Abuse Survivors Blog

An attempted legal appeal by the Catholic church to the Supreme Court over sex abuse by one of its priests could decide whether victims of Jimmy Savile can make claims against hospitals and the BBC.

An extract from this article was published in the Times and Citizen on 10th January 2013

A local council has reassured four young people who were sexually abused by their father for 12 years while under its care that their horrific experience couldn't happen again.

The four people, who can't be named, approached Milton Keynes South MP Iain Stewart, after winning a legal case for negligence against Milton Keynes council. Social workers knew that the father had sexually abused his children in April 1992. Yet six months later they permitted him to return to the family home with no action taken and the children's names removed from the child protection register.

'CD' v Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority Appeal Panel

We represented the appellant 'CD' who on 13th September 2012 was awarded the maximum sum payable to any victim of crime in the UK, by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, in the sum of £500,000.

Our client was born in 1968. After her parents separated between 1974 and 1984 when aged between 6 and 16 she visited her father on weekend access visits. He subjected her to sexual assaults on many occasions and engaged her in posing for pornographic photographs. She was privately educated but experienced panic attacks and lack of concentration at school resulting in her underachieving academically. She achieved one 'O' level, embarking on a series of destructive relationships and turning to alcohol to block out the memories of the abuse. From these relationships the appellant gave birth to a son and daughter.

The Court of Appeal ruled today that the Portsmouth Diocese is legally responsible for child abuse committed by one of its clergy. The appeal is part of a civil action brought by Miss JGE (name withheld). She claims that she was sexually abused by a Catholic priest whilst resident in a children's home run by the church.

In November last year the High Court found that the church is responsible for the sexual misbehaviour of its clergy, a ruling which the church disputed.
The church had claimed that, on a technicality of employment law, it could not be held legally responsible because there is no formal employment relationship with their priests. But in the first hearing Mr Justice Macduff decided that the professional relationship between a priest and his bishop is sufficiently close so as to impose responsibility. The case involved the late Father Baldwin, a priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth.

This firm has successfully represented 5 survivors of appalling abuse by Reverend Roy Cotton, a now deceased Church of England vicar.

Over the past 12 - 18 months damages awards of 5 and 6 figure sums have been agreed with legal representatives for the Diocese of Chichester. In all cases liability was admitted by the Church of England's lawyers, and no points were taken on the fact that the victims' claims were in law, decades 'out of time'. In some cases verbal apologies were issued by high office holders of the Chichester Diocese.

Retired Church of England priest Canon Gordon Rideout is now charged with over 30 sexual offences against 18 children. The offences include indecent assault on teenage girls and boys and are alleged to have taken place over an 11 year period from 1962 to 1973.
The charges follow a nine month investigation by Sussex Police into allegations of sexual abuse of young people in the 1960s and early 1970s.
Rideout is said to have committed the offences in Crawley, London and East Hampshire. He is due to appear before Magistrates on 16 July 2012.

A Roman Catholic diocese is liable to pay compensation for alleged beatings inflicted by a nun and sexual abuse perpetrated by a priest on a young girl, the court of appeal has ruled.

Catholic church claims no responsibility in child abuse case against priest

The Catholic church goes to the Court of Appeal on Wednesday (16 May) to reiterate its claim that it is not responsible for child abuse committed by its clergy.

The appeal is part of a civil action brought by Miss JGE (name withheld). She claims that she was sexually abused by a Catholic priest whilst resident in a children's home run by the church.

In November last year the High Court found that the church is responsible for the sexual misbehaviour of its clergy, a ruling which the church disputes. The church had claimed that, on a technicality of employment law, it could not be held vicariously responsible because there is no formal employment relationship with their priests.

A 'Historic Abuse Redress Scheme' has finally been set up to compensate victims of physical and sexual abuse suffered by those in residential care of the States of Jersey between 1948 and 1994. Tracey Emmott called for a redress scheme to be set up almost 4 years ago, as reported in the Independent.