Wide range of child and adult abuse inquiries

This ties up with Leon Brittian and Harvey Proctor concerning historic abuse allegations, who knows where this could lead? Hopefully some justice but that's a long way off I fear as anything is possible in this horrific allegation as it is at the moment. I mean it's only a hop skip and a jump from Elms to Dolphin to Islington then who knows where any of it leads. Mental isn't it?

Police search home of Lord Bramall as part of paedophile sex abuse inquiry
Scotland Yard officers swoop on Surrey home of former chief of the defence staff, Baron Bramall of Bushfield, as well as properties linked with Lord Brittan in a co-ordinated operation

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As a young man, Lord Bramall helped to defeat Nazi Germany, and as the head of the Armed Forces he masterminded the daring military campaign to liberate the Falkland Islands.
Field Marshall Lord Bramall, the former chief of the defence staff Photo: FIONA HANSON FOR THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
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David Barrett By David Barrett, Home Affairs Correspondent10:24AM GMT 08 Mar 2015
Police investigating claims of a paedophile ring involving some of Britain’s most powerful figures have searched the home of one of Britain's most senior former soldiers.
Scotland Yard detectives swooped on the family home of Field Marshall Lord Bramall of Bushfield, the former chief of the defence staff and a D-Day veteran.
It is not known whether Lord Bramall, 91, was present at the property at a leafy village near Farnham, Surrey, when the search took place.
It was part of a co-ordinated operation last week which also targeted properties belonging to Lord Brittan of Spennithorne, the former home secretary, just six weeks after his death.
Lord Brittan’s family home near Leyburn, North Yorkshire, and his property in Pimlico, north London, were visited by detectives from the Metropolitan Police's Operation Midland, which was set up to investigate claims of child sex abuse by Westminster politicans and other VIPs.
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The raids took place at the same time last Wednesday as police searches at the Lincolnshire home of Harvey Proctor, the former Conservative MP who was embroiled in a scandal involving male prostitutes in 1986, the Sunday Mirror reported.
Lord Brittan died in January aged 75 following a long fight against cancer.
About 20 officers from Operation Midland are understood to have taken part in the co-ordinated searches.
Forensics officers were also involved, it is understood.
Lord Brittan, who died in January
As Edwin Bramall, Eton-educated Lord Bramall commanded a platoon at the D-Day landings and led the Army as chief of the general staff during the Falklands campaign.
He was awarded the Military Cross in 1945.
Harvey Proctor, pictured in 1987
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "We can confirm officers from Operation Midland, on Wednesday March 4, conducted searches at an address in Westminster, an address in Leyburn, an address in Farnham and an address in Grantham in connection with their inquiries."
The police inquiry has focused on claims that VIPs abused children in the Seventies and Eighties.
But last year senior officers was confirmed the operation had become a murder investigation examining links between alleged abuse and the deaths of three boys.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/11457405/Police-search-home-of-Lord-Bramall-as-part-of-paedophile-sex-abuse-inquiry.html

Read here too

http://www.exaronews.com

Shamed publicist Max Clifford 'arrested by Operation Yewtree officers over further sex offences'



[*]Max Clifford 'arrested in connection with allegations of sexual offences'
[*]A 71-year-old was questioned at police station in Peterborough, police said
[*]Clifford was jailed for eight years after being convicted of indecent assaults
[*]Police have not identified man arrested, but Clifford was named on Twitter by journalist Mark Williams-Thomas, who exposed Jimmy Savile's crimes
[*]Scotland Yard said individual arrested was 'not new' to Operation Yewtree 




[*]Disgraced PR guru Max Clifford has been arrested in connection with allegations of sexual offences by detectives from Operation Yewtree, it has been reported.
Scotland Yard said a 71-year-old had ben questioned at a police station in Peterborough.
Clifford, 71, was jailed for eight years last May after being convicted of a string of indecent assaults, carried out between 1977 and 1984, using his celebrity connections to lure women.
He currently serving his sentence at Littlehey Prison in Cambridgeshire, which is not far from Peterborough.
The former celebrity agent, who branded his accusers 'fantasists', denied the charges, but was convicted at London's Southwark Crown Court.
It is understood that today's arrest relates to a number of separate allegations of sex offences. 
Following Clifford's sentencing last year, Scotland Yard confirmed that other people had come forward with allegations. 
Police have not named the individual who was arrested today, but did say that the man was 'not new' to the Operation Yewtree investigation.
Clifford was named on Twitter by Mark Williams-Thomas, the man who exposed Jimmy Savile's crimes in an award-winning ITV investigation. 
He posted: 'Max Clifford (71) arrested today re allegations of sexual offences,He was interviewed at a police station in Peterborough. #OP.Yewtree'.
Minutes later, he added: 'As previously stated today's arrest of Max Clifford relates to number of separate allegations of sex offences that CPS have been advising on.'



