FACTION
CAMPAIGN ON BEHALF OF FALSELY ACCUSED CARERS AND TEACHERS
VOL 2/11
FALSELY ACCUSED CARERS AND TEACHERS INFORMATION OPINION AND NEWS
Charles Clarke, Home Secretary, has been
in post for nearly 365 days. Innocent men
and women have been in gaol for every one
of those days. This government has ignored
even its own advisors and still resolutely
refuses to deal properly with the outrageous
miscarriages of justice.
CHARLES PRAGNALL writes on the cruel
injustice that still pervades this land.
Despite Parliamentary Debates, Select
Committees, adverse media reports,
disastrous events in Courts, Public Inquiries
after the deaths of children under the care or
supervision of Child Protection agencies (e.g.
Victoria Climbie) etc, the present government
is in complete denial or oblivious to the fact
that the CP system is deeply flawed, erratic,
and dysfunctional.
Many thousands of children, their parents,
and adults have all suffered serious injustices
and continue to suffer because the CP system
is incapable of learning from its mistakes
FACTION / November 2005
365 DAYS
With all due respect, Charles, just
how many days do you need to
begin to clear the innocent?
GIVE US A ROYAL
COMMISSION!
and is incapable
of carrying out the
necessary reforms. Each
crisis has simply resulted in
more legislation to boost the CP system’s
powers and resources and very rarely have
the voices of consumers been heard.
Despite the cruel injustices which happened
to Sally Clark and Angela Cannings, the
government have merely sought to introduce
better training and accreditation for Expert
Witnesses although the faults were not in
their ability to present evidence, but that
their evidence was seriously flawed and
misleading. The consultation and changes
envisaged by the Dept of Constitutional
Affairs are merely a cost-cutting exercise
which will even further reduce the capacity
of parents and other falsely accused adults
from receiving fair and just hearings and will
merely fast-track the Care Proceedings in the
same way that the Adoption Procedures have
been fast-tracked.
Of most concern are the `theories’ of child
abuse which can be introduced with no
scientific basis and no system of verification
or validation by a National Validation body,
November 2005
even though the last 20 years have seen
horrendous harm caused to children and
families by such junk science as the Anal
Dilatation Test (Cleveland), Repressed
Memory Syndrome (widespread across the
U.K. over many years), Satanic Ritual Abuse
(Orkneys, Nottingham, Rochdale, and most
recently in the Isle of Lewis), Shaken Baby
Syndrome, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome,
Fabricated and Induced Illness in Children,
Brittle Bone Disease (in this case denial of its
existence in infants), etc.
The purges which have been carried out
under the guise of investigating historical
abuse of children (now adults) in residential
schools and children‘s homes have similarly
resulted in widespread injustices where
normal tenets of law (e.g. presumptions of
innocence, factual evidence, corroborative
evidence, etc) have been cast aside and
false accusers have been tempted by large
sums of money offered by lawyers and the
Criminal Injuries Compensation Board to
past residents and pupils to make allegations
of abuse from 20 and more years ago.
Volume of evidence replacing the veracity of
evidence.
1
In Shieldfield Nursery, Newcastle, two young
carers were pilloried for years and their lives
and their careers ruined by false accusations
of abusing over 60 children in a Day Nursery
until they were finally exonerated by a Civil
Court many years later and awarded a large
compensation against their ‘professional’
accusers.
There can be little doubt or argument that the
Child Protection system is in absolute chaos
and is causing immense harm every year to
thousands of children, parents, and other caring
adults - over 150,000 reports of child abuse
are found to have “NO Substantive Basis” i.e.
False Accusations, for mistaken, mischievous,
malicious, or monetary reasons.
Reports from parents with disabled children
and their representative organisations provide
compelling evidence that the governments policy
of integrating disabled children into mainstream
schools is resulting in Education Authorities
denying disabled children a proper assessment of
their educational needs and making appropriate
provision and if the parents protest, the family
are referred into the Child Protection system
where they are stigmatised and persecuted by the
CP system and its composite agencies.
The governments target-setting for adoption
numbers by local authorities has undoubtedly
resulted in legalised abductions of children
into local authority care and very quickly
thereafter into adoption, with no pretence of
attempts at preventative work with the family or
rehabilitation and re-unification of the child with
the family by social work agencies.
In conclusion, I would suggest to you all
that there needs to be a Royal Commission
of Inquiry into the entire Child Protection
system and the associated Courts and legal
systems and a concerted effort by us all to
bring this about. If such a Royal Commission
were to take place, then precedence in giving
evidence to the Commission should be given to
children, parents, and adults who have suffered
the injustices of the system rather than the
agencies which provide these services and who
have constantly monopolised previous Public
Inquiries and protected, promoted, and expanded
their own self-interests.
I would suggest that there should be two
forms of approach to obtaining such a Royal
Commission :
a) that each group/organisation organise a
petition to demand such a Royal Commission;
and
b) that each group request its members,
associates and supporters to lobby their Member
of Parliament to support a call for such a Royal
Commission.
I would very much welcome your views, advice,
and suggestions on this proposal,
Charles Pragnell
Expert Defence Witness - Child Protection and
Child/Family Advocate
2 FACTION / November 2005
I feel that I must touch base with you and do my best
to bring you update with the work of the APGAI. Of
course the months from Easter were dominated by the
General Election, the APGAI was one of the first groups
to reconstitute in the new Parliament and our AGM was
held on the 8th June. Our membership remains at 50 plus,
giving the Executive a mandate to work on your behalf.
The Executive confirmed that our main concern continues
to be with the processes involved in abuse investigations
and that our main objectives are as follows:
Objective analysis of the investigation techniques used in abuse cases.
The creation of an oral evidence gathering protocol, similar to that which exists
for physical evidence.
Prescribed rules for police officers on the mechanistic parts of the investigation.
For example, it should be forbidden to mention compensation in interviews with
complainants or witnesses.
External scrutiny of the NSPCC’s, and other third parties’, procedures.
The creation of new rules regarding advertising by private solicitors in prisons.
Anonymity for the accused up to conviction.
Imprisoned complainants or witnesses should be removed from the prison
environment and taken to rape suites for interview, and be treated as sensitively
as a complainant alleging rape, with appropriate support and aftercare.
The video recording of all interviews between the investigating authorities and
complainants and witnesses.
The rules on disclosure to be tightened so that the defence team is not
disadvantaged.
We will begin work without delay in October and plans are underway for a
Conference on the ‘Interviewing of witnesses and the management of evidence in sex
abuse cases’.
John Denham has been reappointed Chair of the Home Affairs Committee, I have not
been reappointed but that should make no difference to our work. The Earl Howe and
I had a meeting with John Denham at which the following items were discussed:
The interaction between the CCRC and the Historical Abuse Appeal Panel
Terms of reference of the CCRC.
The Senior Officers Handbook on The Investigation of Historic Child Abuse and
the lack of an oral evidence protocol.
Since that meeting I have heard that the Home Affairs Committee may follow-up the
former Committee’s inquiry into The Conduct of Investigations into Past Cases of
Abuse in Children’s Homes. This is excellent news and as requested I have made
some suggestions as to what areas of the Report the Committee should look at, I have
also asked Mark Newby to put a paper together for the benefit of the Committee.
Mark and I continue to work closely together and I value his support. For reasons
beyond their control the last year has not been an easy one for the Historical Abuse
Appeal Panel, a huge amount of work has flooded into them and they have had to
cope with this in difficult circumstances. We should thank them for their perseverance.
From all this you will see that many people, unknown to you, continue to work on
your behalf and in addition I am hopeful that the autumn will bring new initiatives,
particularly in the Care Home cases, with the possibility of ‘spin off’ for others.
Kindest Regards
Claire Curtis-Thomas MP

