Monthly Archives: October 2013

22 Years For Michael Souter

Readers will recall that this is the man that claimed that he was the victim of an huge conspiracy.

Still, the sentence  of 22 years speaks for itself.

No Judge Mental here!

download

 

A former BBC radio presenter has been jailed for 22 years for sex attacks on boys.

Michael Souter, 60, of Loddon, Norfolk, was convicted earlier this month of 19 sexual assaults on seven boys aged between 11 and 16.

Norwich Crown Court heard the offences took place between 1979 and 1999.

Souter, who worked for BBC Radio Norfolk in the 1980s, was a Venture Scouts leader, a mentor to young people and was allowed to adopt a child.

The court heard Souter, who also worked for Radio Clyde, used his local celebrity status to abuse his victims.

BBC News

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Trashed Posts And Mistaken Tweets.

gojam

A couple of days ago I trashed a number of posts on The Needle.

Unfortunately, I did not inform other members of The Needle team that I did that and as they were unable to contact me they mistakenly assumed that The Needle had been hacked and reposted them.

This meant that automatic tweets went out meaning that to my embarrassment articles that I no longer wished to have on The Needle were actually promoted on Twitter.

The articles have been trashed once again and the tweets deleted.

I apologise for any confusion that this has caused.

The reasons why these articles were trashed will become clearer in due course.

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Derek Osbourne jailed for two years

A former Liberal Democrat council leader who admitted “appalling” child pornography offences was jailed for two years today.
derek osbourne
Derek Osbourne, 59, who stepped down as leader of Kingston upon Thames, south west London, in June, was told that the public interest “cries out for custody”.

He was also told he must register as a sex offender for the next 10 years.

Judge Alistair McCreath, sitting at Southwark Crown Court, told him: “This imagery is of real children, suffering real abuse.

“Of course you did not perpetrate that abuse directly yourself, but you and others like you are complicit it, because without people to look at it, there would be no point in doing it.”

Osbourne was first elected as a councillor in 1986 before becoming leader between 1997 and 1998, and again in 2003.

He was parliamentary candidate for Kingston upon Thames in 1992, fighting the then chancellor Norman Lamont.

Osbourne, of Burlington Road, New Malden, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to seven counts of making indecent images of children, four counts of possession of indecent images of children and six counts of distributing indecent images of children.

The judge said he recognised in Osbourne’s favour that he had reached the age of nearly 60 without being convicted of any offence.

It also stood in his favour that he had for many years given service in public life.

“But on the other hand, those who by choice occupy a position of authority in public life, owe a duty to the public to behave to the highest of standards.”

He also gave him credit for his early plea of guilty, giving him a discount of a third.

The judge said he had to deal with him for downloading 2,844 still images, and 293 movies, of children.

“All these children were subjected to abuse of one kind or another, some of it truly appalling. It’s stomach turning.”

Some of the children were as young as three, he added.

Mirror 29/10/13

 

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Two men arrested in Operation Yewtree inquiry

Two men have been arrested in Operation Yewtree, Scotland Yard’s investigation into historical cases of sexual abuse.

The Metropolitan Police said the men, aged 64 and 74, were held at separate addresses in south London on Tuesday.

They were arrested on suspicion of sexual offences and taken into police custody, the Met said.

Operation Yewtree was set up following the Jimmy Savile scandal. The men were held under the strand of the inquiry police have termed “others”.

BBC News

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Ex-BBC driver David Smith found dead

David Smith

A former BBC driver accused of sex offences has been found dead.

David Smith, 66, from Lewisham, south-east London, had been due to stand trial for allegedly abusing a 12-year-old boy in 1984.

A warrant had been issued for his arrest after he failed to appear at Southwark Crown Court on Monday.

He was charged with two counts of indecent assault, two of indecency and one of a serious sexual offence as part of Operation Yewtree.

Smith was the first person to be charged under the investigation set up to look at abuse claims against the late entertainer, Jimmy Savile.

It was alleged Smith met his victim at a swimming pool, invited him back to his flat where he sexually abused him.

