11-05-2013, 05:21 AM
[URL="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/jillings-report-into-north-wales-child-abuse-1996-and-associated-information"]https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/jillings-report-into-north-wales-child-abuse-1996-and-associated-information
North Wales child abuse scandal
The North Wales child abuse scandal was the subject of a three-year, £13 million investigation into the physical and [/URL]sexual abuse of children in care homes in the counties of Clwyd and Gwynedd, in North Wales, including the Bryn Estyn children's home at Wrexham, between 1974 and 1990.[SUP][1][/SUP] The report into the scandal, headed by retired High Court judge Sir Ronald Waterhouse QC, which was published in 2000, resulted in changes in policy in England and Wales into how authorities deal with children in care, and to the settling of 140 compensation claims on behalf of victims of abuse.
In November 2012, new allegations led to the Prime Minister, David Cameron, announcing that a senior independent figure, later named as Mrs Justice Julia Macur, would examine the conduct and remit of the Waterhouse Inquiry. In addition, the Home Secretary, Theresa May, announced a new police inquiry into how the original allegations were dealt with, as well as an investigation of any new allegations. The broadcasting of false allegations on Newsnight on 2 November led to the resignation of the Director-General of the BBC,George Entwistle, eight days later.
The report of phase one of the police investigation, Operation Pallial, was published on 29 April 2013. It set out a total of 140 allegations of abuse at 18 children's homes in north Wales between 1963 and 1992.
Background
In common with local government practice at the time, the two major councils in North Wales - Clwyd and Gwynedd - had a series of council-owned alongside privately owned and operated children's homes. These provided residential care for children in line with the guidelines provided by both the Welsh Office and the UK Government. Homes and facilities in the region included:[SUP][2][/SUP][SUP][not in citation given][/SUP]
From 1974 to 1990, a series of incidents of child abuse occurred within the North Wales children's homes. Initial reports which did not appear in public included:[SUP][2][/SUP][SUP][not in citation given][/SUP]
In the mid-1980s Alison Taylor, a residential care worker and then manager of a children's home in Gwynedd, began hearing stories from children coming to her home from across Clwyd and Gwynedd about a series of child sexual and abuse incidents in various care homes. On investigation, she found that several reports of these incidents had been made by both care and social workers, but that no procedural or disciplinary action had so far been taken as a result.[SUP][2][/SUP][SUP][not in citation given][/SUP]
Creating a file around cases involving six children,[SUP][3][/SUP] Taylor made a series of allegations against senior social care professionals working for the authority[SUP][2][/SUP] which she raised with her superiors at the council, but again no action was taken. Taylor then reported her allegations to North Wales Police in 1986. The council suspended Taylor in January 1987,[SUP][3][/SUP] alleging that there had been a "breakdown in communications" between Taylor and her colleagues.[SUP][2][/SUP][SUP][not in citation given][/SUP]
On two subsequent occasions, the council offered Taylor a financial termination agreement, subject to her signing a confidentiality agreement. After refusing to sign the confidentiality agreement, Taylor was dismissed. With the help of her trade union, Taylor took the council to an industrial tribunal, which was quickly closed after the parties came to an out of court financial settlement. In September 1989, Taylor accepted the agreement, which did not included an associated confidentiality agreement.[SUP][2][/SUP][SUP][not in citation given][/SUP]
At the later Inquiry, Sir Ronald Waterhouse publicly vindicated Taylor.[SUP][2][/SUP] He stated that without Taylor's campaigning, there would have been no inquiry.[SUP][2][/SUP] Taylor was awarded a Pride of Britain award in 2000,[SUP][4][/SUP] and since 1996 has worked as a novelist.[SUP][5][/SUP]
Initial public investigations
After agreement had been reached with the council, Taylor went to the local, Welsh and UK national media with her allegations. In these reports, Taylor made further allegations about Bryn Estyn care home in Wrexham, which had been run until its closure in 1984 by Clwyd County Council.[SUP][2][/SUP][SUP][not in citation given][/SUP]
In 1990, an investigation was undertaken by Detective Inspector Cronin of North Wales Police into allegations of sexual abuse at Cartrefle. Later reports found that Cronin undertook a thorough investigation to the best of his abilities, but that the investigation was restricted by a lack of co-operation by Children's Services and Social Services. Cronin's report, which found insufficient evidence to undertake a successful prosecution, was subsequently submitted to the council and became known as the Cartrefle Report.[SUP][2][/SUP][SUP][not in citation given][/SUP]
Taylor continued her media campaign, discovering that more than ten reports of child abuse had been made to both councils before she had raised her concerns. Approached by other former and current residents and care workers with additional allegations, in 1991 Taylor compiled a dossier of allegations from over 100 young people,[SUP][2][/SUP][SUP][not in citation given][/SUP] from which she took evidence from 75 cases which she submitted to North Wales Police,[SUP][3][/SUP] and copied to the council and Welsh Office. Only the police took any action, but were again not given co-operation by the council's social services team.[SUP][2][/SUP][SUP][3][/SUP]
Wider UK concerns about children in residential care led to the commissioning of 10 public enquiries between 1990 and 1996, including the Utting Report (1991) and the Warner Report (1992), which exposed large-scale institutional abuse of children and young people. As a result, prompted by the Welsh Office and with the support of local politicians, the newly appointed Director of Social Services in Clwyd found several instances of previous allegations uncovered by previous council investigations, which had either not been properly investigated or where reports calling for action had been ignored.[SUP][6][/SUP][SUP][7][/SUP]
The wider matter of child sexual abuse was then referred jointly by both councils to North Wales Police who undertook an inquiry in 1993, taking some 2,600 witness statements,[SUP][8][/SUP] and 300 cases were subsequently sent to the Crown Prosecution Service.[SUP][9][/SUP] As a result, seven people were prosecuted and convicted. Six residential social workers were prosecuted for abuse, three of whom had worked at Bryn Estyn. The former deputy head of Bryn Estyn, Peter Howarth, was jailed for 10 years in 1994 for sexually abusing teenage boys;[SUP][10][/SUP] he died in 1997.[SUP][11][/SUP]
Jillings Report
There were then allegations that members of the police force had themselves colluded in covering up allegations. In March 1994 Clwyd County Council commissioned a further inquiry, the Jillings Report, undertaken by a panel headed by John Jillings,[SUP][12][/SUP] a former director of social services with Derbyshire County Council.[SUP][13][/SUP] The panel of Jillings, Professor Jane Tunstall and Gerrilyn Smith met with considerable opposition:[SUP][9][/SUP]
The final report was not published because of concerns over libel, and legal advice and concerns from the council's insurers, Municipal Mutual Insurance, which warned that the report would encourage court cases and compensation claims.[SUP][6][/SUP][SUP][7][/SUP] The report also states that Municipal Mutual suggested that the then chair of the council's social services committee, Malcolm King, be sacked if he spoke out.[SUP][9][/SUP]In November 2012, King commented:[SUP][9][/SUP]
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[TD]Because it was suppressed, the lessons of the Jillings report were not learned. It was the exchange of financial safety for the safety of real people. It was one of the most shameful parts of recent history.[/TD]
[TD]"[/TD]
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It was assumed until November 2012 that all publicly held copies of the Jillings Report had been destroyed, and hence it could not be published. In light of the re-emergence of the scandal that month, one of the few legally held remaining copies was sent to theChildren's Commissioner for Wales, Keith Towler.[SUP][9][/SUP]
In November 2012, Anne Clwyd MP called for the legal archive copy of the report to be published, claiming that she was shown a copy in 1994: "I would say please get the Jillings report published because it shows... rape, bestiality, violent assaults and torture, and the effects on those young boys at that time cannot be under-estimated." BBC Wales subsequently spoke to Jillings about Ms Clwyd's claim of bestiality, but Jillings said his report did not unearth any such claims.[SUP][14][/SUP] Jillings also commented that public figures were not among names given by victims, and that: "The people the investigation focussed on, because these were the people that the children spoke to us about, were staff members."[SUP][16][/SUP] Jillings commented to other media:[SUP][9][/SUP]
[TABLE="class: cquote"]
[TR]
[TD]"[/TD]
[TD]What we found was horrific and on a significant scale. If the events in children's homes in North Wales were to be translated into a film, Oliver Twist would seem relatively benign. The scale of what happened, and how it was allowed, are a disgrace, and stain on the history of child care in this country.[/TD]
[TD]"[/TD]
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In November 2012 Flintshire County Council uncovered a copy of the Jillings Report in their archive. The six north Wales councils are now taking legal advice about whether it can be made available under Freedom of Information legislation.[SUP][8][/SUP][SUP][17][/SUP]
The Waterhouse Inquiry
In 1996, the then Secretary of State for Wales, William Hague, ordered a Tribunal of Inquiry into allegations of hundreds of cases of child abuse in care homes in former county council areas of Clwyd and Gwynedd between 1974 and 1990. Sir Ronald Waterhouse QC, a retired High Court judge, was appointed to head the inquiry.[SUP][10][/SUP]
The inquiry began in January 1997. The tribunal sat for 203 days, and heard evidence directly from 250 witnesses, attracted 200 additional personal statements, and in total heard from more than 650 people.[SUP][18][/SUP] Of the 260 witnesses that the inquiry, nearly half subsequently needed counselling for psychiatric help after giving evidence, paid for by the inquiry.[SUP][19][/SUP] The inquiry finished taking evidence in May 1998, with Waterhouse expecting to submit his report to the Welsh Secretary within 6 to 8 months.[SUP][20][/SUP] However, the volume of evidence taken and the serious of allegations within, led to a 12-month delay in publication of the report to the Welsh Secretary until October 1999.[SUP][20][/SUP] The final report ran to over 500,000 words, and contained 700 allegations of abuse involving 170 individuals.[SUP][20][/SUP] More than 80 people, many of whom were care staff or teachers, were named as child abusers in statements to the inquiry. Costing more than £12M, it was stated to be: "the biggest investigation ever held in Britain into allegations of physical, sexual and emotional abuse of children who passed through the care system."[SUP][10][/SUP]