Mr Williams-Thomas, a former police officer who specialised in child protection and major crime, was the first person to expose Savile.
Operation Yewtree is the police probe set up in the wake of disclosures that former BBC DJ Jimmy Savile was a prolific paedophile. 


The investigation has three strands of inquiry. One relates to Savile's crimes and the second relates to allegations against Savile and others.
The third strand, under which Clifford is understood to have been questioned, concentrates on accusations unconnected to the Savile investigations but which emerged as a result of the publicity surrounding the late DJ. 
A Scotland Yard spokesman said it has spoken to 17 people as part of the Yewtree investigation.

[*]He said: 'This is not a new individual to Operation Yewtree. This is not an 18th individual.' Inquiries continue, he added.
Last month, Gary Glitter, who was the first person to be arrested under Operation Yewtree, became the fourth high-profile figure to be convicted under the investigation.
Former Radio 1 DJ Dave Lee Travis and children's entertainer Rolf Harris have also been found guilty of historic sexual offences. 










Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2992051/Shamed-publicist-Max-Clifford-arrested-Operation-Yewtree-officers-sex-offences.html.

Disgusting creature.

IMO all of them are indeed disgusting creatures. But, somehow, Mark Williams-Thomas is the worse to me ...

Châtelaine wrote:IMO all of them are indeed disgusting creatures. But, somehow, Mark Williams-Thomas is the worse to me ...

I agree, he's a parasite always leeching onto abuse news like Jim Gamble as if they are some sort of experts.

Yet they don't see a problem with the most famous scam in recent years.

Well said Margaret.

Jim G is some parasite alright.

Goodness me! I recall a clip, possibly on YouTube, where MC explains that he's got the dirt on a lot of celebrities. Might that be because he took part in those events? 

The corruption feeds upon itself. I do feel drugs are a part of this kind of thing, cocaine in particular. 

I'm definitely not accusing MC of drug use. An observation on celebrity culture only.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFYbPnk_hzA

This is the clip that Tigger mentions.

It was made some time prior to 2003 as there is a reference to Adam Faith who was then still alive.

The bit on Alan Clark is amazing and at the end 'I've got all the evidence..'   No morals though. 

Andrew would know much better ways to describe this..........but it will have to be whooshed! 

These people really do think they are untouchable. What an attitude to say "The only bad bit was he was interfering with those kids at 14." 
I too have a word for them but it is unprintable.
Not so funny now Max!

I had a really horrible shock yesterday evening, I was reading a link regarding the child abuse cover up and I came across an up to date story in the Mirror regarding a missing boy from 35 years ago.  A very good friend of mine worked at the Australian High Commission at the time when Martin Allen went missing, he was the son of the Australian High ­Commissioner’s chauffeur, my friend was devastated for his family and it affected many of the staff at the High Commission at that time.  I remember it vividly and I can also still remember the efit that was circulated at the time of a man seen walking along the platform at the Tube station with an arm around Martin's shoulders.  I always imagined it was most likely a one-off abduction or he had run away from home but never even occurred to me all those years ago that it may be part of a paedophile ring in which government officials and other high ranking individuals were involved in.

My friend moved back to Australia some years ago so I have emailed the link to her.  I had forgotten all about it after all these years but it has brought back some not very nice memories.  It's bad enough reading about these despicable crimes carried out on children you don't even know but when it affects people who are close to you personally it really makes your stomach churn over.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/australian-secret-service-report-could-5336745

An Australian secret service report may hold clues to the disappearance of a ­ teenager linked to their London ­ Embassy.

The boy is believed to have been murdered more than 35 years ago by a VIP paedophile ring linked to politicians and prominent people.

Martin Allen, 15, was the son of the Australian High ­Commissioner’s top chauffeur Tom Allen.
He vanished on Bonfire Night 1979, en route to visit his brother Bob.

