Abuse Survivors Blog

In recent news, extensive reports have been made on the conviction of a group of 18 people in Newcastle upon Tyne that were part of a sex grooming network that exploited vulnerable teenage girls as young as 14.

A shocking 278 victims were identified, 20 of whom came forward to give evidence in the trial. The perpetrators, both men and one woman, were convicted of almost 100 offences which included rape, conspiracy to incite prostitution and trafficking amongst others.

Accounts of the victims’ experiences resemble that of a horror story. They were befriended and regularly lured to parties where alcohol and drugs were readily available. This placed them in dangerous situations, where they were made to be so intoxicated that they were unable to defend themselves from rape by multiple men.

It is unfortunate that many holiday makers find their well-earned break ruined by suffering from food poisoning. Recently there were reports of approximately 50 holiday makers falling ill with suspected gastroenteritis at a hotel in Playa d’en Bossa, Ibiza. 

If you have been affected by food poisoning whilst on holiday you may be able to make a compensation claim. Under the Package Travel Regulations 1992 your UK tour operator has a responsibility to provide holidays to a reasonable standard. If your holiday is not to a reasonable standard and your operator breaches the regulations you can make a claim for compensation.

Sadly, in recent years we have almost become accustomed to stories in the press about individuals using positions of authority to sexually abuse those that are vulnerable, such as children. There has been much media attention on the wrongdoings of members of the clergy such as former Bishop of Lewes, Peter Ball. An independent report into the horrific crimes he committed against children, over a period of 20 years or more, was published in June 2017. It accused the Church of England of “collusion and cover up”.

Three men who subjected a victim that we represent to sexual offences have been jailed for a total of 32 years.

Our client, who was a vulnerable child in care when the abuse started, was groomed by the group of men and found herself the victim of childhood sexual abuse. She was given alcohol and drugs by the group of men and made to be drug dependent, which was then used to sexually exploit her.

The summer holidays are nearly here and hundreds of thousands of Brits will shortly (or may have been lucky enough to have already done so) travel abroad to enjoy a well-earned break. Whilst the majority will stay safe and well and return tanned, and refreshed, sadly some will have their holiday ruined by illness on holiday caused by food poisoning.

Instances of abuse in sport have hit the headlines in recent years, most notably in football, where allegations of childhood sexual abuse have become rife. Over 300 clubs in the country have been directly affected by the scandal. It has been claimed by those involved that we could be facing a crisis on the scale of the Jimmy Savile scandal – described as a ‘tidal wave’ by Greg Clarke, chairman of the Football Association.

Some convictions have already been secured – this firm acts for one of the victims of Johnathan Bedford, for example, a former youth football coach and referee of a local youth football club in Lincoln, who got over 11 years in November last year. 

Other prosecutions are well under way. The latest instance to hit the news is that of Bob Higgins, former youth coach and scout with Southampton in the 1980s (who went on to other clubs including Peterborough). Higgins has been charged with 65 counts of indecent assault against 23 boys. 

The media has brought to light the prevalence of, and opportunity for, such abuse within football and is forcing clubs to address potential safeguarding shortcomings in terms of protecting the safety of their young players.

Sexual offences committed in the context of the military have reached public awareness before: we remember the death of four trainees at Deepcut barracks, and the case of military police trainee, Anne-Marie Ellement, who was found hanged in 2011 after claiming she had been raped by two army colleagues in 2009.

My experience of representing such victims in civil compensation claims against the Ministry of Defence is that they suffer unspeakable shame and often lifelong damage.

When considering an amendment to the Armed Forces Act 2006 last year, Liberal Democrat peer, Baroness Jolly, expressed the belief that men and women who serve in the armed forces deserve the same level of protection as civilians. She said, "sexual assault is a gross violation which can have serious, long lasting consequences on victims, and unfortunately the military has failed to acknowledge the seriousness of this crime until now".

For many the term ‘institutional abuse’ can conjure up images of huge Dickensian establishments, like Haut de la Garenne in Jersey, where unspeakable crimes were carried out on orphan children by the very people who were entrusted with their care.  

But institutional abuse can also be much ‘closer to home,’ in that it is simply the mistreatment of children or vulnerable adults by any system of power.

In this blog post we explore common causes and examples of institutional abuse and offer advice on first steps for survivors seeking justice and compensation

Why institutional abuse occurs

Everyone in our society deserves to be treated with kindness and dignity. So it is especially shocking to discover that some of the most vulnerable adults in our community are at risk of abuse by the very people who are charged with their care.

In February 2017 the Telegraph reported that, over the last three years alone, there had been more than 23,000 allegations of abuse by care home workers against vulnerable adults. Yet of these allegations, just 700 resulted in police action and only 15 ended in prosecutions.

The vast majority of the allegations related to care of elderly people in their homes. And more than 9,700 cases involving victims over the age of 80.

A survivor of sexual abuse by one of Britain’s most notorious paedophile shines light on stories of high level conspiracy allegedly involving senior political and establishment figures.
Stephen Briggs, now living in Scotland, has won a legal action against the school where abuse first took place, and he has been awarded a five figure sum in damages.
Mr Briggs, now 51, was 12 in 1977 when he was first assaulted, whilst a pupil at the Cavendish School in Ealing, London.