Re: Wide range of child and adult abuse inquiries

**candyfloss** Tue 04 Aug 2015, 10:44 pm

voiceforchildren ‏@TheVoiceJersey · 34 mins34 minutes ago
"fragment of longbone? Tibia. Submitted to University of Sheffield with KSH/158. Origin confirmed as human" http://voiceforchildren.blogspot.com/2015/08/ted-heath-might-be-headline-but-he-is.html?showComment=1438718631578#c2015549581028714596 …

Denise Thomson ‏@Syn0nymph · 13 mins13 minutes ago
@veniviedivici @TheVoiceJersey So many human bones, some burnt Sad

http://voiceforchildren.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/exclusive-footage-of-eddie-cadaver-dog.html?showComment=1331400170838#c4111841234633053627 …

PeterMac Wed 05 Aug 2015, 8:43 am

This is a neat round up of the Child and other abuse operations in the UK
Did we realise there were so many ?

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/aug/04/police-child-abuse-inquiries-operation-yewtree-to-operation-midland

Police child abuse inquiries: Operation Yewtree to Operation Midland
The allegations against Edward Heath are just part of one of a complicated range of UK police investigations into child abuse by prominent individuals

A wide range of child abuse inquiries are open in the UK with at least five police forces investigating allegations made against the late former prime minister, Sir Edward Heath.
Revelations about the former Tory leader highlight the sheer volume and scope of child abuse inquiries across the UK – a labyrinthine world of disturbing allegations spanning decades, county borders and professions.
Here is a breakdown of the key inquiries, their names and their remits.

Operation Hydrant – the supervisor
Operation Hydrant is not an investigation into child abuse but the name given to a coordination hub, led by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), to oversee the huge array of inquiries into allegations of child sexual abuse within institutions or by people of public prominence. In May, the Hydrant team released figures that revealed police across the country are investigating more than 1,400 men – including 261 high-profile individuals – over allegations of historical child abuse.

Operation Fairbank – the umbrella inquiry
Operation Fairbank is the Metropolitan police’s umbrella inquiry into child sex abuse claims involving high-profile figures including politicians. Starting in 2012 as a scoping exercise to establish evidence for formal investigation, it went on to spawn a number of other inquiries, including Operations Fernbridge and Midland.

Operation Fernbridge – Grafton Close and Elm Guest House
Operation Fernbridge was launched by the Met in February 2013 to examine allegations of abuse in the early 1980s at Grafton Close children’s home in west London, and at Elm Guest House in Barnes, south-west London. Two men were charged in connection with Grafton Close, including Catholic priest Father Anthony McSweeney, who was found guilty and jailed for three years. The other man – John Stingemore – was found dead at his home in St-Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex. Upon McSweeney’s sentencing, Fernbridge was closed and investigations into Elm Guest House were taken over by Operation Athabasca.

Operation Athabasca – Elm Guest House
Set up in March after McSweeney’s sentencing, this new inquiry took on allegations about a paedophile ring centred on Elm Guest House during the late 1970s and 80s. Cyril Smith, the late Liberal MP, accused since his death in 2010 of being an inveterate child abuser, was said to visit the property. Allegations into Smith are being investigated by Greater Manchester police. At least three MPs were reported to have been questioned in 1982 after a police raid on the guest house. The owners of Elm Guest House, Haroon and Carole Kasir, were subsequently convicted of running a brothel. The property was later turned into flats. Police are still appealing for information.

Operation Midland – Dolphin Square
Operation Midland was set up by the Met to examine claims that boys were systematically abused by a paedophile ring made up of men from politics, the military and law enforcement agencies at locations across southern England, including Dolphin Square estate in Pimlico, south-west London, a plush residential development popular with politicians. It is also examining claims that three boys were murdered. It is understood one of the alleged murders relates to the death of Vishal Mehrotra, who was killed in 1981 at the age of eight. His father, retired magistrate Vishambar Mehrotra, said he was contacted by a male prostitute at the time who said the boy may have been abducted and murdered by “highly placed” paedophiles at Elm Guest House. It has been reported that claims against Heath are being investigated under this strand of inquiry.

Operation Yewtree – Jimmy Savile and others
Operation Yewtree is a Met investigation launched in October 2012 into sexual abuse allegations, predominantly the abuse of children, against disgraced television presenter Jimmy Savile and others. A report into Savile’s alleged abuse was released by the Met in January 2013, which highlighted a litany of failures by police and prosecutors to bring him to justice. Publicist Max Clifford, entertainer Rolf Harris and DJ Dave Lee Travis are among high-profile figures unconnected to Savile to be convicted for sex crimes under the operation. Separate inquiries into Savile’s abuse were set up by the NHS, Department for Education and BBC.

Operation Jaguar – Sir Cyril Smith
Greater Manchester police took overall command of the investigation into allegations of sexual abuse made against the late Sir Cyril Smith, who died in 2010. He was the subject of allegations and investigations over decades during his career, first as a prominent local councillor in Rochdale and later as the town’s Liberal MP. He was never prosecuted. It has been claimed he abused teenagers at Cambridge House, a privately run “hostel for working boys” in Rochdale, and raped boys at Knowl View residential school in the town.

Other inquiries
Among other inquiries are
Operation Cayacos, which is looking at claims of a child abuse network linked to convicted paedophile Peter Righton, a founding member of the Paedophile Information Exchange, which campaigned to make sex between adults and children legal.
Operation Pallial, is a National Crime Agency investigation into abuse at care homes in north Wales.
Operation Garford, investigating allegations centred on Kesgrave Hall school from the 1970s to the 90s.
The Independent Jersey Care Inquiry is investigating the abuse of children in Jersey’s care system over many years, including at the former children’s home Haut de la Garenne. It is not expected to publish its findings until late 2016.

Andrew Wed 05 Aug 2015, 10:12 am

I would hazard a guess that there's probably more than that as well.

PeterMac Wed 05 Aug 2015, 4:08 pm

I am sure you are right.
There will be one in Rochdale, one in Oxford, one in Oldham, one or more in Bradford . .
In fact one in every City with a substantial Muslim population.
And that is before they start looking at white abusers

Bampots Fri 07 Aug 2015, 7:21 am

At least it's made it to court,we will have to wait and see the outcome. Fit to attended the Lords or fit to defend in court?.........

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/aug/07/first-hearings-into-lord-janner-child-abuse-claims-due-to-take-place

UK news
First hearings into Lord Janner child abuse claims due to take place
A trial of the facts is to be held into 22 offences allegedly committed in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s

A first hearing in the case of Lord Janner over allegations of child sexual abuse are due to take place.
An independent review overturned the original ruling of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Alison Saunders, that the former Labour peer should not be charged because he has Alzheimer’s.
A trial of the facts, in which a jury hears the evidence against an individual considered too ill for a full trial, is expected to be held into the 22 offences allegedly committed in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.
The case is listed for a first hearing at Westminster magistrates court.
Saunders’ enforced U-turn, announced in June, led to calls for her to resign.
Simon Danczuk, the Labour MP for Rochdale who has campaigned for the case to be heard in court, said then that Saunders was responsible for a “catalogue of errors”.
He said: “I think she should resign for a number of reasons. She has made a number of bad judgments and she is just not fit to do the job.
“She made mistakes on a case around FGM [female genital mutilation], serious errors in her attempt to prosecute journalists and now another serious error regarding the Janner case.
“She ignored her advisers, took a long time to make the decision, then announced it when Parliament was not sitting although there was significant public interest.
“Most important of all, it was a serious mistake because she failed to understand both the mood of the public and the emotional distress she was causing to the alleged victims.

