BBC program to expose Cadet serial child abuser - Harborne
Child sex abuse among Sea Cadets covered up - Cheshunt
23 y/o sentenced for grooming and CSA of 13 y/o boy - Doncaster
Did Comm. Shaun Wright lie to MPs of knowledge of CSA - Rotherham
'Loner' child porn user given chance to rehabilitate - Carlisle
Transgender woman sent to jail for awful CSA when a man - Cheltenham
Former Birmingham army cadet leader Brian Leonard named as serial child abuser by Panorama
Alleged victim among 10 men who claim they were abused by commanding officer at Tennal Grange Cadets in 1980s
BY AMARDEEP BASSEY
A former commanding officer of a Birmingham army cadet base has been accused of being a serial child sex abuser who targeted young recruits.
Brian Leonard was named in a Panorama investigation which claims the British Army, Air and Sea Cadets is facing an abuse scandal on the scale of the Jimmy Savile and the Catholic Church inquiries.
The BBC programme spoke to 10 men who claim to have been abused by Leonard in the 1980s, when he was commanding officer at Tennal Grange Cadets base in Harborne .
Alleged victims of a number of other figures within the service have also spoken out for the first time to claim their complaints of sexual abuse were covered up.
Hundreds of cases of CSA
Figures released by the Ministry of Defence show that of 363 reports of sexual abuse were lodged between 2012 and 2017, with 282 referred to police.
The allegations led to the dismissal of 99 instructors across the three cadet branches, as Whitehall paid out more than £2 million in compensation to survivors.
One Birmingham victim, calling himself Martin, told BBC Panorama that he was abused by Leonard, when he was at Tennal Grange.
Martin told the programme he was targeted when he was aged only 12 and was ‘systematically abused and raped and repeatedly over many years.”
He added: “You are trained to follow orders and obey the command … and do as they tell you, and that does include having to lie on the floor on a dirty blanket.
 |
| Tenal Grange, Harborne |
“You just follow the orders, just do as you are told.”
During its seven-month investigation Panorama spoke to 10 men who were allegedly abused by Brian Leonard in the 1980s.
A girlfriend of one of the victims threatened to report Leonard to the police in 1987, but it is claimed cadet officers pressured her to keep quiet.
No investigation into Leonard was ever carried out and he died in 1996.
David McClenaghan, head of law firm Bolt Burdon Kemp’s abuse department representing victims said: “I have absolutely no doubts that the abuse in the cadets will mirror the other scandals like the Jimmy Saville case, like the abuse in the Scouts, like abuse in the Catholic Church.”
The Ministry of Defence said: “Child sexual abuse is an abhorrent crime, and we have robust procedures in place to protect cadets. We encourage anyone who has been a victim, or knows someone who has, to report it to the police.
“Following the recent allegations of safeguarding failures across various institutions, the Cadet Forces are reviewing cases of non-recent abuse to determine whether they were handled correctly and to identify any further necessary action.”
The Army, Air and Sea Cadets is one of Britain’s largest youth groups, overseen by the Ministry of Defence, and is responsible for nearly 130,000 children in more than 3,000 clubs across the country.
An NSPCC spokesman said: “This systematic and vile sexual abuse of children spanning decades is utterly shameful. It was perpetrated by those in power who held these children’s futures in their hands.
“The exposure of this appalling cover up gives us hope that it is never too late for victims to come forward, for abusers to be brought to justice and for those who have suffered to get the help they need. “Abuse can happen in any walk of life and its effects can last a lifetime.
“We must ensure we do not return to the days when it was shrouded in secrecy and covered up by our most cherished institutions."
“Adults can contact the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000, and Children can contact Childline any time on 0800 1111.”
Harborne, UK
Cheshunt Sea Cadets covered up child sex abuse by
commanding officer who was promoted
By Narbeh_M
Allan Waters pictured with a group of cadets that featured in the Mercury in 1980
A victim of child sex abuse has spoken out over a traumatic experience at Cheshunt Sea Cadets – and the offender ended up with a promotion.
