The abuse of children in care settings thread

[noschool]

Following on from The government data loss thread, I thought I would start a new thread where we can add links to media reports of children and young people suffering abuse while in a registered 'care' setting run by allegedly appropriate adults, including nurseries, schools, foster care and children's homes.

To get the ball rolling, here are two stories which have been reported in the past 24 hours.

The BBC reports on a nursery worker who has been distributing indecent images of children: Woman quizzed over child porn probe. The story is also covered by Yahoo News here.

The Mail reports on the head teacher who left a boy with a broken leg in agony while she finished her lunch: Headteacher 'left pupil with broken leg writhing in agony as she finished her lunch'

[Victoria B]

It gets worse...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/8093490.stm

I wonder how she managed to get a CRB check?

And children are safest in school? No way.

[pendlewitch]

Originally Posted by Victoria B

It gets worse...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/8093490.stm

I wonder how she managed to get a CRB check?

'cos she hadn't previously been caught?

[Victoria B]

That's what i meant, couldn't find the little tongue in cheek smiley thing....

[Crank Parent]

This one is from a while ago but is very personal to me:

Brian Maclennan was my next door neighbour at our previous house (the reason we moved). He abused hundreds of children over a period of 25 years in the children's homes he ran not far from where I went to school. Hundreds of cries for help by children in his care were ignored by members of staff. It is Scotland's biggest child abuse scandal.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/1999/feb/05/gerardseenan

You can read about the enquiry here:

http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache...&client=safari

He was out after 3 years and moved to... where I live now.

[Ali P]

Originally Posted by Crank Parent

Brian Maclennan was my next door neighbour at our previous house (the reason we moved). He abused hundreds of children over a period of 25 years in the children's homes he ran not far from where I went to school. Hundreds of cries for help by children in his care were ignored by members of staff. It is Scotland's biggest child abuse scandal.

That made sickening reading, but thanks for posting the details. We need to be reminded of the sort of people the state trusts to 'care' for the most vulnerable children.

[Crank Parent]

Just as bad, my neighbours knew what was going on and didn't tell me because I was only a few weeks pregnant with DD3 and they were worried I might miscarry.

They kept dropping bizarre hints about getting the fence fixed after it blew down in the wind but it wasn't until the national papers came to my door asking how it felt to live next to a paedo that I found out. Then we had to suffer bricks thrown at our house and car because people were to stupid to know which address he was at or to drunk to care.

His wife defended him to the last day. The daughter said nothing.

[OrganisedPauper]

Just from my county.

This man Neil Challis worked in 13 different schools in Derby he raped a child from age 5 to age 8 til she told her parents. He photographed himself raping her. He also had indecent images of children in his possession some of which were of 2 children in schools where he worked.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/d...re/7471113.stm

http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/ne...l/article.html

smaller url

http://tinyurl.com/m8ztg5


This Derbyshire GP Robert Manley was convicted of possessing over 6,000 child pornography images on his PC

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/e...re/7885819.stm

This Derbyshire psychiatrist Andrew Clayton had amassed 90,000 indecent images of children.

http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/ne...l/article.html

smaller url

http://tinyurl.com/r2mwrz

Here's yet another GP Kevin O'Sullivan

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/d...re/3523833.stm

So a teacher, a psychiatrist and 2 GPs so far.

[noschool]

Teacher charged with raping girl

A teacher from Greater Manchester has been charged with the rape of a 13-year-old girl.

Matthew Knott, 24, of Isaac Way, Miles Platting, is also accused of sexually grooming the girl, who he is believed to have met on the internet.

The child is not a pupil at Elton High School, a specialist arts college for 11 to 16-year-olds in Bury, where Mr Knott is employed as a teacher.

Mr Knott is due appear at Manchester Crown Court on Friday.

Bury Council confirmed a teacher had been suspended pending the outcome of the police investigation.

A council spokesman said: "We are aware of the case and have been working closely with colleagues from the relevant agencies.

"As there is an ongoing court case, we are unable to discuss the matter further at this stage."

One home educator commented:

"We are demanding an urgent review of the teaching profession to examine whether it is being used in some cases as a cover for abuse.

"Abusive teachers are falling through the net, despite compulsory registration with the GTC and inadequate CRB checks, so parents should be given access to teachers' homes and computers to check for any signs of dodgy activity."

[Ali P]

Here's another one sent over by a Twitter follower.

Head 'intimately examined pupil'

A learning support assistant broke down in court as she told a jury how she watched a head teacher intimately examine a four-year-old female pupil.

Amelia Stone said she saw David Thorley prise the child's legs open.

edit - Guilty Verdict