Child Abuse (Northumberland)
11:00 am
(Please drag the sliding bar on video control to 11:07 seconds)
Ronnie Campbell (Blyth Valley, Labour)
To start, we should concentrate our minds on Operation Rose. I will come to Terry Priestner and his statement later. I was a young Councillor when Operation Rose was going on. I do not think that it came to any real conclusion, but it cost £5 million and it deliberated for three years. Perhaps that was one of its failures—it did not get down to the business quick enough and trailed a bit. There was also a lot of anguish on the other side—the carers and teachers accused—but of course in such an operation the innocent sometimes have to suffer, which is unfortunate.
The police started a trawl, which involved them going to interview at least 1,800 children in Northumberland homes, trying to get some information. The teachers and carers accused the police of trying to put words into the children’s mouths, although of course they were middle-aged people by then. That is what the police were accused of, but in reality I do not think that that was the case.
Mr Priestner came to me six months ago. I listened carefully and I went to the police, but the police could not do anything for him. I went to Northumberland social services and met the director, but they knew nothing about Mr Priestner. He was, however, in homes at that time. He knew about Operation Rose, and when he wanted to contribute, he was told, “Those things happen—abuse happens. It happened in them days and that’s the way it is.” As we know now with the Jimmy Savile case, all that has arisen again—everyone thought Jimmy Savile was a man of the people, but we know now that he was not. Therefore, a lot of people—in their 50s and 60s now, but who were in the homes at the time—are now saying, “It happened to me, but nothing happened.”
As I said, the police were accused of encouraging false allegations, and people were talking about lies against innocent teachers and care workers. Trawling for evidence was the wrong approach, according to some. Dozens of professionals from the north-east were backed by MPs, who had, according to media reports at the time, lodged complaints about the “blunderbuss”—I gather that is a gun, although I did not know that before I looked it up—
“effect of the five-year Operation Rose that saw more than 200 people investigated but in the end only six convicted”, and, of those convictions:
“A total of 277 residents and former residents made allegations against 223 care workers for alleged offences including rape, buggery, indecent assault and physical assault.
Of 32 people who were charged with a total of 142 offences, five were found guilty, one pleaded guilty, 12 were found not guilty, nine had cases withdrawn, four died before their cases were heard and one remained on file.”
At the time, Assistant Chief Constable John Scott defended the police, but acknowledged that the trawling system could trap innocent people—of course it could, and we know that it did. He said:
“We would conduct the inquiry in the same way, were we to do it again.”
So his recommendation was, basically, that trawling was the best idea, even though it could, and did, fetch in innocent people.
At the time, the carers and the teachers formed a group to defend themselves. The matter even came before the Home Affairs Committee, which was chaired by Chris Mullin, and he suggested that a new type miscarriage of justice had arisen from the “over-enthusiastic pursuit” of the alleged abuse of children in institutions. He said:
“The decision to conduct this inquiry was taken in response to a large number of well argued representations.”
There was therefore enough evidence to have an inquiry, but for us to know whether the inquiry was run correctly at the time, I suppose will need another inquiry. If some people think that the first inquiry was wrong, we need an inquiry to find out whether it was. It did take a long time to get through Operation Rose, and that has been said many times, but I do not know though whether another inquiry would be the right approach.
I have, however, secured the debate on behalf of my constituent, because he wants to bring it up—perhaps the Jimmy Savile and new abuses business that is going on has concentrated his mind. He argues that the abuse he suffered at the hands of Northumberland social services, because they put him in those care homes, is still on his mind. Whether that is right or wrong, only people can tell—the people he accuses might be dead, but we do not know.
