Deshaun Watson will NOT be charged over allegations he forcibly
touched massage therapists and forced them to perform oral sex on him
after grand jury rules there is not enough evidence to charge him
By ADAM MANNO FOR DAILYMAIL.COM and ASSOCIATED PRESS
PUBLISHED: 17:30 EST, 11 March 2022
A grand jury on Friday declined to indict Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson following a police investigation sparked by lawsuits filed by 22 women who have accused him of harassment and sexual assault.
The grand jury's decision came about a year after the women first filed their suits accusing Watson of exposing himself, touching them with his penis or kissing them against their will during massage appointments.
One woman alleged Watson forced her to perform oral sex.
Eight of the women who sued Watson filed criminal complaints against him with Houston police and appeared before the grand jury. Two other women who didn't sue Watson also filed police complaints. The FBI also had been reviewing the allegations.
A grand jury on Friday declined to indict Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, 26
Watson and his lawyers have denied the accusations.
His lawyers have said 'some sexual activity' happened during some of the massage appointments but that he never coerced anyone. They have sought to balance their defense of the NFL star while simultaneously condemning sexual violence against women.
Watson's attorneys have called the lawsuits against him a 'money grab' and claimed that all 22 women who filed suit are lying - a strategy some experts and advocates say relies on long-used tropes designed to minimize such accusations.
The 22 women are being represented by Tony Buzbee, who has said some of his clients have faced criticism and even death threats.
Even before the lawsuits were filed in March 2021, Watson had asked to be traded. The trade request and the lawsuits kept Watson out all last season. The Texans were expected to try and trade Watson this offseason.
The civil case against Watson will continue as attorneys for the 22 women have begun questioning him during depositions that are part of the lawsuits.
Most of the women have already been deposed by Watson's attorneys. No trial date has been set for the lawsuits.
The lead attorneys in the case are two of the best-known lawyers in Texas.
Rusty Hardin, Watson's lead lawyer, is a civil and criminal defense attorney who represented ex-pitcher Roger Clemens when he was acquitted in 2012 of charges that he lied to Congress by denying he used performance-enhancing drugs.
Buzbee has handled various high-profile cases, including representing former Texas Gov. Rick Perry in an abuse-of-power case and settling lawsuits for 10 teenagers who had accused eccentric Texas millionaire Stanley Marsh 3 of paying them for sexual acts.
Wow! 22 women and they couldn't find enough evidence to charge him. That's astonishing!
Daughters of paedophile and former rugby international
David Tweed describe ‘monster behind the mask’
Allison Bray
March 16 2022 07:59 AM
The daughters of convicted paedophile David Tweed have urged other survivors of incest and sexual and physical abuse to speak out to prevent their abuser from being protected by a wall of silence.
In a hard-hitting documentary on BBC One’s ‘Spotlight’ programme last night, the ex-wife and four daughters of the former international rugby star and Northern Ireland politician laid bare the years of physical and sexual abuse they endured by the man they described as “the monster behind the mask.”
Tweed, who served as a councillor for both the DUP and the TUV in Ballymoney, Co Antrim, died in a motorcycle accident last October.
But it was the glowing tributes from his former colleagues following his death – that have since been recanted – that prompted his family to speak out, according to his daughter Victoria.
"It wasn’t until he died that I had to take a stance and say what kind of a monster youse (sic) are singing praises about,” she told the programme.
"That’s when we all sort of stood together saying ‘we’ve had enough.”
Amanda Brown, the daughter of Tweed’s ex-wife Margaret from a previous relationship, described how she witnessed Tweed beating up her mother when she was a small child and Margaret was pregnant with her daughter Lorraine.
"He held her against the bathroom door choking her until Mum passed out,” she said of Tweed, who stood at 6’6” tall.
"He left her face in a really bad state where she’s had to hide away for weeks until it healed,” she said.
"My mum tried to leave a couple of times, but he would threaten to either hurt us or take us away or even murder her,” she said.
Lorraine Tweed recalled how her father issued ominous threats to her, like “I know this man, he is going to come after you with a chainsaw and saw your head off.”
She said he would also fly into violent rages over nothing and on one occasion she recalled how banged her head off the wall when she was a primary schoolgirl after she stuck her fingers in her ears to stop her mother admonishing her for something.
But it wasn’t until allegations of sex abuse by two other women against Tweed surfaced that the daughters discovered that they had all been sexually abused by him from an early age.
Amanda recalled how her father would “creep into the room at night,” starting when she was just eight years old.
"You just never felt safe, even at home, “ she said. "He’d just be there looming over you.”
Victoria added: “We all lived in fear.”
"I was petrified of the dark,” she said of her fear of a shadowy figure coming into her bedroom at night that she later realised was Tweed after suffering flashbacks of the abuse when she was 16.
