Would you leave your grandchildren in the care of a man once charged with child rape?
FAC Herefordshire wonders if the Children’s Commissioner, Deborah McMillan, would leave her grandchildren in the care of a man once charged with 15 counts of child sexual abuse?
On 10th April, FAC (Herefordshire) wrote an open letter to Deborah McMillan, the Children’s Commissioner to Herefordshire, alerting her to the risk to three children left in a care placement with a man previously charged with 15 counts of child sexual abuse. The letter can be read here. Her response was disappointing. A commentary on her response can be read here.
Under her watch, Herefordshire Council has now applied to the court to make the placement permanent.
There is no evidence at all that the allegations are false. A “not guilty” verdict does not tell us that the abuse did not take place, a fact recognised by the two Herefordshire social workers who undertook the first viability assessment on the carer. They did not recommend him as suitable as a long term carer. The police have also not been persuaded by the trial that they and the CPS made a colossal mistake by arresting and charging him with child rape. The woman who claims she was abused from the age of 12 has not been charged with making false allegations and maintains to this day that she was abused from the age of 12 and the children are in danger.
There are only three positions the Council can hold in relation to the allegations.
They believe the allegations: the children would not be placed with this man.
They do not know if the allegations are true or false: no reasonable Council would place the children with this man.
They do not believe the allegations and are confident that none of the alleged abuse took place: the children could reasonably be placed with this man.
By placing the children with this man, and applying to the court to make this arrangement permanent, Herefordshire Council is de facto publicly concluding that the woman who states she was repeatedly abused from the age of 12 is a liar. On what grounds?
No-one at the Council has been able to string a single sentence together to explain to anyone, least of all to the worried parents, why they have concluded the woman who says she was repeatedly abused is a liar.
Commissioner, we simply cannot imagine that you would be happy to leave your grandchildren in this man’s care. So we are wondering why you are standing by and allowing this failing Council to take the risk with someone else’s children?