“We cannot have somebody leading the Crown Prosecution Service who is cold and dispassionate towards alleged victims.”
The 87-year-old peer’s family strongly denies claims he used his power as an MP for Leicester to abuse vulnerable young boys at a local children’s home.
A judge will have to decide if Janner is fit to plead. If he is not, a jury will be asked to decide whether he did the acts he is charged with. The judge will also have to rule on whether the defendant should appear during the trial or can be excused on medical grounds.
A trial of the facts is not considered a trial as such because the defendant cannot put forward a defence. There is therefore no guilty verdict and the court cannot pass sentence.
All it can do is make a hospital order, a supervision order, or an order for the defendant’s absolute discharge.
Saunders’ decision in April not to charge Janner was reviewed after six of the complainants made a request under a scheme introduced two years ago giving victims the right to challenge Crown Prosecution Service decisions.
She is the first DPP to have a major prosecuting decision reviewed and overturned through the new policy.
An independent inquiry into child sex abuse being led by Justice Lowell Goddard is also due to hear evidence from the complainants.
Saunders said in June: “I don’t think in any way it’s a resigning matter.
“It shows the process we have implemented works, it shows we will look at victims’ right to review and overturn decisions when we decide that’s the right thing to do.
“Certainly over the last 18 months there is nothing else there that says I should be resigning, so I won’t be.”

Alison Saunders .......butter wouldn't melt in her mouth eh!! No calls for her resignation from TPTB as far as she is concerned she done nothing wrong!

**candyfloss** Sat 08 Aug 2015, 11:09 am

Interesting if you look at the two stories......

Weiss ‏@w_nicht · 5 mins5 minutes ago
@TheSpectator7 Hogan Howe http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/metropolitan-police-chief-sir-bernard-5353419 … and http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/11788936/Heath-should-not-have-been-named-as-suspect-says-Met-police-chief.html … #mccann #balloonman

Bubblewrapped Sat 08 Aug 2015, 11:39 am

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3187665/Mother-claims-told-police-child-vanished-going-Sir-Edward-Heath-s-yacht-officers-warned-not-investigate-above.html

A vulnerable child vanished after going on Sir Edward Heath's yacht but police ignored it, it was alleged today.

Linda Corby, 61, claims she watched 11 children board the then prime minister's boat Morning Cloud when it docked in St Helier, Jersey, but a few hours later only ten walked off.

Mrs Corby says the children, aged between six and 11, were from the Jersey care home Haute de la Garenne, where a paedophile ring targeted young residents for decades.

She claims she and Jersey senator Ralph Vibert, who has now died, were 'warned' about Sir Edward and then watched in horror as they saw one child was missing.

Guest Sat 08 Aug 2015, 12:36 pm

candyfloss wrote:Interesting if you look at the two stories......

Weiss ‏@w_nicht · 5 mins5 minutes ago
@TheSpectator7 Hogan Howe http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/metropolitan-police-chief-sir-bernard-5353419 … and http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/11788936/Heath-should-not-have-been-named-as-suspect-says-Met-police-chief.html … #mccann #balloonman

Harris,Hall,Clifford,Glitter all caught and jailed,Heath,Brittan,Smith all subject to allegations now they are dead,4 from the common people tothers all part of the establishment,Hogan Howe is part of that establishment,not hard to see is it.No one but no one is interested in justice for any one if they have been subjected to abuse from the ruling class,look in the house of filth called the commons,which one's do you think will be investigated once they are dead and gone,there is bound to be some in there if these past allegations are true,a plague on all their dirty stinking houses,rant over.