BBC News

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Lou

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Apeman

Friday Night Song

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NAPAC’s Peter Saunders On ‘Big’ Charities

Peter Saunders of NAPAC

Peter Saunders of NAPAC

To my astonishment and embarrassment , Peter Saunders is waiting at the entrance of the building where the NAPAC offices are, near the Oval tube station in South London. We’re running a little late (my fault) but Peter greets us with a big smile and a handshake and this is indicative of pretty much everything you need to know about Peter.  Given that over the past year he has made numerous television news appearances for the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Sky, and that he is oft-quoted in newspaper articles concerning developments in high-profile historic child abuse investigations, you’d have thought that the man would have developed an ego but there is none to be found.

I apologise to Peter for our lateness and we chat as he takes us to the second floor where NAPAC has its offices. On the way, Peter points out the room where volunteers are taking phone calls from survivors but we don’t go in. I try to sneak a peek through the window in the door as we pass but screens hide the volunteers from curious eyes. We arrive at the main office and meet Anne, the fundraiser for NAPAC, who offers to make tea. It feels to me a little like a family organisation, like you’re being welcomed into someone’s home rather than into the offices of a charity which has seen its public profile rise manifold since the Jimmy Savile revelations became public just over a year ago.

Talking to Peter, I get the impression that although he must be aware that NAPAC is no longer a low-profile charity in the shadow of the NSPCC, it just hasn’t changed him or anyone involved with NAPAC one iota. Nevertheless, over the last year I’ve received a large number of emails from survivors of child abuse who have criticised the ‘big’ charities like the NSPCC and Barnardos and I’m determined, given this opportunity, to put those criticisms to Peter Saunders on behalf of those that have raised those concerns with me.

After a gentle start to the interview, I ask him whether or not it was a fact that the very existence of NAPAC was indicative of the failures of the NSPCC, Childline and Barnardos?  That if these three, well-funded charities had done their job correctly, then there would be no need for NAPAC? Peter takes a short while before replying.  “There is no doubt that many organisations have failed children in the past but the important thing now is that we all address the issue of child abuse and work together from this point onwards.”

“Some of the people who’ve contacted me”, I point out, “wouldn’t just describe some of the actions of these big charities as ‘failures’, many actually hold them responsible for the abuse that they suffered.  I’m thinking especially about Barnardos homes but Childline seems to have been constitutionally unable to give practical help to children suffering abuse and the NSPCC appears to have papered over the cracks.”

“I hear what you’re saying and I’m not going to defend the indefensible. Obviously, we’ve had survivors come to NAPAC and they’ve said similar things to us but I think that it is now recognised and understood by those organisations. In big, corporate organisations like these charities it is difficult to have control over every employee and every action of every employee.”

“Isn’t that a great advertisment for small, independent charities like NAPAC ?”

Peter Saunders takes a long look at me, I think he’s realised that this isn’t going to be a straightforward interview. “There are obviously advantages to being a small charity just as there are advantages to being a big charity.” he replies

“Money? Resources?”

Peter laughs, “NAPAC could certainly do a great deal more for survivors of child abuse if we had even a tiny fraction of the money that the big charities you’ve mentioned receive but then I think we are trusted more by survivors specifically because we are independent.”

I mention the Operation Yewtree ‘Stakeholder Group’ and point out that, initially, when the police first sought help following the Savile revelations, they partnered with the NSPCC and Barnardos, both of which are child protection organisations.  NAPAC,  the only national organisation focused on supporting adults who have been abused as children, was excluded.

“I don’t think it’s helpful to dwell on these things. A journalist noticed NAPAC’s absence at an early Yewtree Press Conference and questioned why there was no representation for adult surviors of abuse.  Very soon afterwards, NAPAC was invited to become part of the Yewtree ‘Stakeholder Group’.   Since then NAPAC has provided training for NSPCC telephone helpline staff who were used to dealing with children and not adult survivors of abuse.”

I then brought up the subject of a recent  Guardian ‘infomercial’.  I notice that Peter’s posture, which had been relaxed and open until this point, stiffens.  “It was approved by the NSPCC”, I say, “and it repeated the fallacy that a large percentage of victims of child abuse go on to become abusers themselves.”

He admits that he’d seen the article. “Well, it’s completely untrue. I know that survivors of child abuse, those that have been abused, are actually less likely to abuse children. A person who has been abused as a child knows exactly the damage it causes and is statistically therefore less likely to pass that on to someone else.”

“But the NSPCC paid for that article.” I point out.

