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Child Abuse allegations at Red House School in Norfolk
April 8, 2021 |
By Ellie Davies |
Child Abuse Law
Norfolk Police investigating allegations of physical and sexual abuse in the 1980s and 1990s at
Red House School near Buxton
Norfolk police are continuing to investigate claims of abuse at the Norfolk residential school after former pupils called for a fresh investigation to be commenced in July 2019, following an investigation in 2018 which had ended due to there being “no prospect of achieving a conviction against any suspect set against the standard required by the court”.
The Eastern Daily Press passed new evidence onto the police in July 2019 which led to the police re-opening the investigation, which is still ongoing. A police spokeswoman has said that the work is “complex and extensive so will take time to complete”.
Red House School (“the School”), also known as the Small School at Red House in Buxton, opened in 1984 and was presented as a soft option for problem children across the UK for an alternative education which involved trips abroad and a relaxed regime. Former pupils have now come forward and shared details of abuse from both the teachers and other pupils, including sexual abuse from older pupils in the School. The School has been described as the “home of horrors” by one survivor, whilst another survivor shared their experience of having broken bones from being restrained and being physically abused for not following the rules. Those interviewed have claimed that much of the physical abuse was committed by head teacher Benny Joergensen, who was at the school from the late 1980s to mid-1990s, and passed away in 2013.
It has also been discovered that the School’s social worker was a paedophile who changed his name before arriving at the School, and who was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2008 for rape, although he was not convicted of any abuse relating to his time at the School.
The School was later closed in 1998 following an investigation by the Charity Commission into its finances and the welfare of pupils. It was found that funds were being channelled to the Danish group “Tvind”, which has been accused of being a cult-like organisation with some of its leaders being wanted in Denmark for alleged embezzlement. A former teacher at the School, Steen Thomsen, blew the whistle on Tvind and supported the allegations of violence at the School, stating that one of the previous principals Steen Conradsen was “at all times… trying to express physical supremacy towards his students.” Although most of the fresh allegations relate to a time after Mr Conradsen was at the School, some of the allegations relating to that time have already been investigated by the police.
Although a spokesman for the School said that they had no record of any complaints from pupils, some of the former pupils who have now come forward to discuss their abuse have confirmed that they had already reported their allegations to the police, and one survivor had written letters to his social worker in Durham in 1989 asking to be taken out of the School due to his “horrific” experience.
Later in 1989, pupils at the School had rioted, and the police were called to restore order. One of the former pupils said “we thought they were coming to rescue us”, but instead 18 of the pupils were taken to court for violent disorder.
How do you complain when it's the Principal you want to complain about?
As investigations continue, we expect that more survivors will come forward to discuss the abuse they suffered at the School. The Child Abuse team at Switalskis are currently investigating the possibility of bringing claims against the School and the Local Authority. (We) have extensive experience in helping survivors of historic child abuse, including those who were abused in schools and colleges. We understand that this is a difficult topic for survivors to discuss and we have a team of experienced solicitors who are able to advise in a sensitive manner whilst maintaining confidentiality.
Paedophile child molester jailed for 23 years for rapes of girl
By James Connell @JamesConnell8
Chief Reporter/Crime/court reporting
Worcester News
A PAEDOPHILE child molester has been jailed for 23 years for child rapes and sexual assaults against three girls over 20 years.
David Wheatcroft raped one girl at least six times, the abuse beginning when she was just six years old.
The abuse against the three victims happened at various locations including near Worcester, in Kidderminster and Evesham. Harrowing victim personal statements were read out by Glyn Samuels who prosecuted the case.
The 45-year-old sex offender was convicted unanimously of the offences by a jury on Monday afternoon and sentenced by Judge Nicolas Cartwright this morning.
Wheatcroft, of St Michael's Close, Stourport, was convicted of the indecent assault of an eight-year-old girl between May 1998 and May 1999; sexual assault of a second child victim, aged between six and eight, between August 2011 and August 2016; a rape of that second victim between the same dates; at least five further rapes of that same victim, again between the same dates; and sexual assault of a third girl between December 2015 and December 2016.
In total judge Cartwright sentenced him to 22 years in prison with an extra year's licence period of one year added (a 23 year sentence). He must serve a minimum of two thirds of the sentence before being considered for release by the Parole Board.
The effect of this is that the sex offender must serve at least 14 years and four months as a minimum before he is even considered for release by the Parole Board. His release will not be automatic.
The defendant, who had been remanded in custody overnight after the guilty verdicts were returned by the foreman, showed little emotion when he learned his fate, three jurors returning to see what sentence he would receive. Judge Cartwright, sentencing, said: "David Wheatcroft, you plainly had a sexual interest in young girls for a very long time."
He described how one victim, aged just eight at the time, was asked for a cuddle before he stroked her intimately. "She knew something wrong had happened. Indeed, she reported it the next morning first thing. It's clear from that very day until the present she has been living with the consequences of that act for over 20 years."
Judge Cartwight told the defendant it was an aggravating feature that the assault had taken place in her own bedroom 'which is a place every child should regard as a place of safety'.
This victim came across Wheatcroft in Worcester 'by accident' which 'upset her considerably' and again at a funeral, an experience which left her 'distraught'.
This should never happen. It does happen when a rapist's rights are put above those of their victims, even when the victim is still a child.
