Is anonymity something solely reserved to Victims?

Curious as I am, I thought I would look up the latest arguments on anonymity, and re-consider my views on the subject. It is an argument advanced by those accused of sex offences against children. The alleged falsely accused think it is unfair that the victim of abuse should have anonymity whereas the alleged perpetrator
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Child Sexual Abuse – what makes it happen?

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse (IICSA) demonstrates the scope of child sex abuse in the past, but how does it begin? The IICSA has examined not only what happened but also how it happened. Peter Garsden, a Manchester-based abuse solicitor, discusses what grooming is and what to do if you feel a child
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Jimmy Savile Netflix Documentary – what do I think?

Because I am a child abuse lawyer, watching films about abuse is like a Busman’s Holiday, and I generally don’t do it. The release of Gary Glitter from custody started me thinking about Savile, so I watched the Netflix 2 part documentary the other night, and what a revelation it was. If you have not
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Should Gary Glitter be released half way through his sentence?

8 years ago, Paul Gadd, whose stage name is Gary Glitter was given a 16 year prison sentence for abusing 3 girls. Under legislation at the time of the sentence in 2015 (The Criminal Justice Act 2003) certain prisoners have to be released once they have served half of their sentence. At one time Gadd
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Radio, TV, and Press

Over the years, I have given a lot of interviews to the Media on a multitude of topics such as the sentencing of alleged abusers, Mandatory Reporting, Time Delay, The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse etc. etc. Here are a number of media extracts from the past some of
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Doncaster Children’s Home Scandal

After reports of children being punched, kicked, vinegar poured into cuts over a 3 year period, the regulator, OFFSTED of various Children’s Homes in Doncaster, finally stepped in and closed them down. Even though over 40 complaints were made, the homes were still rated as “good” by Offsted in March 2021. The BBC in their
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How Durham v Dunn affects disclosure of records both inside and outside litigation.

When I won the case of Durham County Council v Dunn, it was a great result, but I did not realise at the time, that the Court of Appeal decision would have national implications for all local authorities defending child abuse compensation claims. It is a landmark decision that has implications not only in all
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New Year, New Firm, New Start

I am delighted to share that I will be starting afresh with a brand new abuse personal injury business on 3rd January 2023 working with Scott Moncrieff of Temple Gardens London as a solicitor.l consultant. Not only is the work very rewarding and worthwhile but I will be working under the umbrella of a great
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Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse publishes final report

On 20th October 2022 IICSA (Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse) published its final report which ran to over 400 pages, and included within its copious volumes 20 recommendations which have been posted online as a handy pdf file entitled “rapid reads” For those who wish to see more detail of the actual text there
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Child abuse ‘Solicitor of the Year’ gives interview to Law Society Gazette

During the 2015 Law Society Excellence Awards, which recognise the most exceptional legal practitioners in their profession, Peter Garsden, a child abuse lawyer, was named Solicitor of the Year for his work representing child abuse victims since 1994. Peter filed his first claim in 1994 on behalf of an adult who had been sexually abused
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