I will go through Terry Priestner’s statement, because it is best if I read from what he says, rather than read what I would say. He was in Northumberland care homes from 1969 until 1976 and suffered physical and sexual abuse and neglect. First, he was in Fordley children’s home, in 1970; the abuse was physical and the abuser Mrs Evans. Next was Earsdon children’s home, in 1971; the abuse was neglect, according to case records of an allegation by his mother, Mrs Priestner, and the abusers were the house parents, whose names he cannot remember. At Hillbrow children’s home in 1974, abuse was sexual and the abuser was Mrs Allenby. At the same home, there was also physical abuse, and the abuser was Mr Green. I understand that Mr Green was an ex-Royal Marine.
Such allegations, Terry Priestner states, were
“the main allegations…but are not the only events which took place. I did mention everything at the time”—
Operation Rose—but he was told:
“That’s just what happened in those days.”
That cropped up once or twice with Mr Priestner. He was told several times, by several people, “Them things happened in them days”—as with our friend Jimmy Savile, “He was a lovely man; it just happened, didn’t it?” That is the same sort of argument.
After Terry Priestner had spoken to me, according to his statement he “was contacted by Northumbria Police again, and once again told them what happened along with names, places…and was told by them, we cannot find anyone of the names you have given us, which I find…ridiculous”,
because they were there. The police again said that such things happened in those days—that phrase keeps cropping up—and dismissed them. He also went to see Northumberland council, which also turned a blind eye.
Mrs Allenby, whom Mr Priestner accuses of sexual misconduct, went to court and was told that she would not face trial for nine counts of indecent assault dating back 27 years and which she denied. The prosecution at Newcastle Crown court told Judge Maurice Carr that it would not be in the public interest for the trial to proceed because vital documents were missing. That is what was stated at the time. Although there was no evidence—as far as I am concerned, it had been tampered with because it was there one minute and gone the next—there was still a case.
Alan Beith
(Berwick-upon-Tweed, Liberal Democrat)
Ronnie Campbell (Blyth
Valley, Labour)
Ian Lavery (Wansbeck,
Labour)
Ronnie Campbell (Blyth
Valley, Labour)
He is pleading for them to come forward with him, so that abusers such as Jimmy Savile and other celebrities, as well as people who worked for Northumberland council, do not get away with what they have done. Mr Priestner was in its care and he should have been looked after.
It is a minefield when there are also innocent carers. The report referred to innocent people whose lives were ruined, and it is awful if innocent people are accused. Many cases were dismissed, and only six or seven people went to jail. After everything, not many were convicted.
Terry Priestner made his point well. He never left my door. I thought he might go away, then the matter would have been out of my hands—we MPs do not like such matters—but he came back to me again and again, and as his MP, I had no option but to raise an Adjournment debate. I hope that I will receive a canny reply from the Minister.
Edward Timpson
(Crewe and Nantwich, Conservative)
debate and on bringing the matter to the attention of hon. Members. As he set out in his forceful contribution, we are all too well aware that there continue to be shocking and appalling revelations of child abuse particularly involving our most vulnerable children, who are unable to live with their families. My Department takes the issue extremely seriously. I had an adopted brother who was brought up in a children’s home in the late 1970s, so I am all too alive to the issues raised by some of those who were in residential care during that period.
I was saddened to hear that Mr Priestner does not feel that he has received the justice to which he thinks he is entitled following abuse that he has testified to and which was set out today. He experienced that abuse as a child living in children’s homes in Northumberland between 1969 and 1976. I am sure the hon. Gentleman will understand that I cannot go into a commentary on individual cases, and that the police investigation is an operational matter for Northumbria police.
However, I understand that the protecting vulnerable persons unit within Northumbria police’s crime department has investigated the allegations. I also understand that, following substantial enquiries, it has not been able to take any further action in relation to Mr Priestner’s allegations. I appreciate and understand that Mr Priestner must feel extremely frustrated about that. If he remains unhappy about how the police have handled his case, he can, of course, raise his concerns with the Independent Police Complaints Commission, who will independently review how the investigation of his case was carried out.