A possible last sighting of him was reported by a ­ witness at Gloucester Road ­ Tube station.

The Embassy put up a £100,000 reward for information at the time and Australian investigators are believed to have probed regular use of sub-contracted casual and “rogue” chauffeurs who worked for or visited the Commissioner’s residence at Stoke Lodge in Kensington, West London.

Evidence collated by Martin’s elder brother Kevin and information from a survivor called “Nick” has led the Met to suppose he was probably one of three youngsters murdered by an establishment paedophile ring.

Martin lived with his family in the caretaker’s cottage within the elegant grounds of the Commissioner’s residence.

It was visited at that time by a host of prominent officials
.
As teenagers, Martin and Kevin helped clean cars at Canberra House, near the Australia House Embassy on the Strand.

His appearance may have been noted by visiting chauffeurs.

Now aged 52, Kevin has ­campaigned for decades to try to find out what really happened to his younger brother and remains highly critical of ­ongoing police inquiries.

He told the Sunday People: “We keep going around in circles. I am fed up with being left to fester for years.”

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There's also another link at the bottom of that story -

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/westminster-paedophile-ring-cop-warned-4678617

Kevin Allen, 51, claims he was warned he would 'get hurt' if he asked questions about the disappearance of his 15-year-old brother Martin, who vanished in 1979.

Anne page 1 well said...these people are not our betters...give me 5years studying law i'd qualify for the bar...wouldn't change the persomn i was before my law degree imo

I would like to see harman et all pulled up and grilled about pie..

admin - is this the right place? Move/delete if necessary. Thank you.



Please read this link put up by Tom Watson MP. He was brave enough to voice these matters in the House of Commons and now these retired police officials and govt officials who were too threatened and too scared by the Official Secrets Act need your support to testify about this abuse cover-up..

https://www.change.org/p/the-prime-minister-abuse-cover-up-inquiry-protect-whistleblowers

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/royal-family-member-was-investigated-as-part-of-paedophile-ring-before-coverup-excop-says-10126864.html

By JON STONE
Monday 23 March 2015

A member of the Royal family was claimed to be part of a suspected paedophile ring under investigation by police in the late 1980s, a former police officer has said.

The former Metropolitan Police officer says he was told by a detective sergeant that the investigation into the ring, which was also claimed to include an MP, was shut down for national security reasons.

“I was in a car with two other vice squad officers. … The detective sergeant said he had just had a major child abuse investigation shut down by the CPS regarding a royal and an MP,” he told the Sunday Mirror newspaper.

“He did not mention names, but he said the CPS had said it was not in the public’s interest because it ‘could destabilise national security’.”

The police officer identified the two colleagues, the newspaper said.
Sir Allan Green, the Director of Public Prosecutions and head of the CPS at the time the conversation took place, said he was not aware of any child abuse investigations shut down for national security reasons.

He however said he had been asked by a “senior person” if he had heard anything about a named MP being involved in child abuse. He said he had not.

The MP he was asked about has since died, Mr Green said.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson told the Independent: "If detailed, substantive allegations are made they will be taken seriously and looked into. However, we are not in a position to comment on speculative stories based on a chain of unnamed sources."

The Metropolitan Police has pledged to investigate historical crimes by establishment figures “without fear of favour”.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Steve Rodhouse told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that he was pleased that allegations of cover-ups were coming to light.

"We do think we are getting somewhere with these wider enquiries and we are seeing people coming forward. We have seen lots of coverage this week around allegations of cover-ups, and I think it's helpful that this is being spoken about and people are coming forward.

"We will go where the evidence takes us, without fear or favour, I think that is what the public expect and that is what the investigators are doing and are keen to continue to do."

The Independent Police Complaints Commission is investigating 14 related allegations of impropriety by officer stretching from the 1970s to 2005.

The Home Secretary Theresa May said earlier month that child sexual abuse ran through British society like a “stick of Blackpool rock” and warned that the public did not fully “appreciate the true scale” of exploitation

Tory MP Enoch Powell investigated as alleged member of Westminster paedophile network

The name of the late MP was provided to Scotland Yard after a clergyman came forward with claims from the 1980s relating to ritual satanic abuse




Cahal Milmo   Author Biography




Sunday 29 March 2015










  

Enoch Powell, the Conservative anti-immigrant firebrand, is being investigated as an alleged member of a claimed Westminster paedophile network after his name was supplied to police by a senior Anglican bishop.