The findings were published in February 2000, as Lost In Care - The Waterhouse Report.[SUP][21][/SUP][SUP][22][/SUP] The report concluded that there was:"Widespread sexual abuse of boys occurred in children's residential establishments in Clwyd between 1974 and 1990. There were some incidents of sexual abuse of girl residents in these establishments but they were comparatively rare."[SUP][2][/SUP] As well as physical abuse and the unacceptable use of force,[SUP][11][/SUP] there was "widespread sexual abuse, including buggery."[SUP][2][/SUP] The public version of the report named and criticised almost 200 people, for either abusing children or failing to offer them sufficient protection. Although it identified 28 alleged perpetrators,[SUP][23][/SUP] many names were redacted due to either pending prosecutions or lack of evidence.[SUP][2][/SUP] The report stated:[SUP][11][/SUP]
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[TD]The evidence before us has disclosed that for many children who were consigned to Bryn Estyn, in the 10 or so years of its existence as a community home, it was a form of purgatory or worse from which they emerged more damaged than when they had entered and for whom the future had become even more bleak.[/TD]
[TD]"[/TD]
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The report found no evidence "to establish that there was a wide-ranging conspiracy involving prominent persons and others with the objective of sexual activity with children in care",[SUP][11][/SUP] but did recognise the existence of a paedophile ring in the Wrexham and Chesterarea.[SUP][11][/SUP][SUP][18][/SUP][SUP][21][/SUP]
The Inquiry made 72 recommendations for changes,[SUP][2][/SUP] constituting a massive overhaul of the way in which children in care are dealt with by local councils, social services and the police.[SUP][1][/SUP][SUP][10][/SUP]
After the report was published, a window opened to allow victims to claim for compensation. On top of cases which had previously been handled and closed directly by both councils, additional cases were handled by lead solicitors Nelsons of Nottingham.[SUP][24][/SUP] In total, 140 compensation claims were settled on behalf of victims by the time that the claim window closed in July 1999.[SUP][24][/SUP] Further, a Children's Commissioner for Wales was appointed as a result of one of the reports recommendations.[SUP][10][/SUP]
In a subsequent statement to the House of Commons, the Welsh Secretary Paul Murphy stated: "It is a tragedy that such treatment should have been meted out to children in care." Murphy said there was no evidence of a high-level paedophile conspiracy, but that a paedophile ring around Cheshire and Wrexham had preyed on young people in care in the 1970s and 1980s.[SUP][22][/SUP]
The Secret of Bryn Estyn: The Making of a Modern Witch Hunt [edit]
In 2005, the cultural historian Richard Webster published a book, The Secret of Bryn Estyn: The Making of a Modern Witch Hunt, which investigated the scandal. It was highly critical of the Waterhouse Inquiry, argued that abuse scandals could be phenomena created by public hysteria,[SUP][25][/SUP] and reported a number of cases of apparently innocent care workers imprisoned as a consequence of false and unsubstantiated accusations elicited by police trawling operations. Webster also questioned whether some of those claiming abuse had been motivated by the prospect of financial reward.[SUP][21][/SUP] Wrexham Council refused permission for a conference, arranged by Falsely Accused Carers and Teachers (F.A.C.T.), a support group, to be held at Bryn Estyn now renamed the Erlas Centre in 2005; Webster was to have been the main speaker.[SUP][26][/SUP]
Further allegations and investigations in 2012 [edit]
On 2 November 2012, following the revelations in the Jimmy Savile sexual abuse scandal, the BBC current affairs programme Newsnightaired an item about the scandal in which one of those who had suffered abuse in the 1980s, Steve Messham, made further allegations that there had been a much wider circle of abusers, including businessmen, members of the police and senior politicians, extending beyond the immediate area to London and beyond.[SUP][27][/SUP] He called for a further investigation to be carried out.[SUP][18][/SUP] The Children's Commissioner for Wales, Keith Towler, supported the call for an inquiry, stating that the remit of the Waterhouse Inquiry had been too narrow.[SUP][28][/SUP]
On 5 November 2012 the Prime Minister, David Cameron, said that any new allegations of abuse would be investigated, and announced that a "senior independent figure", later named as Mrs Justice Julia Macur,[SUP][29][/SUP] would be appointed to look urgently into the terms of the original inquiry and whether it was properly constituted.[SUP][23][/SUP] Tom Watson MP called for a wider ranging inquiry, and referred to allegations of abuse by a former Cabinet minister.[SUP][30][/SUP] The Home Secretary, Theresa May, said that "... we should look to make sure that the work that was done in relation to the Waterhouse inquiry did cover everything that it needed to cover." She announced on 6 November that Keith Bristow, the head of the National Crime Agency, would lead an investigation into how old claims of abuse were handled, and at fresh allegations. The investigation would involve the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) and the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP), and would report by April 2013.[SUP][29][/SUP] The investigation was subsequently known as Operation Pallial.[SUP][31][/SUP]
The Shadow Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, called for a single, overarching public inquiry to be held in order to examine all the recent allegations of child abuse, including those relating to the Jimmy Savile scandal,[SUP][32][/SUP] a call which was supported by former minister Tim Loughton and by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.[SUP][33][/SUP] On 7 November, Ann Clwyd MP called for the 1994 Jillings report to be published.[SUP][34][/SUP]