CH A I R M A N ’ S
RE P O RT
FACTION November 2005
The new National Committee has now
completed two years in office ; two years
in which the progress achieved by FACT
since its birth in the autumn of 1999 has
been strongly maintained and considerably
broadened.
The work of the Committee has been well
documented in FACTION and I would like
to take this opportunity to thank them all
for their dedicated and ceaseless work on
behalf of all our members.
In particular I would like to single out two
who are retiring this year : Kath Brizzalari
and Gordon Rozario, our Treasurer.
Kath has been spending many hours
researching for HAAP and will continue
to do so, thus continuing to benefit FACT.
Most of her work is done behind the
scenes and we thank her for her immense
contribution.
Gordon has been an excellent Treasurer and
has put FACT’s finances on a firm basis for
the future. We hope he will be able to work
with the Committee in a different capacity.
The others have covered an enormous
amount of work, too. The Committee
is very much like an iceberg – a great
deal goes on below the surface – more
than can possibly be imagined. David
Sherwell’s role as FACTION editor can be
readily appreciated but, like all successful
publications, the work involved is complex
and demanding. The responsibility for its
distribution and for overall membership,
undertaken by Joy and Ian Gower, help the
organisation to run smoothly and remove a
huge burden from the Secretary’s shoulders.
Joy’s wonderful work with those in prison
and their families, mostly unseen, is at the
very heart of FACT’s mission.
Gail Saunders’ excellent organisational
abilities are behind the FACT conferences
and AGM: another major support for the
Secretary. George Williamson has breathed
new life into the lobbying campaign.
Every single agency involved in the
FACTION / November 2005
child protection ‘industry’; every legal
department; everyone who can make a
difference: all have been identified, written
to and their replies are being analysed.
Again, this is work done behind the scenes
and the results are proving interesting
and will ultimately be extremely useful in
determining the direction of the Campaign.
Many will know of George’s work setting
up regional initiatives, though we need
100% involvement from all the regions to
make this effective. Although local groups
may do excellent local work, they also need
to be part of a National Campaign.
As for our Secretary, Michael Barnes, he
is the lynchpin. Go onto the FACT website
– that’s his baby; ring up the help-line
– he’s at the end of it; find yourself with
any FACT related problem – Michael is
there to solve it; the Committee Meetings
are efficiently organised and the Minutes
detailed and accurate. The fact that others
on the Committee do so much enables
Michael to spend a great deal of time
dealing directly with FACT members. And
he does all of this modestly, energetically,
efficiently and, above all, courteously. His
communication skills are first class and his
expertise with modern technology keeps the
Committee up to date with all that he does
and, importantly, allows for constant
‘dialogue ‘ between meetings.
I make no apology for describing
the Committee’s work yet again. All
organisations rely on those who have
chosen to devote themselves selflessly to
the common cause. FACT is no exception
and we are indeed fortunate to have so
many, including the area representatives,
who can give FACT such a wide range of
expertise and who are able to contribute in
a mature, positive, supportive and reasoned
manner which encourages goodwill and
mutual respect.
The year’s achievements will be
highlighted elsewhere – the good times
when excellent progress is made; the
bad times when we seem to be slipping
back. Fortunately, the good times were
many – FACT contributed much to the
UCAFAA Conference in November 2004
(Investigate the Investigators – Calling for
Accountability) and attended the All Party
Group for Abuse Investigations Conference
in December (Abuse Investigations
– Systemic Failure). Our own Spring
Conference in May 2005 (False Allegations
of Abuse – Righting the Wrongs) was well
attended and successful. This was a year,
too, when three prominent “experts” were
called to account – Sir Roy Meadow,
David Southall and Dr. San Lazaro; when
our number one supporter, Claire Curtis-
Thomas MP, closely questioned several
Government Ministers and continued to
highlight concerns with the processes
involved in abuse investigations – where
Teachers TV, Private Eye and many other
parts of the media are expressing similar
concerns; when spectacular successes
in the Appeal Court were tempered by
acute disappointments; when the links
with Ireland and Australia were further
strengthened and when Richard Webster’s
remarkable and expertly researched book,
“The Secret of Bryn Estyn”, launched on
19 March at Portcullis House, gave hope to
so many and cause for panic to Wrexham
Council.
There are several new and exciting
initiatives on the horizon, various academic
studies are underway and a research Trust
Fund is being set up.
FACT is alive and well.
We are not complacent. We do not think
we are infallible in all that we do and we
acknowledge there is much still to be done.
We welcome constructive, positive criticism
from all members. The basis for sound
criticism is goodwill and a wish to improve
wherever and whenever possible. We still
have a huge mountain to climb and this
can only be done effectively if every single
member in every single region combine in
determination to achieve our ideals.
Rory O’Brien (Chairman)
M
M
MMAAAAYYYY
211055
22220000000064444
Conferences 2006
Spring Conference
May 20th
Annual General Meeting
& Autumn Conference
September 16th
Both conferences will
be held at St Chad’s
Cathedral, Birmingham.
Speakers to be confirmed
3
The Background to
False Allegations
– a personal view
by GEORGE WILLIAMSON
FACT Lobbying Co-ordinator
Child protection movement
Those of us concerned about false
allegations of child abuse require an
understanding of the motivation of the
theorists and activists in the child protection
movement. It drives their campaigns
against child abuse, vulnerable adult abuse
and domestic violence; and is behind
their politics of childrens, womens and
vulnerable peoples’ rights. For some among
them, it includes seeking to ‘get even’
with men for ‘centuries of patriarchy’,
by describing them, past and present, as
universally abusive heads of the family.
Demands, rights and authority
The child protection movement’s
campaigns are promoted within the
widespread dependency culture of
counselling and compensation claims,
eroding people’s sense of personal and
social responsibility and society’s common
bonds. The family setting, with nurturing
and care at its historic heart, is portrayed as
the most likely place to be abused, along
with any institutions that also try to nurture
and care. This is the background in which
ever-increasing numbers of false allegations
of abuse are occurring.
Authority and responsibility have to be
based on mutual respect, reciprocated trust
and shared loyalties. The paranoid victim
culture lacks respect for legitimate authority
and adult duties and responsibilities. These
have lost out to a new populism, interested
only in absolutist individual and group
rights, which damages the general interest.
Society and the family are viewed as made
up mainly of ‘victims’ and ‘survivors’ with
few rights against the powerful and anyone
in authority. Common-sense family order
4 FACTION / November 2005
and legitimate political power are both
seen as obscenely abusive of ‘victims’ and
detrimental to their rights. Consequently,
many victims’ advocates feel they are
justified in doing all they can to destroy
that authority; and child abuse allegations,
allied to compensation claims, is a powerful
weapon to use.
To temper the excesses of the cravings
of the dependency way of life, and
the insatiable demands of consumer
pressure, politicians try to monitor and
manage private life and behaviour. This
interference increases the decline in
mature citizenship and in what stability
remains in the family and society. Such
pervasive authoritarianism undermines
personal loyalties among citizens and
creates the sense of a war of all against all.
No wonder collective action, seeking fair
and indivisible justice, free of the invasive
victim ethos, is so difficult to organise and
achieve among these often atomised and
self-obsessed individuals.
The abuse protection theorists and activists
exercise their own form of power and
authority through counselling and emotional
blackmail. They feel that the family, close
relationships and society at large should
be monitored by them, in their search for
abusers whom they alone know exist. Far
from being criticised for their delusional
beliefs, they influence government policies
and many receive state support and
official funding. Their views are regularly
promoted, with little questioning, by much
of the media and so affect jury opinion
in abuse trials. Their views are also to
be found among abuse investigators and
prosecutors as well as the judiciary. It is no
wonder that false allegations of abuse are
leading to injustices.
Faith and evidence
Unreasoning faith, whether religious
or secular, where subjective conviction
becomes objective truth, is a threat to the
rational side of human experience and
material existence. Notwithstanding the
extremes of religious fundamentalism and
fanaticism, faith may be fine for balanced
spiritual belief but not what is needed when
evidence is imperative. Abuse allegations
are virtually sacrosanct, bathed in an aura
of sanctity like holy scripture, and beyond
challenge and scepticism. Belief in their
truth, like the shibboleths of any secular or
religious faith, depends on sidestepping the
lack of proof supporting them.
The child protection movement’s beliefs
inhabit this drift from reality. As with the
many questionable doctrines of religious
and secular causes, beliefs about abuse,
impervious to reason and compelling
evidence, lead to denying the clear facts
to the contrary. Child protection activists
believe that uncontrollable abuse is
occurring. They accept the assertions of
almost anyone claiming they were abused
and grossly exaggerate the numbers of
abused people as yet undiscovered. Lack
of evidence, supporting their doctrines, is
no deterrent to joining their ‘church’ and
its political cause. ‘Casualties’ have to be
found.
Where many religious faiths see
humanity as ‘fallen’, the child protection
campaigners, like many secular political
movements, have a mean-spirited view
of human beings as ‘debased’. They see
them as likely to exploit any position of
‘dominance’ in order to abuse vast numbers
of children and vulnerable adults in family,
institutional, work and care settings. Given
the zealots’ warped piety, they, of course,
exclude themselves from the abusing mania
that they insist is all around them.
George Williamson
FACT Lobbying Co-ordinator