The name of the late MP, one of the most divisive politicians of the late 20th century, was provided to Scotland Yard after a clergyman came forward with claims from the 1980s relating to ritual satanic abuse.

Mr Powell, a maverick politician who achieved notoriety with his so-called Rivers of Blood speech decrying migration to Britain, is the latest senior Parliamentarian to be made the subject of police inquiries into an alleged Establishment sex rings.

The Metropolitan Police has several ongoing investigations relating to claims against suspected abusers, including the former Liberal MP Cyril Smith. Detectives are also investigating allegations against former Home Secretary Leon Brittan.

The Independent understands that the claims against Mr Powell were passed to police by the Right Reverend Paul Butler, the Bishop of Durham, more than a year ago, but that they have only now been made public.



Widely regarded as one of the most powerful orators in modern British politics, Mr Powell’s time as a frontline politician came to an abrupt end when he was sacked in 1968 as shadow defence secretary by Edward Heath the morning after the Rivers of Blood speech Widely regarded as one of the most powerful orators in modern British politics, Mr Powell’s time as a frontline politician came to an abrupt end when he was sacked in 1968 as shadow defence secretary by Edward Heath the morning after the Rivers of Blood speech  

The Rt Rev Butler, who is the lead on safeguarding for the Church of England, contacted police after details of the allegations against the late Conservative politician were passed to him by a fellow clergyman, Dominic Walker, the former Bishop of Monmouth.

It is understood that the Rt Rev Walker first heard the claims when he was counselling young adults as a curate in the 1980s and claims were made that an unknown number of MPs had been involved in satanic cult-type abuse.

The claim was originally submitted to Operation Fernbridge, a police investigation into abuse related to the Elm Guest House in south west London which is at the centre of claims that it was used by powerful individuals during the 1970s and 1980s for organised sexual abuse. Fernbridge has now closed but allegations submitted to it remain the subject of other ongoing investigations.
In a statement, the Church of England said: “The name of Enoch Powell was passed to Operation Fernbridge by one of our safeguarding team on the instruction of Bishop Paul Butler.”
Multiple claims of satanic abuse were made in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including the notorious case in the Orkney Islands during which children were removed from their homes in dawn raids. A subsequent Government-backed inquiry found there was no evidence to substantiate any of the 86 separate alleged cases.
It is understood the allegations against Mr Powell came from a single individual. Under safeguarding rules, institutions such as the Church of England now automatically pass allegations of abuse to the police for assessment.



http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/tory-mp-enoch-powell-investigated-as-alleged-member-of-westminster-paedophile-network-10142235.html

http://m.stv.tv/news/north/315978-david-brinkman-not-jailed-for-abuse-images-in-madeleine-mccann-hunt/

Man downloaded abuse images 'to help Madeleine McCann inquiry'

02 April 2015 17:00 BST

Sheriff court: David Brinkman spared jail over child abuse photos. Pic: STV
A man who downloaded hundreds of child abuse images and videos as part of a "one man crusade" to find missing Madeleine McCann has avoided a jail sentence.

David Brinkman, 68, was previously warned he could face jail after admitting trawling through hundreds of indecent images and videos of children when he appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.

He admitted downloading nearly 700 images and more than 80 videos claiming he suspected the missing child had been abducted into a paedophile ring.

However he was nearly allowed to walk free on Wednesday due to a Crown blunder.

No representative of the Crown turned up at the morning sentencing which meant the case could have fallen through at the final hurdle.

However a fiscal depute was found later in the day and Brinkman was duly sentenced.

Sheriff Napier said he was satisfied he could impose a community payback order, with 200 hours unpaid work in the community and a three-year supervision requirement.

Brinkman was also placed on the sex offenders register for three years.

The qualified engineer said he scoured the material to try and spot a child that shared the young girl's distinct eye defect, while he also "bartered" with other perverts online to exchange more indecent material.

Sentencing at Aberdeen Sheriff Court had been deferred for the preparation of a psychology report.

It was ordered by sheriff Graeme Napier to determine if Brinkman posed a risk to children and to give an insight into his obsession with the case.

The report said Brinkman was not a "sexual deviant" but that he showed some "cognitive impairment".

No "special" risk to children had been identified by the psychologist but it was reported that further assessment may be needed in the future.

