rest of their lives."</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Officers were accompanied by staff from local children's services when they interviewed victims to ensure that children were treated correctly.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Det Insp Snell added: "It is the most horrific abuse you can possibly imagine.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">"I have got 29 years service as a police officer and the abuse I have seen in this investigation is probably the most serious I have ever had to deal with."</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Police suspect that despite having "exhausted every line of inquiry" there will other victims.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">The mother of one of Machin's victims said she felt "extremely angry", but also guilty.</div><span class="cross-head" style="color: #505050; display: block; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.231em; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">Victim on drugs</span><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">The woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, said: "I didn't look after her, although I tried.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">"I did feel guilty because a parent's job is to look after her children."</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">Since the offences she has discovered that her daughter, who is now living with friends, has been taking drugs.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">She said: "I believe it was a lot to do with this, trying to block it out."</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">She said her daughter needed continued counselling.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">"She's trying so hard to get on the straight and narrow, to do the right thing, but because her head is so messed up she doesn't know what to do.</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">"She's just completely all over the place."</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><br />
</div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">These reports are from <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-11839816">BBC News.</a></div></b><br />
<div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"></span></div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"></span></div><div class="story-body" style="color: #505050; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; width: 464px;"><div><div style="color: #505050; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><div class="story-related" style="clear: both; color: #505050; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: visible; overflow-y: visible; position: relative; width: 464px;"></div></div></div></div><div style="color: #505050; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><div class="story-related" style="clear: both; color: #505050; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 16px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: visible; overflow-y: visible; position: relative; width: 464px;"></div></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961806026324038710.post-71910163035036091082010-11-25T11:14:00.001+00:002010-11-25T20:20:30.348+00:00From Parent Channel tv: bullying: advice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zuBpzlQcyGw/TO5Eg_HidjI/AAAAAAAAHhI/whQEwBcBkjA/s1600/Daran_180.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zuBpzlQcyGw/TO5Eg_HidjI/AAAAAAAAHhI/whQEwBcBkjA/s400/Daran_180.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<i>Find more stuff from the Parent Channel </i><a href="http://www.parentchannel.tv/video/bullying-5-9-advice?gclid=CKqenu_nu6UCFZBO4Qod026gYw"><i>here.</i></a><br />
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/.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961806026324038710.post-58142365288192727282010-11-24T14:36:00.000+00:002010-11-24T14:36:38.105+00:00Recognising Child Abuse<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><b>It's important we get the facts about child abuse but it's just as vital we don't panic and over-protect our children.<br />
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Parenting expert Eileen Hayes wrote this article in February 2004. This article was last reviewed by Heather Welford in September 2008.</b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zuBpzlQcyGw/TO0iK3KzedI/AAAAAAAAHg8/EuJCB0bDXC8/s1600/2439814010_9792d405f8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zuBpzlQcyGw/TO0iK3KzedI/AAAAAAAAHg8/EuJCB0bDXC8/s320/2439814010_9792d405f8.jpg" width="312" /></a></div><br />
<div style="color: #424242; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.3em; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><b>There are four main types of abuse:</b></div><ul style="clear: both; color: #424242; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 25px; margin-left: 14px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li style="clear: both; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong>Physical</strong> - when parents or other adults deliberately injure a child or do nothing to prevent it. This not only includes physical violence but also giving children alcohol or drugs. The most serious cases can result in brain damage and even death.</li>
<li style="clear: both; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong>Emotional</strong> - when parents continuously fail to show love and affection to a child. This might include sarcasm, threats, criticism, yelling and taunting. The effects are serious and long-lasting.</li>
<li style="clear: both; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong>Neglect</strong> - when parents fail to meet a child's basic needs for food, warmth, clothing or medical attention. Neglected children may be very withdrawn or very aggressive, and can develop health problems or have difficulty coping at school.</li>
<li style="clear: both; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong>Sexual</strong> - when an adult, or sometimes an older child, uses a child for sexual gratification. This might mean forcing a child to carry out sexual acts, or deliberately showing a child adult pornographic videos or magazines, and filming or photographing children in a sexual way. Both boys and girls are sexually abused, and it can happen to very young children - even babies - as well as older ones. The effects of sexual abuse are enduring and highly damaging. Some children who are abused in this way may go on to become abusers themselves.</li>