Ensuring that vulnerable children are protected is one of the state’s most important responsibilities, whatever the care setting. As hon. Members have said, any case of child abuse is completely unacceptable. When allegations are made, we should always follow the evidence, wherever it leads, and ensure that no stone is left unturned.
Ian Lavery (Wansbeck,
Labour)
Edward Timpson
(Crewe and Nantwich, Conservative)
The fact that abuse occurred in the past makes it no less tragic. I am sorry that Mr Priestner has been living with that. The hon. Gentleman knows that, as a result of the terrible abuse that many children experienced in children’s homes, two major reviews into historical abuse were carried out in England and Wales. Sir William Utting’s report “People Like Us” was published in 1998.
It was a comprehensive review of safeguarding for all children living away from home in England and Wales. Sir Ronald Waterhouse’s report “Lost in Care”, into historical abuse in children’s homes and foster care in north Wales, was published in 2000.
Ronnie Campbell (Blyth
Valley, Labour)
Edward Timpson
(Crewe and Nantwich, Conservative)
Following the reviews that have taken place since the investigations, considerable reforms in how children homes are run have been implemented, including significantly improving safeguards to protect children in children’s homes. All such homes, fostering services and other settings where children live away from home are now regulated and inspected by Ofsted to meet national minimum standards set by the Government. The standards include specific measures, so children are safeguarded effectively.
Everyone working in or for children’s homes and all foster carers now have to undergo an enhanced disclosure and barring service check. They are carefully vetted and monitored to prevent unsuitable people from working with children. All children’s homes and fostering services must now have child protection procedures in line with Government guidance. They have to be submitted for consideration to the local safeguarding children board and to the local authority designated office for child protection.
At the heart of those procedures are that any complaints of abuse by children must be taken seriously and investigated in a timely way. Quite rightly, listening to children’s voices has to be at the heart of the process. The hon. Member for Blyth Valley mentioned how the culture and climate seemed to be different in those days. One of the reasons for that was that children were not listened to. Local authorities now have a statutory duty to support children in care to complain if they are concerned about any aspect of the services they receive.
That duty extends to ensuring that children have access to independent advocacy. Each child’s personal independent reviewing officer has a legal responsibility to ensure that children know about the benefits of advocacy and are helped to access that when they need it, rather than when it becomes available. As part of the Government’s commitment to put the voice of the child at the centre of care planning, we are funding, over two years, the national youth advocacy service and Voice to provide an advocacy advice service for children in care and care leavers across the country, including children in residential care.
In 2002, the previous Government appointed a children’s rights director for England, who was given the statutory duty to carry out regular consultations with children in care about specific aspects of their care experience. The consultation includes questions on feeling safe, bullying and any other interaction they are having with professionals that they feel is inappropriate. The results are published in an annual care monitor report.
This year, we have revised the statutory guidance, “Working Together to Safeguard Children”. It sets out specific advice about safeguarding children in care. It includes guidance on how social workers and the police should act on allegations of abuse made by children. It is abundantly clear in that document what they must do and what their responsibilities are.
Underpinning the effective safeguarding of children are the safeguarding children boards. Every local board has a strategic responsibility for drawing together all the relevant agencies to work together to improve safeguarding outcomes for children and young people in their area, and to hold those agencies to account in respect of that work. Children in care, including those in care homes, are a priority group for LSCBs.
From the continuing unravelling of historical abuse cases, we know that there can be no scope for complacency. That is why my Department and I are absolutely determined to ensure that children in care are safeguarded effectively and that they can achieve their potential.
Ronnie Campbell (Blyth
Valley, Labour)
Edward Timpson
(Crewe and Nantwich, Conservative)
If there is continuing concern about how Mr Priestner’s complaints were dealt with, he may, as I said earlier, refer the matter to the IPCC to look at in more detail. Recent cases have shown that new evidence and deep-rooted concerns about the conduct of an investigation can lead to the reopening of some investigations—for instance, in north Wales—so that we get to the bottom of exactly what went on and ensure that all those responsible are brought to account.