On 6 November, Channel 4 News reported that Sir Peter Morrison, a former aide to Margaret Thatcher and MP for Chester, who died in 1995, had been 'seen' driving a boy away from the Bryn Estyn home.[SUP][35][/SUP] The Conservative Party said that they were investigating the claims.[SUP][29][/SUP] The Guardian reported that references made to the alleged involvement of another prominent Conservative politician may have been the result of confusion over the identities of two people sharing the same surname.[SUP][36][/SUP] Lord McAlpine subsequently released a statement denying the allegations and describing them as 'seriously defamatory'. A week after the Newsnight programme, on 9 November, the BBC apologised "unreservedly" for its broadcast, after Steve Messham apologised for the mistaken identity.[SUP][37][/SUP] TheDirector-General of the BBC, George Entwistle, stated that he had been unaware of the content of the report before it was broadcast,[SUP][38][/SUP]and after further criticism in the media resigned on 10 November.[SUP][39][/SUP]
Operation Pallial [edit]
On 17 December 2012 it was reported that Operation Pallial had received information from 105 possible victims of abuse in North Wales care homes, across 22 police force areas across the UK and Ireland. The investigation involved 27 police officers and staff, mainly from forces in north west England, supported by SOCA. Senior investigating officer Detective Superintendent Ian Mulcahey of Merseyside Police said that "Operation Pallial is investigating new allegations of historic child abuse, some from victims previously known about and some from victims who have come forward for the first time. All victims of abuse have a right to expect all allegations of abuse, no matter how much time has passed, to be investigated professionally and appropriately. We will do so. Equally importantly, if offenders are still alive they must be identified, investigated and brought to justice, with those who still have access to children being prioritised." A report, to be submitted to the Chief Constable of North Wales Police and the Home Secretary, Theresa May, was being prepared for publication in April 2013.[SUP][31][/SUP]
The report of Phase One of Operation Pallial was published on 29 April 2013. It set out a total of 140 allegations of abuse, involving girls and boys between the ages of 7 and 19, at 18 children's homes in north Wales between 1963 and 1992. During the inquiry, 76 new complainants came forward, and the police reported allegations against 84 individuals, of whom 16 had been named by more than one complainant. Some of those named were deceased. The Chief Constable of North Wales, Mark Polin, said: "Offenders quite rightly should have to look over their shoulders for the rest of their lives."[SUP][40][/SUP]
See also
References
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North Wales child abuse scandal
The North Wales child abuse scandal was the subject of a three-year, £13 million investigation into the physical and [/URL]sexual abuse of children in care homes in the counties of Clwyd and Gwynedd, in North Wales, including the Bryn Estyn children's home at Wrexham, between 1974 and 1990.[SUP][1][/SUP] The report into the scandal, headed by retired High Court judge Sir Ronald Waterhouse QC, which was published in 2000, resulted in changes in policy in England and Wales into how authorities deal with children in care, and to the settling of 140 compensation claims on behalf of victims of abuse.
In November 2012, new allegations led to the Prime Minister, David Cameron, announcing that a senior independent figure, later named as Mrs Justice Julia Macur, would examine the conduct and remit of the Waterhouse Inquiry. In addition, the Home Secretary, Theresa May, announced a new police inquiry into how the original allegations were dealt with, as well as an investigation of any new allegations. The broadcasting of false allegations on Newsnight on 2 November led to the resignation of the Director-General of the BBC,George Entwistle, eight days later.
The report of phase one of the police investigation, Operation Pallial, was published on 29 April 2013. It set out a total of 140 allegations of abuse at 18 children's homes in north Wales between 1963 and 1992.
Background
In common with local government practice at the time, the two major councils in North Wales - Clwyd and Gwynedd - had a series of council-owned alongside privately owned and operated children's homes. These provided residential care for children in line with the guidelines provided by both the Welsh Office and the UK Government. Homes and facilities in the region included:[SUP][2][/SUP][SUP][not in citation given][/SUP]
- Clwyd
- Council owned: Bryn Estyn; Cartrefle; Little Acton Assessment Centre; Bersham Hall; Chevet Hey; Park House; Upper Downing; South Meadow; Ysgol Talfryn
- Privately owned: Bryn Alyn; Ystrad Hall School; Clwyd Hall School; Gatewen Hall; Tanllwyfan
- Council owned: Bryn Estyn; Cartrefle; Little Acton Assessment Centre; Bersham Hall; Chevet Hey; Park House; Upper Downing; South Meadow; Ysgol Talfryn
- Gwynedd
- Council owned: Queens Park ; Ty'r Felin; Ty Newydd; Cartref Bontnewydd
- Privately owned: Do'l Rhyd School and Ysgol Hengwrt
- Council owned: Queens Park ; Ty'r Felin; Ty Newydd; Cartref Bontnewydd
- NHS facilities: Gwynfa Residential Unit (Psychiatric hospital for children)
From 1974 to 1990, a series of incidents of child abuse occurred within the North Wales children's homes. Initial reports which did not appear in public included:[SUP][2][/SUP][SUP][not in citation given][/SUP]
- 1979: Internal investigation of reports (against Gary Cooke and Graham Stephens) in 1979.