</ul><div style="color: #424242; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.3em; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Although parents worry a great deal about paedophiles and 'stranger danger,' it's important to remember that most sexual abuse happens in the family home and is carried out by someone known to the child.</div><h2 style="border-top-color: rgb(193, 193, 193); border-top-style: dotted; border-top-width: 1px; clear: both; color: #424242; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 12px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 15px;"><a href="" name="key_facts" style="color: #9933cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"></a>Key facts</h2><ul style="clear: both; color: #424242; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 25px; margin-left: 14px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li style="clear: both; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">It's estimated that at least one child dies every week in England and Wales as a result of physical abuse. Babies are particularly vulnerable and are five times more likely to be killed than all other ages.</li>
<li style="clear: both; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Approximately 30,000 children are currently on child protection registers. A child's name is placed on the register when health or social services staff are concerned that the child's at risk of abuse.</li>
<li style="clear: both; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Eight out of ten young people who've experienced physical abuse have also seen violence between their parents and carers.</li>
</ul><h2 style="border-top-color: rgb(193, 193, 193); border-top-style: dotted; border-top-width: 1px; clear: both; color: #424242; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 12px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 15px;"><a href="" name="talking_to_your_children_about_abuse" style="color: #9933cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"></a>Talking to your children about abuse</h2><div style="color: #424242; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.3em; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">It often isn't possible to protect your child from stories of abuse or abduction in the news. If your child is upset by a reported case, stress these cases are very rare and that almost all children lead safe and happy lives; only a tiny percentage of adults hurt children in any way.</div><h2 style="border-top-color: rgb(193, 193, 193); border-top-style: dotted; border-top-width: 1px; clear: both; color: #424242; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 12px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 15px;"><a href="" name="getting_help" style="color: #9933cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"></a>Getting help</h2><div style="color: #424242; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.3em; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">If you have any concerns about a child's safety, trust your instincts and take action to make sure any abuse is stopped.</div><ul style="clear: both; color: #424242; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 25px; margin-left: 14px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li style="clear: both; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Call the NSPCC's free 24-hour helpline on 0808 800 5000 (textphone 0800 056 0566) or email help@nspcc.org to discuss your concerns</li>
<li style="clear: both; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Call the police - if a child is in danger, contact them immediately</li>
<li style="clear: both; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Talk to your GP,</li>
</ul><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #424242; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><i>This is taken from a </i><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/physical_health/child_development/safety_abuse.shtml"><i>BBC Health </i></a><i>information page, with thanks.</i></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #424242; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;">/.</span></span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961806026324038710.post-6158079104516912352010-11-23T09:07:00.003+00:002010-11-23T09:38:28.196+00:00In Court the weak are punished along with the violent<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zuBpzlQcyGw/TOuDfCbl2hI/AAAAAAAAHgQ/g_fvl_XGEXE/s1600/1-aaaateen-at-computer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="118" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zuBpzlQcyGw/TOuDfCbl2hI/AAAAAAAAHgQ/g_fvl_XGEXE/s200/1-aaaateen-at-computer.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="introduction" style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; font-style: normal; line-height: normal;">A student who admitted downloading and distributing images of children being sexually abused was sentenced to three years on probation at Belfast Crown Court on Friday.<br />
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Garrett Fox, 20, from Belfast pleaded guilty to 14 charges of possessing 144 indecent images of children being abused. He also plead guilty to three further counts of distributing indecent images.<br />
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The judge imposed a three-year Sexual Offences Prevention Order. The order bans Fox from seeking to get a job which would bring him into contact with children and also prevents him from having unsupervised contact with children without their guardian's permission. Fox was also banned from owning or using any internet capable device which does not have software on it which allows police to monitor his internet activity.<br />
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Judge Philip Babington told a weeping Fox that while he accepted there was little risk of him reoffending, "one must not forget" that the children depicted in the images are the real victims. "The advent of the internet has allowed true paedophiles to spread their evil around the globe and insnare vulnerable people such as this defendant," the judge added.<br />