Shocking revelations about the exploitation of children by predatory adults in their community have demonstrated the particular vulnerability of children living in children’s homes. That is why this year we have been driving forward a significant programme of work to improve further the current regulatory framework for children’s homes. Those improvements will place greater accountability on children’s homes providers and local authorities to ensure that children are safeguarded effectively and provided with stable and good-quality care. That will be particularly important where children are placed in homes that are a considerable distance from their home. No child should be out of sight, out of mind.
In December, we changed the rules so that Ofsted can now share the names and addresses of children’s homes with local police forces, making it easier for the police to identify where vulnerable children are living in their area and to put in place strategies for protecting them. Many may wonder why that was not possible previously. When I discovered the situation, I wanted to get to the bottom of it. We have now changed the rules, and the information is now being shared as normal practice.
We have just carried out an extensive consultation on proposals for improving the effectiveness of safeguarding arrangements for children’s homes. The proposals in the consultation are intended to improve significantly co-ordination and close working between all the agencies responsible for children—particularly local authorities, children’s homes and the police. The consultation ended on 17 September.
We are also proposing to introduce new responsibilities for local authorities, so that a decision to place a child in care far away from home can be made only by a director of children’s services, and only after they are satisfied that the placement is in the child’s best interests and will meet their specific needs. We also want to put in place a requirement on local authorities placing children out of area to seek and exchange information with the area authority in which the child is to be placed, to assure themselves about the suitability of the care to be provided in the other area.
We are planning to introduce new rules for children’s homes, requiring them to have policies describing how they will prevent children from going missing, and to make monthly monitoring visits to children’s homes more independent of a home’s day-to-day management. The independent person visiting children’s homes will have a specific responsibility for assessing the effectiveness of each home’s safeguarding arrangements. The new rules also include a new requirement for children’s home managers to carry out an annual risk assessment of the area where their home is located. Where concerns are identified, homes must put in place clear strategies to protect children.
We are doing those things because I want to ensure that, in the future, only homes that can deliver high-quality care for our most vulnerable children will be acceptable, and that all homes will have a remit to strive for excellence in respect of the children in their care. My aim is to develop a revised framework for homes that is no longer based on meeting national minimum standards, but which requires them to set high aspirations for the children in their care. There is no greater responsibility for the state, as corporate parents, than to protect children.
No child who is placed in the care of their local authority and who is placed in a children’s home should ever have to experience poor-quality care. I am truly saddened that Mr Priestner experienced care in a number of homes that has clearly affected him deeply and that he feels he has not received the justice he needs. I am afraid that I am not able to set up an inquiry, as Mr Priestner has requested, but if he is unhappy with how the police handled his case, he may raise concerns with the IPCC. We are taking forward a comprehensive piece of work, which we hope will make a difference.
END
Alleged historical sex abuse victim Terry Priestner has
spoken out in a bid to finally get justice and has Blyth MP Ronnie
Campbell helping fight his case
Terry Priestner claims he was abused as a child in Northumberland County Council Care Homes
Alleged historical sex abuse victim Terry Priestner has spoken out about his battle for justice.
After getting MP Ronnie Campbell to help him fight his case, he hopes other victims will come forward.
Yesterday The Journal told how Mr Campbell, MP for Blyth Valley, urged victims of historical abuse in North East children’s homes to stand up and be counted.
He highlighted the case of his constituent Mr Priestner in parliament, after the 52-year-old alleged he was abused physically and sexually in care homes in Northumberland in the 1970s. Police have not arrested anyone over the claims.
Dad-of-three Mr Priestner, of Blyth, said: “This is not just for me but for all the others who have been physically or sexually abused while in care homes in the ‘70s. Jimmy Savile is big news and every time I watch something about it, it brings it all back.