- September 1986: Residents of Ysgol Hengwrt, to the council. These reports eventually were raised to the Welsh Office's attention
- 1988: The then Spastics Society against the care regime of Hengwrt Hall, to the council
In the mid-1980s Alison Taylor, a residential care worker and then manager of a children's home in Gwynedd, began hearing stories from children coming to her home from across Clwyd and Gwynedd about a series of child sexual and abuse incidents in various care homes. On investigation, she found that several reports of these incidents had been made by both care and social workers, but that no procedural or disciplinary action had so far been taken as a result.[SUP][2][/SUP][SUP][not in citation given][/SUP]
Creating a file around cases involving six children,[SUP][3][/SUP] Taylor made a series of allegations against senior social care professionals working for the authority[SUP][2][/SUP] which she raised with her superiors at the council, but again no action was taken. Taylor then reported her allegations to North Wales Police in 1986. The council suspended Taylor in January 1987,[SUP][3][/SUP] alleging that there had been a "breakdown in communications" between Taylor and her colleagues.[SUP][2][/SUP][SUP][not in citation given][/SUP]
On two subsequent occasions, the council offered Taylor a financial termination agreement, subject to her signing a confidentiality agreement. After refusing to sign the confidentiality agreement, Taylor was dismissed. With the help of her trade union, Taylor took the council to an industrial tribunal, which was quickly closed after the parties came to an out of court financial settlement. In September 1989, Taylor accepted the agreement, which did not included an associated confidentiality agreement.[SUP][2][/SUP][SUP][not in citation given][/SUP]
At the later Inquiry, Sir Ronald Waterhouse publicly vindicated Taylor.[SUP][2][/SUP] He stated that without Taylor's campaigning, there would have been no inquiry.[SUP][2][/SUP] Taylor was awarded a Pride of Britain award in 2000,[SUP][4][/SUP] and since 1996 has worked as a novelist.[SUP][5][/SUP]
Initial public investigations
After agreement had been reached with the council, Taylor went to the local, Welsh and UK national media with her allegations. In these reports, Taylor made further allegations about Bryn Estyn care home in Wrexham, which had been run until its closure in 1984 by Clwyd County Council.[SUP][2][/SUP][SUP][not in citation given][/SUP]
In 1990, an investigation was undertaken by Detective Inspector Cronin of North Wales Police into allegations of sexual abuse at Cartrefle. Later reports found that Cronin undertook a thorough investigation to the best of his abilities, but that the investigation was restricted by a lack of co-operation by Children's Services and Social Services. Cronin's report, which found insufficient evidence to undertake a successful prosecution, was subsequently submitted to the council and became known as the Cartrefle Report.[SUP][2][/SUP][SUP][not in citation given][/SUP]
Taylor continued her media campaign, discovering that more than ten reports of child abuse had been made to both councils before she had raised her concerns. Approached by other former and current residents and care workers with additional allegations, in 1991 Taylor compiled a dossier of allegations from over 100 young people,[SUP][2][/SUP][SUP][not in citation given][/SUP] from which she took evidence from 75 cases which she submitted to North Wales Police,[SUP][3][/SUP] and copied to the council and Welsh Office. Only the police took any action, but were again not given co-operation by the council's social services team.[SUP][2][/SUP][SUP][3][/SUP]
Wider UK concerns about children in residential care led to the commissioning of 10 public enquiries between 1990 and 1996, including the Utting Report (1991) and the Warner Report (1992), which exposed large-scale institutional abuse of children and young people. As a result, prompted by the Welsh Office and with the support of local politicians, the newly appointed Director of Social Services in Clwyd found several instances of previous allegations uncovered by previous council investigations, which had either not been properly investigated or where reports calling for action had been ignored.[SUP][6][/SUP][SUP][7][/SUP]
The wider matter of child sexual abuse was then referred jointly by both councils to North Wales Police who undertook an inquiry in 1993, taking some 2,600 witness statements,[SUP][8][/SUP] and 300 cases were subsequently sent to the Crown Prosecution Service.[SUP][9][/SUP] As a result, seven people were prosecuted and convicted. Six residential social workers were prosecuted for abuse, three of whom had worked at Bryn Estyn. The former deputy head of Bryn Estyn, Peter Howarth, was jailed for 10 years in 1994 for sexually abusing teenage boys;[SUP][10][/SUP] he died in 1997.[SUP][11][/SUP]
Jillings Report
There were then allegations that members of the police force had themselves colluded in covering up allegations. In March 1994 Clwyd County Council commissioned a further inquiry, the Jillings Report, undertaken by a panel headed by John Jillings,[SUP][12][/SUP] a former director of social services with Derbyshire County Council.[SUP][13][/SUP] The panel of Jillings, Professor Jane Tunstall and Gerrilyn Smith met with considerable opposition:[SUP][9][/SUP]
- The then newly appointed North Wales chief constable refused to meet them or help with access to the police major-incident database.[SUP][9][/SUP] This resulted in the need to collect 70 duplicate and additional witness statements, obtained by local councillors and MPs, who included Ann Clwyd the MP for Cynon Valley since 1984.[SUP][14][/SUP]
- 130 boxes of material handed over by the council to the police were not made available to the panel.[SUP][9][/SUP]
- The council did not allow the inquiry to place a notice in the local press seeking information. "This was considered to be unacceptable to the insurers", says the final report.[SUP][9][/SUP]
The final report was not published because of concerns over libel, and legal advice and concerns from the council's insurers, Municipal Mutual Insurance, which warned that the report would encourage court cases and compensation claims.[SUP][6][/SUP][SUP][7][/SUP] The report also states that Municipal Mutual suggested that the then chair of the council's social services committee, Malcolm King, be sacked if he spoke out.[SUP][9][/SUP]In November 2012, King commented:[SUP][9][/SUP]
[TABLE="class: cquote"]
[TR]
[TD]"[/TD]
[TD]Because it was suppressed, the lessons of the Jillings report were not learned. It was the exchange of financial safety for the safety of real people. It was one of the most shameful parts of recent history.[/TD]
[TD]"[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
It was assumed until November 2012 that all publicly held copies of the Jillings Report had been destroyed, and hence it could not be published. In light of the re-emergence of the scandal that month, one of the few legally held remaining copies was sent to theChildren's Commissioner for Wales, Keith Towler.[SUP][9][/SUP]
In November 2012, Anne Clwyd MP called for the legal archive copy of the report to be published, claiming that she was shown a copy in 1994: "I would say please get the Jillings report published because it shows... rape, bestiality, violent assaults and torture, and the effects on those young boys at that time cannot be under-estimated." BBC Wales subsequently spoke to Jillings about Ms Clwyd's claim of bestiality, but Jillings said his report did not unearth any such claims.[SUP][14][/SUP] Jillings also commented that public figures were not among names given by victims, and that: "The people the investigation focussed on, because these were the people that the children spoke to us about, were staff members."[SUP][16][/SUP] Jillings commented to other media:[SUP][9][/SUP]
[TABLE="class: cquote"]
[TR]
[TD]"[/TD]
[TD]What we found was horrific and on a significant scale. If the events in children's homes in North Wales were to be translated into a film, Oliver Twist would seem relatively benign. The scale of what happened, and how it was allowed, are a disgrace, and stain on the history of child care in this country.[/TD]
[TD]"[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
In November 2012 Flintshire County Council uncovered a copy of the Jillings Report in their archive. The six north Wales councils are now taking legal advice about whether it can be made available under Freedom of Information legislation.[SUP][8][/SUP][SUP][17][/SUP]
The Waterhouse Inquiry
In 1996, the then Secretary of State for Wales, William Hague, ordered a Tribunal of Inquiry into allegations of hundreds of cases of child abuse in care homes in former county council areas of Clwyd and Gwynedd between 1974 and 1990. Sir Ronald Waterhouse QC, a retired High Court judge, was appointed to head the inquiry.[SUP][10][/SUP]
The inquiry began in January 1997. The tribunal sat for 203 days, and heard evidence directly from 250 witnesses, attracted 200 additional personal statements, and in total heard from more than 650 people.[SUP][18][/SUP] Of the 260 witnesses that the inquiry, nearly half subsequently needed counselling for psychiatric help after giving evidence, paid for by the inquiry.[SUP][19][/SUP] The inquiry finished taking evidence in May 1998, with Waterhouse expecting to submit his report to the Welsh Secretary within 6 to 8 months.[SUP][20][/SUP] However, the volume of evidence taken and the serious of allegations within, led to a 12-month delay in publication of the report to the Welsh Secretary until October 1999.[SUP][20][/SUP] The final report ran to over 500,000 words, and contained 700 allegations of abuse involving 170 individuals.[SUP][20][/SUP] More than 80 people, many of whom were care staff or teachers, were named as child abusers in statements to the inquiry. Costing more than £12M, it was stated to be: "the biggest investigation ever held in Britain into allegations of physical, sexual and emotional abuse of children who passed through the care system."[SUP][10][/SUP]
The findings were published in February 2000, as Lost In Care - The Waterhouse Report.[SUP][21][/SUP][SUP][22][/SUP] The report concluded that there was:"Widespread sexual abuse of boys occurred in children's residential establishments in Clwyd between 1974 and 1990. There were some incidents of sexual abuse of girl residents in these establishments but they were comparatively rare."[SUP][2][/SUP] As well as physical abuse and the unacceptable use of force,[SUP][11][/SUP] there was "widespread sexual abuse, including buggery."[SUP][2][/SUP] The public version of the report named and criticised almost 200 people, for either abusing children or failing to offer them sufficient protection. Although it identified 28 alleged perpetrators,[SUP][23][/SUP] many names were redacted due to either pending prosecutions or lack of evidence.[SUP][2][/SUP] The report stated:[SUP][11][/SUP]
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[TD]The evidence before us has disclosed that for many children who were consigned to Bryn Estyn, in the 10 or so years of its existence as a community home, it was a form of purgatory or worse from which they emerged more damaged than when they had entered and for whom the future had become even more bleak.[/TD]
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The report found no evidence "to establish that there was a wide-ranging conspiracy involving prominent persons and others with the objective of sexual activity with children in care",[SUP][11][/SUP] but did recognise the existence of a paedophile ring in the Wrexham and Chesterarea.[SUP][11][/SUP][SUP][18][/SUP][SUP][21][/SUP]
The Inquiry made 72 recommendations for changes,[SUP][2][/SUP] constituting a massive overhaul of the way in which children in care are dealt with by local councils, social services and the police.[SUP][1][/SUP][SUP][10][/SUP]