"All I could picture was his face over the bed on top of me and breathing heavy.”
The sisters also revealed that their cousin Gemma Boyd had also disclosed to them that she had been abused by Tweed, her uncle. Yet despite reporting the abuse to police, it never went to court. And the Tweed sisters believe this may have been what drove her to take her own life at the age of just 20.
Even though Tweed was found guilty of sexually abusing his daughters and sentenced to four years in prison and four years on license in 2013, his conviction was overturned on appeal due to a technicality and he was released from prison in 2016.
But Amanda and Lorraine, who testified against their father in court, said the process was harrowing and took two years from the time he was charged until his court date.
"I felt like that wee child reliving it,” Lorraine said of having to face her father in court.
"You felt sick.”
Amanda also said that she felt she was in the prisoner’s dock and not her father when she was questioned by his defence team.
"I felt like I had done something wrong, the way I was spoken to,” she said.
Meanwhile, former Appeal Court Justice Sir John Gillen, who reviewed the way sexual assault cases are handled by the courts in Northern Ireland, told the programme; “If we’re going to have proper protection for women and girls and children in our community then it is necessary that we all stand up and complainants come forward and bring these matters before the justice system.”
You need to improve your justice system before people will willingly come forward. Both Ireland and Northern Ireland justice systems are more like 19th century systems that offer little or no protection for survivors of child sex abuse.
Meanwhile, Amanda urged other survivors of physical and sexual abuse to speak out.
"Our silence protected him,” she said of her father.
But now that the family has spoken the truth about their father, Amanda said a weight has been lifted off their shoulders.
"We can only grow stronger as each day passes,” she said.
Celtic to be served with court summons in multi-million pound
'class action' by sex abuse survivors
The club is being sued by up to 25 victims and lawyers say
'several' more have come forward with harrowing allegations in recent weeks.
By Alan McEwen Court Reporter
04:30, 9 NOV 2021UPDATED07:37, 9 NOV 2021
The case called at the Court of Session in Edinburgh (Image: PA)
Celtic will be served with legal papers after a judge gave the green light to a US-style “class action” lawsuit against the club by sex abuse survivors.
Up to 25 victims of historical abuse at Celtic Boys Club launched a multi-million pound damages claim using new powers under Scottish law.
Now judge Lord Ericht has allowed the case to move to the next stage which ensures lawyers for Celtic FC will need to answer the allegations.
A hearing took place at the Court of Session in Edinburgh on Thursday and a summons is expected to be served on Celtic within the next fortnight.
Thompsons Solicitors Scotland acts for 25 survivors.
Patrick McGuire, a partner with the firm, said the summons will set out the alleged relationship between Celtic and Celtic Boys Club. Celtic previously said it was “appalled by any form of historic abuse” but maintained it is a “separate entity” to the boys club.
Four men associated with Celtic Boys Club or Celtic have been convicted of abuse.
Just over a month ago, Thompsons paid for a public notice to be published in the Record - a required first step in the “group proceedings” action - which urged other survivors to come forward. Since then several people contacted the firm with claims they suffered abuse and may now join the group case.
Following Thursday’s hearing, Thompsons had to pay for a second public notice in today’s Record to again alert possible claimants about the “super case”.
Mr McGuire said: “This group action against Celtic has leapt the first hurdle. This an important milestone in the fight for justice for abuse survivors.
“The court has authorised the papers to be formally served on Celtic. That means in due course - probably early next year - the club will have to provide a formal written response to the case we set out in law. “We expect there will be a hearing before a judge in the new year.
“This should leave Celtic in absolutely no doubt that we’re serious about this fight and will pursue it with absolute commitment. This process will continue until justice is secured. “We would hope, with this being so clear, that the time for Celtic’s obfuscation has ended and the time for proper, meaningful dialogue is here. Celtic will have to defend this in court.”
At the brief hearing on Thursday no one representing Celtic was required to attend.
Mr McGuire said the papers served on Celtic will “set out the factual and legal position in general terms that need to be resolved in court”. He added: “The heart of that will be the relationship between Celtic and the Boys Club.”
Group proceedings were only enacted into the country’s legal system last year and this case is one of the first of its kind to call before a judge. Such actions allow groups of two or more people with the same, or similar, claims to raise a single action in the Court of Session.
Last June, Thompsons started formal legal action against Celtic in connection with historic child abuse. Two “test cases” brought by victims are currently before the Court of Session while the firm represents a total of 25 survivors.
Last night a Celtic spokesman referred to the club’s statement issued last month when asked for comment. That statement read: “The club is continuing to deal with these sensitive matters in conjunction with its advisers.
“The club again expresses its sincere sympathy, regret and sorrow to those affected and reiterates that it will stand by its responsibilities, respecting the due process of law.”
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