TYPE 4

RITUAL ABUSE IN BRITAIN

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THE RITUAL ABUSE SCANDAL IN BRITAIN

1991 reviewed & summarised by MICHAEL HOWARD

(This article first appeared in issue 63 of THE CAULDRON)

FEBRUARY: The liberal minded "Guardian" abandoned all its principles

and published an astonishing attack on the Craft written by left-wing

journalist Beatrix Campbell attempting to link it with so-called "Satanic

ritual abuse". Transcripts of interviews with children in the Nottingham case

were re-printed. This confid ential information had evidently been leaked to

Campbell, who is known to be sympathetic to the fundies. The article

coincided with a failed attempt in Parliament by Tory MP Geoffrey Dickens to

make it illegal for children to attend pagan gatherings, Spiritualist Church

services, New Age events or psychic fayres.

MARCH: Social workers and police seized nine children from their homes

in the Orkneys in Gestapo-style dawn raids alleging "ritual abuse".

This claim had originated from the confessions of other children involved in

a normal abuse case. It was alleged a hooded, masked and cloaked figure

known as "The Master", who also dressed as a Mutant Ninja Turtle, and who

was identified as the local vicar, had led dances around a bonfire at a

local quarry. Police seized items associated with "black magic" from the

parents' houses. These included a

book of erotic poetry, and Oriental statue of a couple making love, a letter

written to the tooth fairy by one of the children, and a Guy Fawkes mask! A

week later the majority of children placed into care in 1990 following

allegations of widespread "ritual abuse" on a Rochdale council estate were

returned to their parents. In court the police said they had found no

evidence and the social services were criticised for their methods. The

Rochdale case was followed by an official statement by the Chief Inspector of

Constabulary for the UK, Sir John

Woodcock, who said the police had absolutely no evidence that "ritual abuse"

existed, He said that concern about the subject had been exaggerated and got

out of control.

APRIL: The children in the Orkneys case were released by order of the local

sheriff. Angry parents besieged the social services department. In Ayrshire

ten children were taken into care amid fantastic alleigations of human

sacrifices and rituals held in a haunted castle, graveyards, and a hot air

balloon by parents dressed as clowns! Granada Television's "World in Action"

programme exposed the methods used by the social services to extract

confessions from children. A child psychologist was quot ed as saying that

these methods were themselves a

form of abuse. Police in Aberdeen confirmed they had dropped charges against

six adults arrested for "ritual abuse".

JUNE: A doctor in Brighton claimed there was widespread "ritual abuse" in

Sussex involving animal sacrifices and "naked circle rituals" in local woods.

A police officer in charge of the child abuse unit in Brighton said she was

aware of the allegatio ns but had no knowledge of any confirmed case. Media

reports suggest leading fundies involved in spreading the "ritual abuse" myth

in the UK were being secretly funded by an extreme right-wing American group

who believe the British Royal family are i nternational drug smugglers!

AUGUST: Three young sisters were put out for adoption following the

allegation of "ritual abuse" by their mother, her boyfriend, and their

grandparents. This

was despite the fact that the Crown Prosecution Service had found no evidence

and were not contemplating criminal charges. "The News of the World" did one

of its famous exposes on the Paganlink-Up Gathering, looking for evidence of

"ritual abuse", bu t naturally found nothing.

The judicial enquiry into the Orkneys fiasco began with social workers

admitting they had ignored guidelines laid down after the Cleveland affair.

The social services Director claimed there was a widespread conspiracy among

the islanders to cover up the alleged abuse which involved the vicar, local

GP, and district nurse.

SEPTEMBER: It was revealed that none of the children in the Orkneys "ritual

abuse" case showed medical signs of sexual abuse. "The Independent on

Sunday" suggested stories of circle dancing had arisen from a Hallowe'en

fancy dress party held by the Brownies at the Church Hall.

OCTOBER: BBC Wales television programme "Week In-Week Out" exposed the

activities of Maureen Davies, the Rev Kevin Logan, et al, and alleged they

had fabricated evidence of "ritual abuse" in North Wales.

NOVEMBER: The trial at the Old Bailey of a gypsy family allegedly involved in

Satanic rites and child abuse collapsed after one of the child witnesses

admitted fabricating evidence. It was said she got her ideas from

pornographic magazines. Two of those accused - who are evangelical Christians

and prison visitors - are seeking compensation and taking their complaints to

the Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. One of them said he had been

pressurised by the authorities to sign a false confession . The Orkneys

enquiry nearly ended when some participants said they could not afford the

legal costs without government help. The inquiry is costing œÀ100,000 (A$

235,682) per week and is expected to last until the end of 1992! Allegations

were made t hat the dawn raids were required because social services received

information that parents had threatened to use guns to stop their

children going into care. The saga continues.....

Two lessons have been learnt from last year's events. Firstly that the ritual

abuse myth is not a right-wing conspiracy. Left-wing journalists, so-called

Liberal publications like the "New Statesman" and the "Guardian", and even

Labour's spokeswoman on child affairs, have supported the fundies. Secondly,

while the authorities are wasting millions of taxpayers' money investigating

the "ritual abuse" myth and dragging innocent people through the courts,

resources are being diverted from catching the real child abusers in our sick

society, who sadly include Christian priests and social workers.

BLESSED BE.