“When I talk about what happened to me in Northumberland County Council care homes I go back to being a child. It has affected me throughout my life and I want Northumberland County Council to take responsibility and an inquiry launched,” claimed Mr Priestner.
In Westminster on Wednesday, Mr Campbell said authorities had been quick to act over claims of abuse by celebrities such as Jimmy Savile, but had not shown the same urgency when it came to his constituent.
He said he had no way of knowing if Mr Priestner’s allegations were true. But he said that Operation Rose, an inquiry into child abuse in the North East which was widely criticised for ruining the lives of innocent carers, teachers and social workers, may have missed a genuine case.
Operation Rose was conducted by Northumbria Police after a woman in her 20s disclosed she and a friend had been abused as children in care.
Officers wrote to 1,800 former residents and homes in Northumberland, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Gateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland. The three-year inquiry led to six convictions, with the final case in 2002.
Mr Campbell told ministers that Mr Priestner had been repeatedly told abuse was “just what happened in the 1970s”. The MP said: “Terry Priestner wants publicity, he want publicity because he had other inmates with him in the homes who were abused in the homes as well... he doesn’t know where they are and he wants them to come forward.”
Coun Robert Arckless, the post holder for children’s services said “Northumberland County Council is aware of Mr Priestner’s allegations and has spoken to him on several occasions. We understand these alleged incidents took place between 1969 and 1976 and were investigated by Northumbria Police as part of Operation Rose between 1997 and 2002 and the local authority fully co-operated with the police during this investigation.
“We understand there were no prosecutions following these allegations. None of the Children’s Homes attended by Mr Priestner currently exist and none of the staff working in those homes are currently employed by Northumberland County Council.
“We will continue to offer support to Mr Priestner should he wish to speak to one of our safeguarding team.”
Northumbria Police’s Chief Constable Jo Farrell said: “The most serious of the sexual abuse allegations made by the man were investigated during Operation Rose and his case was reviewed again by specialist child abuse investigators in 2012. It has been concluded that there was no evidence upon which new charges could be brought.”
After getting MP Ronnie Campbell to help him fight his case, he hopes other victims will come forward.
Yesterday The Journal told how Mr Campbell, MP for Blyth Valley, urged victims of historical abuse in North East children’s homes to stand up and be counted.
He highlighted the case of his constituent Mr Priestner in parliament, after the 52-year-old alleged he was abused physically and sexually in care homes in Northumberland in the 1970s. Police have not arrested anyone over the claims.
Dad-of-three Mr Priestner, of Blyth, said: “This is not just for me but for all the others who have been physically or sexually abused while in care homes in the ‘70s. Jimmy Savile is big news and every time I watch something about it, it brings it all back.
“When I talk about what happened to me in Northumberland County Council care homes I go back to being a child. It has affected me throughout my life and I want Northumberland County Council to take responsibility and an inquiry launched,” claimed Mr Priestner.
In Westminster on Wednesday, Mr Campbell said authorities had been quick to act over claims of abuse by celebrities such as Jimmy Savile, but had not shown the same urgency when it came to his constituent.
He said he had no way of knowing if Mr Priestner’s allegations were true. But he said that Operation Rose, an inquiry into child abuse in the North East which was widely criticised for ruining the lives of innocent carers, teachers and social workers, may have missed a genuine case.
Operation Rose was conducted by Northumbria Police after a woman in her 20s disclosed she and a friend had been abused as children in care.
Officers wrote to 1,800 former residents and homes in Northumberland, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Gateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland. The three-year inquiry led to six convictions, with the final case in 2002.
Mr Campbell told ministers that Mr Priestner had been repeatedly told abuse was “just what happened in the 1970s”. The MP said: “Terry Priestner wants publicity, he want publicity because he had other inmates with him in the homes who were abused in the homes as well... he doesn’t know where they are and he wants them to come forward.”
Coun Robert Arckless, the post holder for children’s services said “Northumberland County Council is aware of Mr Priestner’s allegations and has spoken to him on several occasions. We understand these alleged incidents took place between 1969 and 1976 and were investigated by Northumbria Police as part of Operation Rose between 1997 and 2002 and the local authority fully co-operated with the police during this investigation.
“We understand there were no prosecutions following these allegations. None of the Children’s Homes attended by Mr Priestner currently exist and none of the staff working in those homes are currently employed by Northumberland County Council.
“We will continue to offer support to Mr Priestner should he wish to speak to one of our safeguarding team.”
Northumbria Police’s Chief Constable Jo Farrell said: “The most serious of the sexual abuse allegations made by the man were investigated during Operation Rose and his case was reviewed again by specialist child abuse investigators in 2012. It has been concluded that there was no evidence upon which new charges could be brought.”
END
MP backs constituent's justice bid
A Labour MP has urged victims of historical abuse in children's homes in the North East to come forward after one of his constituents failed in a bid for justice alone.
Ronnie Campbell, MP for Blyth Valley, highlighted the case of his constituent Terry Priestner, who alleges he was abused physically and sexually in a series of care homes in Northumberland in the 1970s.
Mr Campbell said the case was not proven during the major Operation Rose, which looked into a raft of complaints in Northumbria in the late 1990s, and told a debate in Westminster Hall his constituent had been left with no route to justice.
He said Mr Priestner had been repeatedly told abuse was just what happened in the 1970s.
But children and families minister Edward Timpson said Mr Priestner's case had been looked at by police and no way to proceed had been found.
He added Mr Priestner could contact the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) if he felt this decision was wrong.
Mr Campbell said: "The attitude is these things happened in homes - that attitude at the time... of the police, of most people.
"Terry Priestner wants publicity, he want publicity because he had other inmates with him in the homes who were abused in the homes as well... he doesn't know where they are and he wants them to come forward.
"He says these abusers, the Jimmy Savile's and the rest of them celebrities, they are aren't getting away with it and neither are these people who were working for the council social services.
"They should not get away with it."
Responding to the debate, Mr Timpson said: "We are too well aware there continue to be shocking, appalling revelations of child abuse, particularly involving our most vulnerable children unable to live with their own families.
"I was very saddened to hear Mr Priestner does not feel he has received justice that he should be entitled to as a result of the abuse he has testified to.
"I can't go into commentary on individual cases and the police investigation is an operational matter for Northumbria Police.
"However, I do understand the protecting vulnerable persons unit within the Northumbria Police crime department has investigated the allegations your constituent has made.
"I also understand that following substantial inquiries they have not been able to take any further action in relation to Mr Priestner's allegations.
"I can appreciate and understand Mr Priestner must feel extremely frustrated by this position and if he remains unhappy about the way the police have handled this case, then he can of course raise his concerns with the IPCC."
Source
END
- By Evening Chronicle
North East victims of historic abuse urged to come forward
Victims of historical abuse in North East children’s homes have been urged to come forward by an MP.
Ronnie Campbell MP
Ronnie Campbell, MP for Blyth Valley, highlighted the case of his constituent Terry Priestner, in parliament.
Mr Priestner alleges he was abused physically and sexually in a series of care homes in Northumberland in the 1970s.
But Mr Priestner has been unable to convince police to investigate - and wants other victims to join him in demanding an inquiry, the MP said.
Mr Campbell said authorities had been quick to act over claims of abuse by celebrities such as Jimmy Saville, but had not shown the same urgency when it came to his constituent.
He said he had no way of knowing if Mr Priestner’s allegations were true. But he said that Operation Rose, an inquiry into child abuse in the North East which was widely criticised for ruining the lives of innocent carers, teachers and social workers, may have missed genuine case.
Operation Rose was conducted by Northumbria Police after a woman in her 20s disclosed she and a friend had been abused as children in care.
Officers wrote to 1,800 former residents, and homes across the region came under investigation.
