Collette Elliot wins pay-out from Birmingham council – BBC News

Posted April 29th, 2013 in child abuse, compensation, local government, news, social services by tracey

“A woman is to receive compensation from a council after social services failed
to take her into care while she was being abused as a child.”

Full story

BBC News, 28th April 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Judge: parents were too besotted to hurt children – Daily Telegraph

Posted April 29th, 2013 in child abuse, children, evidence, families, news, social services by tracey

“A judge has refused to allow social workers to take three children with serious
and apparently unexplained injuries into care after seeing that their parents
were ‘simply dotty about them’.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 27th April 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Met Police’s Sapphire rape units facing shake-up – BBC News

Posted April 26th, 2013 in child abuse, complaints, London, news, police, rape, sexual offences by tracey

“The Metropolitan Police teams that specialise in rape and sex assault cases are
to undergo a major reorganisation after a series of failed investigations, the
BBC has learned.”

Full story

BBC News, 26th April 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Tailoring the law on vicarious liability – Lord Hope of Craighead

Posted April 25th, 2013 in child abuse, education, employment, news, speeches, vicarious liability by sally

Tailoring the law on vicarious liability (PDF)

Lecture by Lord Hope of Craighead

Lord Taylor Memorial Lecture, Inner Temple, 23rd April 2013

Source: www.supremecourt.gov.uk

Minister pledges overhaul of ‘shameful’ child protection rules after Rochdale ‘watershed’ – Daily Telegraph

Posted April 24th, 2013 in care homes, child abuse, news, regulations, sexual offences by sally

“Rules on whether children can be placed in care homes far away from family and friends are to be overhauled in the wake of the Rochdale grooming scandal.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 24hth April 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Court awards anonymity for victim of libellous “paedophile” allegations – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted April 22nd, 2013 in blackmail, child abuse, compensation, damages, defamation, fraud, internet, news, victims by sally

“The permanent damage that internet publications can inflict is very much the focus of Tugendhat J’s assessment of damages in this case, encapsulated in the memorable description he quoted in an earlier judgment: ‘what is to be found on the internet may become like a tattoo’.”

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 21st April 2013

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Children: Public Law Update (April 2013) – Family Law Week

“John Tughan, barrister of 4 Paper Buildings, examines two important recent judgments: the Supreme Court’s decision in J (Children) and the Court of Appeal’s in M (A Child).”

Full story

Family Law Week, 18th April 2013

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Court terminates father’s parental responsibility – Family Law Week

“In the first reported judgment on the issue since 1995, Mr Justice Baker has terminated the parental responsibility of a father who had been imprisoned for sexual abuse of his own child’s half-sisters.”

Full story

Family Law Week, 14th April 2013

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Sally Bercow faces first high court hearing in Twitter libel battle – The Guardian

Posted April 15th, 2013 in child abuse, damages, defamation, internet, news by sally

“Sally Bercow, the wife of the Commons speaker, faces her first high court hearing next week as part of the libel battle with Lord McAlpine over an allegedly defamatory Twitter message.”

Full story

The Guardian, 12th April 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Ex-Met PCSO Billy Wheatley jailed after admitting a catalogue of sex offences against children – the Independent

“A former Metropolitan Police community support officer with a history of sexual crime dating back to the age of 12 has been jailed after he secretly filmed himself abusing children.”

Full story

The Independent, 11th April 2013

Source: www.indepedent.co.uk

Ex-Church of England priest Keith Wilkie Denford and organist Michael Mytton guilty of string of child abuse offences – The Independent

Posted April 8th, 2013 in child abuse, clergy, news, sexual offences by sally

“A retired Church of England priest and a former organist and choirmaster have been found guilty of a string of child sex abuse offences dating back more than 25 years.”

Full story

The Independent, 5th April 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Police go back over cases of female genital mutilation – The Independent

Posted April 8th, 2013 in child abuse, female genital mutilation, news, prosecutions by sally

“Police and prosecutors are reviewing hundreds of historic cases of female genital mutilation (FGM) in a bid to bring the first prosecution in Britain since the practice was ruled illegal in 1985. Legal experts are already examining six cases referred by police, and scores more are also being considered. Tens of thousands of women and girls in the UK are believed to have been subjected to the horrifying ordeal, which is also known as “cutting”, in which the genitals of women and girls are severed by unqualified people in the belief that it will preserve the victim’s virginity. It can result in infections, infertility and, in extreme cases, death.”

Full story

The Independent, 7th April 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Graham Ovenden convicted of child sex offences – The Guardian

Posted April 2nd, 2013 in artistic works, child abuse, news, sexual offences by sally

“Artist found guilty at Truro crown court of four charges of indecency with a child but cleared of three counts of indecent assault.”

Full story

The Guardian, 2nd April 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Darren Purchase jailed for 20 years for series of sex crimes – BBC News

Posted March 27th, 2013 in child abuse, news, rape, sentencing, sexual offences by tracey

“A man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for sexually assaulting and
raping eight people including a 13-year-old boy.”

Full story

BBC News, 25th March 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

The Government’s response to Lord Carlile’s report on the Edlington case – Department for Education

Posted March 26th, 2013 in child abuse, child neglect, children, news, reports, social services by sally

“In March 2012 the Rt Hon Michael Gove MP, Secretary of State for Education, asked Lord Carlile to conduct an independent review of the case of the ‘J’ children in Edlington. The ‘J’ children had committed a very serious assault on two young victims in April 2009, having assaulted another young victim the previous weekend.”

Full story

Department for Education, March 2013

Source: www.education.gov.uk

Half a Century of Change: The Evidence of Child Victims – Speech by The Right Honourable the Lord Judge

Posted March 21st, 2013 in child abuse, children, evidence, speeches, witnesses by sally

Half a Century of Change: The Evidence of Child Victims (PDF)

Speech by The Right Honourable the Lord Judge, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales

Toulmin Lecture in Law and Psychiatry, 20th March 2013

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

Call for research into effects on children of giving evidence in abuse cases – The Guardian

Posted March 21st, 2013 in child abuse, children, evidence, news, speeches, witnesses by sally

“Research should be carried out into the long-term affects on those who give evidence about sexual abuse when they are a child, the lord chief justice, Lord Judge, has urged.”

Full story

The Guardian, 20th March 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Police hid files on celebrity suspects – Daily Telegraph

Posted March 20th, 2013 in child abuse, investigatory powers, media, news, police, sexual offences by tracey

“Hundreds of police files on celebrities and politicians accused of sex assault
were so heavily protected that even officers investigating claims could not
access them.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 20th March 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Couple falsely accused of child abuse win damages from Haringey council – The Guardian

Posted March 15th, 2013 in child abuse, damages, news, social services by tracey

“Two experienced senior social workers who were plunged into a ‘nightmare’ after officials unlawfully investigated them over false allegations they had ill-treated their young daughter have won damages in the high court.”

Full story

The Guardian, 14th March 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Jimmy Savile: Police failed to join the dots, HMIC report concludes – Daily Telegraph

Posted March 12th, 2013 in child abuse, complaints, news, police, reports, sexual offences, victims by sally

“Police buried sex abuse allegations against Jimmy Savile in files marked ‘restricted’ and ‘sensitive’ because of his celebrity status, a damning report has revealed.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 12th March 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Related link: “Mistakes were made.” HMIC’s review into allegations and intelligence material concerning Jimmy Savile between 1964 and 2012 (PDF)