F.A.C.T.

(Falsely Accused Carers and Teachers)

fighting injustice – lobbying for change

FLAWED PRACTICES IN CHILD PROTECTION INVESTIGATIONS

An article by George Williamson

Flawed science – common factors in child physical abuse and child sexual abuse
cases.

• The discredited medical and psychological theories and abuse statistics used to convict
defendants in cot death and child physical abuse cases are matched in child sexual abuse
cases. In the latter, therapeutic counselling based on flawed ‘trauma’ theories is used to
‘disclose’ abuse and ‘recover’ memories of abuse by a child protection system which believes
statistics that greatly exaggerate the incidence of child sexual abuse.
• Matters pointing to similarities between child physical abuse and child sexual abuse cases.
• Unproven or inconclusive opinions of expert witness clinicians, conflicting evidence,
disputed evidence of a crime ever having occurred, questionable corroboration standards,
similar fact confusion (similar allegations being treated as similar material facts) and a
presumption of the allegation’s veracity and defendant’s guilt.
• Further points on similarities between child physical abuse and child sexual abuse cases.
• An over reactive approach to child protection has led to excusing and justifying the jailing of
the innocent if it catches the guilty. The unjust removal of children from their families, and
unwarranted prohibitions on many men on contact with their children, occurs because of a
presumption of guilt and an over cautious mentality within social services and the family
courts. The secrecy of the family court judgements matches the anonymity forced on those
wrongly convicted in the criminal courts and those falsely accused, but not charged They
cannot publicly protest their situation due to court orders (or therapist-client confidentiality)
preventing the naming of the accusers - and, in some cases, the accused as well. The Judges’
comment in the Canning Appeal, on cases of physical abuse of children, that the innocent
should not be convicted (or kept in jail) even if it means some guilty people go unpunished,
must also be applied to child sexual abuse cases.
• These, or similar, comments are worth putting in the letters.
• Our campaign promotes the indivisibility of justice – for those who are sexually abused as
children and those who are falsely accused of child sexual abuse.
• Just as multiple cot deaths do not automatically corroborate evidence of a murder, the
multiple lies or mistaken beliefs of accusers do not become a truth that corroborates
allegations of abuse.

After the miscarriages of justice in the cot death and Munschausen cases the government must begin
an inquiry into cases of child sexual abuse (whether there were charges brought or not) where any of
the following is a feature; the only evidence is the testimony of one or more accusers, the police or
social services have ‘trawled’ for complainants, the complainants have had counselling to ‘disclose’
abuse either in the NHS or privately sought or instigated by the investigating and prosecuting
authorities, or a ‘recovered memory’ therapist has had involvement in helping to ‘disclose’ abuse or
been a prosecution expert witness.

Dr. Camille San Lazaro, given her role in the Shieldfield Nursery and other cases where she
wrongly diagnosed child sexual abuse, and similar-minded health professionals such as Dr. Arnon
Bentovin, should have their ‘trauma theories’ and ‘abuse disclosure’ practices investigated in the
same way as Professor Sir Roy Meadows is being investigated over the ‘Munschausen’ and ‘cot
death’ cases.

Representatives of those concerned about false allegations must be given parity with the child
protection advisers and be consulted regarding setting guidelines for investigating child abuse
allegations, as they will bring an indivisibility-of-justice and ethical approach to investigative
practices in child protection.

G. W (01.02.04)