The inquiry led to six convictions, with the final case in 2002.
Source
Mr Priestner alleges he was abused physically and sexually in a series of care homes in Northumberland in the 1970s.
But Mr Priestner has been unable to convince police to investigate - and wants other victims to join him in demanding an inquiry, the MP said.
Mr Campbell said authorities had been quick to act over claims of abuse by celebrities such as Jimmy Saville, but had not shown the same urgency when it came to his constituent.
He said he had no way of knowing if Mr Priestner’s allegations were true. But he said that Operation Rose, an inquiry into child abuse in the North East which was widely criticised for ruining the lives of innocent carers, teachers and social workers, may have missed genuine case.
Operation Rose was conducted by Northumbria Police after a woman in her 20s disclosed she and a friend had been abused as children in care.
Officers wrote to 1,800 former residents, and homes across the region came under investigation.
The inquiry led to six convictions, with the final case in 2002.
Source
END
Blyth Valley MP urges child abuse victims to come forward
Blyth Valley MP Ronnie Campbell wants victims of child abuse
to come forward after a constituent claims he experienced abuse in a
children's home
Figures show that the number of children at risk of neglect or abuse has risen dramatically
Ronnie Campbell, MP for Blyth Valley, highlighted the case of his constituent Terry Priestner, in parliament.
Mr Priestner alleges he was abused physically and sexually in a series of care homes in Northumberland in the 1970s.
But Mr Priestner has been unable to convince police to investigate - and wants other victims to join him in demanding an inquiry, the MP said.
Mr Campbell said authorities had been quick to act over claims of abuse by celebrities such as Jimmy Saville, but had not shown the same urgency when it came to his constituent.
He said he had no way of knowing if Mr Priestner’s allegations were true. But he said that Operation Rose, an inquiry into child abuse in the North East which was widely criticised for ruining the lives of innocent carers, teachers and social workers, may have missed genuine case.
Operation Rose was conducted by Northumbria Police after a woman in her 20s disclosed she and a friend had been abused as children in care.
Officers wrote to 1,800 former residents and homes in Northumberland, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Gateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland all came under investigation. The three-year inquiry led to six convictions, with the final case in 2002.
Blyth Valley MP Ronnie Campbell
Emily Barber
Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Campbell told ministers
that Mr Priestner had been repeatedly told abuse was “just what happened
in the 1970s”.The MP said: “Terry Priestner wants publicity, he want publicity because he had other inmates with him in the homes who were abused in the homes as well... he doesn’t know where they are and he wants them to come forward.
“He says these abusers, the Jimmy Savile’s and the rest of those celebrities, they aren’t getting away with it and neither are these people who were working for the council social services. They should not get away with it.”
But responding to the debate, children and families minister Edward Timpson said Mr Priestner’s case had been looked at by police and no way to proceed had been found. He added Mr Priestner could contact the Independent Police Complaints Commission if he felt this decision was wrong.
Northumbria Police’s Chief Constable Jo Farrell said: “In November 2012 Northumbria Police was contacted by a man reporting sexual abuse and other offences.
“The man had previously spoken to police as part of Operation Rose. The most serious of the sexual abuse allegations made by the man were investigated during Operation Rose and his case was reviewed again by specialist child abuse investigators in 2012.
“It has been concluded that there was no evidence upon which new charges could be brought.
“We take all allegations of child sexual abuse - current or historic - very seriously and have specially trained officers able to deal with sensitive issues in confidence. We would urge anyone who wishes to report child sexual abuse, no matter how long ago it may have taken place, to contact Northumbria Police and all reports will be investigated sensitively.”
Durham Police earlier this year re-opened an inquiry into allegations of abuse at Medomsley juvenile detention in County Durham. Church Minister Neville Husband and store man Leslie Johnson were jailed in 2003 and 2005 respectively for abuse, and more than 80 people have since contacted police.