Is Europe a way
forward?
REASONS FOR APPLYING TO THE
COUNCIL OF EUROPE TO REDRESS
SYSTEMIC INJUSTICE
I welcome the efforts of individuals in the
UK who are trying to persuade the British
Government to reconsider and accept the
recommendations as set out in the Home
Affairs Select Committee Report: ‘The
Conduct of Investigations into Past Cases of
Abuse in Children’s Homes’ 2001-02. The
Report was at that time a ray of hope to all
who suffered injustice, firstly by those who
have made false allegations, and secondly,
injustice caused by the State itself which
assumes that the accuser(s) are always right
and gives almost unfailing support to them
based on that assumption. The willingness
and practice of persons such as the police, the
CPS lawyers, and the judiciary to ensure that
the accused is brought to trial and convicted
at any cost runs counter to the presumption of
innocence which is a cornerstone of English
law. It is also a principle enshrined in the
European Convention on Human Rights.
Article 6(2): ‘Everyone charged with a
criminal offence shall be presumed innocent
until proved guilty according to law.’ There
are exceptions in English law which accept
the reversal of burden of proof which has
been set out by statute: strict liability is one
such example. (These, are, broadly speaking,
cases where an offence has been committed
and a party is presumed to be negligent for
causing the incident/accident). Statutory
offences with reverse of this burden of the
burden of proof generally have a lower
standard test of culpability known as the
‘balance of probabilities’ which means that
the jury is directed to ask itself to assess the
likelihood that the defendant is to blame for
the offence. In such cases the starting point
FACTION / November 2005
is the fact that a wrong has occurred (the
actus reus) and the jury has to decide whether
blame can be imputed to the defendant.
Prima facie the defendant is blamed by the
complainant until such time as the defendant
can disprove that s/he caused the wrong e.g.
the defendant argues that the complainant
that the wrong was in fact caused by the
complainant or was caused by another party
or unforeseeable circumstance. The trigger
of such cases is damage to persons and/or
property and in most cases is a tangible,
assessable damage.
By contrast, allegations made by adults of
sexual abuse by someone in their childhood
are much more problematic. In these
cases, there is no tangible offence, merely
verbal allegation by an accuser. Any such
allegation is taken by law enforcement and
the legal system as being factual; otherwise
there would be no basis for investigating
and prosecuting the alleged offence. But on
this premise the burden of proof has shifted
onto the defendant to prove that the accuser
is lying or mistaken. Juries are supposed to
be told in such trials that they should only
convict a defendant if they are sure that
the defendant committed the offence (the
‘reasonable doubt’ test). But in practice
they are applying the probability test (the
likelihood of the accused to be culpable for
an alleged offence). This test is borne out by
the many guilty verdicts in multiple accuser
cases which have issued from police trawling
operations. The multiple allegations which
are not eyewitness accounts corroborating
the allegations of the primary accuser are
combined into a single trial. The evidence
which has been gathered by the investigating
team is fraught with dangers not only
because the evidence may be fabricated
by the accusers but also by the tainting of
evidence collected by the police using opaque
methods of questioning and drafting witness
statements themselves.
Judicial decisions have permitted and
endorsed the practice of admitting ‘similar
fact evidence’, (which is in reality, mere
allegation, not fact) which enables the
prosecution to combine all allegations of
sexual offence whether similar or dissimilar
onto the charge sheet. In the past judges had
to assess whether similar fact evidence was
admissible or inadmissible and would have
made the latter decision if the information
was likely to be prejudicial to the defence
rather than probative in evaluating a relevant
issue of the case. The reality is that juries
will generally be swayed by the similar fact
evidence as proof that the offences occurred.
The balance of probabilities test supplants
the one of reasonable doubt: they will be
persuaded by the numbers of accusers and
take the view that the greater the number of
accusers and allegations, the more likely it is
that the offences occurred.
What the Court is not told is how the multiple
allegations were generated. The Court
assumes that the police have been honest and
have properly conducted their investigations.
It would be a brave, brazen, (efficient!)
defending lawyer who cross-examines the
investigating officer as to the exact details of
how their team extracted their information
from interviewees. There will be no
recording of the interviewees by video or tape
to see how the complainants were approached
and what questions or inducements they had
been given. Under the present described
circumstances it is apparent that the similar
fact evidence is unsafe to be presented to the
jury in allegations of historic allegations of
sexual abuse.
You may be asking yourself how these issues
square with human rights principles.
The UK signed the European Convention
on Human Rights and instituted the Human
Rights Act 1998. As UK citizens we may
have redress to the institutions which
honour the original Articles of the European
Convention. The Human Rights Act was
designed to give direct effect to decisions in
cases which complaints raised human rights
issues. My own experience of the courts,
particularly the appeal courts in the UK is
that they refuse to accept the significance
of their obligations to remedy human rights
violations unless they are compelled to do
so. The Human Rights Act is not an optional
extra which the courts may apply at their
discretion: the UK courts should be, but are
failing to make decisions which do not run
counter to the tenets of the human rights
Convention and the Act.
It is submitted that the current practices
employed by the state for bringing to trial
historic allegations of child abuse are so
unsafe and flawed that until and unless
safeguards such as those as the Home Affairs
5
Report (ibid above) are implemented the
accused cannot receive a fair trial in the
UK. This breaches the Convention Article
6(1): ‘anyone accused of a criminal trial is
entitled to a fair and public hearing within
a reasonable time by an independent and
impartial tribunal established by law’.
The tribunal is ‘unfair’ because in allegations
of child abuse there is the presumption that
the allegations are true and therefore the
accused is burdened with the presumption
of guilt, which is amplified in multiple
allegation cases.
The evidence presented to the court in an
historic allegation case may well be stale
because of the gap of years, if not decades
when an allegation may be made. The
evidence may well be tainted by the police
interviewing technique. Can it be said that
it is ‘a fair hearing’ to present this type of
evidence to a jury? How can the UK tribunal
be ‘impartial’ if it presumes from the outset
that the accused is guilty?
The issue of ‘reasonable time’ may be
pertinent here as well: some lawyers may
argue that this means that a person charged
with an offence should be put on trial
promptly. But might it also be construed
as meaning that persons should make
their allegations within a reasonable time
of the alleged offence? If so, then this
would validate the argument for a statute of
limitations for prosecuting such allegations.
Can it be successfully argued that the UK
has been systemically prosecuting and
incarcerating individuals accused of sexual
abuse using methods and rules and case-
law which circumvent the usual procedures
for criminal cases? Case-law from the
European Court of Human Rights suggests
that, for example, presumptions of fact
or of law operates in every legal system
and that the Convention does not prohibit
such presumptions in principle. The Court
does not wish to be seen to be meddling in
domestic court affairs.
‘It does, however, require the States to
remain within certain limits which take into
account the importance of what is at stake
and maintain the rights of the defence.’ (p.126
Criminal Justice and the Human Rights Act
1998 , Professor Steve Uglow (2001 edition).
The Court has hitherto been wary of
encroaching upon the sovereignty of states
in the individual state’s lawmaking, but
this may now well have changed given the
ruling from the European Court of Justice to
the European Commission which ‘… gives
the Commission an unprecedented role in
the administration of criminal justice’. (The
Times, September 14th 2005).
In essence, the complete lack of safeguards
in police investigations, the combining of
multiple allegations issuing therefrom under
the practice of corroboration by volume
and the subversion of the rules of evidence
in respect of historic allegations of sexual
abuse flies in the face of justice and should
6 FACTION / November 2005
not be entertained by any signatory member
state which has undertaken to ensure that its
laws are compatible with the Human Rights
Convention. The more serious the allegation
and the more severe the punishment, then
greater is the requirement to ensure that the
state institutions honour the presumption
of innocence of the accused; that legal
safeguards are in place which screen the
quality of the evidence gathered; that the
evidence is real as opposed to generated and
fabricated by the processes of investigation.
How do we persuade the UK Government
to accept the findings of the Home Affairs
Report and act upon them? It is possible to
do so with the assistance of the European
Commission and the European Court of
Human Rights. I would ask interested readers
to write to the European Commissioner Mr
Alvaro Gil-Robles at: The Council of Europe,
Avenue de l’Europe, 67075 Strasbourg,
Cedex, France, or email CommissionerHR.C
ommunications@coe.int.
Mr Gil-Robles is the current Commissioner
for the Council of Europe. He explains his
role on the Council of Europe website:
The Office of the Commissioner for Human
Rights was established in 1999 as an
independent institution within the Council
of Europe. In accordance with his mandate,
and without excluding the possibility of
complementary actions, the Commissioner
focuses his activity on four main areas.
These are the promotion of the education
in and awareness of human rights, the
encouragement for the establishment of
national human rights structures where they
do not exist and facilitate their activities
where they do exist, the identification of
short-comings in the law and practice with
regards to human rights and, lastly, the
promotion of their effective respect and full
enjoyment in all the member States of the
Council of Europe.
The Commissioner therefore has the remit
to look at systemic state-sanctioned human
rights abuse; this should therefore include the
defects in the UK law enforcement and legal
system which have given rise to numerous
wrongful imprisonments. The Commissioner
is empowered to look at allegations of human
rights abuse and can write an Opinion which
the offending member-state is obligated to
consider and implement. Interested parties
should set out in detail which part of the
Convention has been violated how the
state has caused the wrongful conviction
and be prepared to supply documentary
evidence if requested. They may also set
out how they think the Commission could
remedy the injustice, either with reference
to the guidelines proposed by the Home
Affairs Report above or with suggestions
of their own. It may be better to write in
some depth to him about the particular and
general injustice, rather than complain in a
standardised petition.
For those who have exhausted all domestic
remedies by appealing against wrongful
conviction in the UK Court of Appeal,
there is the possibility of taking their case
to the European Court of Human Rights
in Strasbourg. The Applicant or his/her
representative will need to show that
a Convention Article(s) has/have been
breached and they must quote the relevant
section and/or subsection under which they
are complaining. You will find the full text of
the European Convention on the European
Court of Human Rights website which you
may read and download for free: the website
is: www.echr.coe.int.
Prospective applicants to the ECHR must
do so within six months of the last appeal
decision the UK or else they will lose this
opportunity. The earlier the case is filed, the
better. The Court’s address is: The Registrar,
European Court of Human Rights, Council of
Europe F-67075 Cedex France. Make sure
that you can support your statements with
documentary evidence wherever possible and
obtain copies of all appeal decisions in the
UK. The Application form and guidelines are
freely available on the ECHR website. Note 9
of the Guidelines states that it is not necessary
to have tried to have the case reopened after
going through normal appeal procedures in
the courts, nor do you have to use post-appeal
non-contentious remedies such as petitioning,
or writing to commissioners, MPs, heads of
state etc before you can apply to the ECHR.
You may ask whether it costs to use the
ECHR. It is possible for the ECHR to
grant legal aid to engage a representative if
it decides to proceed to a full hearing, but
the initial Application is made by yourself
or your representative and the Court
usually decides the case on the basis of the
documentary evidence you have submitted
to it. You can make the Application yourself,
but be sure that what you submit is within
the remit of the Court and that you are
certain about which part of the Convention
has been breached. There is nothing to
prevent aggrieved individuals from writing
to the Commissioner as well as making an
Application to the ECHR. However if you
are at the beginning of the appeal stage in the
UK then the only present option for redress
would be with the Commissioner.
I have made best endeavours to provide
accurate and helpful information. The
information I have discerned may change at
any time and I cannot accept responsibility
for giving legal advice. Please check websites
for any changes and updates. I wish you
the best of luck with your letter-writing/
Application. Collectively we might be able to
change the system and redress the balance.
Ingrid, wife of Peter Ward
 MR PHIL FIDDLER While Phil Fiddler is an Officer or
Committee member of FACT North
As many of you know the FACT West, he must demonstrate respect
national committee were asked to consider for the National Committee and its