The victim, known simply as Tony, told BBC Panorama investigators he was 14 when he woke up "exposed" while on a weekend trip in 1979 and found his commanding officer, Allan Waters, beside his bed.
He told Panorama: "I looked down and I was exposed… there was no doubt in my mind that he was touching me, no doubt in my mind whatsoever."
A programme regarding this allegation and others made against Birmingham and Glasgow Sea Cadets will air tonight (July 4), focusing on decades of abuse covered up by the organisation.
Terrified from the ordeal, Tony told his parents what happened and they then complained to the Sea Cadets and were visited by two officers in full uniform. They were both discouraged from taking the matter to police and were promised Waters would be moved from looking after children.
However, a Panorama investigation revealed he was not dismissed or suspended and was actually promoted and relocated to North London, where he was in charge of ten units.
According to the BBC Waters' appointment raised concern among other members but they were dismissed by the Captain of the Sea Cadets, who said the allegations were "not proved" despite being "thoroughly investigated".
Waters was later convicted for separate child abuse offences in India in 2006 and placed on the Sex Offenders Register.
Waters held a title in a naval veterans' organisation as honorary secretary of HMS President Retired Officers Association until March 2017 – more than a decade after he was placed on the register.
The NSPCC has condemned the incident in Cheshunt as "utterly shameful" and described it as an "appalling cover-up".
A spokesperson said: "This systematic and vile sexual abuse of children spanning decades is utterly shameful. It was perpetrated by those in power who held these children's futures in their hands.
"The exposure of this appalling cover up gives us hope that it is never too late for victims to come forward, for abusers to be brought to justice and for those who have suffered to get the help they need.
"Abuse can happen in any walk of life and its effects can last a lifetime. We must ensure we do not return to the days when it was shrouded in secrecy and covered up by our most cherished institutions."
Adults can contact the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000, and Children can contact Childline any time on 0800 11 11.
A statement from the Sea Cadets said: "The charity cooperated fully with the BBC Panorama investigation. We are appalled at what happened and unreservedly apologise for any hurt or anger felt in regard to these cases. They are not reflective of our organisation today."
"We have instituted wholesale, radical change. We have and continue to put in place substantial measures designed to educate and enforce in order to prevent repetition. We encourage anyone who is a victim to report it to the Police and anyone with any concerns can speak to our supporter care team (020 7654 7010)."
The Panorama investigation will air tonight on BBC One at 10.45pm.
Doncaster man jailed for child sex offences
South Yorkshire Police presser
A 23-year-old man has been sentenced to four years and four months behind bars for ten sexual offences against a teenage boy.
John Nicolson, of Gargrave Close, Doncaster, was handed the sentence at Sheffield Crown Court on Friday 30 June, after pleading guilty to five counts of sexual activity with a child, two counts of causing a child to watch a sexual act, two counts of possession of indecent photographs of a child and one count of disclosing a private sexual photograph with intent at an earlier hearing.
Officers launched an investigation after concerns were raised by the parents of a 13-year-old boy about Nicolson’s inappropriate behaviour towards him.
Nicolson had been using social media pages and an online dating app for over three months, to develop a relationship with the 13-year-old, lying about his own age and claiming he was 16-years-old.
He met up with the boy on several different occasions in Doncaster and sent presents, expressing his feelings toward him, to his home.
Officers arrested Nicolson at his home address in February and later charged him with the offences.
Detective Constable Richard Dickinson, who led the investigation, said: “Nicolson knew the age of his victim and intentionally continued to purse and develop a relationship with him. His actions were for his own sick gratification and I would like to thank the victim for the bravery and courage he has demonstrated throughout both the investigation and the court process."
“I hope the young boy and his family feel some sense of justice has been achieved now Nicolson is behind bars for his despicable actions. We take any report of a sexual offence extremely seriously and I hope this investigation represents our commitment to thoroughly investigate all reports and protect victims of sexual abuse."