He said of the second victim, who was raped by Wheatcroft: "It is appalling to think she is only 16 now. Already it has had a profound psychological impact upon her. She has had problems she has had to contend with for many years already. You raped her repeatedly when she was between six and eight years of age."
During one rape he barricaded the door. Judge Cartwright, laying out the background to the case, said Wheatcroft had also threatened to rape her in future and harm her family if she told anyone about what he had done.
He ruled that she had suffered severe psychological harm as a result.
Wheatcroft was told he had 'increased gradually the seriousness of what you were doing step by step' before showing her a pornographic film and raping her.
The judge said there could be no credit for plea as, instead of showing remorse, Wheatcroft had decided to 'brazen it out in a trial' despite all three victims being 'compelling' witnesses.
This abuse took place when one was already vulnerable because of her home life. The third victim was attacked in Leigh, near Worcester, Wheatcroft grabbing her bottom, kissing her inappropriately and making moaning noises in her ear.
A sexual harm prevention order was also made which will last for the rest of Wheatcroft's life which will run alongside the registration and notification provisions.
By this order he is prohibited from having any unsupervised contact with children under 16 other than is inadvertent or unavoidable in the course of daily life or with permission of the child's parent or guardian and with the express prior approval of social services for the area. He is prohibited from residing even for a single night at any temporary or permanent accommodation at which there resides, at that time, any child under 16 unless prior agreement is is given by social services for the area or a representative of the chief constable for that area.
The victim of the child rapes, who cannot be identified, attended court to see her abuser jailed. After the hearing she said: "I'm just happy he won't be able to hurt other girls in the future and they won't have to go through what any of us went through."
Well, at least, not for 14 years.
The officer in the case, who supported the victim at court, was DC Sarah Turner.
ECHR orders Russia to pay $418,000 to woman
after hands cut off by husband
15 Dec, 2021 13:25
By Layla Guest
Russia must pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to victims of domestic violence, including a woman who had her hands hacked off in a brutal attack by her partner, Europe’s top civil liberties court has demanded.
On Tuesday, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that Margarita Gracheva, 29, is entitled to almost $418,000 for both past and future medical expenses, and loss of income, as a result of the ordeal inflicted by her spouse.
In 2017, Gracheva’s then husband, Dmitry Grachev, became violent, tore up her passport, sent her death threats and locked her in her car after she told him of her plans to file for divorce. Gracheva went to the police, but was advised by an inspector to withdraw the complaint as his actions were apparently merely a “manifestation of love.”
Just two months later, however, the woman’s husband kidnapped her, tied her up and hacked her hands off with an axe. Gracheva’s left hand was found in the forest and sewn back on, but never regained full function. Meanwhile, a prosthetic right hand was fitted after a crowdfunding campaign raised cash for the procedure.
Grachev, a father of two, was charged with causing grievous bodily harm and sentenced to serve a maximum of 14 years behind bars.
Russia was also ordered to pay three other women, all from the country’s capital, or Moscow region, to receive $22,545 each for allegedly facing violence at the hands of their partners.
According to the ECHR’s press release, “the Court noted that the Russian legal system lacked a definition of ‘domestic violence,’ adequate substantive and procedural provisions to prosecute its various forms, and any form of restraining or protection order.” It also implored the country’s authorities to introduce changes immediately to prevent similar attacks in future.
Research published in August as part of the ‘Algorithm of Light’ project, supported by the Russian Consortium of Women’s NGOs, found that 66% of killings where the victim was female were perpetrated as part of domestic violence. The overwhelming majority of these women (53%) were killed by their partners.
Women’s rights groups have criticized a 2017 Russian law, which they say has effectively decriminalized ‘first time’ incidences of domestic violence, in a move aimed to draw parity between supposedly one-off assaults on family members and those on strangers, which are dealt with under the Civil Code instead of by criminal courts.
Moscow, however, has previously rejected orders from the top human rights court. In July, the ECHR ruled that changes to Russia’s constitution, defining marriage as a union only between a man and a woman, violated the right to private and family life enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights in light of a case presented by three same-sex couples. In response, Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said that implementing such changes were “impossible,” following a nationwide vote on constitutional reforms.
Necrophiliac killer sentenced for murders & abusing 100 bodies
15 Dec, 2021 16:56
A former hospital worker has been handed two whole life sentences to be served concurrently with a 12-year jail term for murdering two women and sexually abusing 100 female corpses.
On Wednesday, Maidstone Crown Court ruled that David Fuller, 67, should never be released from prison due to the heinous nature of the crimes he committed. “Your actions go against everything that is right and humane. They are incomprehensible. You had no regard for the dignity of the dead,” Justice Cheema-Grubb told Fuller during sentencing.
Nor the living, it appears.
Fuller had pleaded guilty to the murder of Wendy Knell and Caroline Pierce in two separate attacks in Tunbridge Wells in 1987. He also abused female corpses, including those belonging to children, in two Kent morgues while working as a hospital electrician over a period of 12 years.
He was arrested in 2020 as advances in DNA testing linked him to the two killings. On searching Fuller’s house, police found footage in which the murderer had recorded himself sexually abusing corpses in morgues.
Fuller had even labelled folders with names of the victims. The abuses are believed to have taken place between 2008 and November 2020. The dead bodies of three children were among those he molested.
In November, Health Secretary Sajid Javid announced an investigation into how Fuller was able to sexually abuse corpses undetected over such a long period of time.
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