“I know, and I’ve raised this issue with with both the NSPCC and The Guardian.  It’s is not right that survivors of childhood sexual abuse should  endure the stigma that they are potentially likely to be child abusers themselves. As a survivor myself it makes me very angry and I’d have thought that the NSPCC and The Guardian would know better.”

“I’ve heard it suggested that child abusers often say that they were abused themselves as a way of mitigating against their own abuse?”

“Exactly!” Peter rejoins, “there is absolutely no evidence that this is true and as I said it is not my own experience having spoken personally to many survivors. I’m angry that the NSPCC  has said this.”

“What about your future Peter ?” I venture, “Over the last year, if you exclude paid commercials, you’ve had a  greater media profile on behalf of NAPAC than any of the children’s charities. Would you consider heading an organisation like the NSPCC?”

Peter visibly relaxes again and laughs, “They’d never appoint me.”

“But isn’t it about time that a survivor of child abuse themselves heads the main organisation seeking to prevent child abuse?”

Peter pauses and looks at me without answering.

Unperturbed I press the point, “Let’s say you were given the job, what would be the first thing you did?”

Again Peter laughs, “That’s easy”, he replies, “I’d demand a 50% pay cut!”

Well, he’s got my vote.

Do we get a vote?

If you would like to make a donation to NAPAC  then you can either click on the donate button on the top right on The Needle or you can visit their website http://www.napac.org.uk/ where you will also find out how you can volunteer your time to support survivors of child abuse.

If you have information connected to Operation Fairbank/Fernbridge you can call them direct on 0207 161 0500

Or you can contact NAPAC on 0800 085 3330 free from landlines, 3, EE, Vodafone and Virgin mobile phones or 0808 801 0331 free from O2, EE and Vodafone mobile phones.

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Confucius Say…

gojam

 

“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.”- Confucius.

“If I am walking with two other men, each of them will serve as my teacher. I will pick out the good points of the one and imitate them, and the bad points of the other and correct them in myself.”- Confucius

“He who learns but does not think, is lost! He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger.”- Confucius

“It is more shameful to distrust our friends than to be deceived by them.” – Confucius

 

 

 

 

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Monkey

Anyone else remember this ?

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The Politics of Kincoras Child Sexual Abuse – a Beginners Guide

cathy fox blog on child abuse

1985 Report of the Committee of Inquiry into Childrens Homes and Hostels by WH Hughes, WJ Patterson and H Whalley [1] aka The Report of the Hughes Inquiry into Kincora, the best known of the Kincora Reports was released by The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (Northern Ireland) in response to a FOI request [2] at the end of August, about which I write this blog post [4]

This post is somewhat of a departure from other posts which have been about the release of institutional child sexual abuse Inquiry reports under Freedom of Information requests. This post tries to put that Report into some sort of context.

Although the Hughes report was shocking enough, revealing horrific long term child sexual abuse- it was limited by its terms of reference to looking at the social services, which stopped it looking at wider paedophile rings and the role…

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The Needle Talks To Peter Saunders Of NAPAC.

Peter Saunders of NAPAC

Peter Saunders of NAPAC

Yesterday, Op Greenlight and myself went to meet Peter Saunders at the NAPAC (The National Association of People Abused in Childhood) offices. I’d talked to Peter on the telephone before but this was the first time that I’d met him in person and he was as impressive face to face as he is on the television.

He was extremely generous with his time and I’d like to thank him for taking the time to talk to us at length on a number of topics.

One subject we talked about was NAPAC’s relationship with the police.

“It is essential that survivors of child abuse know that they can contact NAPAC in confidence.” he told us, “but if a survivor requests it we can help. We can arrange for the survivor to meet with specialist police officers who understand what a big step the survivor is taking by talking to them and in the past we’ve offered to attend these meetings and support the survivor.”

But Peter Saunders was very keen to emphasise the confidentiality of NAPAC. “We do not record telephone contact with survivors and it is essential that survivors know that they are in control. We are here first and foremost to support them.”

More on the Peter Saunders interview later on The Needle.

If you would like to make a donation to NAPAC  then you can either click on the donate button on the top right on The Needle or you can visit their website http://www.napac.org.uk/ where you will also find out how you can volunteer your time to support survivors of child abuse.

If you have information connected to Operation Fairbank/Fernbridge you can call them direct on 0207 161 0500

Or you can contact NAPAC on 0800 085 3330 free from landlines, 3, EE, Vodafone and Virgin mobile phones or 0808 801 0331 free from O2, EE and Vodafone mobile phones.