Sheriff Napier said: "This is one of the more unusual cases of this type that I've had to deal with.

"From the reports available it appears that you do not pose a significant risk to children.

"Having considered all of the reports I'm satisfied that I can deal with you by way of a community payback order.

"This is a serious offence which could have justified a custodial sentence."

Madeleine disappeared from an apartment while on holiday with her parents in Portugal eight years ago, sparking one of the biggest missing persons investigation in decades.

Mr Monro said Brinkman became determined to solve the mystery after reading a book by Madeleine’s mother, Kate.

She has been hunting for her missing child with husband Gerry, originally from Glasgow, since she vanished.

Mr Monro said previously: "He has been on this one man crusade as he is perfectly satisfied that Madeleine McCann was removed from the property in 2007 and has found her way into a paedophile ring.

"As we know Madeleine McCann has a distinct mark in her eye. He thought if he trawled through this material he might see for himself.

"He finds it sickening to look at these things but he thought that his crusade was such that he had to go through it."

Police seized a copy of the Kate McCann book from Brinkman's flat along with the indecent material.

The 694 indecent pictures and 88 clips, with a runtime of nearly five hours, were collected between April 2013 and January 2014.

Brinkman admitted having possession and taking or permitting to be taken or making photos or pseudo photos of children at his flat when he appeared in court earlier this year.

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So any sick disturbed individual who gets caught for downloading indecent child images can get off with a bit of community service and a slap on the wrist for saying they were 'searching for Madeleine'.

Seems as if a bit of pressure is being brought to bear over this.

Lord Janner child abuse scandal: Now Theresa May turns heat on DPP over botched case

   Alison Saunders position as the country's top prosecutor looks bleak
   She has faced criticism from Home Secretary, police chiefs and MPs
   Mrs Saunders said her job was to make legal decisions, not popular ones

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3045318/Lord-Janner-child-abuse-scandal-Theresa-turns-heat-DPP-botched-case.html

Spotting the behaviours of sex offenders

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02pdghk

Reminders of the Ernest Saunders case - nothing to do with child abuse of course - in respect of his recovery from Alzheimer's.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/elder/11554636/Forgive-my-cynicism-at-the-timely-onset-of-Lord-Janners-dementia.html

http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/may/22/josh-duggar-sexual-abuse-19-kids-counting-tlc

Have any of you seen this vomit producing series on American TV - I saw it once - that was enough.



Josh Duggar and the sexual abuse allegations rocking 19 Kids and Counting
The star of the reality show about a large and politically influential Christian family has been accused of sexually assaulting several young girls including some of his sisters. What TLC plans to do with the show remains to be seen
TLC takes Duggar family show off air after sexual abuse by son comes to light

Commentators have noted the emphasis on ruining ‘his’ life in his resignation statement, and the lack of admission over ruining the lives of the young women he assaulted.

Friday 22 May 2015 17.46 BST Last modified on Monday 25 May 2015 11.40 BST

On TLC’s hit reality show 19 Kids and Counting, the Arkansas-based Duggars were a kind of family we don’t see in America any more – huge, close-knit, wholesome. The 19 kids didn’t talk back to their parents, Jim Bob and Michelle. There was no swearing. Several of the children entered into chaste, religious-oriented “courtships” and married not long after. But just below the perfect facade was a huge scandal waiting to break loose.

This week the Duggars’ eldest son, Josh, 27, who is married with three children and one more due next month, was accused of having sexually assaulted five young girls in 2002, when he was 15 years old. Because the allegations were initially brought forth by In Touch, a weekly supermarket tabloid, few major outlets took them seriously. But then In Touch brought out their smoking gun: a police report.

In the 33-page document, the names of Duggar’s victims were redacted, but it became clear that at least some of them also had parents named Jim Bob and Michelle and lived in the same home, meaning that some of Josh’s sisters must have been among the five victims. The damning document also included information about how Jim Bob had waited a year before taking his son to the police and that the Duggars had opted for private religious mediation and prayer instead of professional counseling.

Yesterday, Josh confirmed in a statement that he had made “mistakes” and resigned his job as executive director of FRC Action, lobbying arm of the Family Research Council (FRC), a rightwing activist group. In a typical example of its hardline views, the FRC has a page on its website arguing that gay people should not be allowed to work with children, claiming that “disproportionate numbers of gay men seek adolescent males or boys as sexual partners”.