The
a resolution at a meeting held on the 9th members and willingness to work with
November 2005 that, in our view Phil them.

Blair
Fiddler’s failure:-
3. In the immediate future, the
1.to give an undertaking as requested North West Committee must work

by the Chairman of FACT not to
commission an advert for FACT in the
north West Press
2. Refusal to support the work of the
committee
3. Repeated and persistent denigration
of the Committee and the work they do,
and his general conduct towards new
initiatives are incompatible with the
responsibilities of membership and the
holding of office, and are prejudicial to
the interests of FACT and to its future.
We therefore call upon the national
Committee to exercise its powers and to
exclude from membership forthwith.
Phil was asked to attend the national
committee meeting and to make
representations as to why he should not
be expelled from membership. After
taking into account his views the national
committee decided that he should
be expelled from membership of FACT.
In accordance with the terms
of FACT’s constitution Mr Fiddler
appealed against this decision to an
independent panel consisting of Roy
Everett, Dr. Christopher Reeves and Ivan
Geffen (Chair). Written material in support
of and opposing Mr. Fiddler’s expulsion
was distributed to the panel, whose
members met privately on the afternoon
of Tuesday September 20th. They heard
evidence and submissions from FACT
(Michael Barnes and Rory O’Brien)
and Phil Fiddler (supported by Mick
O’Gorman, a member of the North West
Committee) on the 21st September.
The Panel met again privately on the
evening of September 21st and the morning
of September 22nd. On 25th of September
the panel announced their decision.
1. The appeal is allowed and Mr.
Fiddler’s membership of FACT
reinstated subject to the condition set
out in paragraph 4 below.
2. There needs to be positive
consequences of this episode. FACT,
and its members, are entitled to expect
its leaders to work co-operatively to
achieve its objectives. Specific measures
are required, to ensure that the North
West Committee members are fully
aware of policy differences between
them and the National Committee.
with the National Committee and
Officers to produce a memorandum of
understanding, designed to achieve good
working relationships in the interest of
FACT and all its members.
4. Although we are reinstating Mr.
Fiddler’s membership of FACT,
we regard one term or condition as
necessary, namely that until the two
preceding paragraphs have been
implemented, he should remain
suspended from holding office either in
FACT or in any of its Branches.
5. We urge all members of both
Committees to ensure that specific and
extraordinary measures are put in place
rapidly, to improve communication and
to open dialogue in the future.
The decision is binding on both parties.
The practical effect of this decision is that
Mr Fiddler’s membership has been restored
but that he is suspended from holding
office locally or nationally until two
specific measures are taken.
Firstly the North West committee are
made fully aware of any policy differences
between them and the national committee.
The second measure requires the FACT
North West Committee work with
the national Committee to produce a
memorandum of understanding aimed at
producing good working relations, in the
interests of FACT and it members. It is also
incumbent on Mr Fiddler to demonstrate
respect for the national committee and its
members.
The national committee are committed to
completing the remaining tasks as quickly
as possible and have every confidence
that the matter will be resolved to the
satisfaction of both parties. It hoped that
the memorandum of understanding will
be achieved by the end of November. The
subsequent decision of FACT North West
region to call an Emergency General
Meeting in order to elect a new regional
committee has unfortunately delayed
matters.
The FACT national Committee wish to
record their thanks to the independent
panel for assisting in this matter.
View
In his speech at the Labour Party
Conference and repeated in his
interviews with the media (29th
September 2005) Tony Blair said
“We must not go over the line and
destroy our way of life. The primary
duty of any justice system is to
protect the innocent from being
convicted ... if you apply common
sense people will know what you
mean”.
Can we ask what steps Tony Blair
will take to:-
1 Apply common sense to the
question of historical abuse
2 Protect the innocent from being
wrongly convicted
I would add that Tony Blair also
referred to elderly people being
frightened and to suspected terrorists
fearing the midnight knock on
the door. He needs to be told that
hundreds of elderly people – not
terrorists but carers and teachers
– good people, have suffered the
‘midnight knock’ on the door by
the police - and that this fear will
continue for the rest of their lives.
We are grateful to Ron for submitting
this comment
Thank You
This issue of FACTion is
sponsored by
Doreen & Barry Strettle
If you would like to sponsor an issue
please contact the Secretary