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Stuart Hall Gets Some Visitors In Prison.

Untitled

Stuart Hall gets some visitors in prison today. He is being question by Lancashire police regarding further allegations. I’m sure you’ll all join me in wishing him a truly miserable day.

Jailed former BBC presenter Stuart Hall has been rearrested by Lancashire Police over child sex offences.

The arrests relate to two females, who were aged between 12 and 15 at the time of the abuse which was allegedly committed between 1974 and 1980.

A force spokesman said the offences allegedly took place in Manchester and Derbyshire.

Hall, 83, is serving a 30-month jail sentence for 14 counts of sexual abuse against girls.

In June he admitted abusing the girls, who were aged from nine to 17, between 1967 and 1985.

BBC News

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Op Pallial: Arrest Number 13

It looks like  St Leonards on Sea, East Sussex is something of a hotbed for child abusers.

5 years younger, this man can not be John Stingemore.

images

The man, aged 66, from St Leonards on Sea, East Sussex, was arrested this morning on suspicion of a number of offenses against children between 10 and 14 years in the period between 1975 and 1977.

The man will be questioned by the police later.

It is the 13th person to be arrested as part of pallial Inquiry. One man has been charged so far. John Allen, 72, has been charged with a number of serious sexual offenses and is due to go before Caernarfon Crown Court on 28 October

The pallial campaign is being led by Keith Bristow, the director general of the National Crime Agency (NCA).

golwg360

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Stuart Hall Stripped Of OBE

Using my incredible photoshop skills I’ve cleverly changed a picture. There are two differences, see if you can spot them ?

spot

Former BBC broadcaster Stuart Hall has been stripped of his OBE by the Queen after he was jailed for a series of sexual assaults on young girls.

The Queen has directed the honour should be “cancelled and annulled” and his name be “erased” from the register.

In June, Hall, 83, admitted 14 counts against girls aged from nine to 17 between 1967 and 1985.

His 15-month sentence was doubled by the Court of Appeal in July. Hall was made an OBE in December 2011.

An independent forfeiture committee recommended he should lose his honour for bringing the system into disrepute.

BBC News

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THE PAEDOFILE: Serial abuser Simon Wood worked for Jeremy Hunt’s Hotcourses Foundation

The Slog

HuntkidstitleBritish Airways pilot and industrial-scale child abuser Simon Wood used his airline access and a front as an Aid Worker in Africa to assault hundreds of black orphans. Once again – despite previous convictions – background checks on the man were dilatory, and as late as this summer he was giving talks at a British school while handing out sweets to the children.

One organisation that appears to have carried out no checks at all on Wood is the Hotcourses Foundation, an African Charity run by British Council monopoly-millionaire and Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt. Last month, the Daily Mail and other right-of-centre tabloids wrote of how Wood’s first known contact with children in Africa came “when he began visiting the Nyumbani orphanage in the Karen area of Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.” Nyumbani partners with, and is an approved insitution, for the Hotcourses Foundation, as its website proudly proclaims.

Wood…

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Why a Whitewash Won’t Wash

It is not hard to see why many believe thatwhitewash 2 the outrageous behaviours and cover-ups that were common in the past continue today.
Just consider these three examples:

The late (Sir) Jimmy Savile
The late (Sir) Peter Morrison
The late (Sir) Cyril Smith

Will Police Operations Fairbank, Fernbridge, and its sibling investigations into abuse dating back over 40 years
be ‘different this time?’

One could be forgiven for thinking that it will be more of the same and ‘business as usual’. It seems that little, if any, real investment has been made to resolve these crimes and eradicate child sexual abuse:

The fact that only 25 police in total are working in the Met Police’s paedophile unit, despite an increase in victims coming forward over the past year.
The fact that only 8 officers (from the 25 above) are working on Operation Fairbank.
The fact that many witnesses are being screened by charity-based organisations which are now at breaking point.

Where are the signs of real care and concern from our government and authorities?
Where is the determination and most importantly, where is the investment?

Will it really be ‘different this time?’

The definition of a fool is said to be someone who expects that doing the same thing over and over again will produce a different result.

For it to be ‘different this time’, something major needs to have changed.