Rufus T Fri 14 Aug 2015, 11:52 am

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33923041

Lord Janner has failed to appear in court to face child sex abuse charges, despite the High Court ruling he must attend a hearing.
The 87-year-old, who has dementia, had been due at Westminster Magistrates' Court in relation to 22 charges spanning the 1960s to the 1980s.
Lord Janner's lawyer said he wanted him to appear via video link, but the judge said the issue must be resolved on Friday, even if it meant arresting him.
His family says he is innocent.
'Adverse reaction'
Lord Janner's lawyer, Paul Ozin, said a live link from the peer's home would be the option that was "least likely" to cause the peer to suffer.
Mr Ozin added: "There is evidence that moving him carries with it a risk of an adverse reaction to him, or other harm."
If it was not possible for the link to be done from his home, a live link could also be carried out from within the court building - which would be less intimidating than appearing in the dock - or from a police station, Mr Ozin said.
But prosecutor Louise Oakley said live links were only permitted for giving evidence from police stations when someone was in custody - which Lord Janner is not.
She suggested the peer could appear at Wood Green Crown Court instead, a court closer to his home.
Deputy chief magistrate, Emma Arbuthnot, said she had been in touch with the court and it would be possible for Lord Janner to use a back entrance to attend a hearing there.
The BBC's home affairs correspondent, Danny Shaw, described the situation as "quite extraordinary", adding that what was likely to be a very brief court appearance had turned into a "legal saga".
He said it was clear Lord Janner's lawyers wanted him to appear in "some form or another" and that they had "moved back" from their position of saying he was too ill to attend.
The case has been adjourned while the options are considered.

Châtelaine Fri 14 Aug 2015, 11:56 am

I have a recollection, but cannot remember where I read it, that the judge suggested he could be heard in his own house ... If IIRC why would his lawyer come up with the proposal of a video link?

Guest Fri 14 Aug 2015, 1:27 pm

Châtelaine wrote:I have a recollection, but cannot remember where I read it, that the judge suggested he could be heard in his own house ... If IIRC why would his lawyer come up with the proposal of a video link?

I saw on the news at 1 p.m. that if Janner didn't appear in Court this afternoon the Judge would have him arrested as he had done enough "messing around" and he was running out of time.

Oh dear, it looks like he's pushed things and the Judge's tolerance too far.

Andrew Fri 14 Aug 2015, 2:04 pm

http://news.sky.com/story/1535829/lord-janner-in-court-to-face-child-sex-charges

Mimi Fri 14 Aug 2015, 2:21 pm

He got there in the end

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33931860

Wide range of child and adult abuse inquiries - Page 15 _84895806_bfeb5d6c-a299-456a-a77a-bbe0116c04a2

Wide range of child and adult abuse inquiries - Page 15 _84895806_bfeb5d6c-a299-456a-a77a-bbe0116c04a2

Guest Sat 15 Aug 2015, 10:58 pm

http://www.thenational.scot/news/lord-janner-appears-in-court-for-one-minute.6403?utm_medium=social&utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_term=Autofeed#link_time=1439622103

(As it might be behind a paywall I've copied it)

August 15th, 2015 - 12:28 am Janice Burns

LORD Greville Janner appeared in court for the first time over historical child sex abuse charges after his bid to give evidence via a videolink from his home failed.

The 87-year-old Labour peer, who has dementia, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in a hearing lasting a minute.

Janner faces 22 charges spanning the 1960s to the 1980s and was told the case would be sent to the Crown Court.

When he failed to appear in court yesterday morning the judge warned he faced arrest if he did not appear by 2pm following repeated efforts by his lawyers to avoid him turning up.

Janner then appeared in a silver car and was escorted into the courtroom by a minder and woman believed to be his daughter.

However, his appearance, during which he confirmed his name, was brief, with the charges read out after he left and the full hearing taking less than 12 minutes.

Lawyers for the life peer and MP, who has Alzheimer’s, had earlier argued that being compelled to appear before Westminster Magistrates’ Court in relation to alleged offences against children would contravene the European Convention on Human Rights.

Representatives said such a move would cause Janner extreme distress, leading to a “catastrophic reaction”.

His legal team lost a High Court bid on Thursday to keep their client out of court and Janner was ordered to appear in person.

His barrister, Paul Ozin, was in court yesterday but Janner did not appear.

He had told deputy chief magistrate Emma Arbuthnot that Janner should be allowed to appear via a live videolink from his home due to the severity of his Alzheimer’s.

Ozin said his preferred option was for Janner to appear via videolink from his home, but prosecutor Louise Oakley said that would not be lawful and he must attend court in person. The judge agreed and said arrangements should be made for Janner to appear at the court at 2pm.

In an unusual outburst, Arbuthnot warned Ozin that she would have Janner arrested if the matter was not resolved quickly.