FACTION / November 2005 7


S.I.N.
(Stop Injustice Now)
We are a group of innocent men in prison
who have been found guilty of sexual
offences which we did not commit and wish
to draw attention to the injustices we have
suffered.
“Know the truth and the truth
will set you free.”
We believe that if the truth was known,
many innocent men would indeed be free.
Our convictions were based on written and
verbal lies and not on a shred of forensic
evidence. The words, “Beyond reasonable
doubt” have become meaningless in
cases of a sexual nature where the onus
is now placed on the accused to prove his
innocence of a crime that never took place.
Surely in the name of justice, circumstantial
evidence alone should never be enough
to convict anyone. We are being trampled
over, and used as political pawns to appease
the “witch-hunters” of modern society.
The lure of compensation has become an
added incentive to encourage claimants
to deprive innocent men of their freedom
and the odds seem stacked against the
“Accused”. We are left wondering how
many other countries “pay” the supposed
“Victims” of such crimes, when they
themselves are committing the crime of
false allegations and perjury.
The gross seriousness of this situation
should and must not be underestimated, yet
the protests of the innocent go ignored.
But we won’t go away and we won’t
remain silent. Mr. Blair wake up to the fact
that innocent citizens are behind bars in
your country. The courts and the elected
government have both a legal and moral
duty to protect our rights and our liberty.
The balance must be restored or inevitably
more innocent men will find themselves
incarcerated behind bars.
Section 32 of the Criminal Justice and
Public Order Act 1994 has removed the
need for corroborative evidence. Why? Is
its purpose to gain even more and easier
convictions?
The harsh reality is that the legal system has
been duped by lying and deceitful people
and the innocent have paid the price.
Current laws relating to sexual offences are
flawed to the extent that they ruin innocent
lives, splitting up families, depriving wives
of their husbands, children of their fathers
and causing untold emotional and mental
trauma. Some men have been given “Life
Tariffs” on the strength of one person’s
word against another with no forensic
8 FACTION / November 2005
evidence whatsoever to back up the are proof that the present prejudicial system
prosecution.
The privileged servants of the people, the
of justice is not working. Please stop that
injustice now.
dispensers of so-called “Justice” are being “If I deny, I am condemned already,
forced to abuse their powers and appear to In courts where ghosts appear as witnesses,
be totally unmoved by the human suffering And swear men’s lives away.
they are helping to inflict on other people If I confess,
through evidence based on lies. Then I confess a lie, to buy a life
Which is not life, but only death in life.
We, the innocent, demand change and I will not bear false witness against any,
we demand it now! We call for a fair Not even myself. Whom I count least”
and honest legal system with the age-old
assumption that a person is innocent until (William Wadsworth Longfellow)
proven beyond all reasonable doubt to the
contrary. We, the innocent men in prison V.I.P. (Victims In Prison)
MR COMMON SENSE
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Mr. Common
Sense. Mr. Sense had been with us for many years. No one knows
for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in
bureaucratic red tape.
He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as
knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the
worm and that life isn’t always fair.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don’t spend
more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not kids,
are in charge).
His health began to rapidly deteriorate when well intentioned but
overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a six-year-old
boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens
suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher
fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.
Mr. Sense declined even further when schools were required to get
parental consent to administer aspirin to a student; but could not
inform the parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to
have an abortion.
Finally, Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments
became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals
received better treatment than their victims.
Common Sense finally gave up the ghost after a woman failed to
realise that a steaming cup of coffee was hot, she spilled a bit in her
lap, and was awarded a huge settlement.
Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust,
his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason.
He is survived by two stepbrothers; My Rights and Ima Whiner.
Not many attended his funeral because so few realised he was gone. If
you still remember him, pass this on; if not, join the majority and do
nothing.
AGM and WINTER
CONFERENCE
The FACT AGM and Winter conference
took place in Birmingham on 1st October.
Rory O‘Brien began by opening the AGM
at which over 80 people attended. In his
report he highlighted the work of the
national committee. In particular he paid
tribute to the work of Kath Brizzalari and
Gordon Rozario both whom had announced
their retirement from the national
Committee due to ‘work’ commitments. On
behalf of all FACT members and supporters
Rory presented both with a token of our
appreciation of their work they have done
for FACT.
Rory referred to the work of the national
committee as being like an iceberg with
much of the work being unseen. He also
paid to tribute to work undertaken by other
committee members and referred to several
new and exciting FACT led initiatives on
the horizon, including various academic
studies, and the founding of a research
Trust Fund. Rory also paid tribute to all
those people who belong to FACT and who
support its work.
This was also the theme in the secretary‘s
address to the meeting. Michael provided
an outline of the pleasing things and some
of the not so pleasing things which had
occurred during the year. He highlighted
the contribution made by those members
FACTION / November 2005
and supporters who give their time and
resources to make FACT work - especially
those who had contribute financially,
whether it be by making a donation,
sponsoring FACTion, or sponsoring the
distribution of Richard Webster‘s book to
those in prison - who wish to have it.
Michael also drew attention to the changing
face of FACT - which made it vulnerable
to criticisms that it was not doing enough,
was failing to maintain standards, and
was not communicating effectively. He
suggested that one of the reasons why some
people felt this way was because they had
not realised that much of what is achieved
is at individual, personal level. Years ago
when FACT was primarily a lobbying
group one could be far more open about
what was actually being done. Then the
work was much more visible. Now that the
work of FACT is more person centred and
individually based it is much more difficult
to inform the general membership what we
do without intruding into peoples own lives
and experience. This is particularly true of
the work of the help line. The facts however
clearly showed that FACT was busier than
ever and was making steady progress.
Michael also announced that the FACT web
site had received a completely new make
over.
Gordon Rozario also presented his financial
report and thanked every one for their
support during his two years in office. He
that thanks largely to the generosity of its
members FACT had now achieved financial
stability and can look forward positively
to the future. Gordon stated that whilst he
was sad to be leaving as treasurer business
pressures made this necessary, however he
hoped to remain involved with FACT for
some years to come. The following were
elected to office, Rory O‘Brien Chairman,
Ian Argyle, Treasurer (new appointment),
Gail Saunders ordinary committee member
(Gail was previously South Wales Rep)
The AGM was followed by the Winter
conference. The main talks was given
by John Greer, a solicitor from Northern
Ireland, who gave an account of his
experience in defending George Anderson,
in what was described as Northern Ireland’s
worst case of alleged child abuse. This
case which was featured in November
2005 edition of FACTion and also
involved Margaret Hewitt. Both George
and Margaret had their appeal upheld and
convictions squashed. John who was very
critical both of the police investigation and
prosecutions handling of this case was able
to demonstrate that some of the witnesses
had lied at the previous trials, and that some
of the evidence given by the police and
child care professionals was to say the least
questionable. John also paid tribute to the
support given to Margaret and to George
by their families, many of whom were
present in the audience, and by FACT. In a
moving response both George and Margaret
paid tribute to the work of FACT and to
the support they had received from FACT
members whilst in prison. Both were very
pleased to be able to meet some of those
who had written to them and sent them
cards.
The conference also heard a very up beat
9
message from Mark Barlow
(deputising for Mark Newby
who had injured his leg the day
before and was awaiting surgery).
In keeping with the theme of
the conference Mark referred
to three HAAP project which
had been going on behind the
scenes. The first of these involved
HAAP, in partnership with
FACT, establishing a Cambridge
University, independently led,
research project in various aspects
relating to historic child abuse.
The second involved a lot of
background work with Clare
Curtis-Thomas, and others aimed
at encouraging the Home Affairs
Select Committee to re-examine
aspects of its report on the conduct
of investigations into alleged child
abuse in care homes. This often
delicate and time consuming work
was beginning to pay off and it was
very much hoped that the Home
Affairs Select Committee would
re-open its file on these matters.
The third initiative was establish a
trust fund for continuing research.
The need for the fund had already
been demonstrated and both HAAP
and FACT were committed to its
success.
Mark concluded his talk with a
rallying cry for all those who share
our aims and objectives. Much
work is, and has been done, but it
is only by working together that we
can achieve more.
The conference finished with
a delightful and informative
presentation by Phil and Fly Faber
from S.A.F.A.R.I. (Supporting
All Falsely Accused People
with Reference Information)
Commenting on the conference
which well over 200 people
attended Rory O‘Brien thanked
all those who had taken or had
helped in organising the event. The
conference had, he said, been a
great success and had shown how,
by working together successful
outcomes could be achieved.
Addendum. At its first committee
meeting held on the 5th November
the following were also co-opted to
the National Committee. Gordon
Rozario, George Jensen, and
George Williamson. The following
were also appointed regional reps.
Gwen Hurst (North Wales), Guy
Perry (West Midlands), and Gail
Stack (North West).
10
November 21st
B I R T H D AY S
Barrie Alden CR9151
CARDIFF LAW STUDENTS TO Wing E1 - 03
HMP Norwich
INVESTIGATE CONVICTIONS Knox Road
Norwich NR1 4LU
Some have idealised views says Lecturer
November 26th
Peter Ward EM7229
Law students in Cardiff are to take a hands-
on approach to learning their trade by HMP Albany
Newport
investigating possible miscarriages of justice.
Isle of Wight PO30 5RS
Cardiff Law School has joined nine other December 2nd
universities in an Innocence Project, the first Bernard Littlewood EF9413
of its kind outside of the USA, Canada and HMP Wakefield
Australia. Love Lane
Wakefield
Under the project, the students will W Yorkshire WF2 9AG
reinvestigate cases where doubts have been
expressed over someone’s conviction. December 18th
Steve Crosby KX8990
I Wing
They will spend time interviewing prisoners, HMP Wymott
re-examine evidence and talking to witnesses. Ulnes Walton Lane
Leyland
The move has been welcomed by Michael Preston PR26 8LW
O’Brien, who was one of three men wrongly
jailed for 11 years for the murder of Cardiff December 29th