After the report was published, a window opened to allow victims to claim for compensation. On top of cases which had previously been handled and closed directly by both councils, additional cases were handled by lead solicitors Nelsons of Nottingham.[SUP][24][/SUP] In total, 140 compensation claims were settled on behalf of victims by the time that the claim window closed in July 1999.[SUP][24][/SUP] Further, a Children's Commissioner for Wales was appointed as a result of one of the reports recommendations.[SUP][10][/SUP]
In a subsequent statement to the House of Commons, the Welsh Secretary Paul Murphy stated: "It is a tragedy that such treatment should have been meted out to children in care." Murphy said there was no evidence of a high-level paedophile conspiracy, but that a paedophile ring around Cheshire and Wrexham had preyed on young people in care in the 1970s and 1980s.[SUP][22][/SUP]
The Secret of Bryn Estyn: The Making of a Modern Witch Hunt [edit]
In 2005, the cultural historian Richard Webster published a book, The Secret of Bryn Estyn: The Making of a Modern Witch Hunt, which investigated the scandal. It was highly critical of the Waterhouse Inquiry, argued that abuse scandals could be phenomena created by public hysteria,[SUP][25][/SUP] and reported a number of cases of apparently innocent care workers imprisoned as a consequence of false and unsubstantiated accusations elicited by police trawling operations. Webster also questioned whether some of those claiming abuse had been motivated by the prospect of financial reward.[SUP][21][/SUP] Wrexham Council refused permission for a conference, arranged by Falsely Accused Carers and Teachers (F.A.C.T.), a support group, to be held at Bryn Estyn now renamed the Erlas Centre in 2005; Webster was to have been the main speaker.[SUP][26][/SUP]
Further allegations and investigations in 2012 [edit]
On 2 November 2012, following the revelations in the Jimmy Savile sexual abuse scandal, the BBC current affairs programme Newsnightaired an item about the scandal in which one of those who had suffered abuse in the 1980s, Steve Messham, made further allegations that there had been a much wider circle of abusers, including businessmen, members of the police and senior politicians, extending beyond the immediate area to London and beyond.[SUP][27][/SUP] He called for a further investigation to be carried out.[SUP][18][/SUP] The Children's Commissioner for Wales, Keith Towler, supported the call for an inquiry, stating that the remit of the Waterhouse Inquiry had been too narrow.[SUP][28][/SUP]
On 5 November 2012 the Prime Minister, David Cameron, said that any new allegations of abuse would be investigated, and announced that a "senior independent figure", later named as Mrs Justice Julia Macur,[SUP][29][/SUP] would be appointed to look urgently into the terms of the original inquiry and whether it was properly constituted.[SUP][23][/SUP] Tom Watson MP called for a wider ranging inquiry, and referred to allegations of abuse by a former Cabinet minister.[SUP][30][/SUP] The Home Secretary, Theresa May, said that "... we should look to make sure that the work that was done in relation to the Waterhouse inquiry did cover everything that it needed to cover." She announced on 6 November that Keith Bristow, the head of the National Crime Agency, would lead an investigation into how old claims of abuse were handled, and at fresh allegations. The investigation would involve the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) and the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP), and would report by April 2013.[SUP][29][/SUP] The investigation was subsequently known as Operation Pallial.[SUP][31][/SUP]
The Shadow Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, called for a single, overarching public inquiry to be held in order to examine all the recent allegations of child abuse, including those relating to the Jimmy Savile scandal,[SUP][32][/SUP] a call which was supported by former minister Tim Loughton and by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.[SUP][33][/SUP] On 7 November, Ann Clwyd MP called for the 1994 Jillings report to be published.[SUP][34][/SUP]
On 6 November, Channel 4 News reported that Sir Peter Morrison, a former aide to Margaret Thatcher and MP for Chester, who died in 1995, had been 'seen' driving a boy away from the Bryn Estyn home.[SUP][35][/SUP] The Conservative Party said that they were investigating the claims.[SUP][29][/SUP] The Guardian reported that references made to the alleged involvement of another prominent Conservative politician may have been the result of confusion over the identities of two people sharing the same surname.[SUP][36][/SUP] Lord McAlpine subsequently released a statement denying the allegations and describing them as 'seriously defamatory'. A week after the Newsnight programme, on 9 November, the BBC apologised "unreservedly" for its broadcast, after Steve Messham apologised for the mistaken identity.[SUP][37][/SUP] TheDirector-General of the BBC, George Entwistle, stated that he had been unaware of the content of the report before it was broadcast,[SUP][38][/SUP]and after further criticism in the media resigned on 10 November.[SUP][39][/SUP]
Operation Pallial [edit]
On 17 December 2012 it was reported that Operation Pallial had received information from 105 possible victims of abuse in North Wales care homes, across 22 police force areas across the UK and Ireland. The investigation involved 27 police officers and staff, mainly from forces in north west England, supported by SOCA. Senior investigating officer Detective Superintendent Ian Mulcahey of Merseyside Police said that "Operation Pallial is investigating new allegations of historic child abuse, some from victims previously known about and some from victims who have come forward for the first time. All victims of abuse have a right to expect all allegations of abuse, no matter how much time has passed, to be investigated professionally and appropriately. We will do so. Equally importantly, if offenders are still alive they must be identified, investigated and brought to justice, with those who still have access to children being prioritised." A report, to be submitted to the Chief Constable of North Wales Police and the Home Secretary, Theresa May, was being prepared for publication in April 2013.[SUP][31][/SUP]
The report of Phase One of Operation Pallial was published on 29 April 2013. It set out a total of 140 allegations of abuse, involving girls and boys between the ages of 7 and 19, at 18 children's homes in north Wales between 1963 and 1992. During the inquiry, 76 new complainants came forward, and the police reported allegations against 84 individuals, of whom 16 had been named by more than one complainant. Some of those named were deceased. The Chief Constable of North Wales, Mark Polin, said: "Offenders quite rightly should have to look over their shoulders for the rest of their lives."[SUP][40][/SUP]
See also
References
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- ^ [SUP]a[/SUP] [SUP]b[/SUP] [SUP]c[/SUP] [SUP]d[/SUP] [SUP]e[/SUP] [SUP]f[/SUP] [SUP]g[/SUP] [SUP]h[/SUP] [SUP]i[/SUP] [SUP]j[/SUP] [SUP]k[/SUP] [SUP]l[/SUP] [SUP]m[/SUP] [SUP]n[/SUP] [SUP]o[/SUP] [SUP]p[/SUP] "Waterhouse Inquiry: recommendations and conclusions". Daily Telegraph. 6 November 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
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- ^ [SUP]a[/SUP] [SUP]b[/SUP] Brian Corby, The costs and benefits of the North Wales Tribunal of Inquiry, in Nicky Stanley, The Age of the Inquiry: Learning and blaming in Health and Social Care, 2004, pp.116-130
- ^ [SUP]a[/SUP] [SUP]b[/SUP] [SUP]c[/SUP] "Wales child abuse: Councils could publish Jillings report". BBC Wales. 9 November 2012. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- ^ [SUP]a[/SUP] [SUP]b[/SUP] [SUP]c[/SUP] [SUP]d[/SUP] [SUP]e[/SUP] [SUP]f[/SUP] [SUP]g[/SUP] [SUP]h[/SUP] [SUP]i[/SUP] [SUP]j[/SUP] [SUP]k[/SUP] [SUP]l[/SUP] [SUP]m[/SUP] [SUP]n[/SUP] Roger Dobson (11 November 2012)."The Jillings report: How the truth about North Wales child abuse scandal was suppressed". The Independent. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
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- ^ [SUP]a[/SUP] [SUP]b[/SUP] [SUP]c[/SUP] [SUP]d[/SUP] [SUP]e[/SUP] Audrey Gillan, Refuges that turned into purgatory, The Guardian, 16 February 2000. Accessed 6 November 2012
- ^ BBC News, Wales child abuse: 'No public names' in report, 7 November 2012. Accessed 7 November 2012
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- ^ "Wales child abuse: 'No public names' in report". BBC Wales. 8 November 2012. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- ^ "Wales child abuse: Councils find Jillings report copies".BBC Wales. 12 November 2012. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- ^ [SUP]a[/SUP] [SUP]b[/SUP] [SUP]c[/SUP] BBC News "Call for new investigation into north Wales abuse scandal". BBC Wales. 2 November 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
- ^ "Abuse victims' evidence was 'harrowing'". BBC Wales. 9 February 2000. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
- ^ [SUP]a[/SUP] [SUP]b[/SUP] [SUP]c[/SUP] "Child abuse inquiry report due to reach Murphy". BBC Wales. 12 October 1999. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
- ^ [SUP]a[/SUP] [SUP]b[/SUP] [SUP]c[/SUP] Mark Smith, Rethinking Residential Child Care: Positive Perspectives, 2009, pp.41-44
- ^ [SUP]a[/SUP] [SUP]b[/SUP] "Victims welcome abuse revelations". BBC Wales. 15 February 2000. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
- ^ [SUP]a[/SUP] [SUP]b[/SUP] "Wales child abuse: PM orders sex abuse inquiry probe".BBC News. 5 November 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
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- ^ Woffinden, Bob (2011-07-31). "Richard Webster obituary".The Guardian (London). Retrieved 2011-08-02.
- ^ BBC News, Abuse group banned from meeting, 16 May 2005. Accessed 7 November 2012
- ^ Sawyer, Patrick (3 November 2012). "Call for new investigation into north Wales abuse scandal". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
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- ^ "Tory child sex abuse ring claim: Cameron races to control scandal". The Guardian. 5 November 2012. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
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- ^ "May announces details of child abuse investigations". BBC Democracy Live. 6 November 2012. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
- ^ Mulholland, Helene (8 November 2012). "David Cameron warns against 'witch-hunt' amid paedophilia allegations". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
- ^ "Wales child abuse: Publish Jillings report - Ann Clwyd MP". BBC News. 8 November 2012. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
- ^ "Sir Peter Morrison 'seen' at abuse care home". ITV News. 7 November 2012. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
- ^ Leigh, David, Morris, Steven and van der Zee, Bibi (8 November 2012). ""Mistaken identity" led to top Tory abuse claim". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
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- ^ Lisa O'Carroll, BBC chief unaware of Newsnight's Tory peer child sex abuse story, The Guardian, 10 November 2012. Accessed 10 November 2012
- ^ Paul Vale, George Entwistle Has Resigned As Director General Of The BBC, The Huffington Post, 10 November 2012. Accessed 10 November 2012
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- Department of Health: Report of the Waterhouse Inquiry, Lost in care - links to National Archives browsable webpage copy of report.
- Wrexham Council: a brief chronology of Bryn Estyn, Wrexham, now known as Erlas Centre
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"The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways. The point, however, is to change it." Karl Marx
"He would, wouldn't he?" Mandy Rice-Davies. When asked in court whether she knew that Lord Astor had denied having sex with her.
“I think it would be a good idea” Ghandi, when asked about Western Civilisation.
"He would, wouldn't he?" Mandy Rice-Davies. When asked in court whether she knew that Lord Astor had denied having sex with her.
“I think it would be a good idea” Ghandi, when asked about Western Civilisation.