How can we detect and prevent the danger of murder of children like Sara Sharif?

Sara Sharif, a 10-year-old girl, was found dead at her family home in Woking, Surrey, in August 2023. Her death sparked outrage and brought attention to significant failures in the safeguarding systems meant to protect vulnerable children. The case highlighted several missed opportunities by social services, the police, and other agencies to intervene before her
Read more
No Comments

What Legal Hurdles would victims of Greg Wallace come across in their quest for justice?

Gregg Wallace, the long-time co-host of MasterChef, is under investigation following allegations of inappropriate behavior spanning nearly two decades. Complaints from 13 individuals have surfaced, accusing Wallace of making sexually explicit remarks and inappropriate conduct on various TV productions. These include allegations from MasterChef, Eat Well For Less, and other shows. Notable figures, such as
Read more
No Comments

Why do the survivors of Church of England abuse feel more angry towards Justin Welby the ex-Archbishop of Canterbury than John Smyth the evil abuser?

Whenever a big child abuse story comes into the media, my ears always pick up because it usually means that many survivors will be triggered into tragic memories of their abuse in childhood, and I am likely to be flooded with inquiries. As I listened to the headlines, I was intrigued that they centred not
Read more
No Comments

What Effect Does “False Memory” Syndrome Have On Victims/survivors of Abuse?

I have been contacted recently by two sets of authors both planning to do articles on False Memory Syndrome (intentional lack of inverted commas), for both a book and an article – see link at the end of this article – to which I gladly contributed, and which inspired me to write about the subject.
Read more
No Comments

Will Mohamed Al Fayed’s victims get justice under the law?

Introduction I must admit that I thought we had come to the end of all the celebrity abuse scandals until I realised that no one challenged the all powerful, but suspected sex offender Savile until after he was dead. Just as no one dare challenge Savile, just so Al Fayed. They were both a bit
Read more
No Comments

Was a Suspended Sentence for Huw Edwards Appropriate?

Radio 5 Live asked me to comment on the type of sentence Huw Edwards was likely to receive as the sentencing hearing at Westminster Magistrates drew near. I turned the invitation down because I am not a criminal lawyer, but was prepared to comment on the result from the standpoint of the victim/survivor of abuse
Read more
No Comments

Private Tutors Escape Vetting Legal Loophole, a Scandal

When I hear Angus Crawford of the BBC promoting an article, I always know that a valid child abuse story is going to eventuate. The fact that there is a loophole such that private independent tutors can practice without a Data & Barring Service (DBS) check into their background is something that needs tightening up,
Read more
No Comments

Should the BBC have sacked Huw Edwards when he was arrested and saved themselves £200,000?

When I am invited to give an interview to the media, it usually tells me that there is some relevance to child abuse, which often results in another blog. I have already done a blog article on Huw Edwards when the story came out last July on the subject of anonymity. This time both Lisa
Read more
No Comments

Will the government consultation on Time Delay in Child Sexual Abuse cases change the law by abolishing Limitation?

The Government has launched a consultation, the deadline for which is 10th July 2024, to which I will be responding on behalf of ACAL (Association of Child Abuse Lawyers) The summary states, to quote This consultation paper seeks views on options for the reform of the law of limitation in child sexual abuse cases in
Read more
No Comments

Are WhatsApp putting profit before safety in lowering their age limit from 16 to 13?

When Meta, the parent company in charge of Facebook, and Instagram, and owners of WhatsApp announced that the minimum age limit for entering the social media platform What’s App would be reduced from 16 to 13 in the European Region, in order to bring it in line with America, it sparked a furor amongst child
Read more
No Comments