The magistrate said she was concerned that Ozin was engaging in a time-wasting exercise as he discussed the legal technicalities of suspects appearing in court via video link.

She said: “Even if I have to have him arrested I’m going to have it resolved today. I’m warning you that as time progresses I’m going to turn to the prosecution and say, ‘What’s your view?’ – I’m going to get an [arrest] warrant.”

It was Janner’s first appearance in court over allegations he molested nine boys between the early 1960s and late 1980s.

Scottish child abuse survivor groups were outraged that Janner “thought he was above the law” by attempting to avoid a court appearance for his alleged crimes.

Helen Holland, of In Care Abuse Survivors (INCAS), which represents nearly 400 victims of institutional abuse, described his bid to get out of a personal appearance as “disgusting”.

She said: “The law should apply to everybody no matter who they are. There is no reason why he should be given preferential treatment because he is high-profile. To be honest, I have watched it all along and every time you get his family protesting his innocence.

“The only person who can protest his innocence is him himself because the accusations of the acts are against him, not his family.

“I personally think the family should keep quiet about the allegations because it is damaging for the victims to hear. It is almost like they are saying this is my position in society therefore you don’t matter, you are a nobody as far as they are concerned. From a legal and a justice point of view it is absolutely the wrong message to send out to survivors.”

Andi Lavery, from the White Flowers Campaign, a support and advocacy group for survivors of child sex abuse, said Janner’s actions at trying to avoid going to court showed his “arrogance”.

**candyfloss** Tue 08 Sep 2015, 8:25 am

Former Dragons' Den star and Conservative Party adviser Douglas Richard charged with child sex offences

Wide range of child and adult abuse inquiries - Page 15 Doug-richard

Wide range of child and adult abuse inquiries - Page 15 Doug-richard

Doug Richard is a former Dragons Den star
BBC

Alleged offences relate to 13-year-old victim

Adam Withnall
Monday 07 September 2015

The TV entrepreneur Douglas Richard has been charged with child sex offences.

One of the first Dragons' Den stars and a former adviser to David Cameron, Richard was arrested on 5 January this year.
The Crown Prosecution Service said it had found there was "sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest" for the 57-year-old to be charged.
Richard faces three counts of sexual activity with a child and one count of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. The charges relate to alleged offences on 2 January this year, and involve a child who was aged 13 at the time.
The US-born millionaire came to prominence in Britain as one of the original cast on the BBC’s popular entrepreneurial programme, but left in 2005 after failing to make a single investment in the entire second series.
He accompanied the Prime Minister on an official overseas trip to 2011 and has also advised the Chancellor, George Osborne.

Wide range of child and adult abuse inquiries - Page 15 Doug-richard-osborne

Wide range of child and adult abuse inquiries - Page 15 Doug-richard-osborne

Richard's association with government goes back to at least 2007, including the establishment of his “School for Startups” alongside the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in 2008.

He was later commissioned by Mr Cameron, then leader of the opposition, to conduct a review of Britain’s small businesses – later known as the Richard Report

A statement from the CPS said: "We have carefully considered the evidence gathered by City of London Police in relation to Douglas Richard, 57, who was arrested on 5 January this year.

"Having completed our review, we have concluded that there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest for Douglas Richard to be charged."

In a statement issued through his lawyers, Richard said: "I absolutely deny the charges against me and will contest this matter in court."

Richard will appear before City of London Magistrates' Court on 5 October, the CPS said.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/former-dragons-den-star-and-conservative-party-adviser-douglas-richard-charged-with-child-sex-offences-10489717.html

Andrew Wed 09 Sep 2015, 9:14 pm

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/former-music-mogul-jonathan-king-6413903

Andrew Wed 09 Sep 2015, 9:16 pm

Former music mogul Jonathan King 'arrested on suspicion of historical child sex offences'
20:23, 9 SEPTEMBER 2015 BY TOM PETTIFOR
King, 70, was believed to be one of three men held in dawn raids by detectives investigating allegations of abuse at the Walton Hop teenage disco in Surrey in the 1970s and 80s
80 Shares

PA
Case: Jonathan King is believed to have been arrested
Former music mogul Jonathan KingDaily Mirror crime is understood to have been arrested on suspicion of historical child sex offences.

King, 70, was believed to be one of three men held in dawn raids by detectives investigating allegations of abuse at the Walton Hop teenage disco in Surrey in the 1970s and 80s.

Two unnamed men aged 77 and 86, both from Walton-on-Thames in the county, were tonight being quizzed along with a 70-year-old from Bayswater, central London.

A Surrey police spokesman said specialist officers were searching their home addresses.

Detective Chief Inspector Karen Mizzi, said: “This is a complex investigation into numerous allegations of sexual abuse and assault dating back over several decades.

“Our investigation focuses on the Walton Hop Disco, a popular event for youngsters between the 1970s and 1980s and we are following a number of lines of enquiry.

PA
Out: King, 70, was believed to be one of three men held in dawn raids
"However if anyone has information that may help the investigation I would ask them to contact us.”

King, a former chart-topping star and TV producer, recently has in the past launched an attack on current high profile investigations into historical child abuse claims.

He wrote on his website “King of Hits” on Sunday: “We see these pathetic stories crumbling, started by mentally unstable characters in a fantasy world wanting attention, sympathy, believing their own stories.”

One of King's former neighbours said she had been told by a current resident of his Bayswater Mews home that police had been searching a property there.

The arrests come ten months after Surrey police announced a review into its previous operation into the Walton Hop youth club in Walton-on-Thames which ended in 2001.

Surrey police launched Operation Ravine in late 2014 following a review by Merseyside Police into Operation Arundel which began in 2000.

Getty
Fame: King is a former chart-topping star and TV producer
A police statement said: “Surrey Police has today (Wednesday, 9 September) made three arrests as part of Operation Ravine, the ongoing investigation into allegations of sexual offences against children connected to the Walton Hop Disco in Walton-on-Thames, in the 1970s and 1980s.

"All three men were arrested on suspicion of various sexual offences concerning boys under the age of 16.

"They are a 77-year-old man and an 86-year-old from Walton-on-Thames and a 70-year-old man from the Bayswater area of London.”

King had worked on BBC shows such as No Limits and The Great British Song Contest.

His 1965 single "Everyone's Gone to the Moon" reached number four in the UK and number 17 in America.

King also discovered and named Genesis and produced the Bay City Rollers first hit.

Anyone who has information should contact Surrey police on 01483 636485 or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Mimi Wed 09 Sep 2015, 11:09 pm

I thought he`d been arrested years ago and was now in prison.

Ah well - must have dreamt it.

**Freedom** Wed 09 Sep 2015, 11:45 pm

He was sentenced to 7 years in 2001 for other offences.

Andrew Thu 10 Sep 2015, 8:36 am

I hope they throw away the key this time.

**Freedom** Thu 10 Sep 2015, 8:42 am

Some would say that he deserves that fate just for his records!

Here is one that had my mother absolutely spitting feathers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoDZbZfnG7c

**candyfloss** Sat 19 Sep 2015, 8:47 am

Met creating team to deal with historical child abuse cases
By Tom Symonds Home Affairs correspondent

18 September 2015
From the section UK

Wide range of child and adult abuse inquiries - Page 15 _85629390_73cc781a-e058-4214-a887-87fb291d82ab

The Metropolitan Police is creating a team of 90 officers and staff to tackle the increasing workload resulting from allegations of historical child abuse.
The new team will handle 29 separate allegations that previous inquiries were blocked because prominent people were identified as suspects.
It will also deal with work resulting from Justice Lowell Goddard's child abuse public inquiry.
It will consist of reorganised staff rather than new recruits.
The BBC understands the controversial Operation Midland - which is investigating claims of child abuse by establishment figures - will continue as a "standalone operation" because it is also examining allegations of child killings.

Scotland Yard has finished a routine review of the Midland investigation which began in April, partly to consider further lines of inquiry. The results have not yet been made public.