That major change could lie in this paradigm shift: Historically, the Main Stream Media (MSM) has been quite compliant to government requests. For example, although ‘D’ (and now ‘DA’) notices are only advisory, it is usual for MSM to comply with them. But this compliance also seems to extend beyond the formal notices, and into the realms of the Gentleman’s Club. Such cosiness is a tradition that spans many decades. The reward for loyalty might even be some gong or other awarded to the higher echelons in the press organisations.

Today, Alternative Media don’t necessarily share those aspirations. Many thousands of bloggers are very alert to what is really happening and their sites are already serious competition for MSM. It’s not just the blogs, of course, there are the social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook, and the Internet Chatrooms and Forums.

Out there is a whole new world of social media and alternative news that the establishment is only now trying to gets to grips with. Wikileaks illustrates the changing of this paradigm.

So how successful would a ‘cover-up’ be today?

Survivors and witnesses would have ready mouthpieces for their stories on the alternative news sites, as would the police or other officials and would-be whistleblowers who knew the truth. Blogs would be scrambling to tell the full story and places like Twitter and Internet Forums would be on fire.

Assuming that MSM played their traditional role there’d be no leakage there. But, would they continue to play by the old rules?
MSM’s life blood is being threatened by these internet upstarts (in fact some journalists have already jumped ship into these alternative news channels).
How long would it be before the first MSM caved and broke ranks with the old guard? Maybe it’s happening already?

So, is a cover-up possible?
Yes, of course it is, but is it as likely to stick? I doubt it.

Remember that there are thousands upon thousands of ordinary people who are utterly revolted by the crimes of abuse against children committed both in the past and the present. Included in these many thousands of people are serving police officers, judges, barristers, care workers and journalists, to name a few, and they also want to see these evil creatures brought to justice.

There is a ground swell of feeling that has been thoroughly misjudged by people who should know better. Throwing out another dead paedophile for the public to feast on isn’t going to wash anymore.

‘It may be that you are a vital witness or that you possess crucial evidence, or that you have information that Operation Fairbank need to complete the picture. To these people I want to say, please do not assume that someone else is going to provide that information. Please step forward and help.’
The Operation Fairbank telephone number- 0207 1610500

Stepping forward to add your voice as a witness is the way to avoid a whitewash.

NAPAC
Call 0800 085 3330 free from landlines, 3, EE, Vodafone and Virgin mobile phones.
Call 0808 801 0331 free from O2, EE and Vodafone mobile phones.

NSPCC

Call 0800 800 5000

Operation Fairbank
Call 0207 161 0500

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Operation Fairbank/Fernbridge Telephone Number

How many witnesses does it take to get a conviction?

Obviously, it varies, but I’m guessing if I were asking a policeman that question he’d probably tell me that you simply can’t have too many witnesses.

There is a reason for me pointing this out. At some time in the future, it could be a year from now or even two years, but at some time Operation Fairbank and the historic abuse operations that have arisen from it will become inactive (investigations technically never close). Now, that certainly isn’t going to happen before the trials of the three people already charged and, if there are more arrests, the date will get pushed back, but it will happen at some point.

The Metropolitan Police’s Paedophile Unit has around 25 police officers and eight of those are working on Operation Fairbank-related historic investigations. They’ve not had any increase in resources over this last year despite the widely reported increase in victims coming forward nationally and their primary focus must always be to intervene in cases where a child is in danger right now. I don’t believe anyone, regardless of how passionate they are about seeing justice for those making historic allegations, would question that the protection of children today, right now, must always be their priority.

It is simply naive to think that The Met are going to keep a dedicated team, one third of the Paedophile Unit, looking at historic allegations indefinitely.

So, this really is it. Operation Fairbank exists to try to bring to justice those who may have escaped it for the past 40 years. I cannot foresee that there will ever be a dedicated Met police operation looking at these matters quite like this one ever again.

What I’m trying to get around to saying is this; if you are a witness with information that can help, or a victim of abuse related to Elm Guest House or have any allegation of a similar nature which relates to a VIP, whether that is an MP, member of the House of Lords, or anyone in a position of authority then if you do not contact Operation Fairbank/Fernbridge/Cayacos with that information while these investigations are still active, it will be far harder to get justice afterwards.