newsagent Phillip Saunders in 1987. Paul Melville KX9507
B1-03
‘This is a very important project, those who HMP Wymott
have been the victims of miscarriages of Ulnes Walton Lane
Leyland
justice can often give up hope, I know I did
at times,’ said Mr O’Brien, who recently Preston PR26 8LW
addressed law students in Cardiff.
January 4th
Ian Brooke FG5450
‘Often lawyers and solicitors cannot get legal HMP Wymott B1-16
aid to continuing looking at these cases, so Ulnes Walton Lane
students can be the only people prepared to Leyland
keep sifting through the evidence.’ Preston PR26 8LW
A similar scheme at Bristol University has January 5th
already had contact with Barry George, Anver Sheikh PE4511
the man convicted of killing the television HMP Hull
presenter Jill Dando, and the family of Hedon Road
Michael Stone, who has twice been convicted Hull HU9 5LS
of murdering Lin and Megan Russell. PR26 8LW
As well as major cases, students in Cardiff
will also be offering the public free legal
advice.
Some criminal lawyers and solicitors across
South Wales are to work with the students.
‘Cardiff is one of Britain’s biggest law
schools and our students are very excited
about this,’ said solicitor and lecturer at
Cardiff, Julie Price.
‘Many come into law with a very idealised
view of the system.
‘Looking at possible miscarriages of justice
cases is a real eye-opener for them.
‘For example, when Mr O’Brien spoke of his
experiences, many students were reduced to
tears.’
FACTION / November 2005
WESTERN ISLES
Falsely accused remain demoralised
By Daryl Dobson
I am the uncle of the three girls at the
centre of this case and the brother of their
mother. For legal reasons I am not writing
under my real name. My concerns for my
nieces’ well-being led me to offer help as a
worried family member knowing that my
sister and her husband were very neglectful.
I have no reservations in stating that her
family undoubtedly needed help from social
services and brought to the attention of the
child protection agencies. My sister had a
history of making false allegations of abuse
before coming to the islands, where she
continued to make them.
When the recent Social Work Investigating
Agency (SWIA) Report concluded that
the children were definitely sexually
abused, I and the others falsely accused
were extremely depressed knowing that
the message going out, in order that the
authorities could be let off the hook,
was that we had got away with it. The
inference was that the guilty had escaped
because the authorities had made mistakes
– not that the we were innocent and the
investigators had displayed
unbelievable gullibility and
credulousness
As a close family
member I have no
hesitation in saying
that the children
suffered
from very
serious
neglect
regarding
their
basic
welfare
and their
mother
and
father had
inadequate
parenting
FACTION / November 2005
skills. However, in all sincerity I do not
think they were sexually abused, despite the
findings of the SWIA Report. My wife and I
had extensive knowledge of their situation,
as we looked after them for a considerable
time, trying to show them that there was a
better way of upbringing than they received
from their parents.
The sad fact is that the problems of a
seriously dysfunctional family, which we
tried to help keep together, spread out to
embrace a number of perfectly innocent
people. They were caught up in the zealous
methods of the investigation agencies
influenced by the corrupting, and often
insane, beliefs of those who influence;
educate and train them.
In our case it was the mad ideas about
organised, satanic paedophile rings, hidden
in God-fearing society, practising ritual
abuse on children. In echoes of the much
earlier Orkney’s case, where they played up
a mysterious minister with his sinister cloak
and stick, we had investigators and social
workers fixated on Pagans, cape and mask
wearing Mormons who slaughter cats, other
animal sacrifices and human killing, and
confusing Paganism with Satanism.
Throughout our ordeal, I thought we were
going to be caught up in that injustice
within the British judicial system, which
I believe is much greater in numbers
than those wrongly jailed for murder,
armed robbery and IRA bombing, namely
wrongful conviction of child sexual abuse.
To conclude, the following transcript from
the interview of one of the falsely accused
exposes the lunacy in the investigating
police officer’s mind. This, and the other
aberrations in the case should have been
at the heart of the SWIA Report, exposing
the recklessness of the investigators and
the childrens’ charities workers in the
background. Significantly, they were
not. The transcript is ample proof of the
evidence, that we were caught up in the
bizarre thinking on satanic paedophile
rings of those determined to jail us, no
doubt convinced by the lurid tales they
had encouraged my vulnerable nieces and
unbalanced sister to tell.
Police Officer. Do know anyone else who,
or have you heard of anyone else who,
practices the occult?
IC. No. I don’t know of anyone who
practices that kind of religion.
PO. Have you any knowledge of the use of
statues in practising the occult? What about
the ritualistic killing of animals? Ritualistic
dress, as in gowns, that type of thing? Do
you have any books about witchcraft?
IC. Umm, Wicca witches and things like
that? Yes in the kitchen?
PO. Wicca witches? What’s that?
IC. Well paganism, you don’t know about
paganism?
PO. I don’t.
IC. It is not against the law. Paganism
is basically about people who believe in
mother earth. It’s not witchcraft as in, you
know, flaming voodoo sort of things.
PO. I have information that you were
involved in devil-worshipping ceremonies.
Have you ever been into devil worship?
IC Not at all.
PO. The information we have is that it has
taken place and that you did use it to dress
up in a long white gown and wore masks,
as did your wife, and that you carried
out some sort of ceremony during which
there was dancing, and that your children
were dressed up in a similar manner to
yourselves and there was music being
played, described as Indian music.
And also that during this, some form of
chanting and praying took place. Further
to that, there was information given to us
that whilst this was being conducted, it was
being videoed on a camcorder.
Have you been in a position of seeing any
videos which would depict serious sexual
abuse? People being killed, and I’m not
talking acting here? Have you ever drank
the blood of a chicken? Have you ever
witnessed anybody else doing that? Ever
drink the blood of any other animal?
The interview ends with a howl of anguish
from IC as he is charged with rape.
UH?
“Instead of wasting
hundreds of millions of
pounds on compulsory
ID cards as the Tory
Right demand, let that money
provide thousands more police
officers on the beat in our local
communities”
Tony Blair (1995)
11
 News from
Dovegates
Encouragement comes from a variety
of sources but none so unusual as that
from Liz Beattie, the retired primary
schoolteacher, who was planning to put her
recommendations before conference.
Liz Beattie believes passionately that
failure should not figure in a child’s
vocabulary. It should be replaced by
deferred success.
Keith was so delighted by the news that
he could hardly contain his enthusiasm to
share his joy with me. Of course his Appeal
had not failed it was simple a matter of
deferred success.
What concerns both of us is that Liz
Beattie, in her proposition, does not
indicate how long we will have to wait for
this deferred success to be manifest.
As I surveyed the scene in this place from
the vantage point outside my penthouse
flat, I shared with a ‘fellow traveller’ my
opinion that I was not in a prison but a
madhouse. He confirmed that this was
indeed the case, supporting the view of an
officer at Wakefield who opined that 60%
of prisoners have mental problems that are
not being properly addressed. It occurred
to me that the Communists frequently
imprisoned innocent people in mental
institutions by way of punishment. Is it
possible that our Judiciary, subverted by
Government, is resorting to such tactics? It
often feels like it!
If you have not read it can I recommend
to you a book by Noel Fellowes called
‘Killing Time’? (Lion Publishing Co.)
Although in Noel’s case there was a crime
and indeed a dead body, he was clearly
set up by the Lancashire Police in 1970
for something for which he was entirely
innocent. Bad policing, coupled with
a dogged refusal to keep an open mind
ensured that another innocent man suffered
fourteen years of hell. Although in our
cases no crimes have ever been established,
the similarity is frightening.
The Autumn looks as though it will
provide some interesting developments and
hopefully the long awaited breakthrough
will appear.
To all of you who have worked so hard on
our behalf we extend grateful thanks.
Ron Hall & Keith Laverack
12
Information
and Advice
for Those
Making
Application
for Parole
At the Autumn conference held
on October 1st in Birmingham in
conversation with several people, it
became obvious that a considerable
number of persons in prison would
making application for parole in the
forthcoming months.
Several people told me that there
was no hurry because their husbands/
fathers/boyfriends were not due to
be considered for parole for many
months yet. Let me assure you that
you cannot start getting information
to support your application too soon.
The actual process as set out in the
guidelines takes twenty six weeks
but you should, in your own interests
commence long before that time
arrives.
With the agreement and support of
the conference I am able to offer a
considerable degree of advice and
assistance to men or women who
are likely to be considered in the
forthcoming twelve months.
I would also be grateful for any
information and details of applications
and problems encountered by those
people who have made application,
regardless of whether or not they were
successful. You may simply duplicate
material I already possess, but you
may also give me a vital lead into a
particular problem which could be
avoided.
The address to write to:
George A Jensen.
443 Abergele Road.
Old Colwyn.
North Wales.
LL29 9PR
Tel: 01492 517967
E-Mail: gaimjensen@aol.com
Entirely unreliable
‘evidence’
George Anderson and Margaret Hewitt
finally heard that they would not face any
re-trial for historical allegations of abuse
said to have occurred when they were carers
at the Macedon Home in Northern Ireland.
George originally faced 34 charges and
Margaret 99 charges and were sentenced to
a total of 29 years in what has been
described as Northern Ireland’s biggest sex
abuse case.
In giving their decision the Northern
Ireland Appeal Court were highly critical
of the prosecution case and considered the
evidence in the case entirely unreliable
especially after one complainant admitted
lying in writing after the trial.
This case is a further illustration of the
vulnerability of carers and teachers to
false allegations and provides support for
a fresh review of this issue by both the
Home Affairs Select Committee and by the
Government.
George and Margaret have been supported
throughout by FACT and have asked that
their thanks be passed on to all those who
have supported them through their darkest
days.
A FACT spokesman said the trial of
Margaret and George raises serious
questions about the conduct of the police
investigation and the response of Barnado’s
to these allegations. Once again there has
been an hysterical response to ill founded
allegations, and as a result, two innocent
carers have suffered the indignity of having
their reputations destroyed and the liberty
taken from them. What this investigation
shows is that the presumption of guilt
is so deeply embedded in child abuse
investigations that no can rely on them to
reveal the truth.
UH?
Home Office Minister Tony
McNulty, commenting on The
Politics Show in defence of
Home Office dawn raids on
asylum seekers: “We are not
knocking down doors at four in
the morning with people booted
and suited in riot gear. Most
of the removals occur around
half-five, half-six, seven in the
morning.”
So presumably the borderline
between free democracy and
police state lies somewhere
between the hours of 4am and
5.30am.
FACTION / November 2005
 I N F O R M AT I O N S U P P L E M E N T
☎ = telephone number fax = fax number www = website @ = email address