In his resignation statement, Josh said: “Twelve years ago, as a young teenager, I acted inexcusably for which I am extremely sorry and deeply regret. I hurt others, including my family and close friends. I confessed this to my parents who took several steps to help me address the situation. We spoke with the authorities where I confessed my wrongdoing, and my parents arranged for me and those affected by my actions to receive counseling. I understood that if I continued down this wrong road that I would end up ruining my life.” Commentators have noted the emphasis on his life, and a lack of admission that the lives ruined would have been those of the young women he assaulted.

Josh added: “I sought forgiveness from those I had wronged and asked Christ to forgive me and come into my life. In my life today, I am so very thankful for God’s grace, mercy and redemption.” His wife Anna, in the same statement, claimed that she knew about Josh’s “teenage mistakes” before they wed and that she was convinced that his religious belief had redeemed him.


For people who had never pried beyond the Duggar persona presented on TV, the news must have come as a tremendous shock. But for those of us who have been following the family’s ascent over the past few years, it is not completely unexpected. The family is known for their support of Bill Gothard, a hyper-conservative Christian who has advocated for homeschooling, modest dressing and living debt-free. Many of his followers, including the Duggars, belong to the Quiverfull movement, which is based on a Bible verse about God filling “quivers” with “arrows”, interpreted to mean “wombs” and “foetuses”. Each Duggar child who got married – in addition to Josh, Jill and Jessa Duggar both had televised weddings in which they spoke of their “purity”, or virginity – said they would trust God with the size of their family.

Although Gothard’s name was never invoked on-air, his philosophy was everywhere on 19 Kids and Counting. Jim Bob bragged that his family stayed debt-free by living frugally and “buying used and saving the difference”, even though in later years it became clear that the family’s affluence was largely bankrolled by TLC and by the byproducts of their fame, including multiple book deals and paid speaking engagements. The Duggars also attended Gothard-sponsored events around the country like the one in Big Sandy, Texas, where Josh met his wife. Gothard was brought down in a scandal of his very own recently, accused of sexually assaulting more than 30 women. The Duggars may be the world’s best-known Gothardites, but they somehow survived the scandal unscathed and unimplicated.


The Duggar family’s interest in politics has been apparent since day one. In the initial series of annual specials they appeared in before landing their own show, Jim Bob was introduced as an Arkansas state senator. Later, the family campaigned on- and off-air for Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum in their respective presidential bids. In an episode where the family road-tripped to Washington, DC, they met with Michele Bachmann. In older episodes of the show, Josh had expressed an interest in becoming a lawyer and following his father into politics. His connections and fame landed Josh his job at the FRC. Other equivalent jobs in Washington would require at least a college degree, if not significant experience working on political campaigns.

The next few weeks are likely to bring more details about the allegations against Josh. Although he has left his job, his family is rallying around him and are likely to close ranks. But the story has spread well beyond the religious community and reality TV fans into the mainstream – even the Duggars’ beloved Fox News has covered the allegations.


Anna and Josh Duggar at the Conservative Political Action Conference. Facebook Twitter Pinterest
Anna and Josh Duggar at the Conservative Political Action Conference. Photograph: Kris Connor/Getty Images
TLC, which was running a marathon of 19 Kids & Counting all day on Thursday despite – or because of – the breaking news, will soon have to make a decision about what to do with the series. Last year, when it came to light that “Mama Hune” Shannon, the star of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, was dating a convicted paedophile who had previously served a jail term for sexually assaulting Shannon’s eight-year-old relative, the network cancelled the show. On Friday, Shannon threatened to sue TLC over this perceived double standard.

It remains to be seen whether TLC will suspend 19 Kids & Counting or cancel it. The network has recently thrown significant marketing weight behind a show featuring the Bates family, another large Christian family who has been friendly with the Duggars and appeared on 19 Kids. They may have been TLC’s backup plan in case the bloom went off of the Duggar rose.

Whatever TLC decides to do, the Duggar family have the most questions to answer. Did Jim Bob and Michelle willingly cover up their own son’s actions in order to maintain their TV fame? Did they ask their own daughters to keep quiet or to live in a home where abuse was happening? Even if no one presses charges or brings a civil suit, the allegations will not go away, and will bring a very different complexion to the wholesome world of 19 Kids & Counting.

I had managed to avoid hearing of these people until now!