'Initial management'

The Met has made no detailed comment about Operation Midland for months. There have been reports it will be scaled back because it has not uncovered substantial evidence, despite a 10-month investigation.
In a statement on Friday the Met said the investigation involved 27 officers from the Homicide and Major Crime Command, who would remain there.
"As part of their duties they undertake on-call responsibilities where they deal with calls for initial management of new cases. The team are taking no new investigations and their main focus is on Midland," the statement said.
The inquiry began when a man in his 40s alleged he had been abused by MPs, senior figures in the security services and men of high rank in the military. As a potential victim of sexual abuse he has remained anonymous, known by the name 'Nick'.
Midland's detectives have travelled across the UK and abroad to speak to potential witnesses. They have visited, with 'Nick', a number of the locations he claims to have been taken to as a child.

Abuse claims

In December last year, following an appeal for witnesses, experienced detectives who had questioned 'Nick' said they regarded his allegations as "credible and true".
The statement has been widely criticised, most recently by the former Director of Public Prosecutions Ken Macdonald who told the Daily Mail it was a "shocking" comment which showed "how far officers have become detached from principles of objectivity and impartiality".
The Met has also been criticised by former Conservative MP Harvey Proctor, who has been interviewed twice by detectives investigating the Operation Midland claims. He described the inquiry as a "witch-hunt".
A separate Suffolk Police investigation, Operation Millpond, into the claims of another man, known as 'Darren', has been halted for lack of evidence.
Suffolk Police said some of his claims, which included a description of a murder on a country estate, had been "fully investigated" but were "unsubstantiated".

Dolphin Square

'Darren' told police he had been abused by a range of people in the county, but also by senior politicians in London - at the Dolphin Square apartment complex.
However, two sources have told the BBC that when questioned by detectives, 'Darren' said he was uncertain of the identities of these politicians and as a result the police decided they could not investigate.
'Darren' denied this and also said he had not been told definitively the investigation is at an end. Suffolk Police responded that its officers had made this clear during a series of conversations with him.
One of the politicians named by 'Darren' has also been named by 'Nick', who told police last year he was abused at Dolphin Square along with other central London locations and private addresses in the late 70s and early 80s.
However 'Darren' is younger than 'Nick' and because his allegations are from the 90s, his account does not corroborate 'Nick's'.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34296703

IPCC launches 13 further child sex abuse corruption inquiries

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34279984

Walt Sun 22 Nov 2015, 9:16 pm

The sunday times is not known for sensationalism is it.
The rest is hidden behind its paywall.

http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/People/article1636051.ece?CMP=OTH-gnws-standard-2015_11_21

MORE than 300 people prominent in public life are facing allegations of historic sex abuse, the police chief co- ordinating the investigations has revealed.

Simon Bailey, the chief constable of Norfolk and commander of Operation Hydrant, which is overseeing the inquiries into non-recent child abuse in institutions or by prominent people, also revealed that he is drawing up new guidelines, which will be issued to investigating officers within the next few weeks on how to handle witnesses and alleged offenders.

The move follows growing concerns over the handling of some cases in which witnesses have given lurid accounts of abuse — including murder — and named alleged abusers. A number of the most highly publicised accounts have subsequently turned out to be either impossible to substantiate or fantasy.

Bailey said that of 2,156 people identified by police as suspects, 302 were in positions of public prominence.

Guest Sun 22 Nov 2015, 9:36 pm

300 VIPs accused of child sex abuse
James Gillespie
22 November 2015
The Sunday Times
© Times Newspapers Limited 2015

MORE than 300 people prominent in public life are facing allegations of historic sex abuse, the police chief coordinating the investigations has revealed.

Simon Bailey, the chief constable of Norfolk and commander of Operation Hydrant, which is overseeing the inquiries into non-recent child abuse in institutions or by prominent people, also revealed that he is drawing up new guidelines, which will be issued to investigating officers within the next few weeks on how to handle witnesses and alleged offenders.