FACT
North Wales Mr Mark Newby
Gwen 01978 781 220 Jordans Solicitors
4 Priory Place
Campaign on behalf of Manchester Doncaster DN1 1BP
Falsely Accused Carers & Teachers David 0161 724 1478 ☎ 01302 309831
fax 01302 327521
All written correspondence Cornwall
Angela 01736 367 231 Jordan’s Solicitors in Dewsbury who are
The Secretary currently advertising for victims of abuse to
FACT (UK) Yorkshire contact them, are not in any way connected
with Jordan’s Solicitors, Doncaster who
P O Box 3074 Gordon 01924 261 711
administer the Historic Abuse Appeal Panel
Cardiff
CF3 3WZ 3gis

LEGAL
3 Grays Inn Square
☎ 02920 777 499 London WC1R 5AH
fax ☎ 020 7520 5600
www www.factuk.org Law firms experienced in ☎ Emergency 07710 354 598
@ info@factuk.org false allegations cases fax 020 7520 5607
@ clerks@3gis.co.uk
Please inform us of any additions you
FACTION feel ought to be made to this list Andrews Angel
FACT’s periodical Solicitors
1st Floor
Contributions / letters 88 High Road
Ilford
@ faction@factuk.org Essex IG1 1DN
or via the Secretary Mr Chris Saltrese ☎ 020 8911 9289
3 Regent Road
FACTION Editor David Sherwell Southport PR9 0AL Gill Rutherford
@ faction@factuk.org ☎ 01704 567 799 Andrews Angel
fax 01704 567 555 41 Sadler Street
@ chris.saltrese@brownturner.co.uk Durham City
Chairman Rory O’Brien Co Durham DH1 8NU
@ chairman@factuk.org Olliers ☎ 0191 370 9890
1st Floor www www.thompsons.law.co.uk
Secretary Michael Barnes Sunlight House @ gillrutherford@andrewsangel.co.uk
@ secretary@factuk.org Quay Street
Manchester M3 3JZ HAAP
Treasurer Ian Argyle ☎ 0161 834 1515 Historical Abuse Appeal Panel
@ treasurer@factuk.org fax 0161 839 0804
www www.olliers.com Mark Newby
Membership requests @ janetleahy@olliers.com Jordan’s & Co
@ membership@factuk.org Solicitors
17 Park Place 4 Priory Place
Leeds LS1 2SJ Doncaster DN1 1BP
☎ 0113 246 0660 ☎ 01302 309831
NATIONAL NETWORK fax 0113 242 9741 fax 01302 327521
Someone you can talk to www www.olliers.com www www.appealpanel.org
@ @ help@appealpanel.org
South Yorkshire
Lynne 01226 241 136 Mr David Woods
Keith Levin & Co Solicitors
West Midlands The Willows ORGANISATIONS
Elin 01905 778 170 Rupert Rd
Huyton Contact details of organisations which
Somerset Liverpool L36 9TF may be able to assist in specific areas
Ian 01458 448 127 ☎ 0151 480 5777
www www.keithlevin.co.uk BFMS
Chepstow @ dwoods@keithlevin.co.uk British False Memory Society
Joy 01594 529 237
Mr Stephen Clarke The Old Brewery
Doncaster & Lincolnshire Clarke & Hartland Solicitors Bradford-on-Avon
Kath 01427 873 451 48 The Parade Wiltshire BA15 1NF
Roath ☎ 01225 868 682
South Wales Cardiff CF2 3JD @ bfms@bfms.org.uk
Gail 02920 513 016 ☎ 02920 491 333 www www.bfms.org.uk