“If you have any concerns about someone you may know being a victim of child sex offences, please report it to police or anonymously through Crimestoppers. Everyone at South Yorkshire Police is committed to keeping our residents safe and we will work wherever possible to bring offenders to justice.”
Please note it is against the law to name a victim of a sexual offence. If you name a victim, or post any information that could lead to the identification of a victim, you are breaking the law and could face prosecution.
Probe begins into claims former crime tsar lied on oath about child sex abuse scandal
By Sam Cooper
THE police watchdog has begun its independent investigation into whether former South Yorkshire police and crime commissioner Shaun Wright lied to MPs over the Rotherham child abuse scandal.
The complaints relate to evidence Mr Wright gave at a Home Affairs Select Committee hearing in 2014, while he was still in office, where he gave evidence under oath about his knowledge of allegations of widespread child sexual abuse in the town.
It is specifically alleged that he denied having knowledge of CSE during his time as Rotherham Borough Council’s cabinet member for children’s services between 2005 and 2010.
Sarah Green, IPCC deputy chairwoman, said: “The IPCC can only investigate a police and crime commissioner if the allegations made are serious enough to be potentially deemed criminal.
“We are investigating, because at the time the evidence was given, Mr Wright was still South Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner. Our investigation will involve analysing the evidence given at HASC and we will take statements and conduct interviews with any relevant witnesses that we identify as the investigation progresses.”
'Loner' given opportunity to stop
using child porn with help
AN “isolated” man who viewed thousands of child sex abuse pictures while alone in his Carlisle bedsit has been sentenced.
Tadeusz Chechinski, 45, was caught out after police raided his city home in September last year.
His laptop was seized and analysed. Almost 4,000 illegal images, which had been downloaded, were recovered. Some 385 still pictures and 13 movies were classed in category A – the most serious.
Carlisle Crown Court heard some of the children depicted were of a “very young age”.
Chechinski admitted three charges of making indecent photographs of children. The factory worker was said to lead an “extremely isolated existence” having moved to the UK from his native Poland six years ago.
After hearing he would benefit from “support, assistance and guidance”, rather than prison, Judge Barbara Forrester suspended an eight-month jail term for two years.
Chechinski, of Finn Avenue, Carlisle, must complete a rehabilitation requirement and unpaid work. He must also sign the sex offenders’ register and abide by the terms of a sexual harm prevention order – each for 10 years.
Transgender woman jailed for child sex abuse
committed when she was a man
Judge tells offender that her gender reassignment “does not begin to explain why you behaved as you did”.
Pauline Long, formerly Paul Long, has been jailed for six years for sexually assaulting children when she was a man.
A transgender woman has been jailed for six years for child sex abuse committed when she was a man.
Pauline Long, 60, appeared in court today to be sentenced for crimes including showing extreme pornographic images to a young child and inappropriately touching an underage child.
Long was also charged with producing an indecent image of a child.
Giles Nelson, prosecuting, said both of Long’s victims, who were aged under 10 at the time, had “suffered terribly” as a result of her actions, leaving them with trust issues and low self-esteem.
Charlotte Surley, mitigating, said the probation service had found Long, of Overton Road in Cheltenham, struggled with the psychological effects of gender reassignment.
But Ms Surley said: “She is now a much more peaceful individual, with good interpersonal skills.”
During sentencing, Judge Martin Picton said Long’s victims had been left deeply scarred by their experiences, telling her: “The harm that you have caused is outwith the norm, even for offences of this type.
He said that the fact of Long’s gender reassignment “does not begin to explain why you behaved as you did.”
“You have not demonstrated a shred of remorse and remain in denial,” the judge added.
Would the be the nature of a transgender person?
Afterwards Detective Constable Jon Youdan said: "This is a very satisfying result."
"Their bravery in coming forward was humbling and I really hope the outcome encourages more victims to have enough confidence in the criminal justice system to report such crimes.
"Long terrorised these children for her own sexual gratification. She was a bully and a monster to them and it's good that she's now behind bars where she can't cause any further harm."
Now the question is: do they send her to a woman's prison or a men's prison?
No comments:
Post a Comment