Abuse Survivors Blog

Yet another example of institutional abuse is highlighted in the settlement agreement reached by 2 victims of non-recent sexual abuse by a teacher.

On Friday 16 March 2018, representatives of Emmott Snell Solicitors had the pleasure of attending the annual Bedford Law Society Dinner.

The dinner was held in the Howard Room of the Bedford Corn Exchange located on St Paul’s Square in the Castle area of Bedford.

The Corn Exchange is a well-known, historic venue which hosts hundreds of events each year. 

The Church of England is currently suffering the discomfort of a public spotlight of IICSA – the largest public inquiry ever undertaken in the UK.  The C of E is not alone in its scrutiny, the Roman Catholic Church having already been the subject of IICSA, together with several other institutions including local authority children’s homes.

What is it and why is it done?

Female Genital Mutilation (‘FGM’) is a cultural practice which involves the total or partial removal of the female external genitalia for non-medical reasons, normally with the aim of inhibiting a female’s sexual feelings. It is also known as female circumcision or ‘cutting’ and is common in parts of Africa but also takes place in the Middle East and Asia. It is usually carried out on girls before they reach puberty but is known to be done on girls as young as 4 years old. The procedure is extremely painful and can cause long term health problems such as:

In 2015 Miss 'X' contacted Emmott Snell Solicitors and told us that she wanted to pursue a personal injury claim against the social services department of the local authority, arising from sexual assaults, neglect and physical abuse suffered by her shortly after her birth until she was 11 years old.

The concept of sending one’s child away to a school where they also live is thought to be something quintessentially British. 

One of these steps involves a meeting with a suitably qualified doctor. This ‘medico-legal expert’ then prepares a report on the multifactorial effects that the abuse has had on you.

In view of the upcoming public hearings of Child Abuse in the Anglican Church before the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, the recently settled case of abuse victim, ‘ARJ’, a civil compensation claim in respect of abuse of a child by a vicar in a London Diocese is topical.

Allegations of sexual harassment and abuse have taken centre stage over the past couple of years.

The list of household names either prosecuted or under suspicion continues to grow. A recent wave of allegations includes James Franco and Bill Cosby. And only a few days ago the Glee actor, Mark Salling, was found dead (widely reported to be suicide) after pleading guilty in December to possessing child pornography. He was only a few weeks from being sentenced.

Although a dog is seen as a man's best friend, there can be occasions when this is not quite the case.

NHS data reveals that between 2016 – 2017 there were 7,461 people admitted to hospitals in the UK after being bitten or struck by a dog. Dog bites in domestic settings are widely known as the most common injury caused by animals in the UK however injuries caused by animals can occur in other settings such as: