Systematic sexual abuse of children at Newcastle special school is not
being probed by Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse
Mike Urwin
Talbot House (formerly Feversham Special School) in Walbottle
Vile abuse of children at a Tyneside special school has not been
included in the first phase of investigations planned by an independent
inquiry into child sex abuse.
Hon
Lowell Goddard, chairman of the long-running Independent Inquiry into
Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), announced what would be included in the
first phase of investigations into the extent to which institutions have
failed to protect children from sexual abuse.
The chairman
revealed that 12 investigations will begin immediately and run in
tandem, which include abuse linked to Westminster, within the Anglican
and Roman Catholic Church, and within custodial institutions, including Medomsley Detention Centre near Consett.
Ian Merry, who spoke out about the horrors going on at Feversham almost 30 years ago, was never believed.
Paedophile Ken Brown, also known as Kevin
And it was to be more than 25 years before the full scale of
the abuse his paedophiles colleagues Kevin Brown and John Leslie Duncan
inflicted on youngsters was finally agreed.
Duncan and Lesley
were last years jailed for a total of 21 years, but Mr Merry has been
calling for a public inquiry into what happened at Feversham, and how it
was allowed to go on for so long.
The whistle-blower sent a dossier of evidence to the inquiry, asking that Feversham be included.
But
after hearing the huge scale of the investigations Justice Goddard
already plans to look at, Mr Merry fears the secrets of Feversham, may
never be fully revealed.
The 63-year-old said: “Justice Goddard
has stated her priorities for investigation. My own view is that her
priorities will tie her inquiry up for more than 10 years. The potential
is that the Feversham School abuse will never get an airing.”
John Duncan
Duncan, who worked as a social worker at the Dr Barnardo’s
home at Shotley Park before moving to Feversham in 1986, was jailed for
or nine years in 2001 after admitting sexually abusing two boys at
Feversham School and Shotley Park in Consett.
But further attacks
came to light more recently and he was convicted after a trial of sex
attacks against a further seven boys at the two schools. Brown began
working at Feversham in 1978 as a residential social worker, when he was
22. He launched sex attacks against a number of young boys.
He had
already been jailed for eight years in 2011 for the abuse of three
youngsters at Feversham. But as part of the latest prosecution, he was
convicted of abusing a further seven boys.
Duncan, of Hyde Park
Street, Gateshead, was jailed for 15 years for various offences
including buggery, indecent assault and indecency with a child. Brown,
of Inchberry Close, Benwell, got six years for offences of indecent
assault.
Mr Merry fears the IICSA is focusing too much on abuse
connected to headline-grabbing high profile individuals and
institutions, and the victims of lesser known perpetrators will be
forgotten.
Ian Merry, from Throckley, who blew the whistle on staff at Feversham School, in 1987
“There has been over 100 inquiries into Jimmy Savile
alone and he can’t ever be convicted because he is not alive.” he said.
“It seems to me they should be concentrating on those where people have
been convicted. By focussing on high profile abusers the media and
powerful and significant individuals can suppress other lesser known
instances of child abuse which do not involve high profile perpetrators
and therefore both distort the landscape of child protection, and enable
the true extent of child abuse in Britain both today and in the past to
be suppressed.”
Justice Goddard said on Friday: “Twelve
investigations are proposed for this first phase. They will all begin
with immediate effect and most, if not all, will culminate in public
hearings. They represent the first phase of the inquiry’s investigations
and are by no means the total of the work we intend to conduct; further
investigations will be announced as the inquiry progresses.
“By
adopting both an institution-specific and a thematic approach, we will
ensure that the inquiry reaches its conclusions on as broad an evidence
base as possible. We will not be limited to considering the particular
institution that is the focus of the investigation, but will address the
range of institutional responsibility for child protection.
“There
is no doubt that the task we have set ourselves in the first phase is
ambitious. To run 12 investigations in parallel represents an
organisational challenge that is unprecedented in a public inquiry in
the UK. We are determined to succeed and expect full cooperation of all
institutions and individuals who can assist us in our work.”
Ben Pruchnie/Getty Images
The Honourable Lowell Goddard speaks during an update to The Independent Child Sex Abuse Inquiry
The 12 investigations are:
Children in the care of Lambeth Council
Children in the care of Nottinghamshire Councils
Cambridge House, Knowl View and Rochdale Council
Child sexual abuse in the Anglican Church
Child sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church
The sexual abuse of children in custodial institutions
Child sexual abuse in residential schools
The internet and child sexual abuse
Child exploitation by organised networks
The protection of children outside the United Kingdom
Accountability and reparations for victims and survivors
Allegations of child sexual abuse linked to Westminster
Justice Goddard said it would be impossible to predict how long the investigations would take.
“It
is impossible to put a timescale on the completion of all of this work,
but it is reasonable to assume that while some of the investigations
may be completed within 18 months, others may take several years to
conclude,” she said. “In some cases, overlapping criminal proceedings
may cause substantial delay to the progress of individual
investigations. “Nonetheless, in my opening statement I committed to
completing the work of the Inquiry within five years and my current
assessment is that that timeframe, whilst ambitious, is achievable.”