I’m acutely aware that there may be victims of child sexual abuse who have moved on with their lives, they may be married and perhaps their spouses are unaware of what happened to them as a child. They may read The Needle and they may be hoping that the person that abused them will receive the justice that they know that person deserves but they are unwilling to come forward themselves. To these people I would say that I’m confident any communication you have with this dedicated team would be treated with delicacy and respect for your current situation.  It may well be that you could provide the final piece of the jigsaw that sees the person who abused you put behind bars.

It may be that a victim of child sexual abuse feels that previous trouble with the law means that the police will not take them seriously. To these people I want to say that I can assure you that that is not the case. You will be listened to and accorded the same courtesy as anyone else.

It may be that you are a vital witness or that you possess crucial evidence, or that you have information that Operation Fairbank need to complete the picture. To these people I want to say, please do not assume that someone else is going to provide that information. Please step forward and help.

To help you in this I’m going to supply the Operation Fairbank telephone number- 0207 1610500

I’ve had this number since the beginning of the year. I’ve only passed it on to two others in that time and I’ve only called it myself twice. If you ring that number you will be asked to leave a message and someone will call you back. On the couple of occasions I’ve called a very nice female detective, whose name I will not make public, has called me back. Please be aware that this team are very busy but they will call you back.

Here is the telephone number for Operation Fairbank again – 0207 1610500

If you are a victim, a witness, or someone with vital information please give that number a call.

One note of caution, the police don’t need your theories or your speculation, please do not call them unless you really do have valuable information.

Now, I know that not everyone feels comfortable talking to the police and so I want to give two other telephone numbers. Both NAPAC and the NSPCC are recommended contacts if you feel you can not contact the police directly, or if you wish to talk to someone in confidence before talking to the police.

NAPAC

NAPAC provides the only national freephone support line for adults who have suffered any type of abuse in childhood. Because of the large volume of calls we are sorry that many people are unable to get through. Unfortunately, we do not have the resources to call you back which also means that any answerphone messages cannot be answered.

Call 0800 085 3330 for free from landlines, 3, EE, Vodafone and Virgin mobile phones.
Call 0808 801 0331 for free from O2, EE and Vodafone mobile phones.

Telephone support line opening hours:
Monday
10:00am-9:00pm
Tuesday
10:00am–9:00pm
Wednesday
10.00am-9.00pm
Thursday
10:00am-9.00pm
Friday
10.00am-6.00pm

Email support – Please send your emails to support@napac.org.uk

~

NSPCC

Capture

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Stool Pigeon

The Friday Night Song

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Nick Davies: ‘A Paedophile Ring In Amsterdam’

As always with award winning journalist Nick Davies, you get investigative journalism at its best. As this article from The Guardian March 1997 demonstrates.

Three British men who lived in Amsterdam in the early 1990s have spoken quite independently of each other of their knowledge of paedophile “snuff movies”. All agree that they were made in Amsterdam by British paedophiles. Two of them name the same individuals, though neither admits to his own involvement. One of them appears openly in the Network First documentary. He has identified two houses where he says the films were made; he has named two Dutch criminals who he says were involved in distributing the films; he has given detailed descriptions of the boys in the films, described a club in Oslo where one of them was picked up, and he has identified a lake where he says their bodies were thrown. His allegations to Network First have been taken seriously by Scotland Yard, who have interviewed him twice at length, and by Dutch police who last month (March) launched a formal murder inquiry.

The origins of this extraordinary story lie in a small incident which briefly disturbed the calm of the British Embassy in Amsterdam on the morning of August 3 1993. The Dutch police called to say that on the previous night, they had found a young British boy who needed help to get back to England. The boy was telling a very odd tale. He said he had been held against his will in Amsterdam in some kind of brothel and that he had escaped by climbing out of a toilet window and running through the streets until he found a policeman. The British Embassy repatriated the boy and alerted Scotland Yard.

The boy’s name was Gary, he was 14-years old, he had grown up on a rough estate in the north east of England, he had never met his father and already he had spent years dodging in and out of trouble with the law. He described how several months earlier, he and his friend, Peter, also then 14 , had run away together and gone to London, sleeping rough in squats, begging and thieving for a living. Their main aim, he admitted, had been to get out of their heads, and so they had a contacted a man whom Gary had met once in the street, a helpful man who had given Gary his pager number and said certainly he could always get Gary drugs. His name was Warwick Spinks.

The Guardian

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