The move follows growing concerns over the handling of some cases in which witnesses have given lurid accounts of abuse — including murder — and named alleged abusers. A number of the most highly publicised accounts have subsequently turned out to be either impossible to substantiate or fantasy.

Bailey said that of 2,156 people identified by police as suspects, 302 were in positions of public prominence.

Of those, 147 are television and radio personalities, 17 sports personalities, 39 from the music industry and 99 elected officials. "But the data increases on a weekly basis," Bailey said in an interview with The Sunday Times.

"We have alleged abuse in 753 institutions to date and 286 deceased offenders."

Bailey warned that media and public attention on alleged VIP child sex abusers was distracting attention from the areas where offending was at its highest: interfamilial abuse, child sexual exploitation and peer-on-peer abuse. "I think we have to be very careful. Elected officials make up 4% of the totality of [Operation] Hydrant — a tiny number," he said.

"The media has the potential to distort the true scale and where the greatest volume of abuse is taking place and it does worry me. The victims who have yet to have the confidence and the courage to come forward won't do it."

Referring to the new guidelines being sent to investigating officers, Bailey said these would still insist that when alleged victims came forward they should be believed. It was this approach that caused problems in the case of "Nick", the most high-profile witness, who claimed to know of three murders carried out by a VIP gang in Westminster which held sex parties at the Dolphin Square apartment complex near the Houses of Parliament.

Initially, a senior officer on the case described Nick's evidence as "credible and true" but the Met had to subsequently withdraw the "true" comment.

Bailey insisted that the police were right to believe witnesses. "If you are a victim of crime and you have the confidence and courage to report that crime — it doesn't have to be sex abuse — it could be that you've been burgled, you would expect to be believed.

"That doesn't mean there is then complete blind faith and we don't look at the evidence and seek corroboration. This is not somebody coming in and someone saying, 'Right, you've told us that, so that has categorically happened.' " He said the police fully understood the impact on people who were identified as alleged abusers. "They should not be named," he said. "There are investigations that the media will never, ever know about. I am acutely aware of the damage this can do to somebody's reputation and I absolutely understand that reputation can potentially never be recovered."

The way in which the BBC was told about a raid on the home of Cliff Richard was a "mistake", Bailey admitted. "The South Yorkshire chief constable has said 'we got that wrong'."

Bailey admitted that in some case doubts over witness claims could emerge. "At some point during an investigation it might — and this happens very rarely — be that some doubt is cast upon the credibility of the victim. So you then have to go and look at that. You are dealing with people who have suffered an awful trauma.

"If the evidence states clearly that [an offence] could not have happened because either the victim wasn't there or the alleged offender was not there, then we have to understand what has happened. "But let's be really clear: it is on very, very rare occasions that it transpires a malicious complaint has been made."

Bailey warned that the internet had been a "game changer" for those pursuing sex with children. "There are now in excess of 100m images of children being abused in circulation; in 1990 there were 7,000," he said.

"We assess there to be 50,000 people looking at indecent images online, between 16%-49% will have been — or are — contact offenders.

"We can be relatively sophisticated about assessing the risk and I think we should be exploring alternatives to the criminal justice system for low-risk people who are not contact offenders. I can't arrest every single one of them. One in five prisoners are now sex offenders and between 40%-50% of crown court time on contested trials now involves allegations of sexual abuse.

"For low-risk people, is there an alternative to prison? I think we should look at it. It could be education or psychiatric work."

It is not known how many officers are involved in investigating child sex abuse cases across the country but the government has already provided an additional £10m to the National Crime Agency for specialist teams to tackle online child sexual exploitation.

The Home Office has provided a special policing grant of £1.7m to Operation Hydrant — which has 12 officers and 28 staff — plus up to £1.5m to support regional child protection co-ordinators and analysts.

Bailey added: "Setting terrorism aside, I think it is the biggest policing challenge of the 21st century."

Walt Sun 22 Nov 2015, 9:40 pm

@canada12

Wide range of child and adult abuse inquiries - Page 15 S7075

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Wide range of child and adult abuse inquiries