Information,O pinion &N ews from FACT:F alselyA ccusedC arers &T eachers &other Professionals Conference Edition The Last 10 Years of Historical Abuse Allegations a wasted decade in restoring balance in our justice system Page 14 Volume 9.3Edition Autumn - Winter 2019 Also page 5 AGM: Secretary’s Report INSIDE page 9 AGM: Media Report THIS ISSUE page 11 AGM: Helpline Report FACTion (information,o pinion andn ews from FACT), published twice a year, is freely available to online readers. Paper copies are available to order for which we suggest a donation towards printing & postage of around £12.00 per annum. Copies are available free-of-charge to serving and former falsely accused prisoners, who are members of FACT. Please contact the Secretary to order a copy. 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Cover Image: © Shutterstock © FACT 83 Ducie Street Manchester M1 2JQ Vol 9.3 - Autumn - Winter 2019e-Editio President Contents Sr Frances Dominica, O.B.E. 3 AGM: Chairman’s Report - Nicholas Griffin 5 AGM: Secretary’s Report - Brian Hudson 9 AGM: Media Report - Simon Warr 11Conference: Helpline Report - Andrew Palazzo, McCormacks Law Confidential 13A Special Invitation: Service of Fellowship -21st March 2020 Helpline 14Conference: Key Note Talk: 0843 289 2016 The Last Ten Years of Historical Abuse Allegations by Mark Barlow & Mark Newby 29 - 30 Information Edition www.factuk.org Internet and email links are active on the e-edition as are the Contents page; Forthcoming Events & Committee Meetings just click your cursor on the named article to be taken to the relevant page. 25th January, 2020, Committee Meeting N.B.To return to the Contents page just click 28th March, Committee Meeting on the FACTion volume 21st March, Service of Encouragement & Support, number found on the bottom of each page. St James’s, Piccadilly, London 16th May, 2020, FACT Spring Conference 20th June, Committee Meeting in London 10th October, 2020 FACT Conference 21st November, 2020, Committee Meeting FACTion Venue: St Luke’s Conference Centre, Birmingham unless otherwise notified [email protected] Chairman’s Report Nicholas Griffin Public awareness and be�er support for the falsely accused The last twelve months has will be believed and please been another roller coaster apply for financial ride with a lot happening. We compensa�on; we will make have seen a lot of movement it as easy as possible for you forward in ge�ng greater and it doesn’t ma�er if the access to the media to person you accuse is not highlight the existence of false found guilty! What sort of allega�ons. FACT has been message is that? What sort able to achieve some of approach is that? Many of mainstream acceptance as a our members are teachers or voice worth hearing. However, associated with educa�on. I there is a long way to go yet. wonder how they would have reacted if the schools Unfortunately, in many ways they worked at had a policy FACT AGM & AUTUMN CONFERENCE progress on the public of saying to the students ‘we awareness front has been have a pile of sweets or brought about because the money if you have an government has con�nued to pour in funding to allega�on against any of your fellow students or encourage people to make allega�ons and drive for teachers and we will believe you and you will receive more and more convic�ons for rape and other your own pile’? sexual crimes. Couple with this the con�nua�on of the instruc�ons to police forces to believe the In an extreme example we have thankfully seen Carl accuser, and we see the number of allega�ons Beech, previously known as Nick, brought to trial con�nuing to rise. The Government’s desire to and found guilty of his crazed allega�ons. Yet he was protect the genuine vic�m by trea�ng all accusers as originally believed by highly paid experienced instant vic�ms at the cost of the innocent has professionals! That single case alone has moved us created an open door for the false accuser and forward a great deal by highligh�ng to the general sha�ered many lives. Some allega�ons are clearly public how wrong things really are. We already absurd and others much more difficult to know – it is the general public who need to differen�ate from truth or fic�on, including the understand and act. I think if most of us were to wrongful allega�ons usually rela�ng to historical think back to the �me before we were accused, we allega�ons made by someone who truly believes a would have had no idea that false allega�ons were a ‘memory’. reality and so significant both in their prevalence and effect. Thankfully the Carl Beech case has It was inevitable that such an open door with li�le to produced a huge amount of media coverage and got lose and everything to gain by the accuser would FACT on TV as our President, Sister Frances spread to affect all levels of society like a cancer. It appeared on TV represen�ng FACT as its voice. I has now swung so far and become so ridiculous that hope this is the first of many appearances for FACT. false allega�ons are made against celebri�es, high- ranking officials and MPs. I am not surprised by this For 20 years now FACT has worked alongside other and it was only a ma�er of �me before this organisa�ons and individuals to highlight the happened as that pendulum swing has put everyone problems within the jus�ce system and to try to at risk from false allega�ons. The result of the moderate the pendulum swing from moving further government approach has increased false away from innocent un�l proven guilty. It all began allega�ons because the rewards are high and the for FACT back in the late 90’s with false allega�ons risk very low of being challenged or found out. You against care workers and teachers. All those falsely Page 3 FACTion - Vol 9.3 - Autumn - Winter 2019 FACT AGM & AUTUMN CONFERENCE Chairman’s Report con�nued ... accused, and their families both then and today have to become a registered Charity. I expect the change had their lives ruined and live with lifelong mental over will take place in the next 12 months. scars as a result. They have o�en lost huge sums of money defending their innocence and good name and Funding is crucial to take us forward and the limited can never return to the point they were at prior to the company status and pending charity registra�on allega�on. This is not because they do not want to but enables us to be�er raise funds and to enter into because the system is discrimina�ng against them employment contracts. �me and �me again over their whole remaining lifespan and causing con�nuing serious problems for I must extend my sincere thanks and gra�tude to them. everyone who works �relessly for FACT: all those on the commi�ee and those suppor�ng the commi�ee I have to say it is my concern that if the pendulum now and every individual and other organisa�on who speak swings back only a li�le, we will see an increase in out against this wrong. allega�ons against ‘the ordinary folk’ who are easier pickings because they don’t have the resources and Well done everyone and thank you.