Delays add to damage done by abusers
Monday 15th November 2010, 2:29PM GMT.
(Picture posed by model)
VICTIMS of child abuse are being further damaged because it is taking an average of 12 months to conclude cases, it has been claimed.
Children’s charity Barnardo’s said vulnerable children in the UK were suffering as a result of lengthy delays.
And a Health and Social Services spokesman said research had ‘identified an average of around 12 months from start to finish of a case in court’.
Guernsey’s Law Officers will tomorrow face questions from a delegation of deputies over why so few cases of alleged child abuse get to court.
Deputy Dave Jones has led the campaign for answers.
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When cases never come to court, when evidence is dismissed, when perpetrators are given ample time to clear away evidence, when the Police and the Law Officers time and again find reasons not to prosecute, what conclusion are we supposed to come to?
We know what happened in Jersey. We know what happened to the man who tried to bring it to light. Has anyone been punished? There’s no reason to think that abuse (particularly of power) has stopped there.
I’m sure the Press have heard some terrible stories that I have, but until abusers are charged and prosecuted these stories will never be published.
I just hope these deputies have the power to expose what is going on. But having heard some of the sinister things that can happen to people who try to interfere on this island, I doubt it.
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Mrs Meat
Please expand,especially your last paragraph
I’ll wager there’s the makings of a book or a film in this
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Damn right there’s a book in it and I’m going to write it. If I don’t keep getting sidetracked…
But seriously, I have heard a very odd story about someone who had threatening phone calls after reporting child abuse by a policeman. Her children were put into care and she was declared unstable and put in the Castel. (friend of a friend)
Then there’s the wife of a deputy known for controversial views whose car was stopped for spurious reasons and her driving licence suddenly found invalid (all trace lost from the system). (personal friend)
I had my own phone tapped in the 90s (the days when you could hear the click) for innocently crossing the wrong establishment figure.
Who do you go to if any of these things happen?
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Mrs Meat:
You read too many books and watch too many movies!!!
I will bet my entire life’s salary your phone has never, ever, been ‘tapped’!!!
I will bet my next life’s salary that the person who had their licence taken away had their car stopped for no more a spurious reason than any of the other members of public who’s cars are stopped each year. As for the invalid driving licence issue – this happens to lots of people when they forget to renew!!!
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Truth Man
Whether or not Mrs Meat had her phone tapped is impossible to say, however I can assure you that our law enforcement agencies regularly “play dirty”. I have both seen this for myself and had it confirmed by a customs officer. They don’t all play by the book you know.
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Mrs Meat is correct about the clicking being heard on a tapped phone line. I too had my phone tapped in the mid – late 90’s. This was because a friend of a friend was being investigated. Not for child abuse may I add. I had absolutely no connection to the person but was still subjected to this invasion of my privacy.
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Thanks Truth Man, I could do with a spare £5k.
Look, I’m the first to roll my eyes at conspiracy theories because they rarely make sense, usually involving improbably large numbers of people who have no reason to work together and protect each other.
That’s not the case on an island.
Technically (if illegally), as someone of note here, you could have access to phone records, utilities, anything to do with the States, banking details, the lot. Because people network closely and belong to groups that scratch each other’s backs. And if you won’t play ball, you might find your housing licence revoked.
My friend knew when she had renewed her licence. It didn’t tally. The being stopped did seem like Police overkill at the time & just bad luck with idiots at Licencing. Until other stories emerged, like someone whose car insurance suddenly became invalid after a tangle with someone.
My cousin walked away from custody on a drug charge because his father is a top advocate. A friend got let off a clear DIC as her uncle was a mason. Why should it stop at that?
Don’t confuse cynicism with wisdom.
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A friend of mine worked as a children’s social worker over here.
After many frustrating years of failing to be able to take obvious, well evidenced abuse cases to court, she reported a colleague for ‘inappropriate behaviour’ (draw your own conclusions) with a very young ‘client’ – AND her emotionally damaged mother.
The authorities refused to take any action and the situation was allowed to continue until, in desperation, she threatened to go to the press, at which point, the colleague was simply removed from that particular case.
She left the island in disgust, saying that as a seasoned social worker, she had never, ever experienced anything as appalling as she had here in Guernsey.
The CI’s are are paedo’s paradise, sickeningly awful, sad, but true, as is the fact the island’s respective establishments have consistently covered up that fact for many years.
It is, quite simply, bad for business, and here, business (and the proceeds of it) is the main priority.
The CI’s authorities attitude towards those who molest and abuse children is much the same as the Catholic churches, and as with that, those who are empowered to ‘police’ it have a lot to lose, are equally well placed to cover it up (and protect themselves)…and they do.
Self preservation is just human nature, I guess, but in this case, a very dark and unacceptable part of human nature that our leaders and peers should, surely, be suitable removed from, so they can take a more altruistic and honest approach to child abuse.
…but as long as our establishments continue to discredit, intimidate and demonise those who dare to raise their heads above the parapet to point out the failings of our utterly corrupt and redundant ‘ (abusers of) powers that be’- and there are people out there who choose to believe that, rather than the extremely unpalatable truth, this horrendous cloud will continue to hang over our lovely islands…..
or in the words of someone with far more wisdom than I….
all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
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Cynicism and wisdom do not feature in this thread – some of this is pure fantasy (I refer especially to the phone tap)! I can assure you, you are not an important enough ‘criminal’ to reach the threshold required for phone tapping (unless you are hiding some really deep and dark secrets!). The authorities do not have unrestricted access to these technologies. The ‘click’ you heard was nothing to do with phone tapping – It is a common misconception that this was a sign of someone listening in.
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No Truth Man it was not a misconception.The Police confirmed that my phone was indeed being tapped whilst an operation involving drug dealing was taking place.
As I said a friend of a friend was being investigated.
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@ Scarlett – I too have a friend who worked at the Children Board and she was horrified over the same type of things.
Years of well-documented abuse by those who were untouchable.
If it wasn’t bad enough that people were getting away with it, you have others who will stridently claim that if they haven’t seen it, it can’t possibly be happening.
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I’m with you Truthman – very few people have any idea of the difficulty and level of detailed evidence required to obtain a phone tap.
Only serious crime suspects are likely to come under the telephonic scrutiny of the law enforcers.
As for other comments here re lawyers sons and masons – I have seen persons in both categories apearing in court and being sent to prison.
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Cheesed Off:
Sounds odd to me… Unless there is some information you are not giving up, or are not privy to in relation to the suspicion against you at the time, to have intercepted your private communications under those circumstances would have been illegal. Now, I am not saying the police have never done anything illegal, but to go on and admit to you that they broke the law? Like I said, sounds odd to me. Are you sure there is not more to this?!
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