Source
END
Victims of alleged historical abuse in North-East care homes urged to come forward by MP
12:41pm Wednesday 6th November 2013 in News
Ronnie Campbell MP
A LABOUR MP has urged victims of historical abuse in childrens' homes in the North-East to come forward after one of his constituents failed in a bid for justice alone.
Ronnie Campbell, MP for Blyth Valley, highlighted the case of his constituent Terry Priestner, who alleges he was abused physically and sexually in a series of care homes in Northumberland in the 1970s.
Mr Campbell said the case was not proven during the major Operation Rose, which looked into a raft of complaints in Northumbria in the late 1990s, and told a debate in Westminster Hall his constituent had been left with no route to justice.
He said Mr Priestner had been repeatedly told abuse was just what happened in the 1970s.
But children and families minister Edward Timpson said Mr Priestner's case had been looked at by police and no way to proceed had been found.
He added Mr Priestner could contact the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) if he felt this decision was wrong.
Mr Campbell said: "The attitude is these things happened in homes - that attitude at the time... of the police, of most people.
"Terry Priestner wants publicity, he want publicity because he had other inmates with him in the homes who were abused in the homes as well... he doesn't know where they are and he wants them to come forward.
"He says these abusers, the Jimmy Saviles and the rest of them celebrities, they are aren't getting away with it and neither are these people who were working for the council social services.
"They should not get away with it."
Responding to the debate, Mr Timpson said: "We are too well aware there continue to be shocking, appalling revelations of child abuse, particularly involving our most vulnerable children unable to live with their own families.
"I can't go into commentary on individual cases and the police investigation is an operational matter for Northumbria Police.
"However, I do understand the protecting vulnerable persons unit within the Northumbria Police crime department has investigated the allegations your constituent has made.
"I also understand that following substantial inquiries they have not been able to take any further action in relation to Mr Priestner's allegations.
"I can appreciate and understand Mr Priestner must feel extremely frustrated by this position and if he remains unhappy about the way the police have handled this case, then he can of course raise his concerns with the IPCC."
Source
END
Full report: Man claims police dismissed abuse claims
Terry Priestner says when he complained, the police told him "that's how things were those days".
Now - more than 30 years on - he is fighting for justice, with the support of his MP. But the police insist they have done all they can.
Source Gregg Easteal reports.
History
Journal Live, UK
A former children's home worker who sexually abused a teenage boy in his care more than 30 years ago was spared jail
on Friday. Mark Osborne preyed on the 14-year-old while working as a
carer at the Hillbrow Children's Home in Morpeth in the 1970s. …
Mark Osborne preyed on the 14-year-old while working as a carer at the Hillbrow Children's Home in Morpeth, Northumberland in the 1970s.
He admitted twice indecently assaulting the youngster - once in the victim's bedroom and once in a caravan intended as a retreat for children which was parked in the grounds, Newcastle Crown Court heard.
The offences came to light as a result of Operation Rose, the biggest investigation in the North East into alleged abuse in children's homes in the region which ran from 1998 to 2001.
Osborne had moved abroad before detectives decided they wanted to speak to him and he was interviewed on his return to this country. The 53-year-old, of Park Road, Blackpool, admitted two offences of indecent assault. Two further similar counts he denied relating to two other boy residents at the same home were not proceeded with.
He was sentenced to a three-year community order with three years' supervision and a requirement of sex offender treatment. He was also ordered to register as a sex offender for five years and made the subject of a 20-year Sexual Offences Prevention Order and banned from working with children for life.
Passing sentence, Judge Richard Lowden said he agreed with a probation report which indicated some "worrying aspects" to Osborne's personality.
But he said to receive sex offender treatment in prison required a four-year jail term and the offences did not merit a sentence of that length.
Caroline Goodwin, defending, said the offences were 33 years ago and Osborne had made full and frank admissions. "He returned to England when he was contacted by police and immediately went to the police station," she said..
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