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Prosecuting lawyer Gary McCrudden told the court that on a planned operation, police raided Fox's parents home and seized two laptop computers and a number of DVD's. Mr McCrudden said officers found the images of children being abused. He added that while most were spread among the least offensive categories of one to three, there were 23 images in categories four and five.<br />
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According to the guideline authorities, pictures in categories four and five can depict the most graphic images. Mr McCrudden said the investigation also revealed that 17 images had been forwarded on to someone known only as "cjrhorny" but that whatever had been sent was unable to be categorised.<br />
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After he was arrested and interviewed Fox, who is currently studying at Northumbria University, made full admissions to police, claiming that some of them had been downloaded when he was about 15-years-old. Fox also said and that he would have sent indecent images of himself "to people he claimed would have been older".<br />
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Defence lawyer Patrick Taggart claimed the offences arose from "an innocent journey of sexual discovery - his interest lay in people of his own age".<br />
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In handing down the probation term, Judge Babington said it appeared the distribution offences were more akin to the "swapping" of images with people "older and certainly much more involved in this activity than the defendant. It seems that this (swapping) was to people less innocent than he was, indeed very much the opposite," the judge said, adding that one doctor had opined that Fox himself "was the victim of paedophiles" on the internet.</span></span></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; font-style: normal; line-height: normal;"><br />
</span></span>Thanks to </i><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-11801707"><i>BBC News</i></a><i> for this report.</i></span></div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><i>While undoubtedly Garrett Fox has been a naughty boy according to our laws I can't help feeling deeply uneasy about why he was interested in the first place. If he started collecting stuff at fifteen years old then I have to wonder what sort of upbringing he had in a part of the UK where there is still a very high incidence of corporal punishment and violence in home-life, when compared to the remainder of the UK.</i></div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;"><i>I kind of feel that we're not being told everything here. My Granny used to say that there's no smoke without fire.</i></div><div style="clear: left; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 1.077em; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">./</div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961806026324038710.post-23656169728209810792010-11-19T13:48:00.000+00:002010-11-19T13:48:03.700+00:00Bullying is also a form of abuseMost people are aware of the principal forms of abuse and for better or worse we tend to label them individually. Thus we have sexual abuse, physical abuse and psychological abuse (although I would suggest that psychological abuse is an inevitable concomitant of the other forms).<br />
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There is, however a form of abuse that usually carries a different label and that’s because to recognise it for what it really is would force a lot of parents, teachers and others with responsibility for children out of a comfort zone.<br />
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I’m talking, of course, about bullying and, whether you want to face it or not, bullying is a form of abuse.<br />
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If you’ve read my story you’ll be aware that I was bullied throughout my time at Grammar school. This started with teasing and name calling as well as references to my sexuality; I was 11 at the time! Realising that I was physically weak and unable to defend myself seemed to inspire much bigger and stronger boys to take things further and start physically assaulting me.<br />
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Masters chose to interpret the sometimes blatant injuries inflicted on me as “boys will be boys” style roughhousing, a normal part of Grammar school life; apparently. Had the Masters known the trouble I got into at home over the damage to my uniform, and to me, would they have taken a different attitude? I have a disturbing feeling that the answer to that is no.<br />
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There’s an old saying that a successful lie requires the consent of at least 2 people; one to tell the lie and one to accept it. Masters and Parents alike chose to accept my lies that my own clumsiness had caused my injuries and nobody bothered to question how “I walked into a door, Sir” could result in a torn blazer and trousers, or the contents of my satchel strewn along a corridor.<br />
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There are two principal reasons why I consider bullying to be a form of abuse.<br />
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In the first place, bullies are opportunistic and prepared to act with almost blinding speed when presented with the smallest window of opportunity. In that respect the boys who bullied me were no different to the predatory youth who made my life hell with his sexual attentions.<br />
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In the second place, and I’ve talked to other people who were bullied, the victim’s response is often alarmingly similar to that shown during other forms of abuse. The lies and denial are the same as is the depression. The motivation to silence is very simple; fear of reprisal.<br />
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When you can’t understand why this is happening to you it’s unbearable. The only thing I gained from this experience was an almost inhuman bladder capacity; I was terrified of having to use the boys’ school toilets.Malcolmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16750431202226062206noreply@blogger.com6