FACTION / INFORMATION INSERT

The Field Foundation NEW WEBSITES Canterbury
BULLYONLINE WEBSITES CT1 2ES
Help to combat workplace bullying or National Association of Teachers in
intimidation www.voicesemerge.com Further & Higher Education (Eng)
www.copwatcher.org 27 Britannia Street
PO Box 67 www.merseysidepolice.com London
Didcot WC1X 9UP
Oxfordshire OX11 9YS WEB LINKS @ afall@natfhe.org.uk
☎ 0161 834 1515 Useful links on the Internet www www.natfhe.org.uk
www www.bullyonline.org
Richard Webster Secondary Heads Association
FAAS Author 130 Regent Road
False Allegations Action Scotland Excellent site with many articles on false Leicester
allegations LE1 7PG
www www.FAAScotland.co.uk @ info@sha.org.uk
www.richardwebster.net www http://sha.eteach.com

FASO The Orwell Press Doug McAvoy

False Allegations Support Organization www.orwellpress.co.uk General Secretary
National Union of Teachers
PO Box 4 Innocent Hamilton House
Cross Keys Organization which supports and Mabledon Place
Newport campaigns for innocent people in prison. London
Gwent NP11 7YA Good article repository. WC1 9BD
☎ 08702 416 650 @
www.innocent.org.uk www www.teachers.org.uk
FAYL
Falsely Accused Youth Leaders Prison Today National Association of Schoolmasters &
(formerly False Scouting Allegations) Union of Women Teachers
For those falsely accused of abuse within MLA Press NASUWT
Scouting and other Youth Organisations P.O.Box 116 Hillscourt Education Centre
Manchester Rose Hill
PO Box 43158 M9 6WS Rednall
London E17 4WX Birmingham
☎ 07017 407 621 ☎ (0845) 0660011 B45 8RS
www www.fayl.org.uk em@il Editor@PrisonToday.com @ nasuwt@mail.nasuwt.org.uk
www www.prisontoday.com www www.teachersunion.org.uk
FLINT
Family Links International Find MPs General Teaching Council (Eng)
Locate MPs and their contact addresses Whittington House
PO Box 157 19-30 Alfred Place
Wallington www.parliament.uk/directories/ London
Surrey SM6 7WZ directories.cfm WC1E 7EA
☎ 07719 020 208 @ info@gtce.org.uk
@ Shaun@fasmilieslink.co.uk
www www.gtce.org.uk
www www.familieslink.co.uk TRADES UNIONS National Association of Headteachers
MAI 1 Heath Square
Merseyside Against Injustice Education Boltro Road
Haywards Heath
PO Box 51 Sally Hunt RH16 1BL
Upton Wirral General Secretary @ info@naht.org.uk
Merseyside CH49 2WA Association of University Teachers www www.naht.org.uk
Egmont House
SAFARI 25/31 Tavistock Place Social Work and
Supporting All Falsely Accused London WC1 9UT Local Government
with Reference Information @ hq@aut.org.uk
www www.aut.org.uk
170 Poplar Road South UNISON
Merton Park Jean Gemmel 1 Mabledon Place
London SW19 3JY General Secretary London WC1H 9AJ
www http://home.vicnet.net.au/~safari Professional Association of Teachers (Eng) @ See web site for specific
@ SAFARI_editor@yahoo.co.uk 2 St James Court locality
Friar Gate www www.unison.org.uk
SOFAP Derby
Support Organization for DE1 1BT British Association of Social Workers
Falsely Accused People @ hq@pat.org.uk (BASW)
www www.pat.org.uk 16 Kent Street
PO Box 215 Birmingham
Egham Society of Schoolmasters and School B5 6RD
Surrey TW2 5WZ Mistresses @ info@basw.co.uk
☎ 07766 664 360 Kings School www www.basw.co.uk

FACTION / INFORMATION INSERT

British Union of Social Work Employees
(BUSWE)
BUSWE House
208 Middleton Road
Manchester MEMBERSHIP
M8 4NA
@ APPLICATION/RENEWAL
buswe@buswe.fsnet.co.uk
Membership is open to any adult who is, or has been, falsely
www www.buswe.fsnet.co.uk
accused or wrongly convicted of abuse whilst caring for or
working with children in a non-parental role, e.g. a foster
GMB carer, day carer, youth worker, health care worker, church
National Office worker etc. It is also open to family and friends of someone
22/24 Worple Road falsely accused and to others interested in furthering FACT’s
London aims and objectives.
SW19 4DD
@ info@gmb.org.uk Please complete fully
www www.gmb.org.uk
Title ________________________________

INSURANCE
Forenames (in full) ________________________________
Last name ________________________________
if you have a ‘criminal’ record
Address ________________________________

Some advice ... ________________________________

________________________________
You must tell your insurers of any change in your
circumstances. If you don’t, your insurances for Postcode ________________________________
house and contents are null and void. The problem
with telling them is they will more than likely cancel Home phone ________________________________
your policies. None of the big insurers want to touch Daytime phone ________________________________
you if you have a criminal record.
Mobile ________________________________
I have found an insurer that will insure you if there
is a 5 year gap between conviction date and your Em@il ________________________________
application. I was more than candid with them and
they thanked me for my frankness. My opening Occupation ________________________________
phrase to them was “I am an ex-convict”. I told
them frankly about my alleged crimes and informed DECLARATION
them of my appeal and offered them the address of
HAAP so that they could confirm my statement. You I declare that I am innocent of any act of abuse and that any
will be asked if you have been turned down by any allegations which may have been made against me are false.
other insurance companies, I was truthful and said
yes. I agree to my membership details being stored on a database
and understand that my membership may be refused, revoked
They accepted my application. I paid with a credit or suspended if I bring the name of FACT into disrepute.
card. The policy covers all the normal things and
they give you the opportunity to add anything else
you might want. They were courteous and extremely ❏ I apply for / renew membership of FACT £ _______
helpful. There was no loading of the premium and
you pay the first £50 of any claim. ❏ I make this donation to the work of FACT £ _______

Thanks to Prison Reform Trust who gave me a Total £ _______

phone number to try and to Call Connect who
actually put me through to the insurers. We ask that members pay £20 per year if possible.
Those unable to afford this are still eligible for full
The name of the company ... membership.
Serving prisoners are entitled to free membership.
MORETHAN 0800 300 699
www.morethan.com Signed __________________________

Date __________________________
Other companies you could tryHeath Lambert
0800 0374397 Please send this form to The Secretary
Bond Lavis 0800 7408047 FACT (UK)
P O Box 3074
I am told that Tesco might in certain circumstances Cardiff
entertain your application. CF3 3WZ
R.O.G.
❏ Tick here if you are currently under investigation and
would like an ‘emergency response’.

FACTION / INFORMATION INSERT

DEFENCE LAWYERS
MEDIA INTERVIEWS
We are sometimes asked to recommend a defence Solicitor/
Barrister/Law Firm experienced in abuse cases. It would be of
great help if you could let us know of any lawyer whom you could FACT is always happy to
recommend to others. consider people for giving
interviews to journalists, but please
If there are some details (e.g. email address) you don’t know, that’s don’t do this without permission
fine. Just fill in what you can and we’ll discover the rest. from the Chairman or Secretary.

Please complete the form and return it to:-

FACT Secretary, PO Box 3074, Cardiff, CF3 3WZ

Name of the Lawyer

Name of his/her firm

M
MAAAAYYYY
M
M
211055
Address

Postcode

Telephone no 2222000000644
004
Fax no

email address

web site www.

Details about your Solicitor/Barrister/Law Firm (tick as

appropriate)

Did your your solicitor represent you in:- SPRING

Criminal Proceedings (e.g. police investigation and/or trial)

Civil Proceedings e.g. Child Protection/Employment issues

❏
CONFERENCE
any Appeal hearings ❏
At St Chad’s
What in your opinion are your lawer’s strengths Birmingham

Falsely accused Carer or Teacher?

Your name
Helpline
Address 02920 777 499
Mondays to Fridays
Postcode
9.30am-12.30pm
6.30pm-9.30pm
Phone and most Saturdays
email
9.30am-12.30pm
Campaign on behlf of Falsely Accused Carers & Teachers

FACTION / INFORMATION INSERT